California: The Golden Coast

California
The Golden Coast

From SanFran to LA: Big Sur & the Pacific Coast Highway

• Palo Alto (Stanford University) & The Silicon Valley (Apple, Google, Intel)

• Pescadero State Beach, Pescadero

• Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz

• Carmel by the Sea & the Mission

• Big Sur: Big Sour Bakery, McWay Falls, Pfeiffer Beach, Morro Bay Rock Beach, Montana de oro State Park, Mission San Antonio de Padua

• Santa Barbara - West Beach, wine tours, sea lions, La Playa stadium

• Channel Islands National Park

• Rincon Beach Park, Carpinteria (the surfing mecca)

• Malibu - Malibu beach for villas & Leo Carrillo State Park

• Santa Monica - fish and chips @ the Pier, Third St Promenade & the city center. Eat @ Sushi Roku - Casual AD: The Bungalow - Rooftop: Onyx Bar & Shangri-La. Speakeasy: Solidarity

• Venice beach (skate and hippies) - Abbot Kinney Blv - eat @The Butcher's daughter, smoothies @Great White. Speakeasy: Old Lightning, King Eddy Saloon

Los Angeles
"I would fly to Los Angeles just for a cheeseburger with pickles and extra tomatoes from In-N-Out."

• Hollywood (silver fire-hydrant)

• Beverly Hills (gold fire-hydrant)

• Rodeo Drive (Bugatti)

• Hollywood sign @ Mulholland Hwy & Beachwood Canyon stairs

• Farmers Market 

• Melrose Ave, la Brea ave

• Griffith Observatory (hiking in Griffith Park)

• Getty Museum of Modern Art

• Downtown: Walt Disney Concert All (Gehry), Bradbury Building, LA City Hall, Union Station, Graffiti wall

• Skyslide at OUE Skyspace

• Staples Center (NBA Lakers & Clippers, NHL, X-Games)

• Dodger stadium (baseball)

• University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) 

• Kayaking the LA river

• Movie/Concert night at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

• Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

• Universal Studios

• Restaurants: Sushi: Katsuya Hollywood, Mori. Stakehouse: Fogo de Chao, Morton's, BOA. In-N-Out for burgers, Salazar for tacos, Amazebowls for bowls, Sqirl for toasts, Din Tai Fung for DimSum, Animal for new American, Providence for seafood, The NoMad ($$$$)

• SpeakEasy: No Vacancy, £10, No Name, Adults Only, The Rendition Room, Blind Barber, Dirty Laundry, Black Rabbit Rose, Pacific Seas, The Slipper Clutch, Sunset & Vinyl, Mezcal Bar

• Other Drinks: Mama Shelter, the Standard Downtown, Mondrian

• Nightclubs: Avalon, PlayHouse, One Oak, Sound

From LA to San Diego: Orange County

• Manhattan beach - Pier & beautiful houses - eat @Fishing With Dynamite - The Belamar Hotel

• Hermosa Beach - Pier - Hotel Hermosa

• Redondo beach

• Long Beach (aquarium). Speakeasy: Exhibition Room, The Parlour Lounge

• Anaheim - Disneyland

• Huntington Beach - eat @Rubys on the pier - Vans Surf Open di Surf on July - Pacific City Mall

• Newport Beach - eat @Mozza

• Corona del Mar Ocean Blv (houses and view)

• Laguna Beach - Treasure Island Beach - Crystal Cove State Park - 1,000 Steps Beach - Aliso beach (surf) - Crescent Bay - Art Festival in late June - Tuvalu home store - Aperitivo @The Deck, La Casa del Camino & The Rooftop Lounge - Lunch @Active Culture, Urth Caffè & Old House Garden Café - Cast of Crowns Tattoo

San Diego

• La Jolla Beach (seals, sea lions & penguins)

• Coronado Island (Coronado Hotel from the movie "Someone likes it hot")

• Pacific Coast Beach (surf)

• Old Town (Mexican)

• Downtown/Gaslamp Quarter 

• USS Midway aircraft carrier

• Taco Tuesday - eat TexMex

• Aperitivo @Marriott Gaslamp Quarter Rooftop (baseball stadium) & the Rooftop by STK