When in.. California

Last month my boyfriend and I did a 7-day road trip through California. We began our journey in Los Angeles and our last stop was San Francisco. Here’s a compilation of our stops and a few recommendations.

Day 1 & 2 – Los Angeles, CA

While in Los Angeles, we stayed at the Abbot Kinney Apartment. The location of this place is perfect as it is around the corner from Abbot Kinney Boulevard, a 10-minute walk to both the Venice Canals as well as Venice Beach. When you visit Venice Beach, be sure to stop by Larry’s to grab a bite to eat. The Roasted Cauliflower Steak was absolutely delicious as well as the Salt + Pepper Calamari. On our way back to our “apartment” we walked down Abbot Kinney and had ice cream at Humphry Slocombe & a matcha tea at Shuhari Matcha Café. At night we hit up Hollywood Boulevard, where we strolled through the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the TLC Chinese Theater and Hollywood & Highland shopping mall.

The next morning we did a studio tour of Warner Brother’s and then we hiked the famous Runyon Canyon. It is a 20-minute hike and the views are breathtaking. After our hike, we went to Sugar Taco – a plant-based Mexican restaurant right on Melrose Avenue. This place was very cozy and colorful and the food is amazing. The guacamole, tacos, burrito, and horchata are all a must. We ended our night at the Griffith Observatory. After our long day getting to the observatory was a long hike; however, it was well worth it as we were right on time to see the sunset.

Day 3 thru 5- Malibu, Sequoia National Forest, Big Sur & San Simeon

On our third day, we drove up to Sequoia National Forest. We stopped at Paradise Cove Beach Café in Malibu to grab some breakfast. This little gem was a bit pricey but the portions they give you are huge. We ordered the “Huevos con Tortillas” and needless to say, that was a perfect portion for my boyfriend and me to share. We made our way to the Sequoia National Forest at around noon and we hiked for most of the day. The next day we drove through the Pacific Coast highway – this is such an unbelievable drive. The nature in California is astounding. Through our drive, we were surrounded by all the exotic plants, mountains, and the beautiful Pacific Ocean views. We visited the Hearst Castle – we got tickets for the “Grand Rooms” tour. The castle did not disappoint and we even got to walk on gold at the end of our tour. If you are in the area, I highly recommend you visit. Make sure you purchase tickets before you go as the tours do sell out.

Day 6 & 7 – San Francisco & Napa Valley

Our last two days consisted of exploring San Francisco and doing a wine tasting at Napa Valley. San Francisco is such a different city compared to the other places we visited in California. The architecture has is a mix between victorian and modern and the parts of this city have a New York vibe except for a little more laid back. While here we visited the Golden Gate Bridge, Alamo Square Park – which is known for the painted ladies, Top of Lombard Street, Chinatown – the oldest Chinatown in North America and the largest outside of Asia, Twin Peaks – which I highly recommend visiting at night and not going alone. It seemed a bit sketchy since there’s no light pollution here except that of the cars driving up and down the mountains, the view of the city is beautiful. Our last night there we had dinner at this little restaurant called “Barzotto”. The food is absolutely delicious! In Napa Valley, we did a tasting at the Robert Mondavi Winery. Our tour guide William was super knowledgeable and friendly. During the summer the winery has a “summer concert series” which we missed since the concerts started the week after we were leaving.

Golden Gate Bridge

I hope you enjoyed this post. I loved visiting California and will definitely be back to explore a little more. If you have any recommendations on where to visit next, drop a comment below…

Xo,

Ingrith ♥