Los Angeles & Santa Monica

We flew into LAX early on a Saturday morning and picked our car up before heading toward our AirBnB apartment in Santa Monica. We stayed in a studio below a house owned by two very helpful hosts and the spot served as a great launching point for Santa Monica and beyond. After settling in a bit, we walked the beach (which was only a few minutes away) southward toward the famous pier.

By the time we reached our first destination, the Third Street Promenade, we were pretty thirsty and desperate for some food. We found a small café where we shared a light lunch and refueled for the rest of the day. We made our way along the main drag and then worked our way toward the ocean to explore the pier. On the walk back, we opted for the path above the beach through Palisades Park. That night we took it easy with dinner in the apartment and focused on getting a restful night’s sleep.

The next day we jumped in the car and headed towards the Santa Monica Mountains. The amazing thing about Los Angeles and its environs is that a dose of nature is a quick drive away from the bustling city. The sights from the winding mountain roads were reminiscent of rural Tuscany—rolling hills dotted with elegant villas, except the roads were lined with cacti instead of cypress trees.

California Coastal Road Trip ? Santa Monica + Los Angeles | Sea of Atlas

Our journey took us to Hollywood next! We only spent a short time strolling Hollywood Boulevard before venturing north into the hills for a self-guided tour of some of LA’s “secret stairs.” We had found mention of these stairs online and printed a guide that took us on over 800 steps winding through residential portions of the neighborhood. While the walk was exhausting, we were rewarded with some great views of both downtown LA and the Hollywood sign and we barely saw anyone else the whole time. Once we finished the trail, we went back down into the center of the small neighborhood of Beachwood Canyon to get some lunch at the Beachwood Café.

A visit to Los Angeles would be incomplete without a stop at Griffith Observatory. We toured the inside and then spent most of our time outside taking in the views. We could clearly see downtown, our next stop. There we visited Artists & Fleas, an artist-based pop-up craft and vintage market with everything from clothes to pottery and lots of music pumping throughout. The event was being held in the city’s Arts District. After going through the market we wandered around the neighborhood a bit more and found restaurants and other cool spaces tucked into the industrial environment.

We made our way back to Santa Monica and stopped at Milo and Olive for some unbelievable pizza. Not yet ready to head back to the apartment to retire for the night, we decided to take the car to Venice Beach and drive over some of the canals for a quick peek. This was a fitting way to spend our last night in LA before we would venture north toward Pismo Beach on our way to Big Sur.

Santa Barbara

It was time to pack up and hit the road. Our next stop was Santa Barbara. First, we headed over to the Santa Barbara Courthouse with its beautiful Spanish-style tiles and decor that made the space feel inspiring. All the earthy colors used throughout made the place feel really warm. We climbed all the way to the top to take in the views of the courthouse, town, and hills.

After taking in every inch of the Courthouse, we decided to head over to take a stroll along the beach. The beach was beautiful with sailboats lining the waters and palm trees along the sandy edge. After putting our feet on the sand, we were starting to get hungry so we headed into the town. We found that State Street was the main drag with lots of shops, cafes, and restaurants lining its sidewalks. We popped into The Natural Cafe to fill our appetites.

Once our bellies were full, we continue to wandered around for awhile, veering off on side streets and alley ways to find little hidden treasures. We really enjoyed stumbling upon El Passeo. One of my favorite parts of the trip was discovering these beautiful orange trees in the courtyard.

Though we didn't want to leave, we needed to get to our next destination of Solvang. Along the way though we happened upon Los Padres National Forest. It was a beautiful site from the car as we drove along so we decided to hop out for a little to enjoy the views.

Solvang

After some fresh air, we continued on to Solvang. The town is known to be a "taste of Denmark in California." It was definitely quirky with its architecture resembling its Danish ways and a windmill holding its own on the main street. We enjoyed feeling like we were in another part of the world for a bit. And, of course, we had to enjoy some ice cream at the Solvang Trolley Ice Cream Parlor before heading out to reach our resting point, Pismo Beach.

Pismo Beach

Pismo Beach is a small beach town. We stayed in a quaint little Airbnb apartment there and while we were near Shell Beach, a more rocky—but beautiful—beach, we made sure to venture off to explore the larger beach that the town is known for. During our drive we hopped out at some of the surrounding beach towns as well, such as Avila Beach, that are also apart of the Five Cities Area. This reminded me of the grouping of Cinque Terre in Italy, one of our favorite places on earth.

After some good food and views at Ventana Grill as the sun went down, we headed home to write, plan, and rest. When the morning came, we were fully rested and ready to enjoy some breakfast at Penny's All American Cafe. Before we were back on the road, we made one final stop at Shell Beach to say goodbye to the quiet town that let us get some much needed rest before continuing on to the next big part of our trip, Big Sur!

Big Sur

Big Sur is full of natural beauty. Along our way there, we made a point to make some stops along the way. Moonstone Beach was covered with gorgeous pebbles of all different earth-tone colors. We also tried to get into Hearst Castle but did not succeed. We had just missed a tour and it was going to be a while before another was leaving. We decided to cut our loses and keep exploring.

Right before we hit Big Sur, we stopped at the Ragged Point Inn Restaurant to take in some views and enjoy some lunch. There were a few paths around the inn that we wandered around but we knew we wanted to get to the good stuff in Big Sur. So along the windy road we continued.

This was by far the most gorgeous part of the road trip with never ending ocean and mountain views. The ocean splashing against the coast. We stopped at every opportunity possible and walked down trails to get a closer look at the beautiful views. There is something really special about Big Sur and we are not sure if we fully realized it until we had to leave. Big Sur is truly off the grid. At first, it was such an odd feeling to us, we are so used to having the convenience of cell service or wifi, but it got us to live without any distractions. We even bought some jacks to play which gave us a lot of laughs. To say the least, Britt was awful at them.

The one spot where we got the littlest amount of cell service to map and plan our days was The Big Sur Bakery. We enjoyed a few good meals there. A great spot to connect and the food was absolutely delicious!

In Big Sur was stayed in an Airbnb apartment near Pfeiffer Beach. The "Sugar Shack' apartment was perfect for our stay. It was clean, simple, and had a tree growing through the floor of the outdoor kitchen. What more could you ask for? And our hosts were extremely kind and welcoming. They left us fresh fruit and yogurt for the morning from their garden. It was truly special.

From The Sugar Shack, we could easily access the beach. Unfortunately, during our stay, the weather was unseasonably cold so we did not spend too much time at the beach. Pfeiffer Beach is known for its purple sand and large rock formations. We were not really sure what to expect but the purple color gently and beautifully runs through the sand. The beach views were dramatic and captivating.

On our second day in Big Sur, we headed out to drive more along the coast to explore before stopping for lunch at Cafe Kevah. There we took in the gorgeous views and ate some really great food. We highly recommend going there. They also have a full restaurant and shop.

After lunch, we got back on the road to go hike through Andrew Molera State Park where you can see The Big Sur River meet Andrew Molera Beach. The hike provided us with more breathtaking views and it felt good to trek through the woods. We even came within a few feet of a young mountain lion (or perhaps a bobcat). We had just got back from doing one trail and were going to go down another to see if we could get closer to the beach and it just casually walked right across the path in front of us. We are definitely lucky and it was incredible to see.

After our hike, we headed back to clean up and grab dinner again at the Big Sur Bakery. With the day ending and the sun setting, we decided to go for one last drive around to watch the day end. It was completely worth it and relaxing. Its moments like these that make us feel alive.

The next morning, we grabbed our last bite at Cafe Kevah. That's a spot we will forever miss but it was time to head on to Carmel and San Fransisco where our trip would come to an end.

Carmel

With our souls relaxed and refreshed from our time exploring what nature has to offer in Big Sur, it was time to get back on the road to our final destination, San Francisco. On the way out we drove over the famous (and amazing) Bixby Creek Bridge. We got out to admire its beauty in the foggy weather.

Before getting to San Francisco, we made a stop in Carmel to go through the 17 Mile Drive and explore the town. Carmel was full of lush and beautiful streets. We enjoyed walking around and popping into the shops. The town had an earthy aura to it that gave it a refreshing feel. We were inspired by all the vines crawling over buildings and around doors taking their own organic shape.

Before leaving, we grabbed lunch at Forge in the Forest outside on its patio. We of course had to dive into some dessert as well.

San Francisco

Hitting the road again, we were on our way to explore a city we have had on our lists for many many years. San Francisco is beautiful and inspiring as its different cultures fill and overlap the streets. By the time we got there, we were starting to feel the weight of the road trip. Tired from the drive, we opted to stay in once we settled into our Airbnb apartment. At first, we felt guilty. We weren't using our time wisely but we soon realized if we had pushed ourselves out, we wouldn't have enjoyed it and we probably would have been tired for the rest of our time there. Sometimes it’s smart to just rest up and enjoy where you are staying.

The next day we headed out to breakfast at La Boulange and took it easy. Later in the morning, it was time to jump back into travel mode. We began close to our home base of North Beach and then veered out from there. Our first stop was Pier 39. While it was nice to get to the water, it was quite touristy so we didn't stay for too long, though we did watch quite the act being put on in the center of the pier for a little bit.

Then it was a walk up the hilly streets, something we had to get used to in this city, through Pioneer Park and to the top of Coit Tower. The tower is 210-feet tall and offers beautiful views of the city. We stayed for a while to take it all in and enjoy the nice weather. After heading back down, we continued our walk to our next stop: Lombard Street. This is definitely a top must-see in San Francisco and while busy, we don't regret doing it at all. The street is not only windy but is lined with beautifully colored houses and lush with plants.

After so much walking, we were ready for some lunch. We headed over to Giordano Brothers who are known for their sandwiches stuffed with slaw and french fries. They were so good. Our bellies were happy and we were ready to continue enjoying our walk around the city.

Before calling it quits to rest up for more, we grabbed a bite to eat for dinner at Park Tavern and some gelato at Gelateria Naia.

Saturday we were up early and ready to wait in line for breakfast at Mama's on Washington Square. Normally, we like to skip the lines and get to what's important during our trip: exploring, but we read too many great things about this place. An hour and a half later we were at our tables enjoying our food and not regretting one second of it. If you get there early enough, the line moves pretty quickly since majority of people get in when they first open the doors. They move the line along nicely and you even get to watch the cooks prepare while you shuffle along. We would recommend it to anyone!

Now it was time to get back out into the city. We jumped on the trolley and headed to The Palace of Fine Arts to walk its beautiful grounds.

Next on the list was to hit a couple of parks: Presidio Park and Golden Gate Park. Presidio Park took you completely outside of the city and dropped you into nature. There was so much inspiration to be found in its winding paths and towering trees. At the top, we enjoyed the houses of the surrounding neighborhood and jumped on the bus to take us to the Golden Gate Park.

We started by the coast and then walked through Golden Gate Park. There is lots of green space as you would imagine but also windmills, which we weren't expecting.

Half way through, we cut out to head over to the Moraga Steps. The Steps where covered in mosaic tile. Each step is unique but when you pull away, the whole set makes a beautiful picture. When we first got there, there was only one other group taking them in. We thought we found a hidden gem but as our time went on more and more people came and went.

After the steps, we headed back to our place to have a bite to eat and rest for a second. Once ready, we headed back out on the bus to the Golden Gate Bridge and Beach. We walked along the sandy shore starring up at the icon amazed that we were there. During our time in the city, we could see the bridge from the apartment and different locations we had been to. Now we were finally up close. It was just as gorgeous as we imagined. We weren't planning on getting any closer to it than the beach but we felt the pull to and hiked up.

We headed back into the city and to Union Street to walk around. Most everything was closed but we managed to grab a crepe and admire some beautiful flowers while we waited for the bus to Alamo Square.

Alamo Square is famous for the Painted Ladies and of course from the show Full House. We got there around sunset and took it in. One of the ladies was being repainted but they were fun to see. There was such detail put into them and you see it mirrored throughout the city. San Francisco definitely has its own unique charm.

We headed downtown to catch the cable car back to our place. I am so glad we got the chance to go on them. They took you back in time and it was a fun way to end the day (as well as the trip). When we got back we ordered pizza and reflected on our week driving up the coast. We had a fun time doing our first-ever extensive road trip and were sad to see it come to an end.

The next morning we were up early to catch our flight back to Boston. Goodbye, California!