California Love
I definitely have a lot to talk about when it comes to this trip. California was the first trip i ever went on by myself. As beautiful as it was, I will not be going by myself the next time I fly out because there is so much to do. Luckily, I met up with a lot of old friends that made it easier to explore. That being said, I wanted to give a huge shoutout to Androu, Christina, Garett, Kaitlin, Danielle, Gabrielle, and Amin for showing me around the city and giving me recommendation on where I can pig out. Without you guys, I wouldn't have done half of what I did. Since there is so much to talk about, I will just break it down by day without writing a novel. I will let all the pictures and the upcoming recap video explain all that. I want to thank everyone that has been keeping up with all my posts and your continuous support. I posted the gallery with the pictures that we taken during my trip. You will find a link to the gallery at the end of this post. The recap video will be posted sometime within the next few weeks. Don't forget to share and subscribe for more updates!
Saturday
I left at the perfect time. Twenty minutes after takeoff, it started pouring in Chicago. It was the perfect time for me to make a Facebook post so everyone can hate me. It definitely stirred up some feelings and I don't feel bad about it. After checking into the hotel, I went to Hole in the Wall Burger Joint in Santa Monica. The food is great, they accept Apple Pay, and have glass bottle Coca Cola. Definitely swing by if you're in the area! After eating who knows how many hundred calories, I went for a glorious 8.25 mile walk at Santa Monica Pier. After 17,800 steps, I went to bed!
Sunday
Took a two hour drive along the coast to Santa Barbra. It was by far one of the best cruises I have ever been on. The only thing I was missing was Scarlet. The rental upgrade to the Mustang GT wasn't the same and didn't fill the void. However, there were rocks falling from the mountains in Malibu and that made me feel better about not driving my car. The entire drive I was quoting Malibu's Most Wanted and couldn't believe houses like Tony Stark's actually exist. I also tried Jack in the Box. I was so tempted to place my order with a George Lopez impersonation but I resisted.
Monday
First hike up a mountain. I've hiked through forests before but those don't come close to a mountain hike. The area we hiked was the same area that needed to be evacuated due to the California Fires that took place towards the end of 2017. It is miraculous how nature takes its course and always manages to survive. In-N-Out Burger was another first on this trip. It reminded me of Culver's style dining. The burgers were higher quality in my opinion. I would frequently eat there if there was one in the Midwest. If I had to pick, In-N-Out Burger over Jack in the Box any day of the week!
Tuesday
This is probably the most touristy day of the entire trip. I visited the Fresh Prince of Bel Air mansion and almost cried. I was heart broken I couldn't go inside because people live there but the drive way praying I wouldn't get arrested for trespassing was good enough. I also visited the house diner from first The Fast and The Furious movie. I really wished I had my car for this day. I ended my day by visiting the Chinese Theater in Hollywood so I can make a Rush Hour reference, The Hollywood Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium, and the Guinness World Records Museum.
Wednesday
On this day, I took my first solo road trip. An exhausting six hour, 350 mile drive from Santa Monica to Cupertino; I visited Apple Park and was blown away by both campuses. I hope to make my way to the corporate level at some point during my career at Apple. I drove another fifty miles north through Oakland to San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge is more than what I expected. Back to Cupertino I went to have dinner with Danny and Dave so I can drive back with a full stomach. Fourteen hours of driving and twelve hours of exploring with no sleep in between. I was exhausted!
Thursday
Visited the Griffith Observatory and hiked up to the Hollywood Sign. It was unintentionally a pretty big workout day for me. Hiked a good ten miles totaling 20,000 steps! I really wish I had headphones for this. It was a lot longer than I expected but the views were totally worth it. Unfortunately it was cloudy so I couldn't see the ocean but there was a spectacular view of the Skyline. For all of you Los Angeles residents reading this blog, I hate to disappoint you but the Chicago Skyline is better. There is no comparison unless you're comparing the Ocean to Lake Michigan. That is simply not fair.
Friday
Just a basic day. Imported all of the content to my computer, packed, went to Wendy's for lunch, and watched movies at the airport for five hours until my flight. I made it back to a rainy Chicago night and a Starbucks that didn't have the ingredients to make a Medicine Ball. It is safe to say nothing changed the week that i was gone.
