Over Memorial Day Weekend, my husband and I decided to take a road-trip down California’s Highway 1, from San Francisco to San Diego. We only had 3 days, so the schedule was tight but we made it happen! Here is what we saw and experienced:

San Francisco

To eat: Rambler

This quaint restaurant is easy to miss, but it is such a gem to visit. We went there for brunch, and fell in love with their asparagus omelette. The food was incredible, the noise level was low and the ambiance is that of a classic cafe, what else could we have asked for? So, if you’re around Union Square (San Fran), make sure to pay them a visit – you won’t be disappointed!

To see: Golden Gate Bridge

My husband being an engineer, was definitely excited about this field trip. Fun fact about the bridge: it’s 1 mile wide and 1.7 mile long, and unfortunately not golden, but nonetheless, it was amazing to see it in person, in its full glory. It is named after the Golden Gate strait, which connects the Pacific with the San Francisco Bay.

Santa Barbara

To see: Highway 1

Highway 1 has some incredible views. It might actually take you longer than expected to get to your next destination because you absolutely HAVE TO pull over and enjoy the scenery, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Here are my favorites:

To eat: Harbor Restaurant

For lunch we stopped at Harbor Restaurant, which is right on Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf. It had a typical seafood menu, but the vibe was relaxed, and the food was delicious! We would definitely eat there again.

Los Angeles

To see: Griffith Observatory

To truly experience LA – it would require more than 1 day, or even 2, so we had to be smart about picking what we wanted to see while passing through it. Several people have recommended visiting the Griffith Observatory. So we checked that out, and were glad we did – the view of the city from the observatory is breathtaking!

Another landmark not to miss is the Hollywood Sign, which unfortunately we were short on time to see up close. But next time we’re in LA – it’ll definitely happen!

To eat: Tortilla Republic

LA offers a myriad of great food options, so the decision was difficult, but we opted for Tortilla Republic in WeHo. It was a little louder than I expected, but the food was amazing, and the service – impeccable, so we had a great experience overall.

San Diego

Our final destination was San Diego. We had a full day to explore the city, and get ready to fly back home. I’ll be honest, I may have fallen in love with this one. San Diego reminded me of my current city I live in (which I absolutely love), and if I had to ever move to the West Coast – I’d pick San Diego.

We spent most of our day on the pier, which hosts the USS Midway Museum. it was very crowded, but we still enjoyed walking up and down the pier.

To eat: Puesto

Finally, as our last California hoorah, we dined at Puesto. This is a Mexican joint, right by the pier, with an awesome outside patio. It had an upscale Mexican menu, and their guacamole was out of this world!