Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, CA USA

What’s the best 5 star resort within driving distance of LA? That question has several answers with many opinions. And perhaps after a few more years of living in LA, I’ll come to a conclusion… but for now, Monarch Beach Resort was our stop of choice. Family friendly to the max. I’ve never seen a […]

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Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, Santa Monica, CA USA

LA is a massive city. Less of a city, it’s simply a massive area. I live and work in Pasadena, and while Santa Monica is an easy 30 minute drive with no traffic, this time can double, triple, or even quadruple based on traffic. So I take my trips out to Santa Monica very seriously. […]

Aux Delices, Pasadena, CA USA

I was jonesing for a club sandwich. Too many plain mixed salads, salty Starbucks wraps, tiny Jamba Juice quinoa bowls, and overly average poke had left craving something fulfilling in the Old Town Pasadena vicinity. I needed a club sandwich, I knew that would quench this craving, and a google search revealed Aux Delices had one […]

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Griffith Park Golf Shop, Los Angeles, CA USA

A golf date. Not my typical outing, but who could resist hitting up a driving range after work to relieve the stress of a long day while catching up with a friend? Sam took me to Griffith Park Driving Range, a beautiful public range and banquet hall halfway between Pasadena and the rest of Los […]

Montage Hotel, Laguna Beach, CA USA

We love having visitors in California, although it rarely happens.* My mother has made it a yearly mission for herself though, and we love it! This year, she took us to the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach, a couple of hours south of Pasadena. An absolutely gorgeous, stunning property, the Montage is uniquely situated on […]

The Peninsula Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA USA

Lunch at the rooftop restaurant (The Roof Garden) of the Peninsula in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. With the pool behind us and business meetings in bathing suits surrounding us, I dined with a newly acquainted friend who had called this hotel home for quite some time at one point. While no club sandwich was found […]