Southern California

One of my good college friends, Ava, is from Long Beach, California, so of course flying out to hang with her was inevitable! Below is a recount of my first visit to Southern California back in 2015.

Day 01 –

We started the day by exploring Ava’s hometown, Long Beach. We walked to and around Second Street in Long Beach.

We enjoyed a yummy breakfast at Pandor to get some energy for our drive to Los Angeles.

Ava’s amazing mother, Bev, gave me a tour around Los Angeles. We shopped on Melrose Avenue and had some lunch at Cafe Midi.

We ended our day with Afters Ice Cream.

Day 02 –

This morning, we ate at Portfolio in Long Beach (I miss their almond croissant to this day). We enjoyed a scenic beach walk to the Aquarium of the Pacific and then hung out by the lighthouse at the Pike.

We ended our day with In n Out for dinner, which obviously is a big deal for me, an East Coaster.

Day 03 –

I got behind the wheel on this day and took the challenge/privilege of driving on the 405. We drove to Little Tokyo in Los Angeles and had lunch at Marugame Monzo. Upon our exit, we watched old guy kill it on his piano in the center of the patio. Next, we ate Mochilato (mochi and gelato). We did a littleshopping and got presents as well as Japanese grocery food.

After Little Tokyo, we went to LACMA and saw tons of amazing art!

It was a long day, and adding a museum trip to it made us super tired. We rested by La Brea Tar Pits before going out to eat in warehouse district. I accidentally drove through Skid Row, which was slightly terrifying, but we made it to our destination, the Factory Kitchen.

Day 04 –

Today was a beach hopping day! We ate breakfast for lunch at Seal Beach, then we went shopping. We leisured at the beach for about two hours before heading to Huntington.

We enjoyed some gelato on the pier. I crossed off swimming in the Pacific Ocean and watching the sun set over it off my bucket list! We had the fanciest dinner at the Port in Newport (some couple skrrted up to the function in their boat – that’s how fancy it was!)

With our tummies full, we headed home for sleep.

Day 05 –

I returned to Portfolio for their amazing almond croissant (still thinking about you, almond croissant). Then, we went to the Hills to visit the Getty, which was otherworldly…and HUGE. So tiring! You definitely need to make a day of that museum. We reenergized with some pastry snacks in the gardens.

After the Getty, we headed over to Santa Monica and rode the Ferris wheel – wasn’t worth it to be honest.

We were on our way home but got caught in traffic. I was slaughtered by the 405. Half dead, we went to Snow Monster for ice cream and hung out with some of Ava’s friends. We then stayed in, ate food, and watched Netflix

Day 06 –

After such a long week, we decided to sleep in. We had brunch at the Attic before heading over to the Griffith observatory. We did some hiking near the observatory, not to mention TO the observatory – the parking was atrocious.