california – Wild Souls Blog

OOTD: Traveling Highway One

May 19, 2014shopwildsoulsLeave a comment

Today’s Outfit was inspired by my trip to Big Sur, CA. Not only because I was wearing these pants on the drive there , but because the colors of the palazzo pants were reminiscent of all the brilliant and beautiful scenery of Highway 1: the wildflowers growing on the hillside, the purple sand in the beaches, and the brilliant blues and greens of the ocean. We saw so many beautiful scenes as we whirled up the Pacific Highway… and I was super comfortable in my Palazzo Pants for the whole drive.

Blouse: Ivory Hi-lo Cropped Tee

Pants: Floral Print Palazzo Pants

Jewelry: Blue Stone Necklace

Big Sur Floral Print Palazzo Pants - shopwildsouls.com — Big Sur Days – shopwildsouls.com

Day 7: San Francisco

May 18, 2014May 18, 2014shopwildsoulsLeave a comment

On our last and final day in California we went a bit touristy and hit up some of the landmarks. We started out at Pier 39 so we could catch a ferry to take us on the “Escape from the Rock Cruise“… We wanted to go to Alcatraz Island, but we discovered that tickets sell out weeks in advance because it’s a national park and they only allow 3,000 people on the island daily – so we missed out on that one, but the ferry ride was great, but quite chilly, so bring a jacket! The tour goes under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz Island twice so you can take pictures while they blast stories from the days of Alacatraz. It’s definitely worth the money if you want to see Alcatraz, but don’t have 5 hors to spare for the tour.

Foggy side of the Golden Gate Bridge

Sunny side of the Golden Gate Bridge

On the Ferry

Golden Gate Bridge from the Ferry

Alcatraz Island

Pier 39 Sea Lions

After our cruise we took some time to walk around Pier 39, take pictures, and pick up souvenirs. We also had the chance to view the famous Pier 39 sea lions sun bathing, swimming, and playing in the harbor.

Another tour we (unfortunately) missed out on was the Candlestick Park tour, so we decided to take a ride through the streets of San Francisco and make our way south to Candlestick so we could at least take a few pics… I wanted to see it as the site of The Beatles final concert and my husband as an institution to the sports world.

After decompressing back at the hotel for a few hours we did some research and decided on the “Jackson-Fillmore Trattoria” for dinner. I had the “Ravioli al Pesto Genovese” and Gary had the “Contadino Misto” – After having several bites of his, I highly recommend both. We split the “Fantasia di Cioccolata” for dessert and it was absolutely delicious!

Did I mention that even though the restaurant was only .6 miles from the hotel, .4 miles of it was STRAIGHT uphill? So it goes in San Francisco. I swear, if I lived there I would have one amazing backside! But I digress, though it was fairly rough on the way there, it was all downhill (in a good way) on the way back so we paused to take some photos of San Francisco at night. It was a beautiful way to end our vacation.

Day 6: Monterey -> Wine Country -> San Francisco

May 15, 2014May 15, 2014shopwildsouls1 Comment

Before heading north we had an early lunch at the Sandbar and Grill – needing a bit of protein after my foray into Carmel wine tasting, I opted for the “Chicken Sandwich Monterey” which was beyond delicious and just what I needed. Then, the most magical thing happened… a sea lion SWAM right by our window following a little dingy out of the harbor! It was so amazing and great way to start off the day.

We then started our (longer than I realized) drive to wine country. We went through Napa, Sonoma, and Petaluma.

We reconnected on Highway 1 in Tomales Bay where our gas light came on. We pulled in to a “town” and were told that the nearest gas station was about 20 minutes south along our route, while the gas meter said we had 15 miles before empty. Nervously, we started heading south – unable to totally enjoy the beautiful scenery because we were both worried about our car dying on the bending, dipping, rising, winding Highway 1. Not to mention that the bending, dipping, rising, and winding road wasn’t giving us a totally accurate read on our gas meter. The miles clicked down faster and faster and the lack of cell phone signal wasn’t giving us indication of the nearest gas station. We pulled over to let someone behind us go by and by a stroke of luck I was able to pick up enough signal to see that the gas station was 7 miles away, and our current gas meter read was 9 miles to empty, so we went for it… With the AC turned off…. We pulled into a small gas station in Point Reyes with two miles to spare! Whew! Finally we set off again, able to enjoy the beauty of Highway 1 and the quaint little towns along the way. I would love to do a “small towns of Highway 1” on my next trip to the west coast.

Winding through the trees

Highway 1

One of the main points of our route was to enter San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge – which was very cool 😉

Hotel: the Motel Capri was in an amazing location within walking distance to some great restaurants! It was recently remodeled on the inside and clean. There was also a parking lot on premises which was a big selling point. I don’t think the spread at the “Continental Breakfast” could really be considered a “Continental Breakfast” – but if you crave a sugary pastry before walking around all day then it’s “fine”. Also, the location felt very “safe” – we went for a morning run and it was very pleasant. Though we were technically in the “Russian Hill” neighborhood, we were right on the cusp of “Pacific Heights”, “Marina”, and “Fisherman’s Wharf”.

For dinner we went to the Balboa Cafe which was only 2 blocks from our hotel. They had all the sliding doors open to let the breeze in and it was very pleasant. The food was good – not a reinvention of the wheel, but simple and well executed.

Top: Plum Pretty Sugar
Capris: Wild Souls
Shoes: Free People
Cardigan: Thrift store find 😉

Lenny & Eva Piece of the day: “Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” with Turquoise Necklace Foundation.

Day 5: Big Sur -> Carmel

May 14, 2014May 14, 2014shopwildsouls1 Comment

Before we said goodbye to beautiful Big Sur, we stopped for breakfast at the Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant – a Big Sur institution that has been feeding weary travelers since 1936! We dined on fresh-baked croissants that were buttery, flaky, and wonderful!

We also grabbed some Big Sur Bars from the General Store at our hotel (we kind of fell in love with these bars during our visit and wanted to have them in case we got the munchies before dinner) then we continued up Highway 1 towards the Point Lobos State Reserve in Carmel, CA. I had been lusting over pictures of China Cove and I couldn’t wait to go! I had heard that if you hit it during “pupping” season you can’t actually go on the beach, but you can see Mommy and Baby seals from the cliff overlooking it – so I felt like either way it was a win. As it turns out, we did hit it during “pupping” season so I got to see the too cute seals which pretty much made my day… and then some 😉

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Since we couldn’t get down to China Cove we decided to move on to Gibson’s Beach – also located in Point Lobos State Reserve. Again we walked another beautiful beach in California.

The “Stairs” down to the beach

Gibson’s Beach – Point Lobos

Conquering the rock

Gibson’s Beach – Point Lobos

Beautiful Gibson’s Beach

After a beautiful afternoon walking around Point Lobos we continued onward to Carmel-by-the-Sea! Our main plans for Carmel were 1. Point Lobos (check) and 2. The Carmel Wine Walk… You pay $65 and have the opportunity to sample wines from various local vineyards via their tasting rooms (all located within steps of each other) in downtown Carmel. Therefore, it was very important to find a hotel within walking distance of aforementioned tasting rooms.

Hotel: Carmel Village Inn for the location, $90/night was a steal! Smack in the middle of downtown and 2 blocks from the biggest cluster of tasting rooms. Our room was basic, but clean. The bed was incredibly comfortable and we probably would have had the best night’s sleep of our lives IF there was AC. Fortunately the daytime high was around 85 so it wasn’t TOO hot, but a little cool air and I would have slept like a toddler… who was wine drunk.

We walked around for a bit to scout out tasting rooms so we could come up with an efficient route. We then went to Cafe Carmel for some caffeine and a snack before we got ready for our night out.

Dress: “Cafe & Croissants Dress” from Wild Souls
Shoes: Free People

Lenny & Eva Piece of the day: “Be” Small Sentiment & White Leather Cuff

Day 1: San Diego, CA

May 10, 2014May 10, 2014shopwildsoulsLeave a comment

My whole life I’ve had an insatiable wanderlust. I would live in a shack if that’s what I had to do to travel when/where I wanted. However, I do have a husband I must factor in to the equation so the shack is somewhat out of the question. I am blessed to have someone by my side that not only loves to travel, but loves to travel the same way I do… When we go somewhere together we divide our trip in to thirds: 1/3rd activities, 1/3rd relaxation, and 1/3rd eating – drinking.

The Hotel: Marina Inn & Suites – At $80 a night, the Marina Inn & Suites was definitely a “get what you pay for” hotel. It sits in a great location – you can see the marina from the parking lot and it’s right on the fringe of Little Italy so you can walk to a lot of great restaurants. We were fortunate enough to be placed in one of the newly remodeled rooms (Room #200) so everything was clean. I can’t attest to the rest of the Inn, but our room was fine – though the bed was not very comfortable. The room we were in faced a small alley, so we didn’t have a great view, but it was very quiet. It also seemed like a safe area and if you like to fit in a workout on your vacation, there’s a great place to run on the sidewalk along the marina.

Bali Hai Fishbowl San Diego, California

Having spent some time in San Diego before, my main goal was to see my friend Sarah (who now lives there) and for her to show us some great places to eat and drink. She TOTALLY came through! We started off Saturday (April 26th) by meeting Sarah in our hotel parking lot and she led us on a short walk to Queenstown Public House for brunch. The pineapple orange mimosas were very good and so were the Chicken & Waffles. Since we expressed our love for a good beer, Sarah took us to Thorn St. Brewery I don’t remember the name of the beer I had because I couldn’t get over Sarah’s beer called “Chilecabra” that was SOOO good! Finally we moved on to the Bali Hai Restaurant for a little Polynesian inspired cuisine in the San Diego Harbor. Sarah and I split a fishbowl cocktail and we chowed down on the Wasabi Fries that were great (this comes from a bonafide french fry addict). Overall, it was a great beginning to our trip 😉

What I wore: I knew that we would be walking so I wanted to wear something comfortable.

Red Tank: Wild Souls – Cool and comfy for walking around in the awesome weather
Grey Capris: Fabletics – These capris are awesome! Move over lululemon – Kate Hudson’s coming for you!
Shoes: Black Crochet Tom’s

Underpinnings: Champion T-Back Sports Bra & Warner’s “No Wedgies, No Worries” Hipster

Lenny & Eva Bracelet: Quote Sentiment & Grey Suede Bracelets