Miles: 95
Route: Santa Barbara, CA - Los Angeles, CA
Alex and I drove up the California coast a couple years ago and we loved visiting Santa Barbara so we made a point to stop there during our journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles. We only had half a day so we got an early start and headed to State Street. Alex tolerated my browsing in the various boutiques and we made our way down to the water for lunch on the wharf.
Standing on Stearns Wharf.
Palm trees for days.
After enjoying the beautiful view we walked back to our car and started the short drive to LA. We made fast progress - until we hit the infamous traffic we had been hearing about. Thankfully we were in no rush and once we arrived we headed to Beverly Hills to walk around for a bit before meeting up with our hosts, Jayme and Adam.
Upon arriving at Jayme and Adam’s West Hollywood abode, we both had the same thought: ohmygod they have an entire house! Alex and I have always had an appreciation for space given how little we had in our former NYC apartment and our travels across North and South America have only reinforced that stance!
Adam gave us a proper tour of their amazing home (and our own guest bedroom!) and we relaxed for a bit before dinner. Since Jayme had a work event, the three of us headed to GRACIAS MADRE, a popular vegan Mexican spot nearby. Gracias Madre is a beautifully designed restaurant with a really nice outdoor patio and it was packed for a Tuesday night. Alex and I were excited to expand our horizons with a vegan meal - it seemed very fitting for LA - but apparently nut allergies are very vegan-unfriendly. We were able to find a few entrees that could be made without nuts, but since so many of the dishes have nuts (or nut milks) the menu actually recommends that diners with nut allergies do not eat there. Neither of us had ever seen such a stern warning before, but we were glad they take allergies so seriously! We felt bad for being so high-maintenance but were happy we didn’t need to leave the restaurant. For all of our concerns, the meal ended up being delicious and we were really glad to have tried something different.
Alex woke up Wednesday morning with a sore throat and headache, which we hoped would improve as the day went by. We grabbed our sneakers and headed to Runyon Canyon for some exercise and sightseeing. It was a hot and muggy day but once we reached the top of the hill, we were treated to some amazing views of LA.
Great view of the Hollywood sign.
Taking in the Hollywood Hills.
Even on such a hazy day we were treated to great views of downtown LA.
Saw another group trying to take a picture and my trusted offer-to-take-their-picture-so-they-will-take-yours move worked out famously.
Given my love of celebrity gossip I also knew this was a popular location for spotting famous LA natives and we were not disappointed - we walked past Amber Rose in full glam mode with an entire posse following closely behind. She may not be that famous but I felt like we had checked “see a celebrity” off our LA to-do list.
The hiking trails varied in intensity and after two hours we definitely felt like we got a pretty solid workout. Unfortunately, Alex really wasn’t feeling well so we grabbed juices from Liquid Juice Bar and headed back to Jayme and Adam's place. Alex decided to stay home and rest for the afternoon so he could hopefully recover in time for ACL; I headed to Venice Beach for some eating, shopping and walking.
Jayme had suggested a stop at Gjelina for lunch and I was happy to partake in some healthy LA-style fare. Kale hasn't quite caught on in the Midwest (or South America!) yet.
This picture doesn't do it justice but the roasted eggplant was one of the tastiest things I've tried in a while.
A pretty quiet day on Venice Beach.
Walking down Venice Beach.
I spotted this colorful house while walking around the more residential part of Venice and it reminded me of the streets of Cartagena.
Even though I was sad to be without Alex, it was nice to spend a leisurely afternoon exploring an eclectic part of LA (and shopping at my own pace!). Alex ended up doing a lot of resting and napping and felt a little bit better by the time I returned. For dinner Jayme and Adam took us to Sugarfish, a sushi spot known for its “trust us” fixed course menu, which was great (and also felt very “LA”).
We had such a great time catching up with our hosts and really enjoyed our time on the West Coast. Next stop: Austin for ACL.