Southern Cali Style

Day 1: Poor Flounder

Let me start by explaining my friendship with this girl. It is your privilege to officially meet Nicole. I have known this incredible human for roughly 20 years and our vacations and adventures could easily have their own book. It would take me years to write about every trip we have been on together so I am going to kindly grace you with the story of our very first and certainly not last, California adventure. Now the reason that Nicole and Amy take on Cali is because this ball of fire decided she was going to up and leave me high and dry in NY last year! Yes, we have lived about 20 minutes from each other for what feels like forever and yes, she did decide to move across the country… but that is a whole other story. In all honesty though, I am so proud of her for doing this. How many people do you know that have a wild dream like moving across the country alone and then actually go and do it?! Not many people are as brave and determined as this girl right here and I am lucky to call her my friend and my inspiration.

I could go on and on about her and all the amazing things she has accomplished but let’s get back to our California expedition. Now I will start by saying we did end up in the Disney health center on Day 2 so you’re going to want to stick around for that story!

The journey started in the airport…I felt like a celebrity as Nicole stood in the airport with a sign that had my name on it! BEST. GREETING. EVER. I flew into Santa Ana Airport which was small and adorable and best part for me; not confusing. I am not the best solo traveler so this made things a bit easier. Then it was off to Nicole’s glam apartment in Rancho Santa Margarita. If you haven’t been to this cute little town, it is a must. The view of the mountains is absolutely breathtaking and you are minutes away from the beach, I mean what’s not to love? Nicole was the best host, as she stocked her apartment with all my favorite goodies. Now that’s what best friends are for. She had it all from my favorite coffee to my favorite wine and all the munchies in between.

Now for our first official FULL day; the museums. We were off to Long Beach to check out The Queen Mary and The Aquarium of the Pacific. Fun little fact about The Queen Mary… it isn’t accessible, therefore that wasn’t a long tour. We rolled up to the boat, checked out the front and then we were back in the car and on to the next stop. Lucky for them, Nicole is a good sport and we didn’t let a little bump in the road stop our fun. Who wants to go on a haunted boat anyway?! Now the aquarium was where the fun was at! This was the coolest aquarium I had ever seen. They had everything from penguins and otters to random lightshows! And of course Nicole insisted I pet the slimy stingrays… not exactly my kind of enjoyment but hey when in Cali, am I right?! My favorite thing I would have to say though was the hands on starfish exhibit! They are some pretty amazing creatures. After a day of checking out the fishes, we hit up Downtown Long Beach for some cocktails and sushi with a view. I am now realizing that this seems a bit wrong that we pointed out how cute the fish were all day and we ate it for dinner. Oops! Sorry Flounder, can’t control the food chain.

Day 2: Banged up and bruised Belle

Now if you know Nicole and I, you know that we live for Disney vacations but this was our very first Disney LAND experience together. I have to say, I am Disney WORLD fan all the way but I did appreciate the old time feel of Disney Land. One must try food in Disney Land is definitely the Mickey Beignets. Talk about melt in your mouth doughnuts. O. M. G. I still dream about these to this day, I honestly can’t tell you what is better the Mickey soft pretzel or these powdery clouds. Nicole and I had a blast meeting all the characters and dancing our way through toon-town until Minnie had us so excited that Nicole decided to taste the cement floor. Now let me start by saying that we did laugh about this after and it didn’t stop us from having an amazing night! Let me tell you that NOTHING and I mean NOTHING can stop this girl from showing someone a good time. I can watch this fall in slow motion a million times over in my head and every time, I wish I had moved just a little faster to save her wheelchair from hitting the ground. There may have been some broken bones but we’ll never know because Mrs. Wonder Woman over here brushed it off and kept on cruising along. After a little detour visit to the health clinic, we were back in action and ready to take on the night. We couldn’t leave without going on the Ferris wheel in the Disney California Adventure Park. Now this isn’t just any Ferris Wheel, let me add, it is one that rocks back and forth! I have never laughed and cried so hard at the same time in my life. Let me tell you, being locked inside a cage is not a good time to realize you don’t like Ferris Wheels. Thankfully, Nicole talked me through it and then of course insisted we ride it again. I must say it was worth it to see the fireworks from the top.

Day 3: beach babes

Yes, it is true what they say about California beaches. You feel as if you were dropped right in the middle of a Hollywood film. Wow, from someone living on an island being surrounded by a beach, I was in awe of the Pacific Coast. Our first stop was San Clemente and I must say, this was my favorite. I don’t know if it was being able to sip my lavender latte while gazing out into the ocean or the fact that the weather was absolutely perfect but I never wanted to leave this spot. Caterina’s coffee was to die for and the little outdoor bar made it the perfect morning stop to enjoy our cup of coffee outside. Now our next stop was necessary for multiple reasons, have you heard the Luke Bryan song about the pier? Well, let’s just say it is one of our favorites and when there is a pier right in front of you, it’s a must! We hit up The Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar for a bloody mary and a snack. While we could have easily stayed here all day, there was so much more to see! Next up was actually the drive down PCH. Apparently everyone in Cali knows what that means but for newbies like me, it stands for Pacific Coast Highway. Who would have thought a road could be so fun? It was the most gorgeous scenic drive I had ever taken. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t get out much so I am very easy to please( hence the LOCAL travel blog.) After blasting country music down the highway, we had to check out the hype in Laguna Beach. I felt like a celebrity lounging on the couches overlooking the beach at The Deck on Laguna Beach. This was the perfect spot to watch the sun slowly set as we sipped our margaritas. Now with little time left before dark, we were off to one last beach. Newport Beach was our last and final stop of the evening and boy was it worth it. This town seemed like one I’d like to go back and explore one day. It was filled with shops and restaurants!

Stay tuned for my next visit to see Nicole in Southern California! Next time it’s concerts and vineyards!