Food - A Cheaper Way to Travel

They say that books can take you on adventures to far off lands - and I have more good news: So does food!
 Jordi and I love watching Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain, the globe galavanting foodie, as he makes his way through both popular and unknown places around the world trying their food and discovering their culture. Recently we've watched his shows about Miami and Puerto Rico, peeking my interest in that area. Then we got our most recent issue of Conde Naste Traveler, (a thoughtful Christmas present from my cousin) and they featured a whole spread on the best places to eat in the Caribbean.
Since we've already used more than our allotted vacation time for the year, the odds of making it to the warm waters and crispy food of the West Indies anytime soon were slim - until Groupon came down from the heavens and offered me a great deal on Eva's Caribbean Kitchen.
Located just a few miles up the coast in South Laguna Beach, Eva's is a cute and authentic piece of the Caribbean.
Pineapple, plantains, curries, peppers, and seafood galore! An extremely bright and open tiny restaurant complete with an extensive rum list and mouth blazing cajun prawns - add a warm summer night, and I did almost feel like I was in another world. Of course, neither reading nor eating are quite as good as actually being there - I have never finished a book taking place in China feeling jet lagged, full of dumplings, and a souvenir of my name in calligraphy in my bag. But reading about places gives you knowledge and an appreciation for different places and cultures. Likewise, eating something completely new and interesting in an authentic setting, while not the same as actually going to the islands, gave me knowledge and insight into that world - in a most wonderfully fun and delicious way!
Southern California is one of the most diverse places in the world, and there is abundant interesting food as a result. We are blessed to be able to sample very authentic versions of Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, Cuban, Peruvian, Mediterranean, Italian, Chinese, Indian and more. It's up to us to find the ones that are authentic and enjoy the different places and cultures through the dishes they offer - right in our back yard!
Where is your favorite restaurant that whisks you off to a different land?? Please share!

Stay-cation

In our not-so-fabulous economy, the so called "stay-cation", or a vacation close to home, has recently gained more popularity. I can appreciate this living in San Clemente - a small, fun beach town in Southern California - why leave?
Jordi and I got married on Memorial Day Weekend three years ago, and were racking our brains trying to figure out what to do for our anniversary this year. Road trips and camping are affordable, but not always romantic. But we also didn't want to spend $100-$200 a night on a hotel - not to mention gas, food, and everything else that comes along with leaving town.
We were planning on spending the night at our friend's apartment in Laguna since she thought she would be gone, but when her plans fell through, we ended up staying at our own apartment in San Clemente. And we had a really nice, perfect, relaxing and romantic weekend "getaway".
While you may think you could never have a vacation in your everyday surroundings, I found that much of vacation is a state of mind. Also, just making a few changes around the house and adjusting your perspective can shift your focus from "work day" to "vacation". This is the perfect opportunity to go, see, or do all those things in your area you've always wanted to but have never had the chance.
First of all, inform everyone that needs to know that you are going on vacation and won't be available. You don't need to mention that you will actually still be in town.
Clean your house like someone really important is coming over.
Pack your suitcase and get ready to go.
Then go somewhere for the whole day. California is full of towns, beaches or mountains that are easy to spend the entire day enjoying. The idea is to drive under an hour and be able to spend all day walking, eating, exploring somewhere new and spending time together as if on vacation. Get far enough away so that you have to stop and buy lunch, not go home for a sandwich!
For us, this was going to Laguna Beach for the whole day. We had breakfast somewhere we had never been, and walked all up and down the town and beach, stopping at a cheese shop along the way for fresh sandwiches and homemade macarons - amazing! After more walking, we got some of the best gelato in town before heading back to the hotel, I mean home...
For a fancy dinner we got supplies from Gelson's, an upscale super market, and bought fresh lobster they sell for $10 a pound - they come live, but they'll steam and clean them free of charge!
The next morning we had breakfast on our balcony and went through our "marriage packet" - all the questions and issues we had to discuss before we got married, and is good to do every year or so.
After an afternoon at the beach, we went to Massage Envy  - not spending money on gas or a hotel left us resources to splurge for some massages!
In the evening we went surfing at San O, where neither of us have been in years. The waves were super fun, and it was a beautiful evening.
We were starving by the time we got to La Rocco's - a pizza parlor downtown where we've walked by  a dozen times, and always wanted to try.
The rest of the evening was spent going over our new budget for the year - one of those things we never have time to do during the year, so it becomes an anniversary routine - woohoo!
AAAALLLLLL that to say - by purposefully not using our computers, cell phones, or watching TV, and by cleaning the house, eating special things or in special locations, doing everything we've wanted to do but have never done made it feel completely like a vacation. Most of the places we went or things we did were firsts - massages, state beach, new restaurants, lobster dinners - all of these were new experiences and made us feel like we were on vacation. Also, just taking the time to have good converstaions is half of what makes a good and relaxing vacation.

Art After Dark

Salt Fine Art

When I was in college, the first Friday of the month my friends and I would head to downtown San Luis Obispo for "Art After Dark", where art galleries would stay open late offering drinks and a chance to look at their art, while we would get to meander in places we normally wouldn't go (AKA fancy galleries).

This week a friend of mine invited us to go to Laguna Beach for their monthly "Art Walk". It's essentially the same thing as in San Luis Obispo, and I forgot how much fun it is! Even luckier for me, my friend who invited us used to work at a gallery in Laguna, so she knew which were good galleries to visit.

The "Art Walk" in Laguna goes from 6-9 p.m. the first Thursday of the month. Art and jewelry galleries use this event as a chance to get their names out and become more familiar to the locals. Locals use the event to socialize and see new art. It's much less intimidating to walk into a gallery when there are lots of people milling about than if you walk in by yourself any other time of the week. Most galleries offer wine or water as you roam about, and some even have cookies and other treats! :)

One of the first galleries we went to ended up being my favorite -  Salt Fine Art, in South Laguna. I never would have stopped off the road on a normal day to visit this place, but it was really fun and I liked the style of art.

Aside from being able to freely visit otherwise intimidating galleries, it's also fun to walk around the busy town with crowds of other people out and about enjoying the night air. In my opinion, we all need something to do to give us an excuse to go outside, walk around town with friends, and run into people we know - and Art Walk is a fun, relaxed and even educational way to do just that!

Hiking

How did I not know this existed?? 

Sunday we had the whole afternoon free, and wanted to take a hike in the beautiful sunny, cool weather. Jordi suggested the Canyon by El Moro, just north of Laguna Beach. We got there and found out parking was $15 a day!! So we decided to get a yearly state park pass for $125, which lets you get into all the state beaches and parks for free - definitely a good deal! 

We started our hike around 3 with one water bottle between the two of us, thinking we would walk for an hour or two.  However, we ended up way back in the canyon, and didn't get back to our car until after 7 p.m. - incredibly thirsty and tired, but very satisfied. It was seriously one of the most beautiful places I've hiked. 

The canyon is large, and there are many trails and loops for walking, hiking or mountain biking. It was about half an hour away from where we live, and I'd never been there before! And you completely feel like you're in the wilderness, not in the middle of Southern California, so it's a good find :)

I highly suggest checking it out - and getting a state park pass!

Is there somewhere near where you live that you never knew existed but have discovered is totally awesome?