California Travel Journal

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Even though I have lived in Hawaii for the last 21 years, California will always be my home. I was born in Los Angeles but spent most of my youth divided between the San Francisco Bay Area and Ventura County. I was also fortunate to spend my college years in San Diego and Orange County before leaving the Golden State for good in 1999.

We only had six days in California so it wasn’t enough time to do everything we really wanted to do. With rolling blackouts, wildfires and overnight lows dipping in the upper 30s, some plans ( and wardrobe ) needed to be altered. Despite some setbacks, we still enjoyed a lot of sunny weather, some delicious plant-based meals, and some much-needed quality time with the family.

Below are some snapshots I took with my iPhone over the last week. Little snippets from Wine Country, my hometown in the Bay Area and near my sister’s home in Los Angeles. I gotta be honest, Carlos and I tend to spend a lot of time shopping and eating out when we’re on the Mainland so the images below will reflect that. We love looking at homeware shops, indulging in good wine, taking long drives and discovering new plant-based restaurants when traveling. Lucky for us, California has a lot of this.

Mahalo for stopping by!

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The most delicious roasted brussel sprouts from The Girl and The Fig in Sonoma.

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Sonoma Mission

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Some lingering summer roses in downtown Danville.

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Husband cameo

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Downtown Sonoma

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Hometown dive bar

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LACMA - Los Angeles

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Can’t get enough of the cactus in L.A.

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Our niece, drawing pictures of our kitty cats on an interactive art display at the LACMA.

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My favorite vegan snack ever. Omusubi at Sunny Blue in Santa Monica.

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The General Store in Venice. One of my favorite home shops in L.A.

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A couple of new pieces I picked up…

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All of it please!

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Air plants in Venice.

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Vegan Sushi Platter at Blue Ribbon Sushi - The Grove, Los Angeles

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Decadent Coffee and Coconut Ice Cream in Venice.

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Culver City

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New obsession. Japanese kitchenware from Lue.

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Another homeware favorite! Tortoise General Store in Culver City.

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7am at LAX

Favorite Shops

Good Eats