Two Years of SoCal Adventures

Southern California is a land full of dreams and adventures. For the past two years, I’ve experienced so much more than I could have hoped for when I moved here. I lived at the beach, I explored SoCal and its neighbors, I became an expert OC foodie, I worked hard and played hard, and I spent time with amazing people. As a farewell to SoCal, I concocted a manual for thriving in this beautiful place.

1. Take Advantage of the local attractions.

Many of my friends and relatives who came to visit said they couldn’t live here because it was too “vacation-y.” I loved it though. My favorite aspect of living in Newport Beach was, by far, being so close to the beach. I went on countless walks and runs on Balboa Island and the beaches. I attended baseball games of all the SoCal MLB teams; I rented duffies and yachts with friends and family; I watched the Balboa Island Christmas boat parades. I put up with the LA traffic enough to hit up most of its corners;

the Rain Room and Rodeo Drive are the “can’t miss” attractions in my opinion. Disneyland is, as expected, more than magical. Watching the whales play and splash around the beaches is one of the sites you can’t miss but you won’t experience until you stop trying to find them. The shopping is some of the best out there, even for someone like me who doesn’t like shopping. Fashion Island and the Grove were probably my top two. Ultimately though, my balcony was the true pìece de résistance in California – the place where I easily spent the most time (aside from my bed and perhaps my office). 

2. You must drive everywhere – so take advantage of that car and get away for the weekends.

Driving is the biggest disadvantage to living here, but it’s the only way to get around. The traffic is as bad as people say it is. I actually had decent traffic luck for a while, but when that ran out, it was brutal. That said, there are so many places to drive to that are easy road trips and make you happy you have your car. Mexico was probably one of my favorite road trips. It was most exciting because so many people tried to tell me not to go, of course. What a fun-filled weekend, in a beautiful place, for the best priced trip I had during my whole time here. Phoenix and Scottsdale have to make the list, though of course enjoying the Phoenician’s luxury accommodations played a major role in that. They say, “what happens in Vegas” for a reason. It’s a city of sensory overload, but it’s also full of glitz, glam, and fun.

Then, even if I flew there, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland cannot be missed – all cities with their own character and colors and foodie scenes to make the flights all worthwhile. Last, but certainly not least would be the National Parks. I made it to five of them in the past two years – Arches, Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Bryce, and Zion. Each charmed and enchanted me in indescribable ways. Zion has been my favorite so far – it was majestic and imposing in a way that makes it effortlessly seep into your daydreams.

3. Explore all the best beach cities and towns to pick your favorite.

There can’t be any doubt as to my favorite of the beach towns – Newport. But, man-oh-man do they each have their own personalities and vibes. Some of my favorites from north to south include Santa Barbara, Malibu, Santa Monica, HB, Laguna, Del Mar, La Jolla, and the other SD beaches. Santa Barbara is such an adorable beach city, and when you accompany beach with wine tasting (Central Coast wineries are all within a stone’s throw) you cannot go wrong. Malibu is harder to reach; so it’s not as crowded but has those “unreal” views. Plus, when you have your Milano family along for the ride like I did the first Malibu visit, it’s bound to be chock full of “ohs” and “ahs.” Santa Monica – by far one of the best areas of LA – has the pier with the rides and the 2^nd street promenade that make it feel like the “city-est” of all the beach towns. Long Beach has such an eclectic style that you can’t pass it by. Its nightlife scene is pretty fun too – especially if you’re looking for a margarita tour. Huntington Beach cannot disappoint either.

It’s one of the most chill beach towns of them all, but what else would you expect from Surf City USA? HB is the town that first welcomed me to OC, and it’s where I first fell in love with my early morning beach runs, where the surfers and I were alone with dawn and the big blue. Laguna, Del Mar and La Jolla all have that luxury SoCal beach vibe – and rightly so. Del Mar is my favorite after Newps, but kayaking and sea lion gazing (not smelling) at La Jolla comes in pretty close after that. Then south but certainly not last would be the other beach towns of SD – OB, PB, Sunset Cliffs, and Coronado. All have their own charms and certainly add to the true San Diego nickname “America’s Finest City.”

4. Adapt a healthy lifestyle.

Running is my favorite hobby, and luck for me, it’s a healthy one. One of the reasons I wanted to move to SoCal was for its active lifestyle. If you love running like I do, SoCal is a dream come true, unless if you’re a crazy runner who somehow enjoys the sensation of your lungs freezing when you run in cold weather. Beach runs, runs around Balboa Island, Back Bay, or through Crystal Cove all had me sweating my heart out, letting my mind wander, and all while enjoying breath-taking views. You can’t beat exercising year-round, especially when you’re training for your next race. I trained hard and pushed my limits while running through wine country (near Paso Robles) to make my PR for my third half.  I also hit a few walls when I ran into tendonitis in two different seasons of marathon training. As heart breaking and frustrating as that is for a runner, to be able to heal by the coast and grow stronger through it was a invaluable. Plus, whether in cross-training, in off season, or just for fun, being able to do yoga on the beach or hop on the water to SUP, kayak or ride the waves (even if you have some close calls) is a treasure that shouldn’t be overlooked.

5. Become an OC foodie expert.

“What was your favorite” is always one of the most difficult questions in life. I thought long and hard about this one when it came to the restaurants I frequented.

Watertable, Black Trumpet Bistro, and Wilmas were my top three in SoCal. Watertable was where I had my two work holiday dinner parties, and man did we eat and laugh well. Black Trumpet Bistro is a tapas style place that I brought so many of my visitors, and its unique dishes and consistent knock-it-out-of-the-park food and service made it on the must list. Wilma’s Patio – a hearty fusion between Mexican and diner – hits the nail on the head with its brunch and dinner offerings. If you know me you know I love my chocolate. So the best chocolate places in town? Susie Cakes, Ruby’s and Vitaly, for sure. Susie Cakes has a chocolate cake that rivals Wegmans' (fighting words I know). Ruby’s milkshakes always hit ANY spot, plus when you’re at the original Ruby’s at Balboa Pier, you can’t disappoint. Then there’s Vitaly, the best little Italian place in SoCal with charming Bologna owners. Their gelato is as legit as it comes, and the fondente is simply superb. The next important category would have to be fish tacos – the best cuisine of the state, hands down. Sanchos,

Sol, Wilmas (ranked again, yes), and George’s (in La Jolla) take the cake. Taco Asylum is up there too, even if they don’t have fish tacos. Last, but not least, the coffee shops: I have explored so many of OC’s finest coffee shops with my colleagues. According to our algorithm, including comfort, wifi, good coffee, atmosphere, parking, and food, the top contenders would have to be The Lost Bean, Coffee Nature, Baou (unfortunately out of business now), BLK, and probably a few of the surrounding Starbucks. You can’t quite beat working from a coffee shop!

6. Spend time with quality people.

Like it would be any place in the world, the SoCal experience is so much more if you have A+ people. So many amazing people walked into my life here, and that’s half of the reason why I’m sad to leave. Between a roommate who became my home away from home, a colleague who welcomed me into her family and taught me how to enjoy that SoCal life, one of my best friends moving out here and making sure I always chased adventure, being so close to a couple of cousins, new UR friends, and an amazing church community, I slowly realized that I was as far from lonely out here as possible. I could not be luckier than to have these new friends – who will be lifelong friends.

My job also allowed me to work with some pretty awesome people. In addition to all of that was all the visitors I had. One of the biggest perks of being in a place like SoCal is that you are officially a destination, so everyone wants to come visit! Between family and friends, there were always new adventures with my visitors. And if you live in Newport, throw parties; it makes life so much fun. Wine tasting, pasta making, 4^th of July, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve parties all hit new levels of high.

I’m fortunate to be leaving SoCal with so many great experiences under my belt. The past two years was a time of healing, growing, exploring, and thriving. According to my calculations, I ran approximately 2000 miles and I went to the beach about 225 times – numbers that make me proud. I was as surprised as everyone else when I made this decision to move to New York City and leave my beloved SoCal behind. This is something I have to do though; otherwise I would have always wondered. I can’t wait for this next city adventure, and who knows, maybe I’ll end up returning to Cali down the road? Either way, no doubt I’ll be back to visit! Until next time, SoCal.