Spending a Week Along the CA Coast

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Do you plan on visiting at some point in your lifetime?

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My family and I went on a road trip along the coast of California to celebrate my graduation from high school. We embarked on an 8-day journey, aiming to experience various aspects of the state.

DAY ONE & TWO: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

We started in San Francisco—a destination filled with steep rolling hills, cable cars, and colorful neighborhoods.

Union Square has many options for hotels, shopping, and restraurants. We checked into the Taj Campton Place, which features Michelin-started dining as well as an open-air rooftop terrace. The staff is known for its excellent customer service as they offer a relaxed stay. The hotel conceirge also had many suggestions of where to visit during our trip. Walking through Union Square, we had to stop for coffee. There was no better place than Philz Coffee—which has an iced mint mojito that is to die for. We walked into many shops including Macy’s, where we ate at the Cheesecake Factory since it was located at the top of the building. The rooftop offered scenic views of the busy, downtown area. It was a convient spot to have a couple drinks and take in the beauty that is San Francisco. The next day, we ate a delicious breakfast at the Taj—pancakes with fresh berries paired with orange juice. We quickly walked to board onto a cruise towards Alcatrez Island. Although it was June, it was pretty windy. Luckily, the gift shop offered hot chocolate for tourists. Later in the day, we walked around Pier 39. It was so entertaining watching the sea lions sunbathe and splash in the water. This is a great area to grab a quick bite to eat, while continuing the walk towards Fisherman’s Wharf. My family and I were only in San Francisco for a day and a half, so we decided to call an Uber to get the most out of our trip. Our driver was more than happy to drive us around the city, allowing us to stop every now and then to take pictures. This prevented us from having to walk everywhere or pay for parking. We were able to see the Golden Gate Bridge, the Painted Ladies, and the Full House house in under 30 minutes! We ended the drive in Chinatown, but we ended up at Tony’s Pizza for dinner. To end the night, we rode a cable car back to our hotel.

DAY THREE & FOUR: CARMEL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

Next on our location was a popular spot for luscious landscape and wine lovers—Carmel Valley.

We checked into my favorite hotel of the week, which was the Bernardus Lodge and Spa. It was an authentic Wine Country retreat as it offered an intimate, comfortable, and romantic atmosphere. We spent the evening at the Cannery Row in Monterey, where we had dinner at El Torito. We ate dinner along with incredible views of the ocean, including sea lions resting on rocks.

The next morning, we headed towards Carmel-by-the-sea—a small beach city with fairytale cottages, art galleries, and museums. We had a couple drinks at the Hog’s Breath Inn, which was formely owned by Clint Eastwood. We drove towards Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and stood in awe of the serene views. The drive towards Big Surr is 100% worth it, especially as you are tempted to get out of the car at every turn to experience the views. We made it back to Carmel Beach to watch the sunset. There was a beach party at the time, so the ambience was energetic and music was playing. We ended the night at the hotel the best way we know how—pizza and wine. I also decided to take a warm bubble bath, sipping on some more wine!

DAY THREE & FOUR: YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

We headed towards Yosemite National Park, which is located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.

The park features giant sequoia trees and waterfalls. We stopped by Goodwill to prepare for the colder weather—stocking up on sweatshirts, coats, gloves, and beanies (we later donated our clothes at a different Goodwill before ending the trip to avoid excessive luggage fees at the airport). We checked into the Yosemite Valley Lodge, which is a great option for families and larger groups. It is a cozy, inviting stay that is essentially in the middle of nowhere. It was directly across the Yosemite Falls and is in a convenient center for dining and shopping. We grabbed a bite at the Mountain Room Lounge and went to bed early to prepare for an early morning hike for the next day.

The Yosemite Valley Shuttle System was an efficient way to get around the national park. We walked around Mirror Lake and part of the High Sierra Loop Trail. My mom is notorious for her fear of heights, so we attempted to avoid any hikes that would be too close to the edge of the mountains. Permits are also required to hike to the top of Half Dome, so I would recommend preparing in advance for finding the best hikes for your group. We stopped for lunch at the Village Grill and continued walking around the park. We ended the night early at the hotel with a movie and snacks as we had another long day ahead of us.

DAY THREE & FOUR: SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

Heading out of Yosemite National Park was one of my favorite parts of this trip. As we drove slowly down the roads, it lightly started to snow. Just outside of the Wawona Tunnel on State Highway 41, there is a beautiful view of the park that requires no hiking. It is one of the best places to see El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall—which is a view that made Ansel Adams famous. We stopped by a nearby visitor’s center to build a snowman, which was funny because I was in flip-flops prepared for our next stop.

We finally made it to our last location—Santa Monica.

We checked into Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. It is steps from the Santa Monica Pier and has a pool overlooking the beach. We walked around the Pier and the Third Street Promenade, eventually stopping at P.F. Chang’s for dinner. Back at the hotel, we played Ping-Pong and relaxed by the many fire pits until our hearts were content.

The next morning, we had a top class Californian breakfast at Cora’s Coffee Shoppe. Their orange juice blueberry pancakes were delicious! Next, we were able to view many sights of Los Angeles from the Griffth Observatory. Unfortunately, we were there too early to go inside…but, we did run into Jeanette McCurdy! We also spotted Kevin Hart and Maddie Ziegler while we shopped at the Grove. Next on our itinerary was to stroll through Hollywood—seeing the Walk of Fame, China Town, and the footprints of the Twilight Saga cast. We passed by Venice Beach on the way back to the hotel, which had many street vendors and performers. Eating dinner at Bruno’s Italian Restaurant was a lovely way to finish our trip to California.