Fashionistaover40 Travels to the West Coast: Pt 1

Hello everyone, I’m finally back and getting settled, after our trip to California. Unfortunately, I must have picked up a bug or probably stress, (we’ll get to the stress part later in the post) because my stomach has been a mess since I’ve arrived.  Today I finally, picked up the doggies and started that good old BRAT diet.

So this trip was completely planned by my darling husband.  I just knew we were visiting CA, and we were going to be staying, 2 nights in LA, 1 night in Pismo Beach, 4 in Carmel, 1 in San Francisco and then turn back towards LA.   Exciting!  I love road trips with my husband!

As soon as we landed on Saturday, we headed straight to In-N-Out Burger.  I’ve seen so many pictures on Instagram, of these juicy burgers and cheese fries, that I had to forget about my diet and try it.  There was one actually, right outside the airport, the line was long but moved quickly.  I got a double burger (I was very hungry) and some cheese fries, oh, and I just had to try their Vanilla Milkshake.  I must say that everything except the fries was DELICIOUS.  It was the best burger, I’ve EVER had!  The fries on the other hand were not tasty at all.  However, the hamburger made up for it!!!

The next day we took the TMZ tour.  Yes, we did!  It was totally fun and I recommend it to anyone visiting CA.  They drove us to all the “Famous” restaurants, hotels, street corners, buildings, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and several other spots, looking for celebrities.  We did see Lady Gaga, who was leaving the Chateau Marmont.  Sorry, I didn’t get a picture.   Along the way, they do tell you celebrity stories, that have been featured on TMZ, and some inside scoops.  Overall, I’m glad we did this tour.  It was fun, we sat and enjoyed the sights, views and of course the celebrity gossip!

Our wonderful TMZ Tour Guide

See that “Wrong Way” sign?  Yes, that’s the one Kanye West ran smack into!  They’ve since raised it.

The Ivy Restaurant – Definitely having dinner there next time we visit!

 Welcome to Hollywood!

That evening, we had plans, to meet an Instagram friend, and she recommended we meet at El Paseo Inn, one of the best Mexican restaurants I’ve ever been to.  It’s located on Olvera Street, the oldest part of Downtown LA and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument.  It was a really cool spot, with many neat shops, restaurants and Mariachi ‘s. Dinner was fantastic, best Salsa we’ve ever had, and they had the Mariachi’s singing inside the restaurant, which was a very nostalgic moment for me, reason being, I grew up listening to those songs every weekend.  My dear mom, loved Mexican songs and she would play her records and sing loudly on the weekends, while cleaning and relaxing.

It was great meeting Gabriela, her husband and little girls.  Beautiful family!!  We had great conversation, and felt as if we’ve known each other for the longest!  It’s really amazing, how you can meet, kind, gracious people, through these social media sites.

**Please be cautious and use common sense, if you decide to meet someone you’ve met through social media sites!

 

El Paseo Inn – Wonderful Restaurant

Live Mariachi’s

Simply–Fashionista meets Fashionistaover40, in LA

Me:  Glasses: SEE eyewear (see ealier post with link to their site) | Dress:  Zara | Necklace: eBay (see earlier post with link) | Purse: Louis Vuitton- Speedy 45| Watch: Michael Kors

Simply–Fashionista:  Sunglasses (old) Ralph Lauren | Blouse: Forever21 (similar here)| Necklace: Stella Dot | Silver Bracelet:  Shop in Santa Barbara | Pants: Gap

 Link to Simply–Fashionista Stella Dot shop

On our way to Carmel, we did a quick stop at Venice Beach.  It was quite interesting I might add.  Walked down the strip for about 30 minutes, then headed back to our drive…

We stopped at Pismo Beach, for the night.  The weather was quite cool, so we just stopped by Trader Joe’s grabbed some wine, cheese and crackers and relaxed at the hotel.

The drive to Carmel was beautiful, and relaxing.  That is, until we reached the part where we had to drive through a Canyon.  Some parts of the road were quite scary, and did not have rails/barriers on the side.  I just took deep breaths and looked away.  Oh, and I prayed,  a lot of praying.

Cruising in CA

The views were breath-taking!

This concludes, Fashionistaover40 Travels to the West Coast:  Pt 1.  The next part, includes our visit to San Francisco, Napa Valley, treacherous roads adventure, (where I just about had a heart attack) and more….

Have a blessed day!

Fashionistaover40