Wednesday, July 20, 2011

USA: The sights (West Coast)

Manhattan Beach in LA - liked this better than the more iconic Venice Beach and Santa Monica, due to the cute boutiques, better food options and incredible beach-side mansions. Although I did love cruising along Santa Monica in the convertible happily singing Everclear and seeing the familiar views from so many movies. But, in my opinion, Manhattan Beach had the best shopping in LA and a great, relaxed vibe.

The drive along Highway 1 was amazing, with breathtaking views

Santa Barbara was one of my favourite spots; this is the old Mission, which everything in the town is designed to match. A lovely shopping strip and great food complete the experience.

Would definitely recommend El Paseo, a quaint Mexican restaurant - go on 'Margarita Monday' - this is not advertised and we were surprised to see how cheap the delicious cocktails were!

Elephant seals and squirrels were both in abundance at Piedras Blancas along Highway 1. Skip past Hearst Castle and stop here instead.

The specialty of the northern California coast.

Yosemite National Park - go for 2-3 days for sensational views at every turn.

The fog rolls in over the Golden Gate bridge.

Love the San Fransisco architecture.

The view from the window of our Mustang convertible.
I loved the variety in the Californian landscapes.


I really enjoyed California, it's so relaxed and the people are really friendly. It's pretty tough to be back at work, but it's nice to look back on the photos and imagine that I'm still there.
What an adventure!

2 comments:

  1. Oooooooh you make me so excited for my trip - the photos are looking great, I can't wait to see more! Loving the pics from Yosemite, what do you recommend wearing there?

    As for KW, new season doesn't come out until next weekend. I got a preview/chance to purchase the limited selection from out back (all from NH) as I've been a vip there for the past 5 years - pretty lucky as I had LOVED that coat

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  2. Amazing photos! I was surprised by how much I loved California, it was so much fun! x

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