With a dire need for some sunshine and an itch for our first big trip together, we find ourselves packing our bags for Los Angeles to visit some old friends, clock some beach time and play tourists for a couple days. Having only visited LA for work trips consisting of fast paced shopping in downtown and Huntington, I was stoked to see a side of the city that I had yet to experience.
Being from the Northwest, I’ll admit to a pre determined point of view of the city of LA - no trees, no green, no mountains, dirty, grimy, smoggy and full of people that could give a shit about who you are unless you make money. Turns out that, for the most part, I was wrong. Or, ended up loving something I had thought I would always hate. We spent a few days checking out Griffith Observatory, ArtCenter College of Design and various cafes for coffee and breakfast. Staying in Highland Park gave us a nice and quiet neighborhood to base ourselves out of, with tons of close shops and restaurants.
We spent one day doing a full loop through Topanga Canyon to Malibu and back through Malibu Canyon. Driving through Topanga I found myself pretending to pick out houses I’d live in one day - little surf shacks up in the woods, hiding from the people in my tropical backyard and endlessly tinkering in the workshop I’d set up. Somehow, this place felt so familiar yet a potentially adventurous challenge for my life. Finding our way through a path to a low-key section of the beach, we spent the afternoon sipping on our Pacifico’s while periodically taking a dip in the surprisingly warm sea. And, napping. Just when I thought a day at the beach couldn’t get any better, we stopped by Malibu Seafood for lunch. With an incredible spread of fresh seafood in every shape and combination, we ordered and ate up in the patio that overlooked HWY 101.
We had no intention of visiting a National Park on this trip with too many people to see and not enough time to break out the the busy city. But, we made a last minute decision to get up early, hit the road and power through a day of driving to get out and experience as much as we could that Joshua Tree has to offer.
Scrambling over the huge rocks, dodging cacti and spinning in circles trying to soak it all in, I knew this would be the last time I stepped foot in this park. From camping to climbing to exploring, the area seemed to have an endless possibilities of activities. The National Park Service has done an amazing job at preserving the beauty of this place as well as allowing us to safely and sustainably enjoy it.
After a few hours running around like kids, we cruise over to Pioneer Town where we find ourselves in an open air, legendary honky tonk palace called Pappy + Harriet’s. Enjoying incredible BBQ plates and strong whiskey drinks, we marvel and the decor of the bar and how authentic it felt. Needing to make it back to the city at a decent time, we reluctantly leave behind a band that was setting up as we were exiting.
This trip to Los Angeles and Joshua Tree was an awesome combination of emotions for me. Riley and I got out on our first big adventure together, decided we were becoming best friends and I put a lot of my cliche feelings about the city behind me. Without experiencing it all, I now know how great and exciting of a place it is down South. I have a feeling I will be coming back here very soon.
