Top Ten Things To Do in California Part II!
Top Ten Things To Do in California Part II!
#5. Dottie’s True Blue Café –San Francisco
If you like breakfast food (definitely my favorite meal of the day), then you absolutely NEED to go here! Definitely the best egg scramble I have ever tasted, and that’s saying something if you’ve ever had my dad’s cooking! The coffee was incredible, there was a mason jar of homemade raspberry jam on every table, and the chocolate chip French toast my brother ordered was probably the sweetest toast I’ve ever consumed. The line for a table was pretty long, about 30 minutes, but while we waited we discovered that this awesome joint had been featured on Diners, Drive-in, and Dives!
Notably, although the food is beyond amazing, it’s not typical of the “clean eating” lifestyle I try and abide by. Definitely worth a cheat day though. Definitely, definitely, definitely! And there are healthier options like wheat toast instead of white, and my scramble was full of avocado (healthy fat), and black beans (protein), and spinach… buried under a bed of cheese and salsa though (whoops!).
But hands down the best breakfast I’ve ever had, make sure to check it out next time you’re on the west coast!
#4. See a Groundlings show- Los Angeles
This was definitely a spur of the moment kind of thing, my family and I bought our tickets the night before not really sure what to expect, but oh my gosh was it fantastic! The Groundlings are an improvisational comedy group (picture SNL but better) and these were probably some of the funniest people I have ever seen. Stars like Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Melissa McCarthy (all cast in Bridesmaids) are all Groundling alumni, along with SNL’s Taran Killam, Will Forte, Ana Gasteyer, Will Farrell, and Kathy Griffin, and and and the list literally goes on and on. Anyway, the sketches were more than side splitting funny. They sing, dance, and act their asses off, one of my favorite skits was a mash-up of the TV shows So You Think You Can Dance, and a CSI style drama. Sounds super weird and it was super weird but one of the funniest things I’ve ever witnessed. They also had some awesome audience interaction bits (I never made eye contact for fear I would be picked!), but those were hysterical too. The twenty dollar tickets were completely worth the incredible experience we had, and I’m definitely stopping by again for another show next time I’m in town.
#3. Warner’s Brothers Studio Tour
The next top three activities were very hard to choose between, but this tour was by far the most informational. If you have any interest in movies at all I highly suggest this tour! You get to see tons of real life sets that are used for hundreds of movies and currently 10-15 hit TV shows, like one of my personal favorites The Mentalist! We had a fantastic guide, he knew the history of the studio dating back to the thirties, and was able to answer every question we threw at him. He showed us the original set of Central Perk (from the show Friends), and for me that was a really cool experience having grown up loving the show.
We buzzed through the lot on an extended golf cart that was completely accessible so I used a ramp to get on, and never had to leave my chair (two thumbs up Warner Bros!). On top of the sets and sound stages, there was a mini museum that contained many props from major motion pictures, like the various Batmobiles, and the sorting hat from Harry Potter! Of course I was placed in Gryffindor, only the best house at Hogwarts. Unfortunately we were not able to spot any celebrities along our way, but the tour re-sparked my love for cinema, so much so that I begged my parents to go look around USC’s film school (which was absolutely incredible) and am now thinking about applying there for my Masters. Need to start working on my first indie, film ideas anyone?!
#2. Bike around the San Francisco Bay
This is mainly my number two because it was my first time being on the road in a hand cycle!! And the views were incredible! I never biked much as a kid, but handcycles are cool as hell, not to mention speedy, and I would love to get more into the sport someday. My family had a difficult time finding any bike tours of the city that had a handcycle available for rent, but somehow my dad stumbled across BORP’s (Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program) Adaptive Cycling program! After a disheartening half hour of searching for the building (we had the wrong address) we finally found the small shop located along a loopy bike trail just under a high way. I was a little skeptical, but after about a mile we were riding right along the bay, and it was gorgeous! We couldn’t have picked a more perfect day to ride, cool air and sun shone on our faces, exercising together as a family, I couldn’t have asked for more.
#1. Kayak in Monterey with the sea lions!
I don’t even want to write about this experience because it might spoil the awe I felt for the ocean, and planet, and these amazing animals I got to witness from just a few feet away. Here’s some fantastic pictures courtesy of my lovely mother, thanks mom!!