Los Angeles, San Diego & Beyond
Venice
There’s so many neighborhoods in Los Angeles that we love so let’s start with Venice! The Hotel June is where we started our trip… a cute little boutique hotel very close to Venice! Once we were settled in we headed to The Butcher’s Daughter and it did not disappoint… their cocktails and pizzas are a go-to as they were very different and the pizza toppings were so unusual, yet worked so well together. After dinner, we walked across the street to a outdoor beer garden, De Buena Planta for some great music and cocktails.
Day two we got up early to go to Blue Star Donuts for some coffee and doughnuts to walk around with and made our way to Great White for brunch. This restaurant was right out of a Bali magazine - if only I could take all the rattan and bamboo lampshades home with me!
Malibu
Our Malibu day trip was not planned, but so worth the scenic drive - we ended up on the highway by accident so we decided to keep at it and make our way to Malibu Pier. The Malibu Farm Pier Cafe is a great spot at the end of the pier to get good with a beautiful view! The surfers catching waves over to the right was some great entertainment.
Joshua Tree
From Los Angeles, we made our to Joshua Tree for the night. Our Airbnb was the cutest little place with an outdoor tub with a view. In the summer it gets to the 100’s so we opted for a sunset hike to Skull Rock and Arch Rock Nature Trail. With Skull Rock we went off the beaten path and made our way through the rocks…it was like another planet surrounded by these rock formations! Once the sun set we stopped at Joshua Tree Saloon, which was this old time saloon with games and great atmosphere at night. Aidan claims they are the GREATEST ribs of all time, a long day of hiking in the sun may have colored his judgement (but let me know what you think!) The next morning before leaving we went to as many boutiques and antique shops as we could see.
Highly recommend checking these all out:
-Acme 5 Lifestyle : a beautiful boutique that specializes in bohemian modern decor for indoor and outdoors - I could have spent hours in there trying to figure out to ship everything home
-Hoof & The Horn : stylish boutique with good postcards and patches!
-Joshua Tree 925 : so many gems and artisan pieces
-Pioneer Crossing Antiques : antiques and sterling jewelry
-The End : vintage pieces
La Jolla
This cute little beach town that inspired Dr. Seuss and his books is one of my favorite places to visit. The lush wild life and ocean views are like no other. Sea lions all around, while people are snorkeling and kayaking in La Jolla cove is such a site! In The Cave Store there’s a tunnel leading to smuggler’s sea cave that looks like a side profile of a head and sometimes you can get a glance of some sleepy sea lions. Outside or the store is a trail leading up and around the cove and you can even spot the hidden swing if you are so lucky!
Places to Eat:
-Cody’s
Encinitas
My second favorite place in California has to be Cardiff-by-the-Sea, which is where my family lived for a few years. I would love visiting and exploring the laid back beach town with stunning houses and even more stunning views. The Meditation Gardens has one of the most serene views a-top the mountain side overlooking the ocean. I always loved grabbing doughnuts with my cousins at VG Donut & Bakery and then heading down to the beach… walking past The Cardiff Kook, where locals always dress him up in different attire depending on the holiday or season. For dinner my top places are always Waverly and The Besta Wan Pizza House!
San Diego Neighborhood Finds
-Lumi
-Sunset Cliffs
-Coronado Island
-Annie’s Canyon Trail
-Balboa Park
-Communal Coffee : my favorite is in North Park
-Holy Matcha; North Park
Check out my California Google list of places to go!
Follow along and save locations for yourself to check out later!
