California Dreamin’

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I’m not really sure how to start this one, as it was such a big trip and we did and saw so much. This all started as another trip planning venture for our Anniversary. However, since we never took a honeymoon when we got married, we thought, this would do nicely. So trip expansion it was, and our little 4 day long weekend annual trip turned into a 9 day extravaganza!

We began our trip flying into LA and ended in San Francisco with stops along the way in Yosemite, Napa and Sonoma to name a few. I broke it down by day/area so it was not so daunting.

Day 1: Welcome to Hollywood!

Well North Hollywood to be exact but either way here we are! We’re staying in beautiful North Hollywood with great views of the Mountains. Today we drove out to the coast and drove up Route 1, The Pacific Coast Highway for a few miles to check out the views.

While coming up on Route 1, there is Pepperdine University and they happened to be holding their Annual Waves of Flags Display, honoring 09/11 victims. What a site to see. There are 2,977 full size flags on display with 2,877 American and 90 International representing the lives lost on 09/11. What an honor to drive past this and see it. Not only is it beautiful but such a somber reminder of that day that changed our country forever an such a graceful tribute to those lost.

From there we drove up Route 1 and stopped for a few photo ops.  The “marine Layer” was pretty decent and made it appear overcast and cooler than usual. But the views are still great.

We had lunch at Back on the Beach Cafe in Santa Monica  What a great place! You can eat inside or out, with tables outdoors either on the patio or actually in the sand. It is located directly next to a playground and a fantastic spot for families with little ones or furry friends!  The food was very good, service was fast and very friendly. If you have the opportunity, you should check it out. I had the Marion Davies salad which was “delish” and they have great sweet potato fries!

From there we decided to drive to Mulholland drive for some site seeing above the city. We got on Sunset Blvd in Santa Monica and drove up through Brentwood, hopped on the 405 and got back off on Mulholland for some pretty views and photo ops.  If you get car sick, as I often do when riding in the back seat, this is a windy road and you should be prepared, trust me on this one. We ended our drive overlooking the famous Hollywood Bowl, to be referenced again on Day 2!

Day 2: A Crooner and his Bowl

We started out our day heading back to Santa Monica. We ran out of time on day 1 and wanted so much to walk the famous Santa Monica Pier.  I’m happy I have this one under my belt as it’s another one of those, been there done that moments that really doesn’t cause such a stir in your soul that you need to go back. But none the less, it was really cool to see and I’m glad we did it, and it provided for some classic photos. Truly iconic Cali.

From the pier we walked around the city of Santa Monica for a few hours and grabbed lunch. There is a bit of a shopping mecca a block off the beach called Santa Monica Place and you could spend an entire afternoon walking through here .  We happened upon a great little place called The Dudes Brewing , they had great beer and food. We got a pizza and it was very good! They offer seating inside and out on their patio with super comfy couches and conversation areas.

After lunch we hopped back in the car and headed back up to Universal City for a quick peak at the famous Brady Bunch House. It looks a lot smaller than it did on TV?

As evening fell on day 2, we cleaned up and headed out for the evening. As our luck would have it, we were able to grab tickets to see Harry Connick Jr at the famous Hollywood Bowl.  WOW!! What a show this was. The Hollywood Bowl is steeped with history which you can read more about here: Hollywood Bowl history  We arrived early and there are several places there to enjoy dinner. We actually went to a type of mini market and grabbed some eats; salads, sandwiches, cheese and crackers and a bottle of wine. And don’t forget dessert, they had that there too! While this may not have been the cheapest way to go, this was likely a once  in a lifetime event we were going to and wanted to experience the whole deal. The amphitheater of the bowl provides for not only spectacular views of the concert and surroundings but fantastic acoustics.  Needless to say, this was a great concert and wonderful evening.

Day 3 will take us heading out of LA and into the Sierra Mountains, so this is likely a good place to take a break and I’ll pick up the next post on Day 3 and part 2 of our adventure.