Wednesday, March 25, 2009

California Central Coast Road Trip


My good friend Mel and I just came home from a Spring Break road trip down the California central coast, starting from San Francisco and ending in Santa Barbara. The road trip took us 6 days and it was definitely a leisurely pace. I really wanted to blog about our trip because we found it difficult to find some set itineraries online and I really hope that someone stumbles upon this and finds it helpful. I'll write about our activities, our lodging, and our good eats. We're students of course so we tried to do this kind of on the cheap... but it was a bit of a splurge. So, to all those eager travelers out there, this is for you!

Day 1
Monterey

Activities:

+Drive from San Francisco to Monterey
+Walk around Cannery Row

Mel and I left San Francisco around 3 PM and we hit some bad traffic. I think the drive was supposed to take 2 hours and it may have taken us 2.5-3 hours. So we got there a little before dinner time and we decided to walk around Cannery Row for a bit. We were bombarded with free sample offerings of clam chowder. It was stimulating for the eyes, but we decided that we would try to avoid some of the touristy restaurants on the pier.

Eats:

Crystal Fish
Japanese/Sushi
514 Lighthouse Ave.
Monterey, CA
http://crystalfishsushi.com/
Total Bill: $42.36

Crystal Fish seems to be a popular place for both the locals and for visitors from out of town. It received 4 stars on Yelp and it is located away from the tourist trap restaurants of Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf. It's a cozy place with a great menu and tasty food. Mel and I ordered the Hawaiian Poke (raw fish marinated in green onions, soy sauce, & sesame oil), the Kamakaze Roll (california roll topped w/ assorted fish & crunchy topping), the Caterpillar Roll (avocado & unagi), and the Harbor Roll (fried calamari & tuna). The rolls are a bit small, but the poke appetizer is worth trying anyway so might as well order both. Total: $42.36. This was definitely a splurge and we were hungry!

Lodging:

Ramada Limited
2058 N. Fremont Street
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 375-9701
1 Night Stay: $69.96

This hotel was clean, cheap, conveniently located, and offered a complimentary breakfast (waffle maker, muffins, cereal, coffee, juice, apples & bananas). Free wireless internet is also offered. We booked using Expedia.com.


Day 2
Carmel Valley


Activities:

+Hike in Point Lobos ($10)
+Earthbound Farm Stand
+17-Mile Drive ($9.75)
+Walk around Carmel shops

After eating breakfast, we spent our morning (around 3 hours) at Point Lobos State Reserve. I cannot recommend this place highly enough. It is so worth the $10. Point Lobos is absolutely breathtaking - the views and the scenery are so picturesque. The trails are great - you can hike through the forest and along the beach. There are so many coves and little beaches and the place is teeming with wildlife. You can spot the sea lions and there were lots of little squirrels running around. Just beware of the poison oak!

We also drove through the 17-Mile Drive. The entrance fee is $9.75. The first couple of miles were disappointing and we thought we may have made a mistake driving through this, but when we finally hit the coastline it was certainly very beautiful. There are many stops along the way to hop out and take pictures and we got to see the famous lone Cypress tree on the rock. I also highly recommend driving with some Frank Sinatra and other oldies blasting. Me and Mel thought that that made the drive :).

In the late afternoon, Mel and I decided to walk around Carmel-by-the-Sea. We stopped in at doggie boutiques, Anthropologie, and J Crew. We also spent an hour in the ONLY bookstore in Carmel. Yes, they have ONE. We managed to not spend any money on the merchandise, thankfully. The stores here are pretty high end.

Eats:

Earthbound Farms Produce Stand
Salads, Soups, Pizza, & Paninis
7250 Carmel Valley Road
Carmel, CA 93922

http://www.ebfarm.com/OurFarmStand/index.aspx
Price: $13.02 each

For lunch, we went to the organic Earthbound Farm Stand. They have a little shop with lots of produce and packaged food items. The prices are high, but it's yuppie and enjoyable in that way. Mel bought a ton of strawberries which she ate slowly throughout the rest of our whole trip. I bought some fig jam and some pumpernickel. Tastes like nutrients. If you're kind of a healthnut, their salad bar is to die for. The ingredients are super fresh and there's just so much to pile on your salad - fresh beets, edamame, sunflower seeds, rustic croutons, garlicky broccoli, spinach, arugula, etc. They weigh it and you pay that price. Mel and I both had the salad and we also had a cup of creamy asparagus soup.


Hula's Island Grill
Hawaiian Seafood/ Asian Fusion
622 Lighthouse Ave
Monterey, CA 93940
Total bill: $47.23
http://www.hulastiki.com/

We ate dinner at Hula's and it was just a really fun restaurant with red lighting and hawaiian decor, but not too cheesy! We ordered way too much and spent way too much, but it is a semi-reasonably priced restaurant (around $12 for each entree) and we could have escaped with a smaller bill if we hadn't wanted so many things on the menu. We ordered two appetizers - the island style poke ($9) and the hawaiian ceviche ($9) with a side of plantains ($2). We also ordered drinks and a dessert (the macadamia nut ice cream pie). The mixed drinks here are really, really strong so be careful! The plantains are so tasty... they are semi-caramelized bananas and for a side order it was pretty generous.

Lodging:

Carmel River Inn
Highway One
Carmel, CA 93922
(800) 966-6490
http://www.carmelriverinn.com/
1 Night Stay: $64.05

We somehow got upgraded to a cabin and it was really cute and clean. Everyone gets their own cabin and there is even a little parking space for each house. Our cabin had one room, one queen bed, and a bathroom. It was clean and the heater worked well... it rained that night so we really needed it. Free wireless internet but no free breakfast :/.



Day 3
Big Sur & San Luis Obispo

Activities:

+Driving down Highway 1
+Big Sur
+Movie in San Luis Obispo

We drove through Big Sur, stopping to take pictures every now and then. I think this stretch of the drive down Highway 1 was the most eye-popping. The cliffs, the coast, the winding roads, and the redwoods just made this so quintessentially NorCal. We didn't stop to hike because we were expecting rain that day even though the sun was fortunately shining. The drive from Carmel to Big Sur and then to San Luis Obispo took about 3.5 hours down Highway 1. Later that night we watched I Love You Man at the Downtown Centre 7 Cinema in San Luis Obispo.

Eats:

Splash Cafe
Mexicali/American/Californian
1491 Monterey St.
San Luis Obispo, CA
805-544-7567
http://www.splashbakery.com/
Price: $7 for two fish tacos


Mel and I ordered fish tacos. I got the grilled salmon taco and she ordered the mahi mahi taco. This place offers a wide variety of food - burgers, tacos, chowders, pizzas, and pastries. It seemed really popular with the students of Cal Poly. Good cheap eats!

Lodging:

Vagabond Inn
210 Madonna Road
San Luis Obispo, CA
(805) 544-4710
http://www.vagabondinnsanluisobispo.com/
1 Night Stay: $66.98


Free breakfast & wireless internet.

Day 4
Grover Beach & Santa Barbara


Activities:

Arnie's ATVs
171 North 2nd Street
Grover Beach, CA 93433
1-800-213-1590

http://www.pismoatvrentals.com/contact_information.htm
Price: $48 for 2 hours

Mel and I had so much fun riding ATVs for the first time on the beach and dunes of Grover Beach. We paid for two hours, but because Mel, a mother and a daughter, and I were the only customers, we actually got 4 hours of playtime! That was so appreciated! If you go, ask for Pat. And if they aren't too busy, Pat may take you out and act as your guide/instructor. Mel and I were such wimps when we first started... that is until Pat came to join us and really pushed our limits. We worked our way up to a dune that was 100 feet tall and we went over the side of it. It was crazy and addictive. I just kept going up and down and up and down to experience the rush. Just be warned that you will have sand EVERYWHERE when you are done. Oh, this place also really seems to have the best prices in the area. Wear sunscreen!

Eats:

Station Grill
American/Diner
170 W Grand Ave Ste 101
Grover Beach, CA 93433
Price: $7-10

Good place for a fast, cheap breakfast. The food tastes like diner food. It's really close to Arnie's ATVs.

Pascucci's
Italian/Californian/American
729 State St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 963-8123
http://www.pascuccirestaurant.com/
Around $13 for each entree

I love this restaurant. Everytime I come to Santa Barbara I eat here. I was introduced to Pascucci's by a friend and native of SB and it's always popular and busy. I highly recommend the baked brie, roasted garlic, candied walnuts, and pear appetizer ($9.95). The entrees are all great too. Mel ordered a pasta dish w/ chicken, tomatoes, and a rosemary cream sauce and I had the almond-encrusted baked chicken w/ a creamy sauce & capers. This place is so cute on the inside too! Oh and free cheesy garlic bread w/ refills! Pinkberry for dessert is also within walking distance. Yum yum yum!

Lodging:

The Sandman Inn
3714 State St
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805) 687-2468
http://www.thesandmaninn.com/
2 night stay: $162.20

Free breakfast & free wireless internet. They also have a DVD player and you can borrow DVDs from the front desk (they have a wide selection of new releases). Mel and I decided to take advantage of the DVD player and we watched When Harry Met Sally (I loved it) and Babel (it was just okay). We rented these DVDs from Blockbuster, though, because we had seen most of the ones offered at the front desk. The mattresses were soft and the inn is a bit far from the main State street downtown area, but you can't beat the price!

Day 5
Malibu & Santa Barbara

Activities:

+Malibu beaches
+Walk around Santa Barbara's State street

Mel and I climbed down some boulders off the side of the road to get onto the beach which apparently was a private beach, but we didn't know at the time... at least we got to see the beautiful homes and the well kept beach area! The non-private beach areas are also great. We got lucky with some beautiful weather :) The drive from Santa Barbara to Malibu takes about an hour and a half.

Eats:

John's Garden Fresh Health Store
Deli/Healthy food
3835 Cross Creek Road
Malibu, CA 90265

Price: $8-10 for a sandwich

John's Garden Cafe is a lunch spot that serves soups, burgers, and sandwiches. They have a big selection of chips and drinks and sunny outdoor tables for you to eat on. Mel had the shrimp salad sandwich & the honey lemonade (all very yummy) and I had the curry lentil & tomato soup w/ the $8 fruit salad. But the fruit salad is huge. It has strawberries, papaya, honey dew, cantalope, bananas, & pineapple with yogurt, coconut, and almonds on top. I could not say no. Ooh and it's also a good place for some celebrity sitings. Mel and I saw John Slattery!

Los Arroyos Mexican Restaurant
14 W Figueroa Street
Santa Barbara, CA
Website: http://www.losarroyos.net/
Menu: http://www.losarroyos.net/DT_menu.pdf
Price: $10-13 per entree

Mel and I were really craving some good Mexican food and we tried to research really hard. We finally settled on Los Arroyos. I think we both really liked this place. The food isn't too heavy and they have a great salsa bar... but they don't offer free chips! My entree also didn't come with rice and beans! :( But, I was still full afterward so I guess it was okay. Mel had the steak burrito mojado and I had Tony's Alambres (a mixture of cooked peppers, onions, chicken, steak, tomatoes, and cheese on three corn tortillas). My entree was kind of like an open faced sandwich...but an open faced...burrito? It was tasty. And their horchata is really yummy. Tastes like melted ice cream with cinnamon. Yummy :). I swear there has to be a better Mexican restaurant in SB though...

Lodging:

The Sandman Inn
3714 State St
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805) 687-2468
http://www.thesandmaninn.com/
2 night stay: $162.20

Day 6
San Francisco

Activities:

+Drive home
+Hang out in San Francisco

If we had known how much faster driving up 101 would be compared to the drive down Highway 1, I think Mel and I would have wanted to spend more time in Santa Barbara. State street is really long and has so many cute shops and cafes and it would have been nice to spend more time there. But, when we got back to San Francisco (Mel's home sweet home) she took me on a driving tour of the city and that was so awesome of her. I got to see big mansions and cool, hip parts of town :).

Eats:

Hukilau
5 Masonic Ave
(SW Corner of Masonic and Geary)
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-921-6242
http://www.dahukilau.com/sanfrancisco
Price: $10-13 for an entree

Mel and her bf Griffin and I ate dinner here. We ordered the Ahi Poke for $11 (yeah... more Poke!) and a couple orders of Spam Masubi ($2.50). It was my first time eating spam. It's salty and delicious and when wrapped up in some sushi rice and seaweed it is the perfect combination.

Icebee
829 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.882.7800
http://www.icebeeyogurt.com/locations.htm
Price: ~$5

Mel also took me to her favorite frozen yogurt place. We ate pink berry in SB and we wanted more froyo!! This place was so cool. They have so many flavors - Snickerdoodle, Green Tea, Peach, Mango, Cookies and Cream, Yogurt-flavored, etc. And you can choose from lots of toppings -fresh fruit, coconut, nuts, chocolate chips, sprinkles, & MOCHI! You just put whatever you want into your cup and then you pay by the weight. It's a much better deal than Pink Berry and it all tasted so good :).


Lodging:

My house. Sorry, this place is exclusive! It's good to be home :)

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