California – Freelance Wanderer

Marina Del Rey to Santa Monica

Beach, City, North America, Places, Trail, Travel

Went running from Marina del Rey to Santa Monica Pier via Oceanfront Walk. It was 13.5kms distance return. Yup, I don’t take vacation from my running routine.

Ocean Front Walk is a concrete track for pedestrians that extends from Venice Beach to Santa Monica Pier. If you are in Los Angeles, this is a place not to be missed. The Ocean Front Walk is lined with residences, souvenir shops and restaurants. The walk offers a beautiful view of the ocean and features many interesting activities. It is populated with colourful locals and tourists alike doing one of these activities: souvenir-shopping, walking, running, cycling, walking dogs, rollerskating, skateboarding, lifting weights at the famous Venice outdoor gym, dining, lazing around on the scattered benches or just people-watching. It is incredibly busy. Everybody is doing something apart from the homeless who are happily catatonic in their made-up tents. Along the walk, you will come across a variety of vendors selling a plethora of souvenirs and buskers who offer a variety of entertainment from fortune-tellers, dancers, musicians, tattoo artists, painters, acrobats, jugglers, pet shows and many other interesting gimmicks to solicit a buck from you. The vibe is festive and the atmosphere is an entertainment in itself. I love it there.

Highway 1

Beach, Mountains, North America, Places, Travel

State Route 1 (Highway 1) stretches up to 1,055 kilometres in length and is a major north-south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California.It is one of the best scenic drives Ive ever been. Every turn offers a spectacular view of the ocean and beautifully nature-curved cliffs and vivid green hills against the blue sky of California. The pictures don’t do it justice.

Piedras Blancas, San Simeon

Animals, Beach, City, North America, Places, Travel

This is an amazing sight. Something I’ve never seen before. These seals migrate to molt, breed and give birth towards and during Summer months at Piedras Blancas (Elephant Seal Boarwalk) on Highway 1 which is seven miles north of San Simeon, California.

17-Mile Drive to Pebble Beach

Beach, North America, Places, Sightseeing, Travel

If you are in Monterey, I recommend you to hire a car and drive through the 17-Mile Beach Drive to Pebble Beach. The 7-Mile Drive is popularly known as one of the most scenic drives in US. Whilst driving, Every turn presents an awe-inspiring vista. The scenic coastal road extends through Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach, from the dramatic Pacific coastline to the majestic Del Monte Forest. The spectacular coastline passes famous golf courses, grand mansions and picturesque sceneries of some of the California’s nature’s treasures including The Lone Cypress – one of California’s best-known landmarks (it has prevailed on its perch for over 250 years); Spanish Bay – a scenic picnic stop and a beautiful place to stroll around the coastline, Cypress Point Lookout and Carmel Bay. You can also see the emerald fairways of The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill and the world-renowned golf course – The Lodge which was built in 1919, The Lodge is the heart and soul of Pebble Beach and home to the world-famous Pebble Beach Golf Links. It is open to the public and it offers a variety of dining and shopping options.

Monterey Bay Coastal Trail

Fitness, North America, Trail, Travel

Monterey Bay Coastal Trail stretches up to 18 miles along the coast of Monterey. However, we didn’t have the time to walk the long stretch so we only walked 6.5 miles return. We started the walk at sunrise from Fisherman’s Wharf to Monterey Bay Aquarium then back. It was a reasonably short walk for us however, we tasted the fresh ocean breeze and enjoyed the stunning views. Every mile offers a scenic view of the ocean against the beautiful houses sitting on the cliffs, colourful flora and fauna and wildlife including harbor seals, sea otters, sea lions and birds.

Monterey

City, North America, Sightseeing, Travel

View from Fisherman's Wharf — View from Fisherman’s Wharf

Old Fisherman's Wharf — Old Fisherman’s Wharf

Sign at the front of a restaurant at Fisherman's Wharf — Sign at the front of a restaurant at Fisherman’s Wharf

Seafood Display at Fisherman's Wharf — Seafood Display at Fisherman’s Wharf

Monterey is a beautiful coastal city of California and could make for a great two day trip for those visiting San Francisco (just a little over 2hrs drive) or Los Angeles (just under 5 hrs drive) which is exactly what I did when I was at Los Anegeles.It is best known for its beautiful coastline and its world-renowned aquarium including Cannery Row and Tortilla Flat. You can enjoy actvities such as going to the beach, kayaking, scuba diving, surfing and whale watching in and around Monterey. There are also land-based actvities such as playing golf at the legendary gold courses or visit The Lodge and the popular 19th hole; shopping at Cannery Row which is lined with shops, hotels and reastaurants and driving the spectacular coastline to Big Sur. From Cannery Row, you can walk the scenic Monterey Coastal Trail to Fisherman’s Wharf. Along the coastal walk, you will see harbour seals, sea otters and pelicans in natural habitats on the beautiful waterfront of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. There is certainly something for everyone in this beautiful town.

Hollywood

City, North America, Travel

Footprints and Handprints of Iconic Celebrities

The “heart” of Hollywood is at the intersection of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Avenue. It beats with tastelessness and vulgarity of the entertainment world. This spot is unpleasantly swarmed with tourists from all over the world fighting to get a glimpse of anything that has something to do with their favourite movie star. You could never get a good picture of anything in here as there will always be some other tourist in the way. The Boulevard is also peppered with street entertainments busking for money.

The most of the most famous Hollywood tourist attractions such as the Walk of Fame, celebrity hand and footprints in the cement squares at the front of the Chinese Theatre, the Kodak Theatre (where the Academy Awards were mostly hosted), Hollywood and Highland Entertainment Complex and Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum (there’s really not much difference how the Wax Model and the real-life celebrity look these days) are all in this area. And if you still have some energy left trying to survive from the agressive pushing and shoving of the more ill-mannered tourists, stroll a bit further to discover the shops upon shops and sidewalk vendors upon vendors selling tacky souvenirs.

TIP: Just enjoy and be a tourist yourself whilst chanting “Ohm! Ohm!” in your head.

The Grove

Market, North America, Places, Travel

The Grove is an outdoor retail and entertainment complex in Los Angeles. My initial impression is it appears ritzy. Hey, Victoria Beckham goes there. The crowd seems to have made a bit of an effort to dress up before they come here in comparison to the crowd from indoor shopping centres around LA. The complex is occupied with the usual chains of popular US brands. If you are into shopping, consider this place your shopping mecca or a fashion island.

What I like about this place though is the Farmers’s Market at the end of the complex. The farmers market offers a variety of cuisines, delicacies, eclectic homemade specialty products as well your typical American food. The market has more character and out of character from a typical American food court.

TIP: Try the delicious food in the market. It’s also easier to find parking in that area.

Santa Catalina Island

Beach, Island, North America, Travel

The first time I saw Santa Catalina Island was at ‘Getaway’ – an Australian travel show. I was awfully surprised that I have been to USA many times and I’ve never heard of this beautiful island. I wasn’t even living under a mushroom. It certainly escaped from my ‘travedar’ (travel radar). It became my mission to go there asap.

Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, is a rocky island off the coast of California. The island is located about 35 kilometres south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The only way to get there is by a boat.

As soon as we arrive, I was instantly delighted. We were greeted with a vivid blue sky like a huge parachute hovering across the island. It is a beautiful island removed from the hustle and bustle of LA. The atmosphere and demeanour of the island has an exotic Mediterranean-feel. The Mexican influence is evident in the architecture and cuisines served in the restaurants. The island offers many leisure activities like sailing, snorkelling and mountain-hiking (might not be leisure for some). If you just want to stay in the main drag, there’s the stunning art-deco Casino, a couple of nice beaches (at the front and at the end of the island ), a good selection of nice restaurants and a handful of souvenir shops. I love this island although we were only day-trippers. I would have loved to stay there overnight if not for some time constraints. Apparently, the ambience magically changes from daytime frantic to twilight romantic.

TIP: Hire a golf cart to see the whole island. It’s worth it.