Sunday Feb 18/Day 1: Our flight was scheduled for 6:55am from Tampa to Los Angeles. We flew American Airlines and our plane made a quick stop at the Charlotte, NC airport. We took the Budget Rent a car shuttle to the rental car location and were on our way in a Economy Toyota Prius. We only had to fill up once the entire trip and it only cost $28! The Prius gets about 48/mpg. We stopped to eat at In and Out Burger. Then we went to check in at our Airbnb in Koreatown. Next, we went to the Griffith Observatory to see the gorgeous view of the city at night. Parking around the Greek Theatre was free. There is a line to look out of the telescope at the top of the observatory however it was too cloudy this night. The gift shop is really cool because there are meteorites for sale inside for about $120 for a Palm size one up to $3,500 for the one shown below.
Monday Feb 19/Day 2: First we made a quick stop at the Beverly Hills sign at the Beverly Hills Spa. Then we went to Santa Monica Pier. It was so windy and cold we bought beanies from one of the many vendors. Then, we drove the Pacific scenic drive through Malibu to El Matador Beach for the day. On the way back we watched the sunset from Venice Beach. You can park by the children’s playground for .50 for 30 minutes and $1 for 1 hour and so on. We ate at Jack in the Box and Carl’s Jr. Definitely order the bowl that comes with an egg roll and strawberry Dr. Pepper when you go to Jack in the Box. We also did some shopping at Ralph’s grocery store and Trader Joe’s-La Brae. Side note: one interesting thing about California that is different from Florida is all the bathrooms have both male/female signs because they are gender neutral. Also, you should bring your own bag for shopping because there is a fee at Ralph’s. Ralph’s also does not have any travel size beauty products like toothpaste etc.
Tuesday Feb 20/Day 3: Walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame and saw Dolby Theatre, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Chinese Theatre. Next, we hiked from Lake Hollywood Drive to Wisdom Tree, Hugh Hefner Lookout, and of course the Hollywood sign. At night, we visited Urban Lights and drove around Chinatown, Staples Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Rodeo Drive. We ate at Tommy’s Burgers and ordered a California Classic burger and a Chili burger with fries.
Wednesday Feb 21/Day 4: Checked out by 11am from Airbnb and drove to San Diego. Here we visited Children’s Pool and La Jolla Cove. I don’t recommend using the public bathrooms at Children’s Pool (the smell was unbearable in every stall). My favorite part was watching the sea lions interact in their natural habitat. Some were defending their young, themselves, and teaching their young to swim. I can see why sea lions lay around so much now because they have to endure strong currents, rocks, and weather conditions to hunt and survive. On the way back to LAX, we ate at Miguels Mexican Restaurant in Carlsbad. Lastly, we returned our rental car and boarded 11:55am overnight flight to Tampa. We had a quick stop at DFW airport in Fort Worth, TX before arriving in Tampa by 11am.
Sea lion mating season is from December to May. There were about 8 or more pups.
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