Happy holidays! Hopefully everyone had a relaxing weekend stuffing themselves with food and listening to every Beatles song ever (seriously so stoked that I can stream them now!).
Our family doesn’t celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense, so we use this time off to explore the amazing state that is California. Inspired by an article in SF Chronicle, we piled in the car this weekend and set off on a funky road trip down the golden coast to Santa Cruz. Some of my favorite spots we stopped at included:
- Bonny Doon Tasting Room: Wine flights include up to six tastings, and often times they’ll let you try more. I walked away with a “monster of a wine,” don’t you think?
- Davenport Roadhouse: An easygoing restaurant with a killer pesto pizza.
- Slowcoast: True to its name, find some cute, locally made knickknacks. Eat your lunch in its “backyard” with wine you got from Bonny Doon.
- Great Wall of Chop Suey: A little tough to get to, but if you search Leeds Gallery you can find it. It’s a zany concoction of every artistic thing under the sun.
I’ve lived in California most of my life, yet it continues to astound me how beautiful it is. I’m convinced that no matter how frustrated or sad you are feeling, there’s nothing a long drive along the shimmering Pacific Ocean can’t fix.
An additional allure to coastal trips is that I have chance to escape the hustle and bustle of the cities. Instead, I can bask in nature and discover laid-back shops and restaurants that remind me that it’s okay to slow down – something the city in me never likes to hear or do.
With a handy tile to take back with me to San Francisco, I’m excited to spend the last few days of 2015 trusting in the slow 🙂
Shark’s tooth rock, sparkling Syrah, and Brussels sprout fields on top of the mountain.
Wooo yes!