Southern California
Heading back out to the coast, we stopped into San Luis Obispo; home to some surfers we met while in Nicaragua. A small town of around 50,000 only 8 miles from the beach, SLO is centered around California Polytechnic Institute and sits in between mountains. It is a charming town with shop-lined streets, parks and friendly folks. It had a different feel than a lot of the coastal towns, somewhere between California cool and modest Mid-West. Although we could only stop for lunch, we definitely put it on the list of places to revisit.
Continuing South to Santa Barbara, we drove past another famous surf break with no surf, Rincon. By now we knew we would have to wait for Hawaii to get in the water but it was still cool to see all the breaks we’d read about for so long. We reached Santa Barbara just before dusk with enough time to see the sun set over the beautiful cliffs. The State Street Hotel, a 100-year old guesthouse, 1/2 mile from downtown and ¼ mile from the beach became our home away from home for a night – a great deal for $50. Santa Barbara still looked like a post card of California from the 70’s. Homes are more understated, still outrageously priced. Palms higher than cranes line the boardwalk, which stretches far from one end of town to the other. On weekends, local artists set up tents all along the boardwalk, displaying their Californian themed paintings and handicrafts. Hordes of energetic sun-kissed locals take to the boardwalks, rollerblading, skating, jogging and walking. Colonies of beach volleyball crowds line the sand and groups of competitive bicyclists line the streets, dressed in bright primary colors. Downtown Santa Barbara twinkles at night like the stars in Central America. Millions of white lights suffocate the trees and outline each and every detail of the artsy-chic boutiques and restaurants. Its more chic than Santa Cruz, reminding us of a very young and more creative Winter Park, a place where disillusioned, rich youth shop on credit with no concept of how their pricey purchases are paid for. It is a perfect downtown that actually offers a nice range from affordable to buyer’s regret, but on a backpacker’s budget we thought that a one-night stroll was all we could afford.
Malibu. Home of Jennifer Anistons, Jolie-Pitts and celebrity beach goers. We were expecting more. Turning from the highway, as we neared the ocean, our eyes wandered up to the gorgeous Pepperdine University – more like Heaven’s University on top of a hill with a 180 view of the ocean and city below. Our mouths were watering; we couldn’t imagine anything greater than we had seen already in Pebble Beach, Carmel and Santa Barbara. As we turned left on Pacific Coast Hwy, we looked up to the left, modern mansions stacked on top of each other – architectural geniuses built these all glass, square homes into a steep mountainside. The homes were gorgeous, the city not so much. The highway was plain, almost dirty – not what we had expected. There was no downtown, no cute shops lining the road but only unattractive mass condos high on stilts lining the beach – looking as though a strong wind would crumble them. No spaces in between them, no beach access. The beaches were wide and flat, no dunes or natural beauty left to be salvaged; only a sign that read, “Beach closed for pollution”.
Roughly 6 miles down the road, we were hit in the face by Santa Monica. It was like driving down the beach and stumbling upon the outskirts of Manhattan. The traffic, crowds, high-rise buildings and sheer size literally knocked the breath out of us. We drove in circles, down one-way streets and immediately tensed up. If Santa Monica was this large and overwhelming, what would LA be like? After realizing that the hostel was overpriced we began to look for another place to stay – and found a decent one 5 blocks south. The city was an extension of LA; you couldn’t tell if people were “somebody” or pretending to be “somebody”. We found our favorite spot in Santa Monica, Whole Foods, and wandered inside looking for dinner. Whole Foods in Santa Monica is like going to an interactive restaurant. Larger and with thousands more options than our branch in FL, we meandered down the aisles of sushi, Italian, homemade soups and gourmet deli varieties. Settling on some asparagus soup and chicken teriyaki, we sat in the café to eat dinner. Since the weather had warmed up the more south we traveled, I had begun to run every day. Chris nursed a bad cold and I headed out in the morning. I ran along the boardwalk and noticed the homeless people nearly every 8ft; although it was bright they were still sleeping on the grass lawn. After about an hour, I had seen enough of the tourist areas, the outdoor mall and the infamous pier. Chris and I packed up and headed back to smaller peaceful beaches.
Huntington Beach is simple. The beach is clean, flat and open. There is one main strip that faces the center of the beach – huge surf shops and a couple of cheap places to grab some tacos. It’s pretty simple and obviously geared towards the surf events that take place throughout the year. The girls are up to beat on the latest Billabong fashions, sporting the heavy side swept bang, the guys manage to shape their hair in various directions while perfecting the overly scrutinized disc helved look.
We had one night in Huntington. We were literally sick and exhausted. Still, we wanted to drive south just a little more. We drove through Newport Beach, an arrogant vibe – the highway lined with Porsche, Bentley and Ferrari dealerships. Next, Laguna. We would have never heard of Laguna until MTV exploited it for a dramatic TV show about high school students who can’t decide between which boys to kiss, what color nail polish to wear, what length hair extensions to get. All they are sure about is the bigger the sunglasses the better. We were lucky enough to see 2 chunky, Hispanic twelve year old girls dressed more elaborately than brides having a photo session prior to their party, one that I would expect costs more than most weddings. Laguna is real. It is the most beautiful beach town of them all – rolling hills, gorgeous homes and phenomenal beaches. When you enter Laguna, it appears as though professional landscapers painstakingly manicure every last inch of the town. The streets are wide and clean. The downtown resembles a picturesque ski town and from many spots, you can see the ocean, the perfect rocky bays and gorgeous sunset. When you leave Laguna, you only think of when you can return.
LA. It seems as though LA sucks people in. It is too big and crowded for our taste. We drove through Beverly Hills for the fun of it, down Rodeo drive looking for spots from Pretty Woman. Instead we saw blank faces carrying either enormous bags or the expensive tiny ones, men in suits walking briskly and talking on their cell phones. The stores all looked cold, as did the people. High crystal chandeliers lined the street lamps, protected in glass boxes. The stone, steel and sleek look accentuated the look on their faces – creativity absent and happiness up to interpretation. We didn’t bother to get out of the car – worth seeing but not worth our time. Our last stop in LA was to see my old roommate Jackie. We took the long route and eventually headed down Hollywood Blvd, to her apartment. She waited outside of her 60’s style building and when we ran to greet one another, nothing had changed. She still smelled of the great perfume that used to permeate our house in downtown Orlando. She had the glow of someone who regained passion and the tired eyes of someone who was in school every day for 10 hours. She took us in, showed us around. I noticed pictures, art, furniture and was instantly reminded of living downtown in Orlando with her – good times, although we were both miserable. She took us on a brief tour, up to see the Hollywood sign, past the Chinese theatre, into her film editing school and screening room. For dinner, we went to a relaxed diner. We walked in and immediately felt as though we were in a movie (the diner had been used in Swingers). We ate dinner, tried to catch up on 2 years in 1 hour. Leaving the Christmas decorated diner, we said our goodbyes. It was a quick visit, but special.
California had been cold and we were ready for warm and sunny Hawaii. Chris said his bedtime prayers for large waves and would soon be happy to know that his prayers were answered.
Tags: Travel
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