A spectacular view of the LA skyline from the Jerome C. Daniel Overlook on Mulholland Drive. 

Wasn’t I in LA just three weeks ago? And I know I came back from my So-Cal vacation a little over a week ago, and–not surprising–I wish my vacay didn’t end. It was my first vacation in three years, and I made the most of it, including staying an extra day in So-Cal. I needed it!

Here’s part one of my road trip pics, and the rest of part two is after the cut.

View of Highway 5 in the Central Valley from a random vista point. Not pictured: my flying hair from the winds.

A mileage sign while driving down Highway 5. So near yet so damn far…

(Yes, I took this pic while driving. I did this trip solo, and, well, I got no other excuses except don’t try to do what I did here.)

The world-famous dount of Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood. I didn’t know they were a 24-Hour joint. As a low-carb eater, alas, I did not buy a single donut there. But I can always indulge in the sweet aromas of fresh-baked donuts!

Signs of love and solidarity right across from the Beverly Hills sign on Santa Monica Blvd.

Nighttime enchantment up in the celebrity enclave known as the Bird Streets. (Not pictured: the many homes up there with lawn signs endorsing Caruso for Mayor. I shouldn’t be surprised.)

Speaking of celebrity enclaves, the Mulholland Drive entrance gates outside uber-wealthy Beverly Park.

This holiday decoration at the Citadel Outlets in Commerce is beyond lit.

The Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center. I visited this place (albeit after hours) simply for its colorfulness!

Most of my trip was spent in the LA area, but I also got to vacay in San Diego for a couple days!

The amazing SD skyline, taken from the Flagship Bay Cruise.

Underneath the Coronado Bridge, also taken from the Flagship Bay Cruise.

A schooner basking in the sunset on San Diego Bay.

I’m also a thrift store fiend, and these two stores under some big T being just a short walk away from my SD Airbnb was a delight! (What that T stands for I have no clue.)

The Mexico flag on the Tijuana side of the US/Mexico border. I wasn’t able to cross the border (which reminds me–I need to update my passport), but being right by it was quite the experience.

I wish I was able to explore more of Border Field State Park, as some things I wanted to see (particularly Friendship Park, which I later learned is only open on the weekends, and I was in SD during the middle of the week) were closed to the public.

I spent a couple more days in LA, with my last full day there spent doing something I haven’t done in years: exploring Mulholland Drive.

SFV in a sunset glow, seen from one of Mulholland’s many vista points.

A couple in an embrace as touching as watching my last sunset in LA.

Finally, a parting message:

They ain’t lying.

I arrived in LA at night, so it was fitting that I would leave it at night. I overnighted in SFV before taking 101 north back home. When the weather is great, and if you got all the time, 101 north is THE route to take from So-Cal to Nor-Cal.

A little bit of paradise at Rincon Beach.

Kitschy decor and more at Madonna Inn!

I arrived back home in the Bay Area when it was raining–the low point of my trip, but at that point my vacation was over.

And while I truly enjoyed my time down there, I didn’t do a few things I used to do when I visited LA pre-Covid. No club-hopping for me, for one. (I’m not catching anyone’s sick.) No Pink’s Hot Dogs or Roscoe’s, but only because I no longer eat processed carbs and sugar. (More on this in another entry.) No more being fascinated over celebrity homes/hot spots, either. Two-plus years of an awful pandemic and remembering how many celebs behaved during said pandemic, then traveling to where many of them live/work/play can completely take the bloom off the Hollywood rose. Sure, I could’ve traveled elsewhere that didn’t remind me of that. But I wanted an easy getaway to a place where there was sun and scenery I can’t get enough of, that was also within my budget and drivable. (I’m also not yet ready to go on flights.) I’ve been to LA/So-Cal many times in the past, and it remains my perfect easy getaway, which was exactly what I needed for this long-awaited vacation.