Driving the California coast in a Jeep Wrangler has been on my bucket list for a decade. I’ve known for most of this trip I’d be able to make it happen between my stay in San Francisco and San Diego (minus the Wrangler and add a Benny).
The first stop on my trip was Monterey. I stayed in an Airbnb that was listed as a bed and breakfast. While I knew I would be staying in someone’s home I ended up realizing it was not an ideal situation for me.
My host was kind and welcoming but I felt very awkward being in her house; she was frequently on the phone having intense conversations, her dog had passed away earlier that week, and she was clearing her throat every 5 minutes the first night which made me worried she was sick or had COVID.
I went to the highly recommended Monterey Fish House for dinner my first night. There were hours worth of people waiting in the parking lot for a table… which I took to be a sign that it would be amazing. Unfortunately, it was more of a fried fish and pasta place which I can’t do because of a gluten and dairy allergy. My salmon was underwhelming and they were out of oysters. However, the team of servers and busboys were amazingly friendly, attentive, and thoughtful.
The next morning I went to Tidal Coffee for a delicious latte and sat on a bench overlooking the bay while posting my San Fran blogs and calling my mom to vent and reset after an awful night’s sleep.
I wandered around Monterey checking out the little beaches and shops along Cannery Row. I got a ticket to the famous Monterey Aquarium for that afternoon and stopped for a wine tasting at Bargetto to pass some time.
I met a group friends from Fresno who did an adventure railroad that morning and were celebrating their accomplishment and a birthday. I met a woman who was on a weekend trip with her partner and we talked about my trip and how she lives about 5 hours north of Monterey and is a Massage therapist. The bartenders, Ethan and Dash, were amazing and entertaining.
After getting a little vacation buzz, I walked over to the Aquarium and listened to the My Favorite Murder podcast while checking out the fish. I was a bit underwhelmed because I’m used to the Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach where you get to go through a water tunnel with huge sharks swimming all around you.
My second day in Monterey I drove to Big Sur to see another symbolic bridge with an epic view. Big Sur is more of a camping and hiking place than a town, which I didn’t realize. I didn’t have any service and paid $6 per gallon for gas before going to the beautiful Nepenthe Restaurant which sits on the high cliffs overlooking the ocean.
After Big Sur I went to Carmel-by-the-Sea and fell in love. The town is full of ivy-covered hobbit houses with archways and rounded wooden doors, cobblestone driveways and ocean views.
I walked around Ocean Avenue which is the downtown area while checking out cute shops. I stopped at Aw Shucks for oysters and Manhattan clam chowder while sitting outside people watching.
After my oysters and wine I sat at the beach and watched some surfers. When I was getting in my car to leave, an older woman introduced herself to tell me; she was originally from Lexington, MA- I absolutely love when people with ties to home say hello.
I had planned to stop at Hearst Castle on my way from Monterey to Santa Barbara but unfortunately it closed due to a road collapsing and is on the market to be sold. I have heard it is a must see so I’ll have to do this coastal trip again in the future (twist my arm).
I arrived in Santa Barbara to sunshine.. finally! San Fran is very foggy and cool in the summer and Monterey was similar.
I settled into my comfy and wonderful hotel room and went downtown to get dinner. I sat at the bar at Opal’s and enjoyed an amazing seafood paella while making friends with everyone I could. I met a woman who was also there alone and drinking chardonnay then an older couple then a young couple from the Little Italy area of San Diego who are going on a year long road trip next year. They asked for general road trip recommendations and some for their upcoming 2 month stay in Boston. We are going to try to get together when I’m in San Diego.
The next day I took advantage of all the hotel amenities including the gym; I haven’t been in a gym since March of 2020 and it felt great to be back. I was able to use the Elliptical to workout while taking a 2 week break from running to hopefully heal this ongoing injury and use all the weights I wanted to on my strength day.
After my workout I laid by pool all day and read and listened to My Favorite Murder podcast.
Before heading to dinner I drove around the ocean and pier in Santa Barbara then went back to State Street for dinner at Finney’s.
After dinner I went to a tasting at Municipal Winemakers which had a super fun twist on wines. I enjoyed their unique chardonnay while sitting outside while the sun set. If you’re ever in Santa Barbara I highly recommend checking them out.
While outside I started a conversation about the sunset with a woman with 2 dogs, Amber. She also lives in the Little Italy neighborhood in San Diego. She introduced me to her dogs, Suki and Penny Dreadful and we hung out the rest of the night, talking about being single, travel, mental health, and living life to the fullest; we are planning to meet up in San Diego, too.
I truly wish I stayed in Santa Barbara for 3 days and only did Monterey for 2 because I loved Santa Barbara so much.
On my last day I got a coffee at Handle Bar and took a short walk on State street before heading to Santa Monica.
The drive down the coast from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica was surreal- driving though Malibu and along beautiful cliffs and beaches was a dream.
Some anxiety started to creep in as I got closer to my destination and then I arrived at the hotel and felt overwhelmed by the bellhop, valet, and fanciness. The excessive attention felt more suffocating than helpful.
I pushed through my anxiety and went to the courtyard to have a glass of wine and a hummus plate. As I sat and ate I started to relax and it certainly helped that two songs that mean a lot to me came on while sitting there- a Kacey Musgraves song that reminds me of my sister and a Mumford song that reminds me of my good friend, Colleen. It felt like the universe showing up and having my back and I was able to take some deep breaths and feel grateful.
After finishing my snack I walked down to the beach; I put my feet in the freezing ocean and sat and marveled at the pier before heading back to the hotel for dinner.
I made sure to return to the beach to watch the beautiful sunset over the Pacific and behind the Santa Monica pier all while playing the old Savage Garden song, “Santa Monica” which inspired me to want to visit since first hearing it in middle school.
The next morning I got another gym/elliptical workout in then grabbed coffee at Dogtown Coffee. Coffee in hand with Yellow Card’s “Ocean Avenue” playing in my headphones I walked the mile to Venice beach. It was amazing to see Muscle Beach, the shops, the skateboarders and roller skaters, and take in the boardwalk.
I spent the rest of the afternoon laying at the pool and had a couple tropical drinks. I was feeling pretty overwhelmed at how to choose one thing to see while in LA so I ended up avoiding the decision altogether. I had really wanted to hike to the Hollywood sign but it was over an hour from my hotel.
That evening I was set on not missing out on the LA experience so I drove my car around Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and East LA. It was amazing to see the famous Rodeo Drive that reminded me so much of the Mighty Ducks movie and then to drive in Beverly Hills while thinking about the Clueless movie. I went back to the hotel to read over dinner and red wine.
On my last day in LA I had planned to explore while passing time before check in at my San Diego AirBnB but the host contacted me to let me know the place was ready early. Instead of aimlessly driving around LA with Benny, just to say I did, I headed to my next stop instead.
On my drive to San Diego I hit a lot of traffic which I believe was due to a fire that started that afternoon near San Clemente. It was wild and scary to see the large plumes of smoke in the distance and slowly lose visibility- it wasn’t ideal for my anxiety.
I arrived in San Diego knowing I had just completed an epic road trip of a lifetime, and even if it was harder than I expected it was amazing to know I had done it.
Oh… and I had my first In-N-Out burger!
Where My Feet Are 