All settled in, ready to conquer Santa Monica this day. Although there were a lot of places to see, we did not imagine that we could accomplish everything in one day. Looking at hundreds of photos, here are the best posed photos that I can present to you from the second day of Santa Monica.
Sand print
13, March 2019
Much as we wanted to wake up for the sunrise, neither Melvyn or I would budge out of bed that morning. Instead of 6AM, we started getting ready for the day around 7:30AM. If there was a reason to wake up early, it was for photo opportunities… So beware, there might be a lot of posed photos in today’s blog. One of the things we wanted to do was bike along the beaches of Santa Monica, and today was the perfect opportunity to do so. Concierge allowed us to use their bikes up to four hours – we’ll see how much we can do during that time. Without a helmet, we took these beautiful methods of transportation to the beaches of Santa Monica. Melvyn’s bike was blue, while mine was pink (sealed with a kiss), and these bicycles are ones that I’ve wanted for a long time. To ride in such style made this experience even sweeter.
Our ride for the day
Our first stop was at the beach, where we took photos by the Santa Monica Pier. Melvyn was teaching me how to take a photo, which angle works best, and spacing techniques to get that perfect shot. While I may not have mastered photos that day, I learned a lot from my friend: small space for the legs, look in multiple directions, and got to squat down so you can get enough sky. The pier shots turned out to be fantastic, while I may have taken too many photos of Melvyn – I just held down the camera button, providing hundreds of photos in the same shot. In addition to some pier photos, we also had to take pictures by the water, showing that we are by the California coastline. There was a man who was also taking photos by the water, who we helped take a picture of him. In exchange, the man took a photo for the both of us… Needless to say, his photo of us might be my favourite picture from this vacation.
Biking along the beaches turned out to be a lot of fun, with a paved path dedicated to bicycles, and a bluetooth speaker, jamming to songs such as Miley Cyrus’ “Party In The USA,” and Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” (I had to do those songs). Though most of the beach looked much the same, I must say there is a large portion of sand before it hits the water; I wonder if the water ever rises significantly to reach the lifeguard towers. The one pit stop that I had to make was a visit to Muscle Beach to see this iconic outdoor gym facility – however, we must have passed it as the path came to an abrupt stop. But to our surprise, we saw this rainbow lifeguard tower on Venice Beach, which only meant another photo opportunity. Being a unique tower, we had to appreciate this beauty by posing in front of such an iconic piece (aka, I had to pose in my swim suit). I may not have the best body at the moment, but that wasn’t going to stop me getting out of my outfit. We also decided now would have been a good time to get our standard photo opportunities, including writing our names in the sand. While I doubt that the message is still there, it was a solid team effort for the both of us.
One of the things I wanted to check out while in Santa Monica were the Venice Canals, a quaint neighbourhood with a lot of personality. This historic sight has been the background for a number of movies, with “Valentine’s Day” being the first that comes to mind. With white bridges connecting neighbours, there is a lot of charm around the area, from the houses to the boats each individual owns (there was a black swan boat, and that was everything). Something so simple, and yet, it brought a lot of joy for the both of us. Melvyn didn’t need a photo by the Venice Canals, but I definitely needed one – just for memory’s sake, as well as Instagram :p
Around this time, it’s about 11AM, and we are very much hungry. Melvyn suggested to check out Abbot Kinney Boulevard, as his friend said there were a lot of great places to eat. We first checked out a coffee shop where we had our pink & green dipped croissants (raspberry & matcha flavoured). Filling a bit of the void, we walked down the street and noticed a lot of high-end stores that were in the area. Melvyn was familiar with the brands, but I had no clue other than Le Labo (Fairmont, anyone?).
Then, we headed to this restaurant after they provided samples of their fruit smoothies – something about those drinks that reeled us in. Kreation Kafe & Juicery had these hand towels that expanded in water, impressing mostly Melvyn, as they were scented and fun to watch. There was also green water, which was enhanced with chlorophyll; the waitress explained that it’s beneficial as our bodies are like plants, needing photosynthesis(?) Only in California, coming soon to Vancouver I’m sure… We had breakfast dishes that fueled us for the way back to the hotel – but retrieving the bicycles was the hardest part.
Along the way, I managed to make two purchases that cost way too much, all for a pair of sunglasses and a jacket. The funny thing is, both sales associates from each store complimented on my outfit (perhaps that’s what encouraged me to buy my new items). But nonetheless, had to take these items back with us, my eyes protected in style.
Making sure that we went the right way, we made sure that we stopped by Muscle Beach. Melvyn was scared to bike along the street, as he never biked on a main road. By the time we hit the O’Venice sign, we turned into the beach until we found that iconic gym. Minutes later, we found the Muscle Beach, which was much rustier than I imagined. Only one person was working out, and he was very fit – however, no muscle men in the area, but a lot of skater boys. Because of this special occasion, I brought my one outfit that I had planned for this trip: my Incredibles fitness outfit. Although there was a $10 fee for the gym, I posed in front of Muscle Beach, and attempted to do a muscle-up… I still need to work on my technique. For the remainder of the trip, we biked all the way back to the hotel, and it was about 2:30PM. For six hours, we managed to accomplish a lot in the morning.
Freshening up and dropping off our bags, we headed out to Main Street for the rest of the day and see what else there is to do while in Santa Monica. There were a few stores that we found, including this boutique shop that sold expensive clothes, and a board game for every yoga enthusiast. Not that we were going to buy anything from the store, but it’s interesting to see what was offered.
Other stores included the Tourism store, which had interesting merchandise to promote the city, and Buffalo Exchange, where I bought myself a shirt… Because I needed more stuff to buy! But the shirt was from a brand that Melvyn really likes, which we visited later on vacation. Another fun point in that store were the names on the fitting room board, they are both one letter off from my cousins’ names – such a coincidence that reminded me of them.
By this time we were pretty hungry, and decided to eat at Urth Caffe, a local coffee shop chain with some eye-appealing food. We shared a Margherita Pizza and a fruit tart, while I had a tea, and Melvyn needed a bubble tea fix (that was surprising to see on the menu). Pretty stuffed at this point, but I needed to make space for another food pit stop.
If there was one store I was determined to see, it would be the Bulletproof Coffee store. My cousin Fraser said to check out the place, which I saw on the Uber ride to the hotel, but didn’t know how far it was down Main Street. Walking for roughly ten minutes, we were both tired and exhausted from the morning, waiting to find this place. After walking and walking, we finally managed to find the store! Not only is there a cafe, there is also a fitness centre that seemed to have a lot of high-end technology dedicated to fitness – perhaps another trip is in store for me. Checking out the café, I decided to go for a fruit smoothie and a cup of bone soup (so healthy, right?) The store is quite small, but packs a lot of variety offered. From the collagen to the supplements, Bulletproof Coffee café provides healthy snacks, coffee mixes, and protein bars. I also got myself a protein bar in addition to my purchases, which got spilt on me when Melvyn suggested that we move tables – those wiggly tables! While I may not be into the whole fitness food, it’s pretty interesting to see what a trending coffee brand can produce.
We didn’t have much planned after the Bulletproof store, so we took our time heading home, walking along the beach once more. Melvyn wanted to check out a bar, but we have no idea what’s in the area. Instead, we saw the sunset once more, waiting for the night to arrive. We made one stop to a restaurant in a hotel, where I ate octopus – Melvyn wanted to be on his phone. While we didn’t find the lobster bisque that he wanted so badly, Melvyn didn’t eat anything that night…
After eating, we walked to the area with the bars, but there was not much of a night life on a Wednesday; oh well, we tried. We ended up taking an Uber back to the hotel, and that was much it to our day. I was concerned that Melvyn didn’t eat anything that night, but insisted that he was okay. So we planned our events for the next day, as we had a car rental, taking advantage of all the far-off places we needed to check while in California.
A tiring day for sure, but one of the best days from vacation. I hope to take more adventures like this one, as well as many photos.
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