My past two recent trips to LA have been pretty much all business. So, it was awesome this time around to do a little bit of exploring and relaxing.
I’m a sucker for a view – so it naturally led to a trip to Joshua Tree National Park. As part of that I spent the night in a pool side casita (apparently that’s what they call it). I went for a little bit of a night swim. I ate some guacamole under a big flowering tree. It was pretty great.
Sunday was a true mix of activities. I started out with an awesome breakfast, followed it with a hike, and then a multi-hour drive to the coast. I wasn’t sure exactly where I was going to get breakfast but knew that I wanted to try something that seemed in-line with the “Palm Springs” experience. While I was pumping gas, I found Cheeky’s via the Foursquare app and was sold. One of the tips said “flight of bacon”… not joke.
My breakfast consisted of: chevre chive hash, cheddar scone, and a flight of bacon. I never would have thought to put goat cheese on hash browns… or that I would like strawberry bacon. Both are now true. The rest of the flight consisted of: applewood, jalapeño, apple cinnamon, strawberry, and bbq. Also, the iced coffee was perfect. They change the menu every week so I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to ever replicate this order but I’m confident that whatever I order will be great.
Mt San Jacinto
I almost skipped taking the Palm Spring Tram because I had visited Key’s view the day before. I figured they were just opposing views from either side of Coachella Valley. It also costs $24.95 for the tram experience which isn’t exactly small change. I’m really glad that I didn’t skip – because the view was pretty incredible. In the event you were wondering, there also were no bees.
The tram ride takes about 10 minutes each way … and it slowly rotates around. This not only gives everyone a great view but also prevents an annoying tourist from bumping into you and trying to take a picture of rocks.
Once you get to the top, there is a 2 mile trail that offers 5 different great vistas. Unlike this time that I got lost in Mariposa Grove, the signage on the trail was excellent. I will say this place is covered in lizards … and I’m not really a fan of them.
The Beach
I will always be a water person. I might not like to swim in it all the time, but I just love being near it. After I left the desert and the mountains, I drove down the Pacific Coast Highway for awhile. All of the beaches are about a million times different. I had my heart set on taking a nap by the hotel pool, so I only stopped at a few vistas including Seal Beach … which has no seals.
Sunday night I managed to get dinner with one of my best friends in LA and another good friend from grad school. I’m honestly not sure when the last was that I laughed that much for that long. We met up at this place called Abigaile in Hermosa Beach for some small plates and chatter. Phenomenal. I got there a little bit early and took myself on a walk. The beach isn’t ugly right?
The Rest
It’s only natural after you’ve had such a good few days, you need to be taken down a few pegs. As a result, I spent Monday sleeping on a boat. A haunted boat to be clear. Whenever I told anyone that I was going to sleep on the Queen Mary, there was a heavy mix of “yikes” and “I did that years ago!”. I think I can safely say that I’ll never do it again.
Oddly enough, just a few mere steps from the Queen Mary is a much nicer hotel where I bunked up last night. From portholes to balconies, with firepits, relaxing pools, and ceviche in the middle… this was much better. Plus, I saw this big fat seal taking a nap on the dock.
All of this is reminding me that I never recapped my trip to Florida … and there are some equally phenomenal beach pictures there. Hopefully I’ll get to that soon. My backup hard drive appears to have died so that might take priority.