California
In 2019, we started our honeymoon with a roadtrip through California. We were in the state for a week but we were able to see so many awesome cities and places. Los Angeles, Venice Beach, Pacific Coast Highway, Sequoia National Park, Napa Valley and San Francisco were all amazing… and Yosemite National Park was not bad either!
Ryan had never been big on traveling, but at some point during the trip, he began to develop his passion (it was probably on a beautiful open road, by a creek, or in Yosemite Valley!). We flew into Los Angeles on a 1-way flight, rented a car, then ultimately zig-zagged our way up to San Francisco. We were only in the state for a week but California left a lasting impression on us. Ryan went from being a reluctant traveler, to wanting to explore the world, while Jenn realized she had a travel partner for life! Now, here we are today sharing our stories with you and encouraging you to get out and explore like we do… Thank you, California!
Things to See and Do in California
Yosemite National Park
Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu
Sequoia National Park
Napa Valley
Fisherman's Wharf
Hike/Sightsee
Golden Gate Bridge
Venice Beach
“Malibu”
“Golden Gate Bridge”
California really has it all: big cities and small towns, beautiful beaches and majestic mountains, and something to do for everyone! There are certain parts of California where you’ll realize that you want to see the rest of the world. And, for us, that is what traveling is about!
On our next trip to California, Ryan wants to hike Half Dome and Jenn would like to see Sequoia National Park (when there is no snow). We both would like to explore the food scene a little more, and spend some time out at Lake Tahoe. Have you guys been to California? Let us know your favorite places to see and what you think about In-N-Out!
Favorite Memory – Running and twirling in the meadows of Yosemite Valley!
Logistics
Accommodations – We tracked hotels and Airbnbs to find good deals for the areas where we were going to need lodging. Keep an eye out for events in the cities where you’re booking. There was a concert in Napa Valley causing an extreme increase in hotel prices so we changed our itinerary so that we would be there for dates where no events would be taking place.
Food – This may be an unpopular opinion, but we didn’t find In-N-Out to be much different from other burger chains. It wasn’t bad at all, but we can’t really rank it higher than Shake Shack or Five Guys. If you are set on trying In-N-Out, just go through for nice a snack so that you can save your appetite for something better later:
- Soowan Galbi – (Los Angeles, CA)
- Black Bear Diner – (Bakersfield, CA)
- Eggslut (Venice, CA)
- Millbrae Pancake House (Millbrae, CA)
- Sweet Maple (San Francisco, CA)
- San Tung (San Francisco, CA)
- Perbacco (San Francisco, CA)
Transportation – Unless you’re staying in one city for your whole trip, you’re going to want to rent a car. We were able to drive the Pacific Coast Highway, through Napa Valley, various national parks and also navigate through many cool cities and towns. A California trip is most likely built around exploring a wide variety of areas, so renting a car is probably your best bet.
Quick Tips
1
Food
We went on a burger tangent in the previous section, and while a burger tangent is never a bad thing, we actually wanted to bring up another popular California spot: Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. For us, they exceeded expectations - everything was delicious and we think it’s worth checking out!
2
Safety
Be mindful of the Fire Danger Today signs. These signs are frequently updated to show people the current chances of a wildfire. If the alerts are high, alter your itinerary a bit to avoid danger.
3
Activity
You would think that for such a big state, with so many things to do, it would be hard to narrow down one activity. But, it feels easy to make this call here: visit Yosemite National Park - it is wonderful! If you don’t like nature, look into Napa Valley and San Francisco.
4
Logistics
To see all of California, we are estimating that you would need at least 2.5 weeks, but ideally 4. There is just so much to see. We recommend breaking down California into 3 parts; Southern, Central, and Northern.
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January 29, 2022
