Photo Journal: NorCal Road Trip

Although it's been quite a bit since my pals Nicole and Sadie and I made our weekend trip up to NorCal this past August, I wanted to document it on the blog. It's been my favorite road trip so far, and I saw so many incredible new things for the first time.

Thursday: Oakland
The main reason for our trip up the coast was to see one of our all time favorite bands, Brand New (plus Joyce Manor, who opened for them and we also love). A 6 hour trip sounds crazy for one band, but they mean so much to us. We stayed with my friend Karen in San Francisco and the trip to Oakland from there was about half an hour. It was me, Karen, and Nicole's first time seeing them, and the show was unforgettable, as expected.

Friday: San Francisco
We had the whole day to explore the city the day after the show and Karen was kind enough to take us around San Francisco. Being typical tourists, we ended up hitting landmarks such as the Pier, Ghiradelli Square and Lombard Street. Karen also showed us gems such as Japantown (where we got yummy  + cute crepes) and Amoeba Records.

Saturday: Ride home through the Coast 
Our time in SF was short but sweet, and although we wanted to spend more time in the city, we decided to head home early Saturday morning and take our time going back home taking PCH. I'm very grateful that we decided to do this because I got to see places I had never been to before.

Santa Cruz
Our first pit stop was in Santa Cruz, where we saw the abandoned (but interesting looking) Red Castle. We ate lunch at Pizza My Heart, a pizza shop unique to NorCal residents where you can order a pizza meal that includes a slice + a shirt with their logo & the location you're at. The pizza is served on a frisbee! We ended up at Streetlight Records for a little bit of shopping as well. I recommend that store if you're a record junkie, their selection is wonderful and the price is way cheaper than ones back home.

Big Sur

Next was Big Sur/Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. If anyone reading is from California or visiting California, I highly suggest visiting these places. Being around nature this beautiful makes you feel so small and really makes you appreciate your surroundings. Something about seeing Big Sur in person made me so happy to be a human and alive on this planet and has inspired me to try to travel more and see more like it in person.

SLO

The last stop on our journey home was Downtown San Luis Obispo. We hung out for about an hour in its little college town, getting--not one, but TWO--rounds of coffee to keep us awake for the drive home (which, I highly advise against unless it's appropriate for the situation). Kreuzberg Coffee + Book bar is my favorite coffee spot there, and has a very cozy, laid back feel. Plus, their vanilla lattes are out of this world.

I hope you enjoyed reading our trip itinerary, although it's been a couple months it's been something I've wanted to document on the blog. I'll keep up itineraries/photo diaries for any future trips!

Until Next time,

xo, 

Alexa

(all photos taken by Alexa Manese)