Hello friends! How is your week shaping up? I can’t believe it’s already Thursday.
If you’ve been catching on to my hints over the past couple of weeks, then you already know that Scott and I are gearing up for our next move (i.e., our lives are everywhere and I feel like I don’t have time to do anything.)
That said, I hope you understand if I’m a little less consistent with posting on the blog until our to-dos settle down a little.
I’m currently on a break from #allthethings before work at the gym, so I thought I’d pop in and continue on with the next recap from our trip out west. Here we go!
Need to catch up?
San Diego: Downtown & La Jolla
When Scott and I booked our trip to San Diego, we knew that we wanted to spend a day roaming around Los Angeles. I had visited a couple of times, but Scott had never been outside the Staples Center (the arena where both the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers play.)
On a good day (without crazy traffic), you can make it to Los Angeles in about two hours time. We were very grateful that our friend, Joel, lent us his truck for the day and set out for the drive at about 10 a.m.
Los Angeles, California
We weren’t quite sure where to start our adventures in La La Land, so I looked up the address for the famous Hollywood Sign and went from there. I had seen it several times, but never actually drove close enough to where you can hike up to it.
The sign is located in Griffith Park, and there is a great overlook point at the Griffith Park Observatory. We made it around Noon on a Sunday afternoon, so it’s no wonder that the park was crowded. Parking near the observatory was out of the question! We ended up twisting and turning around for a good mile and a half before we found parking on the street.
This was the point when I started feeling something taking over my body … and although I knew I was getting sick, I pushed through for the views. I mean … duh, you would too.
After a brisk, inclined, 30-minute walk up through parking, we made it to the Griffith Observatory. We didn’t spend much time inside, but went out to the observatory deck and took it all in.
It was so pretty up there! We had a bird’s eye view of the entire city of Los Angeles and played the “Who do you think that mansion belongs to?” game for a while.
We met a nice couple that took a photo for us, but this selfie actually turned out better. Go figure because I look extremely drowsy.
After a few minutes of soaking in the views, we made our way back down the hills to where we parked. Overall, we were gone for over an hour! Next up on our list of things for Scott to see for the first time was Hollywood Boulevard.
We parked a few blocks away and stopped for chili dogs at Skooby’s on the way over to the main strip. I ordered the a turkey dog as was impressed at how great it tasted!
As cheesy as it may seem to the locals, this part of the city is where Scott is drawn to the most. With a background in entertainment, do you blame him?
We took our time strolling the shops and took a look down at the stars as we got to the “Walk of Fame”.
It’s always so inspiring and neat to see the names of people who “made it”, most of which came from little before they took a leap and moved their lives to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams. You go, Glen Coco!
After following the trail of the stars for a bit, it led us to where all the commotion is, the TCL Chinese Theatre.
The theatre was offering tours and, of course, everyone gathered out front to put their hands and feet in the famous cement imprints left by stars. The Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 square had the most traffic by a long shot.
Feeling a little chilly (thanks to a fever), we stopped for hot chocolates at the Ghirardelli store on our way back to the car. It was nuts in there!
Wanting to see as much as we could, we kept moving and drove through some of the sights the Los Angeles area is known for best …
(Rodeo Drive)
(The Beverly Hills Hotel)
And plenty of Hollywood homes that were simply … ridiculous.
Thinking we might make it over to Santa Monica for the sunset, we hurried along and made the quick drive over to the beach. Man, that place is beautiful!
We wanted to park and walk over to the pier, but so did everyone else. Parking was crazy! Instead of getting caught up in it, we circled a couple of times and daydreamed about the day we can move somewhere close to this paradise.
Trying to kick whatever sickness was coming over me, I took a nap on our drive down to Laguna Beach. My dear friend and roommate from college, Kathryn, lives about 20 minutes from Downtown Laguna Beach, so we made plans to meet her for dinner at Sushi Laguna.
I was super bummed that my stomach wasn’t excited for sushi because it looked delicious.
Kathryn and Scott ordered a variety of sushi rolls to split and I warmed up with a hot green tea and a Ramen bowl. We chatted for about two hours and caught up on what life has been like since the last time I saw her. (Katie’s wedding?)
Wishing we could stay longer, we hit the road soon after and took the backroads near the coast as long as we could en route to San Diego. There’s so many hills and mountains right next to the beach that I can only hope we get to return to one day when the sun is out!
Our time in Los Angeles wasn’t very long, but I’m glad we were able to drive up and back for the day. Until next time!
renaissancerunnergirl
I really want to do the Griffith Observatory hike. I only spent one day in LA last summer on my first trip to Southern California (mostly spent in San Diego and Anaheim), and I chose the Getty Villa and Malibu. I’m sorry you weren’t feeling well, but glad you enjoyed LA!
renaissancerunnergirl recently posted…Thinking Out Loud: Plans and Priorities
Sam @ Barrister's Beet
I’m so sorry to hear that you were sick while you were there! Looks like you guys had a great time, though. Santa Monica looks amazing. People are SO lucky to live there!
Sam @ Barrister’s Beet recently posted…Healthy Breakfast Choices at Panera
Erin @ Erin's Inside Job
I just got back from Malibu and Santa Monica and definitely played the “who does that mansion belong to” game quite a few times!
Erin @ Erin’s Inside Job recently posted…Malibu Part Two