Southern California - Part 1

In late February, my husband and I went on a business trip to Newport Beach. Southern California has been on my bucket list forever, so I was glad to finally get the chance to make it out there. The only disappointment was that it was 'cold.' It stayed in the upper 50's most of the time we were there, but we sucked it up and still laid out on our private patio, soaking up our long lost friend, the sun! Here are some of the highlights:

Upon arrival, we walked around the resort to get the lay of the land. Then we had lunch on the upper deck, overlooking the pool. When you haven't seen the sun for months, you are desperate. Yes, there were even a few brave souls taking a dip.

Golf course looking out over the Pacific. Weddings are held under the dome. What a magnificent view!

 

 

I was enamored with the succulent displays around the resort.

 

 

 Another view of the pool area along the walkway.

 Bird of Paradise was blooming all over the grounds. I had never seen one in person, so it made me happy every time we passed by one.

On our second day, we took an electric bike tour of some of the nearby beaches. I had never even seen an electric bike before, so it was a little scary at first. You can pedal as much as you want, and just use the power when you feel like it (I used it mostly for hills). I think the speed topped out at 30 mph. If you ever get the chance to ride one, I highly recommend it. We had a blast!

 

 

We rode around for about 4 hours, so it's hard to remember all the names of places that the guide pointed out. Maybe Jimmy or Betty recognize this!

 

 

 I think this was Little Corona. The area was just gorgeous. Our guide told us that her high school son had jumped off of that arch out there on the right. Sounded like a dumb and dangerous idea to me!

Near the end of the afternoon, we took our bikes on a ferry over to Balboa. This was the view headed over to the peninsula. There were a lot fewer cars there, so it was more fun riding around. It had a carnival atmosphere.

 

 

The Balboa Pier. My husband and I walked out to the end. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip, even though I'm not a fan of heights.

 

 

On the pier, this guy was hanging around us. He posed for this shot looking back at the town of Newport Beach.




Being a long-time fan of Arrested Development, I was SO FREAKING EXCITED when I learned we were stopping here for a treat. I had the frozen banana, of course! My husband tried the Balboa bar.

That evening, we had one of the most amazing dinners of my life at Mastro's Ocean Club. It started out with this seafood tower. I ordered the Chilean Sea Bass, but the sides were what made the dinner for me. The servers came around with hot skillets and dished out the sides onto your plate. The lobster mac and cheese has gone on my list of 'The Best Things I've Ever Ate.' For dessert, I had their famous butter cake. The unfortunate part with a meal like this was feeling so full until about noon the next day, but I chalked it up to a once in a lifetime experience that I didn't have to pay for!