• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Wonder Quests
  • Travel Hacking: How I Travel For Free & Cheap
    • Travel Rewards Credit Cards
    • Point Rewards Credit Cards
    • Hotel Rewards Cards
    • Cash Back Credit Cards
    • 0% APR Credit Cards
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

The Wonder Luster

For Those Of Us Whose Dreams Won't Die Between 17 and 65.

Life is wondrous! Feed your lust for life with the tools & inspiration to help make it a great one.

A Trip To Big Sur & Northern California

Travel | January 21, 2015

When I visited Big Sur and other gorgeous northern California cities, I almost cancelled my flight home. I was so tempted to stay. See why!

When I visited Big Sur and other gorgeous areas of northern California, I almost cancelled my flight home.  California is a big, big state.  I was born and raised in California for 24 years, before heading off to Chicago- and while I’d been up and down the state, everywhere from the Coachella Valley to Eureka in the far north, I had never headed over to Highway 1 to see Big Sur and the beautiful beach cities of northern California, luckily though, I had an opportunity to remedy that.

Big Sur California

If you’re driving along Highway 1 in Big Sur, you can stop at Nepenthe Restaurant.  Admittedly, the food is really expensive and it wasn’t that good- but, as with many tourist spots, you know you’re paying for the view.

Honestly- the ambiance is amazing and the staff were pretty nice. (One was pretty stoned, so I’m guessing that’s why she was so nice?)…below is the view from the Napenthe restaurant, so grab a beer and enjoy!  The gift shop below was pretty fun too!

Napenth at Big Sur California

Seriously, no filter on this one..it was just that gorgeous. 

One thing I love about California is the color. The sunshine, the bright hues, the colorful people.  You slow down in California, but it’s worth it.  Oh yes, and then there is the wine. I love wine.  I tried so many good wines during the trip- namely, Carmel Ridge that makes an awesome Moscato.  Enjoying that bottle on the balcony of the Carmel Mission Inn with a friend, watching the sunset will be one of my favorite memories from the trip.

image1In between galavanting in Big Sur & Monterey, we stayed at the Carmel Mission Inn (read my hotel review).  It was colorful, fun and relaxing after a long day of coastal driving and photo taking.  I even snagged a bottle of sparkling wine to enjoy in the room…let’s just say this was the *only* bottle I got my hands on while in wine country….Wink, wink.

Shannyn Loves Bubbly

Palo Alto is also a fun area, perfect for morning jogs on the Stanford campus, sun bathing and wine tasting.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves…talking about it only makes me miss it more right now!

image2image3A trip to Northern California

I love California, and I’m debating if a move back out there is in my future.  The cost of living is quite high, but honestly- not much worse (depending on the area) than Chicago- and I would not have to dig my car out, or bundle up to survive 5 months out of the year.  I love Chicago, but man, when you spend a few days in California while your apartment pipes are nearly freezing over- it’s sort of tempting! Can you see why I almost cancelled my flight home?

California - A Photo from Monterey, CA

 

 

Add a Comment

Life is wondrous! Feed your lust for life with the tools & inspiration to help make it a great one.

« Your Guide To Airline Travel With Pets
My Visit To The Grand Traverse Resort & Spa »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome!

Because you were born for more than putting your dreams on hold between 17 & 65. Reclaim your sense of adventure, become financially free & live your dream life before you retire. Learn more >>

We're on this adventure together to reclaim your life despite a 9-5! Get inspirational guidance on your own amazing journey with my weekly email.

5 Things To Do Before Traveling To a Foreign Country

5 Things To Do Before Traveling To a Foreign Country

When traveling to a foreign country, planning is your friend. Check out these 5 important things we recommend handling as soon as possible.

Staying in Hostels: What You Need to Know

Staying in Hostels: What You Need to Know

Not only is staying in hostels an awesome way to save money while traveling, the community and friendships you’ll experience are like nothing else.

“The Year of Less:” How A Journey To Spend Less Leads To So Much More

“The Year of Less:” How A Journey To Spend Less Leads To So Much More

I read a lot of books, but rarely, do I love them enough to write a whole post on why I loved it and how it’s positively impacting my life. So, with that being said, I felt the need to share one book I read recently that should be shouted from the mountaintops. It’s called “The Year of Less.”

Follow the adventure on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 · The Wonder Luster · designed by Archer Creative

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact