CA Vacation: Part 2

Alternate post title: LAX, Burbank, Atascadero, Paso Robles, San Simeon, Santa Barbara, Carmel, Monterey, Redwood City, and San Francisco!

We went all over the place in this state! We flew into LA, rented a car, and made our way up to Redwood City (near SF) where my sister lives, stopping all along the way in any place that piqued our interest.

Here are a few shots from what I think was our first full day in LA, where we stayed with Tom's film school friend he hadn't seen in something like 10 years. Crazy, right? He took us on a tour of the area, showing us all the cool things locals like. We spent some time at the Griffith Observatory, where I caught my one and only glimpse of the Hollywood sign.

On our way out of LA, we made a point to stop at Mood. We got there right when they opened, so it was pretty quiet. I was like a kid in a candy shop, smiling and touching everything, but I was also pretty overwhelmed. I managed not to buy a single thing - thank goodness Tom took photos, or else I'd have nothing to remember it by! I'm definitely glad we stopped there, but I really wish I'd taken the time to plan a shopping/project list, so I could have made some smart purchases, instead of just drooling over all of the pretty bolts upon bolts upon bolts of fabric.

I had to include these snaps Tom took out front by the sign. I'm even wearing a me-made top! Speaking of me-mades worn on the trip, I also wore my Polka-Dotted New Look 6000 on the plane, which was great because it's polished yet casual.

Our brief stop in Paso Robles was really great! We hit up a pretty cool antique mall, and I bought the mail-order pattern I shared in my earlier post.  We also stopped at Cass winery, whose wines we've been really liking. We ate a great lunch there and then hopped back in the car. Next time we're in the area, we'll have to spend some more time exploring Paso Robles.

Then we traveled to Hearst Castle in San Simeon. At first, I was a little un-enthused to be there, but once we hopped on the bus that carries you up the windy roads to the top of the hill, I was hooked. The scenery was so pretty and when we got to the house, the architecture and gardens blew us away. Everything was exciting and beautiful to look at. Not a dull spot in the whole place.

After staying in Atascadero, and then spending our short time in Paso Robles, we made our way to Carmel. The scenery just kept getting better, though some of the windy roads along the cost were making me queasy at points - it was totally worth it! Once in Carmel, we ate some amazing food and marveled at all of the pretty houses, landscaping, and just cute little streets there, though most of the stores we could have stopped in were out of our price range.

After Carmel, we stopped in Monterey, where we found some more antique stores along Cannery Row.  Then we made the final stretch of our road trip up to Redwood City, where my sister lives (and where we took very few photos because we were too busy eating great food, petting the dog and cat, and generally having a great time).  One place we did make a point to stop when we went into San Francisco for a day was the Cliff House. They have the best cocktails! I had a super delicious pear martini and Tom had something old-timey that had milk or egg whites or something in it! It was great.

All in all it was an awesome vacation. There were so many great antique and vintage shops to check out, all the food we at was amazing, I officially set foot in Mood, and the scenery all along our journey was spectacular.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel good to land back in DC at the end of the week, though. :)