Spontaneous Trip to the Santa Monica Pier

Done with finals!! As a treat to ourselves, Kara and Katherine and I took a day off and went on a well-deserved trip to the Santa Monica Pier!

Katherine, Kara, and yours truly! After over two hours in traffic, we finally made it!

The Beach

Sun. Surf. Sand.

Beneath the Pier

This is personally my favorite spot in Santa Monica. Away from the busy tourists, amorous couples, and hot lifeguards is a quiet scene beneath the pier. I can just stand there for hours listening to the waves hit the columns.

The Pacific Park Ferris Wheel

It costs $3-$5 to go on each ride in Pacific Park, Santa Monica Pier’s amusement park. If you want unlimited rides, it costs about $20 per person for a wristband. I highly recommend riding the ferris wheel at sunset! The views are amazing and it is definitely worth the $5!

To the South.

To the North.

Sunset on the Pier

Right when we got off the ferris wheel, the sun was right at the horizon so we ran to the end of the pier to catch the last few minutes of sunset. I’m glad we made it just in time!

Third Street Promenade

On our way back to the car, we walked through the Third Street Promenade mall. The last time I was here was last summer with my friend, Allegra. Aside from the lovely weather, everything about the decor and ambiance was perfect for the holiday season!

This year, HGTV built Santa’s house. Every weekend until Christmas, a host from the network sponsored an event for the public. If only Scott McGillivray from Income Properties was there…

A much needed snack break at Wetzel’s Pretzels.

Unfortunately, we had to get back to school. ZipCars only let you borrow the car for so long! Even though we were in a car longer than we were in Santa Monica, the trip was so worth it! Looking forward to a relaxing winter break!

SoCal Beach Day!

After a morning hike with my sister and her friend (and my dog), it was time to head to the beach with Diana and Cristina. Today was the last day we’d see Cristina for a while so we wanted to make it count. 

Perfect SoCal weather to dip in the ocean!

Me, Cristina, and Diana soaking up the sun

The waves were pretty rough, but the temperature was not its usual freezing temperature. Today was really, the most perfect day to go to the beach and it only gets better spending time there with your friends!

Bonus: Awesome ad found on the phone booths. Coconut water sounds pretty good right now

Phanny’s Breakfast Burrito

After a run at the beach with my sister and her good friend, we decided to reward ourselves with an amazing breakfast burrito from a place called Phanny’s in Redondo Beach.

I ordered a sausage breakfast burrito with extra salsa, avocado, and some ketchup. It was divine! The burrito pairs well with their Thai Tea, which is also highly recommended.

We brought our food to the nearest beach and ate it watching the ocean. I love SoCal!

Sausage Breakfast Burrito with egg, potatoes, veggies, avocado, and salsa

Seems counterproductive to eat such a hearty thing after exercise, but I have no regrets!

SoCal July 4th Celebrations

One of the things I have always wanted to do living in SoCal is to watch the July 4th fireworks from the beach! I finally did that and I recommend anyone who has the patience and the extra blankets to go and do it too!

The fireworks show starts at 9 PM at Redondo Beach and from a certain angle, you can see all of the coastal fireworks shows all the way to Malibu! The way it works is that they launch the fireworks from a barge out in the ocean, which allows us to sit on the beach and enjoy a nice picnic.

The best part of the entire experience is that families love doing the same thing and everyone partakes in the celebration! There were a group of guys with a ukelele who serenaded different pop songs to attentive beach goers. They sang “What Makes You Beautiful” and it was amazing!

Hope everyone had a great July 4th and a wonderful summer!