Trip to Santa Barbara and Los Angeles: Hiking, Wine Tasting and Sightseeing - Day 3

Today was the last day of the trip and the most culturally-enhanced. We are going to The Getty! The Getty Center is well-known for its classic art and amazing views to Los Angeles. Today on Google Local there are almost 15,000 reviews and 4.8 stars given to this incredible museum. While I can't say I possess sophisticated appreciation for art, this museum was more than that. I enjoyed a variety of classic and modern art, beautiful architecture, landscaping and gardens on the grounds of the center as well as above average views. I could compare Getty Center to Uffizi Gallery in Florence that I visited last year, an art gallery that I hardly thought could be compared with anything.

After visiting The Getty, we had a quick coffee and went to Griffith Observatory, another major attraction in LA. Parking there was incredibly hard to find. The best way is to park in one of the lots at the bottom of the hill and walk to the observatory (0.8 miles at most). There may be some limited paid parking available right next to the observatory, but you have to arrive there very early.

Griffith Observatory was packed, really packed. It's one of those sites that attract lots of tourists and make your visit miserable (did I mention I don't sugarcoat things?). I would want to come back during the off-season/off-hours (basically, when it's less crowded) and explore the upper levels of the observatory in more detail. In the meantime, I enjoyed the views and added a checkpoint to my "To Do" list by viewing the famous Hollywood sign from the distance.

After a short break, Hollywood Walk of Fame was next. It felt like New York Times Square, just a bit dirtier and with fewer lights. This is one of those things that you do once and never repeat again unless your relatives are in town and insist on doing "something special". Crowded, odd and somewhat unimpressive is how I would describe the whole experience. Regardless, I was glad I went there to see it for myself. Needless to say, I did not want to stay there long, and we headed back to Tarzana for dinner (after a few failed attempts at finding a good place to dine on the way there).

Overall, it was a nice trip combining city and suburban experiences, well-planned and packed with activities. LA suburbs, I will be back!

Trip to Santa Barbara and Los Angeles: Hiking, Wine Tasting and Sightseeing - Day 2

Today was going to be an "Away from LA" day. After a somewhat sleepless night (yes, a new place and a bit more of cat sitter worries), we were on our way to Santa Barbara to do some hiking.

Jesusita trail had supposedly picturesque views at Inspiration Point, but unfortunately because of heavy fog, I could not see much. The hike itself was very nice, a good combination of challenge and pleasant surroundings.

After the hike, we had a refueling lunch in Santa Barbara and visited the pier (after a quick stop at Sephora, of course, as I tried to test as many items as possible in the short time frame I was allotted by my traveling partner).

It was time to drive to Solvang for wine tasting. On the way there, there was one more stop, Cachuma Lake Recreation Area, which on a regular weekend could have been pretty enjoyable, but on Memorial Day weekend was packed with people listening to loud music, drinking and generally being humans.

After 15 minutes of walking in the area, we headed to the winery.

It turned out to be a nice day, so the winery was packed. Still, we were able to enjoy a tasting flight of seven wines taking advantage of both indoor and outdoor areas.

As I found out, Solvang is well-known for its Danish-style architecture and is a tourist trap for those who want to indulge in Danish pastries. I certainly did! While we didn't stay there too long, I had a chance to enjoy aebleskiever (aka ebelskiver or Danish mini-donuts) and found it deliciously fluffy!

On the way back to LA, I visited University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) only to realize that my college life was rather boring and uneventful. Students have the luxury of beach views and their own town filled with bars and restaurants. Speaking of restaurants, one of the highlights was a Mexican restaurant Los Agaves in Goleta where I tried this fabulous dish.

Trip to Santa Barbara and Los Angeles: Hiking, Wine Tasting and Sightseeing - Day 1

A shortened by work Memorial Day weekend does not have to be uneventful. In fact, this was a great opportunity to utilize free time to its fullest, hence I found a cat sitter and left Lake Elsinore to check out what Los Angeles has to offer.

Several years ago I visited LA as part of California road trip from San Francisco to Las Vegas. I only visited Universal Studios there at the time and enjoyed famous LA traffic. This trip I was going away from the main crowds into the suburban Tarzana. Located in San Fernando Valley away from the craziness of LA, Tarzana is my kind of neighborhood. Primarily composed of private houses, it offered proximity to the city and a wide variety of dining within a few minutes' drive from my AirBnb.

I arrived to Tarzana on a Friday afternoon and checked-in. My host was kind enough to have offered to show me one of the nearby historical attractions in San Vicente Mountain Park. As I learned from park's website, "San Vicente Mountain was one of sixteen Los Angeles area Nike-Ajax supersonic anti-aircraft missile launch sites. During the Cold War, Nike sites were located in defensive rings surrounding key urban and industrial areas throughout the United States. This site contained ground-based radar and computer systems designed to detect and track hostile aircraft, and to guide the anti-aircraft missiles that would be launched from nearby Sepulveda Basin to their targets."

The drive to the top is not great for low clearance vehicles, so my host's Jeep was a perfect mode of transportation for the climb.

The views were incredible. On the pictures below you can see Encino Reservoir and the view of the valley.

After a short visit to the park, I checked out Shirin bakery, which turned out to be amazing...

...did some shopping at a thrift store and tried Sri Lankan food for the first time at Apey Kade (gosh, they really do like their spicy food there!)...

...followed by delicious ice cream at Wanderlust Creamery (if you have never tasted good vegan ice cream, come here). Quite a busy day as this trip is just beginning...

Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach

Newport Beach is only an hour away from where I live now, and I haven't been there yet, or so I thought. When I signed up for a brunch right on the beach and wanted to see what else I can do in the area, I discovered I have actually visited Newport Beach back in 2017 on the way to San Diego when I went to Sherman Gardens and Library. To me back then, Newport Beach was just part of LA. Now it has been strictly distinguished as part of Orange County.

The brunch was scheduled at 12 PM, so I decided to get there a bit early to check out the beach. With Saturday morning traffic it took me almost and hour and a half. I parked at the parking lot right next to the restaurant and went across the street to the beach. The sky was somewhat cloudy, perfect for a leisurely stroll.

If that does not make you want seaweed salad, what does?

I walked towards the pier as I saw dozens of people there fishing and discovered a few interesting views and birds.

Hallway to the ocean...

Dozens of surfers just waiting for the next wave.

It was time to head to the brunch, and on the way there I stumbled across this historical feature...

The Lighthouse Cafe had a beautiful location, but the restaurant itself left much to be desired.

Read Christy W.'s review of The Lighthouse Cafe on Yelp

After eating green leaves for brunch, I could not wait to take a stroll in Crystal Cove State Park. When I checked the reviews of several trails on AllTrails, I found out that parking costs $15, but you could park in the neighborhood and just walk to the park. I went with the second option. The park itself was beautiful and well-maintained.

Apart from beach views, I really enjoyed the tunnel under the highway. Yes, I know this sentence alone really shows my true nature... But seriously, the tunnel was built in 2001 to commemorate that year's Earth Day. It is covered in paintings about the need to protect the environment and preserve nature.

And beach flowers also stopped me several times with their unique features and beauty.

Really nice visit overall, will definitely be back!

New Life Animal Sanctuary

I started volunteering for New Life Animal Sanctuary a few months ago. It's a rescue organization that saves animals in urgent situation, i.e. from labs. I volunteer every week for a few hours, and today I made a short clip of the animals that we have.

Bommer Canyon and Turtle Ridge Trail in Irvine, CA

Another urban hike in Irvine? I have no idea why I have been doing so much hiking there lately, probably moderate weather, and relatively well-maintained trails. Bommer Canyon Trail is actually a loop, so instead completing it in full I continued on to Turtle Ridge Trail that offered some decent views of Irvine and even the ocean. The total hike was about 7 miles long.

As I ascended close to 1,000 ft of elevation, I was looking down on the highway I drove on just an hour before. While there was no single spot with a 360 degree view, some areas really opened up providing decent visibility even on a cloudy day.

Wildflowers were still going strong in mid-May. I saw so many yellow flowers, it reminded me of the "poppy apocalypse" that I witnessed and became part of, as a traffic victim, in Lake Elsinore about a month ago. Although it's not the quantity of flowers, but diversity is what always fascinates me! As the terrain changed, so did the variety of different kinds of flowers. Of course, cactii are my absolute favorites! I even found one blooming in a color I have never seen on a cactus before.

The weather was nice a semi-cloudy (yes, I did invent this term as I was writing the sentence!) with sun peeking through occasionally. I was glad about that because as I ascended, the breeze picked up making it a bit chilly to walk on a flat surface.

There was not much wildlife, but in Bommer Canyon there was a herd of goats. I later found out that the Open Preserve uses them as natural lawnmowers! What a concept, huh? The goal is to minimize non-native plants that overwhelm the area and allow native plants to grow.

The last part of the trail goes through residential neighborhoods showcasing how much money these people have. I was not surprised seeing multi-million dollar gigantic houses on tiny properties. Their landscaping was quite impressive though. I wonder if there will be a point in my life when I could live in a neighborhood like that and whether I would want to do it anyway. As I passed the beautiful homes of Irvine, I wondered what kind of jobs the owners had, how many people lived in each house and whether their fancy cars were a representation of the American dream or just a cover for not having enough joy in their lives. Regardless, I did admire the neighborhood and enjoyed hiking the trails.

Baker Canyon near Silverado, CA

Another Wilderness Access Day that I took advantage of, this time hiking Baker Canyon Double Loop trail. Just a month ago I enjoyed Limestone Canyon and its wide variety of wildflowers. I anticipated that this trail was going to have a similar variety and was not disappointed. While the landscape is not as impressive (although you might decide otherwise when you watch the video below) as it's in Limestone Canyon, wildflowers were still in full bloom, even though it is the beginning of May.

The hike itself resembled a figure eight, two loops, each a little over 3 miles with about 900 ft elevation gain. The weather was rather favorable for hiking without shade, so even though there were some tougher spots with elevation gain, I felt quite comfortable. I was glad I had my floppy hat with a large rim, saved me from the sun and protected my shoulders.

The views were impressive regardless...

And of course, my favorite cacti were everywhere. Some were blooming, others just enjoying the day and the view around them... I did the same (not the blooming part, I have yet to discover how to do that)...

The hike was done shortly before 12 pm leaving the rest of the day to myself. I took advantage of some free time by going to one of the Temecula wineries (Robert Renzoni) for a glass of wine and more nice views.