Los Angeles, California
This past weekend was spent exploring in Los Angeles, and it was exactly what we needed to kick off the start of summer.
Alex and I have very different ideas of what a vacation means: he favors relaxing and having down time, where as I’m more into finding adventures and being on the go.
For the sake of compromise, we settled on one, or two, [or three, max!] activities each day. Alex flew out a few days ahead of me to take care of some business, so I took advantage of the solo flight time, and finished half of the book I had packed for the trip. [Review to come later!]
Alex was beyond excited to take me to the Huntington Botanical Gardens, which has been on the itinerary since we began our preliminary planning. I had to agree, (and will now recommend) this is a must see! The best part was the Desert Garden. It was incredible, seeing thousands, and thousands of the most exotic looking succulents in such a small amount of space. It gave me serious gardeners envy, and it definitely inspired me to step up my succulent game!
After walking around the gardens, we came back to the hotel to recharge for a bit before a glorious (food coma inducing) dinner in Pasadena.
The Weather
I had to make an emergency trip to Target, as it appears we came during a June Gloom period. With temperatures not quite reaching into the 70’s, and I had only packed sundresses and shorts. I was in desperate need of pants (read: something warmer)!
The rest of the trip is a blur of spending afternoons with old friends, family I haven’t seen in ages, a small amount of business, The Museum of Jurassic Technology (obviously an Alex agenda item), and top notch meals- so much food!
Top Recommendations
A memorable brunch spot we went to was Coast at Shutters. All I can say is great pancakes, and incredible ocean views. Afterwards, we walked to the Pier, and I decided we absolutely must stop at the Pacific Park. I really wanted to ride their roller coaster. So we did, and it was totally worth the $8. Do it!
We were home, and unpacked by 10pm Sunday night, ready to tackle the workweek ahead. It was a fabulous, relaxing, wonderful trip. Southern California, you were too good to us. Until next time!