trip along the coast of california (2021)

I had such an amazing week in SoCal with Donald and his family! We went drove down to watch Donald race in Azusa, and we ended up making a whole trip out of it. Highlights were definitely eating A LOT of good food (stuffed my belly with lots of yummy fish tacos), running along the coast in La Jolla, watching Donald race the 5K (at 10:30pm!!), exploring different cities, and checking out lots of different running stores. Donald and I love to run, so we ended up going to something like 8 different running stores (hahaha). As Donald told me, him going into a running store is like a little kid going into a candy store! He introduced me to a San Diego based brand that he likes called Vuori, which is an performance apparel brand that’s similar to Lululemon. Their athleisure clothing is so soft and comfy, and I love that you can wear it both while exercising and throughout the day. We went to 3 different Vuori stores, and Donald and I had a lot of fun trying their clothes on. Another running store that we had fun checking out was Fleet Feet in San Diego. We tried on a lot of their fun-patterned hats and their goodr sunglasses (which are great for running because they don’t fall down, which is nice for people like me who have a flatter nose haha).

Another great part of the trip was exploring and discovering new cities in SoCal. We went to La Jolla, Del Mar, Malibu, Montecito, Carpenteria, and Santa Barbara. I loved walking around each of the different cities, taking in the coastal views, and eating some yummy meals. Donald’s family knows SoCal really well, so we made sure to hit all of the good spots. One city that I really enjoyed exploring was Del Mar. We went to the beach, walked around the area, and ate at a restaurant called Pacifica, which is in a really neat shopping center called Del Mar Plaza. The plaza has a beautiful view of the ocean, and it’s really pretty at night with all of the lights strung up all around the mall. Another one of my favorite memories was driving along the coast in Malibu as the sun was setting and watching the waves crash on the shore. It felt surreal. We stopped at a beach to take it all in and stood in awe as we saw the sky’s gradient change from blues to purples to pinks. Nothing beats a beach sunset!

If you’re in SoCal, be sure to check out these restaurants:

Girard Bakery - La Jolla: Great pastries, quiches, sandwiches, and salads.

Tocaya Organica - San Diego: Amazing Mexican food! Lots of vegan options as well (like vegan nacho cheese)!

Pacifica - Del Mar: Delicious seafood, great location.

Stratford Court Cafe - Del Mar: Neighborhood garden cafe with selection of breakfast items, sandwiches, soups, salads, smoothies, and coffee.

Real Coconut Kitchen - Malibu: The whole menu is gluten, grain, and dairy-free, which is great for people with dietary restrictions. The food is both unique and delicious! Definitely worth a visit. Check out my blog post on it here.

Padaro Beach Grill - Carpinteria: Great seafood, fish tacos, sandwiches, burgers, and milkshakes. It’s right next to the beach as well.