West Coast – Archived Travels

Arizona

“When your spirit cries for peace, come to a world of canyons deep in the old land”

2020 has been quite the difficult year – from pandemics to politics, a safe getaway was much needed.

Although traveling was nearly impossible this year, my friends and I managed a long weekend away in Arizona, a state filled with deep canyons, massive plateaus, and lush deserts.

Praying Hands (The two pillar landforms)

I have never been to the desert before – as an east coaster where humidity and water is ample, I certainly underestimated how arid it could get. Tip #1: hydrate as much you can at all times, especially during hiking!

With that said, I’m excited to share all that an autumn Arizona has to offer.

Since this was my first visit and because I love hiking over most things, I wanted to cover the most popular natural attractions. Our itinerary included – the Grand Canyon, the Devil’s Bridge and Kitchen Sinkhole, the Seven Sacred Pools, the vortexes at Cathedral Rock, and Slide Rock State Park.

There were certainly more places my friends and I wanted to visit, but because of the time of year (November days have a lot less sunlight) and the difficulty of some of these hikes, it wasn’t possible.

For our first full day, we drove two hours north of Sedona – briefly along the famous Route 66 – to the Grand Canyon. As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, it was a bucket list item that needed to be checked off.

And we didn’t just see the Grand Canyon, we hiked nearly 4000 feet down on the Bright Angel Trail. The grueling yet unbelievably scenic trip took six hours total to complete.

Tip #2: Do not underestimate the Grand Canyon. The hike has steep switch paths and icy trails that litter the top of the canyon. I highly recommend good traction shoes and supporting accessories if you are visiting in the fall. Since the Bright Angel Trail is nearly completely shaded, make sure to wear layers and bundle up!

Regardless of how far you choose to go on the Bright Angel Trail, walking this trail will leave you with beautiful views and a full body workout – seriously, you’ll be sore for the rest of your trip

The next day, we drove out to see the red rocks of Sedona. There were a few geological sights we wanted to see here, starting with the Devil’s Bridge.

We parked our car at the the Soldier’s Pass Trail and hiked our way to the Devil’s Bridge Trail. The path weaves through nice shaded areas and is relatively easy. Once you get to the steep part of the path, you’ll find yourself on the equivalent of a Disney park line.

Everybody is on this trail for one reason and one reason only – to see the Devil’s Bridge and take a good ass photo on it.

Because of this, every group went on one by one which generated hour long waits. I personally didn’t mind it. The views from the line were great company.

After successfully posing and not dying on the bridge, we sought out the Devil’s Kitchen Sinkhole and Seven Sacred Pools. I don’t think these stops are a must visit, but it certainly offers a chance to stroll through the more lush parts of Arizona.

Unfortunately, due to extreme drought, the Seven Sacred Pools were dried up. It was underwhelming to say the least.

We concluded the evening at the base of Cathedral Rock, where we sought out an “energy vortex”, or a place where spiritual energy is most potent. With an open mind, you can tap into some enlightenment. For me, $5 happy hour margaritas did the trick.

If you come to Cathedral Rock earlier in the day, you can hike all the way to the top, but be prepared! We heard from those coming down that the hike eventually turns into a climb.

For our final day, we spent the morning brunching and shopping in downtown Cottonwood, the town where our Airbnb was.

Since we were heading back into Sedona, we made a pit stop to see the Church of the Holy Cross. This chapel was built into the stone of the landscape and offers beautiful views of the surrounding area.

After two days of intense hiking, we found some relief at Slide Rock State Park, where we lounged under the sun beside mossy pools and slick natural slides.

It was too cold to swim, but we did dip our sore feet in. The spring and summer are better times to visit if you plan on hopping in, but you’ll have to deal with the crowds that come with it. Lucky for us, we found a nice private slab of rock to snack, nap, and play cards on.

We concluded that evening with the shopping area in Sedona and some drinks to celebrate the success of our trip.

If you love nature in its largest and grandest forms, I highly recommend Arizona, and if you like adventure, hike the Grand Canyon and try some local cuisine – I promise prickly pears and rattlesnakes taste amazing!

San Francisco

When you get tired of walking around in San Francisco, you can always lean against it.

I was fortunate enough to visit San Francisco for Labor Day Weekend. My goals were summarized in one short and sweet sentence – I traveled across the country to see a bridge, a tree, and a friend. I saw quite a lot more than that, and I want to share what I experienced through the images below.

I started my San Francisco adventure at Philz Coffee. My friend who served as my lovely tour guide told me that this Philz was special in particular because its the very first of its kind. I was very adventurous and tried the mojito iced coffee and w h o a. I highly recommend if it’s in season during your visit.

Philz Coffee as well as the place I stayed at was located in the vibrant Mission District, which is the home to one of the largest Latinx communities in the country. You could see the district bursting with color from the street murals to the interiors of the stores.

I spent the evening with two good friends, wine, and the best Mexican food in the country in the beautiful Dolores Park. The view captures the San Francisco skyline and the golden hour there is breathtaking. You could also get a good view of Karl from here if he’s out and about – apparently they call their fog Karl and he has an instagram too.

I hundred thousand percent recommend eating at La Taqueria (or as the locals say “La Taq”) Anything there is fantastic, and I was told it’s a local secret to ask your soft shell to be “dorado” when ordering – makes it golden brown and crispy!

The next morning, my friend took me to another hopping eatery – Tartine. When it’s 8 am and there’s a line this long out the door on a Saturday, you know it’s gonna be delicious. I enjoyed a yummy quiche and my friend ate some berry banana bread pudding – Y U M.

As I’ve said before, it was my goal to see a “tree” but not just any tree, a Redwood Tree. My friend and I travelled to the South Bay area via train to visit Big Basin Redwoods State Park where I was not disappointed.

The trail we took led us to this beautiful waterfall – Sempervirens Falls. My only complaint with this easy four mile hike was that it was along the road. Besides that, the scenery was still absolutely breathtaking.

Enjoy this gorgeously composed spread that we lunched on. It was super yummy and a beautiful view accompanied it.

The next morning, we hunted down yet another place that had a big line. For brunch, we ate at Zazie, a French restaurant, which is located in Cole Valley. We were hopeful that the food was going to be as good as the wait, and we were not disappointed at all. If you are feeling boozy, order the blackcurrant sorbet Mimosa.

After filling up our stomachs, we headed over to Alamo Square to see the Painted Ladies, a famous row of houses that I swear is featured in the opening of Full House.

Our next stop was Baker Beach where I’d achieve my next goal – seeing a bridge – the Golden Gate Bridge. The air was warm and the water was chilly yet refreshing. My friend and I set down a blanket and enjoyed the sunset.

The final activity for my San Francisco trip took me through the Napa Valley/Sonoma and to Russian River where I joined a large group to float down the Russian River in a funny version of a “booze cruise”. I definitely don’t recommend drinking while floating down a river, but also you only live once? Haha, just be careful … also it was illegal to drink on the beach. So, keep it in the water, kids.

That’s about it for my first San Francisco experience. It was quite lovely and I saw all that I needed to see. I’m excited to return and add more important spots to my checklist – that including more museums and food spots.

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.