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Hollywood....
We visited Hollywood over Thanksgiving vacation with my mother and grandmother. The weather was not conducive to much exploring on the day we went, but we did take a guided tour of the stars homes in Beverly Hills and points of interest in Hollywood. We really enjoyed this and learned alot about Hollywood's past.
We also were able to see Mann's Chinese Theater and the Walk Of Fame. They are in the process of building a very large facility there with shops and restaurants. This will be the new site of the accademy awards.
We returned to Hollywood the next day to watch the Christmas parade on Hollywood Blvd. David, the kids and I plan on going back in the near future to do more exploring on foot.
Beverly Hills...
This was all we hoped it would be. Carefully manicured lawns, elaborate mansions, beauty everywhere. At one point we were in an area where Beverly Hills property was on one side if the street and Los Angeles property was on the other. There was a world of difference between the two. One had a brown grass and was strewn with litter the other was immaculately kept with grren grass and healthy foliage.
We saw the homes of so many stars like Madonna, Sylvester Stalone, Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, George Clooney, Leonardo De Caprio, The Spellings, Whoopie Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, Michelle Pfieffer, and sooo many more.
The only U.S. Post Office with valet parking exists in none other than Beverly Hills.
We also saw Rodeo Drive and all the exclusive shops and boutiques there...some by appoinment only. We didn't run into any stars on our tour as we are told they often do...but the rainy weather on this day kept most sane people indoors!
Ojai (Oh-hi)....
Ojai is just that..high. Forgotten by time it is a small town nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains. There are a lot of day spas in Ojai, and many cute boutiques and restaurants.
We set out in search of a place called the "punch bowl". I was told that it is found by hiking up into the mountains a little bit and then it opens up before you...a lake fed by several waterfalls. We were supposed to begin our hike behind a Catholic school...which continued to elude us all day! Once our directions are clearer, we will attempt to find this beautiful place again. The drive through Ojai was very scenic, anyway, and well worth our time. Ojai's main attraction is camping. There is a large camping park around Lake Casitas, which is very scenic and looks to be desireable to both experienced and novice campers.
Solvang....
A few miles from Solvang, we stopped at the famous Andersen's Split Pea Soup Restaurant for lunch. We had heard so much about it, and really enjoyed ourselves there. After lunch we drove past an Ostrich farm and right into what looks like a village in the Swiss Alps. The roofs are all thatched, and all the homes and shops are built in the same danish style. The streets are lined with shops and restaurants. People sit out on blankets in the grassy areas and sip cappacinno, or eat ice cream cones. One trademark of Solvang is the huge windmills that are built on each shopping square. Authentic dutch cuisine is made and served, it's delicious scent wafting from open windows. People ride by on rented surreys..complete with the fringe on top! Horse drawn carriages go back and forth from shopping square to shopping square. The open air theatre draws young and old as experienced actors and actresses portray famous plays under the stars. All of this ambiance with the Santa Monica Mountains a fitting and glorious backdrop. We loved Solvang and plan to take some of you there with us!
Santa Barbara....
All I can say is "WOW!!!" Santa Barbara is THE place to be! It's beaches are absolutely beautiful, and there is sooo much prominade style shopping. We began our trip on the beach where we walked the vendor lined sidewalks and stopped at various arts and crafts booths. We walked out on the nation's oldest working pier and our mouths watered at the delicious menus available at the restaurants located at the pier's end. The view from the pier is amazing! We also took some time to watch several boats pull into the harbor. We left the beach for the mountains and drove inland to the Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens boasts 60 plus acres of native California trees, plants, and flowers as well as interesting wildlife. We got up close and personal with several colorful lizards and a few chipmunks as we made our way through the trails. At one particular point the trail led us to a creek complete with waterfalls and large rocks to hop across. We explored an old indian settlement and inspected a dam made by the indians. The pictures we took there are awesome. We all enjoyed our hike so much that we have designated it a definite place to take whomever decides to visit us.
From the gardens we decided to drive home through the mountains instead of along the coast. What a thrilling drive it was! We saw many multi-million dollar homes built into the mountainside, and coasted down twisty roads past beautifully manicured landscapes. The kids said it was the best roller coaster they had ever been on!
From its beautiful beaches to it's majestic mountain side retreats, and gorgeous hiking trails, Santa Barbara will always be one of my favorite places to visit!
Santa Monica.....
Just 45 minutes south along the coast, Santa Monica proved to be full of excitement! Best enjoyed on foot, this hip city boast many shops and eateries. We explored the beach and the pier on our trip, but will definitely go back to peek into the many galleries and specialty shops on Main street.
We walked along the boardwalk leading to the pier, stopping at the historic site of Muscle Beach. There the kids played on monkey bars, the flying trapeeze, balance beams, swings, rope climbers and rings. Soon the lights and sounds of the pier lured them from their seaside playground and we made a bee-line for the excitement. We rode the carosel at the pier's entrance and made our way to the amusement park. We decided to come back and ride the rides at a later date, and walked the length of the pier enjoying the many vendors and performers there.
We are looking forward to visiting Santa Monica again and better planning our time to enjoy more of it.
Carpenteria...
From our second week here, we had heard of the lovely seaside village called Carpenteria. It is here, I am told that the tidal pools are full of sealife, and the streets are full of specialty shops. We decided to see for ourselves and drove up the coast just twenty minutes into Santa Barbara County. Rocked to sleep by the Ocean's lullabye, and awakened by sun drenched mountians, Carpenteria stunned us with its beauty. We found many consignment, craft, decorating, and antique shops, and were very pleased with the beauty and cleanliness of the beaches and campgrounds.
We ate at a place called The Palms. This was a new experience for us because we got to pick our own meat, and then actually grill it ourselves. The place is extreemly popular and unless you are in line at 5pm, grill space is hard to find.
Carpenteria left a sweet taste in our mouths as we stopped by an ice cream shop for a heaping dip of homemade heaven in any flavor we fancied!
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