California Dreamin'

I live a two-hour drive away from some of the most talked about cities in the U.S., but I still find it hard to escape my daily “days off routine.” With the tourists rolling in for 4th of July, I was soooo ready to run to LA! I packed my car, drove north and walked the sunny pavements of some of the most prime real estate on the west coast. First, we stopped at an art fair in Laguna Beach, then jumped hood to hood around the west side of LA. I hung out with the hooligans of Venice Beach, window-shopped the 3rd Street Promenade and famous pier of Santa Monica, then enjoyed a sunset boat ride and sushi and sake dinner with an old friend in Marina Del Ray.

I’ve visited these places before, but it felt like I was forging new frontiers. The Venice Beach boardwalk never disappoints. Lined with people and places, this colorful hippie beach town will burn retinas and blow minds! It’s definitely an area to shop and gawk! And gawk we did! We grabbed a slice a pizza, sat in the shade of a palm tree, and people watched away! Greg took me to the 3^rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, which I instantly fell in love with while strutting the streets for a quick shopping spree and caffeine fix after a happy hour gone way wrong!

I wasn’t gonna let bad service and over priced drinks get us down, so I hit up a friend who lives on a boat in Marina Del Rey. We cruised the waters just in time for sunset then hit up an amazing sushi restaurant that definitely made up for the previous sad excuse of a “happy hour.” The Canal Club’s atmosphere and menu were equally unique and eclectic. Mini mojitos, shishiito peppers, and graham cracker crusted key lime pie with homemade whipped cream don’t even begin to describe the list of delicious and affordable menu items!

Although we were invited to crash on our friends sailboat, a big comfy bed and a bunny who was celebrating her birthday was calling our names, so we booked it back to San Diego at 2 in the morning!  We were hoping to make it up to Malibu for a morning hike to Escondido Falls, but it was still a fun filled 24 hour road trip that would leave anyone humming Hotel California. You really can check out anytime of night, but you can NEVER leave.