The California trip

Day 1:

Arrived in San Diego around 1pm. Checked in at the new Hilton Bayfront, grabbed a Starbucks and started walking. The Red Bull Air race was taking place in San Diego during the weekend so there were a lot of pilots and a lot of free Red Bulls around. After a short walk in front of the beach, up and down the stairs of the Convention center we found ourselves on Gaslamp district, the historic district of San Diego.

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Gaslamp District where the waiter/ owner praised a lot about the quality of their food. Nothing really special…

Day 2:

We started the day going on a hop-on hop-off bus. First sightseeing was Coronado Island, which was beautiful. We also stopped at the San Diego Zoo where we spent a few hours. The Zoo was really nice. Before I forget, this guy told me to send you his regards…

After the zoo we visited a small museum of art and then back on the bus for the Old Town of San Diego, through Little Italy. We had Mexican for lunch at the Old Town. It was a nice experience. We spent the rest of the evening at the mall, then had tea at a creperie on Gaslamp and then late dinner at the hotel.

Day 3:

After our morning coffee we walked to the Marriott to grab our rental car. Checked out from the Hilton and pressed the gas of the Ford Explorer, on our way to Beverly Hills. 2 hours and 20 minutes later we were checking in at the Tower Beverly Hills hotel. We met with my parents’ friend, had lunch and then went to her house in the heart of Beverly Hills for coffee. On the way we san the house of Frank Sinatra and Sharon Stone as well as the ex-house of the Sultan of Brunei now owned by the owner of Forever 21. Inthe evening we drove around Sunset Blvd and Hollywood, had dinner and returned to the hotel getting ready for the next day ahead.

Day 4:

We spent our day and afternoon at Universal Studios. It was a great experience. Jurassic Park, Shrek, Mummy Returns, Animal characters, Waterworld, Backdraft were some of the parks we visited. We also took the tour to see the famous Wysteria Lane. There is a picture of one of the houses.

Overall the Universal Studios was a great experience. A good experience was also the concept of Boiling Crab, the restaurant we went to afterwards. Based in Alhambra, LA this restaurant offers fish which you eat with your hands. You have to really get down and dirty in this restaurant. And your clothes and hands smell for the rest of the night, but yet another great experience.

Day 5:

Day 5 found us at Ventura County, shopping at the outlets. The women definitely loved it. I loved the way down there, going through Malibu beach and the sudden change of the beach view to mountain view to farm view.

On the way back we stopped at Malibu beach on a nice bar/ restaurant called Paradise Cove where we had appetizers (a lot of them) and cocktails.

By the time we were back in Beverly Hills it was time to sleep!

Day 6:

Another shopping day starting at a department store early in the morning, finishing at a really nice shopping area. Lots of shopping and many happy store owners.

After a brief return to the hotel, we went for a walk down Beverly Hills road and Rodeo Drive where all the upper-class stores are located. Dinner at Jacopo’s Pizzeria, final goodbyes and back to the hotel.

Day 7:

Since we had some time left before our flights, we decided to go on an early….guess what? Shopping! This was our last day and it was kind of sad to be leaving. Overall it was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to do it again! Many many special thanks to my parents’ friend who restlessly showed us the best of Los Angeles, drove us around and treated us to some nice meals. Many many thanks to my parents who have treated us to this trip and throughout the trip and never miss a chance to show their love. I know they will be reading this, so..I love you mum and dad!