California ’22
Another trip for the books! California was nothing short of amazing. We drove up and down the coast and saw the beauty that it had to offer. Of course we only saw a small portion of it, but we will be back for a Northern California trip! Jeff and I flew into San Diego, rented a car and took off to explore! We stayed at a different Airbnb in a different city each night while we were there. Sounds kind of crazy right? But in all honesty, we enjoyed it so much and got to see a lot this way!
San Diego
Night number one was a little chaotic. We had an evening flight that got delayed about 3 hours so we didn’t end up getting to our Airbnb until 4 am..ha! But we did not let this ruin the trip, we laughed it off, got some rest and started fresh the following day.
We started our day with a walk to the nearest breakfast joint- it was called Better Buzz Coffee. We got a coffee and walked over to a bagel shop. We shared a bagel and an açaí bowl, both were delicious! Came back to the Airbnb, got ready and headed to get our rental car. Once we had our car, we headed to In-n-Out for lunch. If you’ve never had it, GO! We each got a burger and fries and split a milkshake..YUM! Next on the list was Laguna Beach!
Laguna Beach
When we arrived in Laguna Beach, our first stop was the beach! We visited Crystal Cove State Park and it was beautiful! We walked to the beach and took in all the beauty. When we were heading back to our car, Jeff spotted the Crystal Cove Shake Shack, so of course he had to stop and try a shake. We went to dinner and came back for a chocolate malt. It did not disappoint and he went back once more during our trip to enjoy another one.
We headed to our next Airbnb and got situated for our short stay. Once we were rested and freshened up, we headed out for dinner. Carmelita’s was the chosen one. It was a higher end Mexican restaurant. The service was awesome and the food was even better! We got margaritas, chips, salsa and guacamole and shared two entrees. I got the fish tacos and Jeff got a crispy chicken taco and a short rib enchilada. So so good!
Los Angeles
The next morning, we were headed to L.A. We went and got coffee first, of course, at a cute place called Bad Coffee. I got a cappuccino and Jeff got a latte. Once we got some coffee into our systems, we got ready and were on to the next adventure!
Our first stop was at a place in Downtown L.A. It was called Wake & Late. Jeff had heard really good things about this breakfast place, so we went to see what all the hype was about. We shared a breakfast burrito with bacon, eggs, cheese and tater tots. We got it with a side of cilantro crema and that paired with it so well! One of the best breakfast burritos we have ever had.
After that, we went to the Hollywood walk of fame, where we found some celebrity stars, visited the TCL Chinese Theater and Dolby Theater, which is where the Oscars have been held. We drove and got some street view pictures in front of the Hollywood sign, which was very cool! We wrapped it up there and headed to our next Airbnb in L.A. Before we got there, we were ready for lunch and stopped at Cava. I’ve heard such great things about this place and had to try. It’s like a Mediterranean Chipotle. I got the Harissa Avocado Bowl and Jeff got the Spicy Chicken Avocado Pita. Both were so good and it was a light and flavorful lunch.
When we got to the Airbnb, we were taken back by the view. This Airbnb was breathtaking! It had a pool that overlooked the L.A. skyline, which was such a cool thing to see! We hung out there for a little while to rest and enjoy the view. When dinner time rolled around, we went to Volcano Tea House for bubble tea and then went to Tatsu Ramen for ramen. This was definitely a happening place! Jeff got the Red Ramen and I got the Hippie Ramen. Both were great! When we were finished with dinner, we stopped at the Urban Light at LACMA. These lights were in a scene in the movie “No Strings Attached.” Such a cool experience, especially at night!
Malibu
The next morning, we left L.A. and headed to Malibu. We stopped at Awkward Coffee for our morning coffee and then were on our way to the Griffith Observatory. The observatory has been featured in many Hollywood films. The skyline view of L.A. was beautiful! When we finished there, we drove to Santa Monica. We had reservations at a restaurant called Elephante. This was one of my favorite restaurants that we dined at the entire trip. The food was incredible! Our favorite thing we got there was the whipped eggplant.. I’m salivating just thinking about it!
When we finished lunch, we decided to check out the Santa Monica Pier- it was a happening place! We wrapped it up there and headed to our Airbnb. This Airbnb was totally different and had a treehouse vibe. It was tucked away in the Topanga mountains and the décor in each room was so different! We decided to call it a night and rested up for adventures we had planned for the following day.
The next morning, we woke up early and headed back to L.A. We had breakfast at the cutest café at the base of the Hollywood sign. It was called Beachwood Café. I got their breakfast burrito and Jeff got a waffle. After we fueled up, we headed towards our next adventure.. hiking behind the sign! Jeff came across a blog post that explained how to successfully hike up to the Hollywood sign. It was about a 5 mile hike round trip. This was definitely my favorite activity we did. Once we got to the Hollywood sign, we stood there for a minute to refuel and take in the breathtaking view of L.A. This is a must do! On our way to the car, we came across a fruit stand so we stopped and got some fresh fruit drizzled with chamoy and sprinkled with Tajin. It was the perfect snack to end on after that hike. Next on the list, San Luis Obispo!
San Luis Obispo
When we got to our Airbnb in San Luis Obispo, we were taken away by the view! There was a beautiful pool that overlooked mountains. This one was our favorite stay and we would love to go back! For dinner that night, we went to Luna Red. The atmosphere was cute and the food was good! We went back to the Airbnb to enjoy more of the pool. The next day, we started with a quick breakfast at Banner Coffee Company. I loved the vibe here. The staff was super friendly! We each got a latte and then I got an almond croissant and Jeff got a maple waffle. After this, we headed back to the Airbnb and packed up, we were off to our next stop!
We drove back down the coastal highway and ended up in Santa Barbara, where we had lunch at Lucky’s Steakhouse. This restaurant was one that the Kardashians dined at, and me being me, I told Jeff we had to go there to see what the hype was all about! We ordered everything that the Kardashians ordered- a salad, skinny onion rings and grilled artichoke.. mm mmm mm! When we were all fueled up, we drove to our next adventure, which was a hike on Seven Falls Trail to Inspiration Point. This was our second hike of the trip. It was definitely more of a challenging hike, but the view at the top was well worth it! When we got back down to our starting point, we headed to our next stay, which was in Santa Barbara.
We arrived to the cute little Airbnb and got situated. At this point, the hike had kicked our butts. So we called it a night and didn’t do too much exploring. When the next morning rolled around, we got an early start and stopped at a coffee shop near us called, Handlebar Coffee Roasters. This was another coffee shop with such a cool vibe! We got our usual coffee orders and enjoyed them outside. When we finished breakfast, we were on our way to Downey!
Universal Studios
We arrived in Downey and went straight to Universal Studios. This was Jeff’s portion of the trip as he loves Universal and Disney. We started the day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with Butterbeer at the foot of Hogwarts castle. We then went to Hog’s Head Pub where we had lunch, more butterbeer, and strawberry peanut butter ice cream “must try”. We also had them make us a Deathly Hallows drink which is layered with Strongbow Cider, Amber Hog’s Head Brew, and Guinness Stout. It sounds strange but it looks cool and tastes so good! We spent the rest of our Universal trip on rides and trying Habit burgers! After Universal, we had dinner reservations at Nobu LA, but we ended up cancelling those plans and going to a comedy show at the Laugh Factory because Theo Von and Chris Delia were making a last second appearance. This ended up being one of the highlights of our entire trip! We were in literal tears from laughing. The Laugh Factory was much smaller than we expected so we were super close to the comedians! We even walked by Chris Delia on our way out.. so cool! After the show we made our way to our Airbnb for the night before we headed to Disney the following day.
Disneyland
Before I talk about Disneyland, I just want to mention how wonderful our Airbnb was in Downey. It was so cute and our host very attentive. She left us snacks and drinks in the mini fridge. There was even a welcome sign waiting for us with our names! Okay, now we can talk about Disneyland. Outside of the overall magic, Jeff and I love to explore the Disney food. We started the day in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge riding Rise of the Resistance “best ride ever!”, eating at Ronto Roasters, and drinking various versions of Bantha Milk. After Galaxy’s Edge, we explored Disneyland trying different foods and rides. Our favorites were the Mickey beignets, mint julips, and a deep fried pickle corndog! Disney is always a great way to feel like a kid again and try so many different foods. After Disney, Jeff and I decided to go see the new Top Gun Maverick movie as it just came out that day. The movie was SO SO good and it made it even better seeing it in California where a lot of the movie was filmed.
Back To San Diego
We spent our last day heading back to San Diego and stopping at multiple places along the way. We visited Beverly Hills and Rodeo Dr. We then made our way to Venice Beach for Teddy Red’s Tacos. The food was AMAZING! It was some of the best birria we have ever had. Jeff then wanted to check out the Venice Beach Skate Park, Muscle Beach, and the original Golds Gym that Arnold Schwarzenegger used to work out at. For lunch we stopped at Health Nut. Their salads are delicious and HUGE. We shared a deluxe salad, spring rolls, and mango iced greentini. I am still craving that salad to this day! After lunch we headed to Manhattan Beach were we laid out by the ocean before heading back to San Diego and then home the following morning.
I have always wanted to visit California so Jeff and I made that dream a reality. The state is so big that we were only able to focus on the southern portion but we can’t wait to go back to the San Francisco area. There is just so much more to explore! California has something for everyone. It had some of the best food we have ever had “outside of New York”, scenic views, outdoorsy activities, and touristy activities. If you haven’t traveled there yet, I HIGHLY recommend it!
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