Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

Today I will share another part of our trip to California with you, more specifically the first leg of our roadtrip, between Oceanside and San Luis Obispo, with stops in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara! I have very fond memories of this particular jampacked day, and I'm happy to revisit those beautiful moments.

In many ways, the actual roadtrip part of our travels was my favourite out of the entire two weeks we spent in California. Being on the road gives an amazing sense of freedom and unlimited opportunities, but apart from that, you just see SO much in such a short amount of time. It's like  an unreal, heightened reality almost: condensing some of the most beautiful parts of California and experiencing all of them in such short succession. 

We left Oceanside on a chilly, rainy morning and arrived in gorgeous sunny Los Angeles a couple of hours later. While we initially planned to do Venice Beach and the Hollywood sign in one day, L.A. traffic made that impossible, so we were happy to visit the city a second time on our way upstate and tick that touristy box.

Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

I swear I've seen this particular mural in some movie, once. And that's a feeling you get a lot when driving through L.A. - everything seems familiar, everything feels like it has a story, a history, a deeper meaning. The city feels like it is built on layers upon layers of dreams - and yes, I'm paraphrasing this placard that sits atop the Hollywood Bowl viewpoint/Mulholland scenic corridor, but it just perfectly captures what the city felt like for me. A city that grew and flourished based on stories, dreams and imagination. 

This was our first stop of the day, we just randomly took the exit that sparked our interest and followed the winding roads up to see if we'd be getting a good view of the Hollywood sign. Because of June gloom, the visibility wasn't amazing - lots of haziness. But the views were still gorgeous, and we were so enamored with the city that we decided to spend some more time driving around looking for that perfect Hollywood sign vantage point.

Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo
Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo
Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

This stretch of rough hills was perfectly quiet, even though this is such a popular touristy spot. Having such a piece of calm nature in the middle of a huge city, with the busy L.A. traffic visible in the not-so-far distance, felt very unique and very typical of Los Angeles' hybridity. One of the reasons we fell for the place. 

We made our way to Lake Hollywood Drive, which I had read online would offer a great vantage point to photograph the Hollywood sign. Not so much, as it turns out, but it's close enough to have signage guide you to the right spot. Driving through these quiet residential neighborhoods was a really cool experience in its own right, the houses there were beautiful and this unique blend of midcentury American aesthetic and Spanish influences.

Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

And then you turn a corner and there it is! I did not expect to be this excited to see that iconic white sign. I guess I'm a lot cheesier than I give myself credit for. Seeing such a widely known landmark in real life just feels like this is a special moment, a moment to remember, a moment that connects you to millions of other people who have been touched by the magic of the silver screen.

Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo
Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo
Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

After snapping some pics, we made our way out of L.A., soaking up the sights as we went. We randomly passed Hollywood Tower, another iconic landmark. I seriously cannot wait to return and see more of the city. I feel like I'm repeating myself but it really feels like driving around in a huge museum.

Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo
Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

And that Charlie Chaplin mural feels so familiar as well! Wasn't it featured in La La Land? Either way, love.

Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

Alas, we still had plenty of driving to do before we made it to our next Airbnb in San Luis Obispo. Our next stop would be in Santa Barbara: my boyfriend had put it on our itinerary because he knew it to be a beautiful town, and we were more than ready for lunch. We had a stellar meal on a little balcony overlooking Santa Barbara's main street, and afterwards we spent about two hours walking around, exploring the town's sights, starting with the bell tower.

Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo
santa barbara
santa barbara
santa barbara
santa barbara
santa barbara courthouse

The Spanish architectural influences were more apparent in Santa Barbara than in any of the other places we visited. Almost felt like we were somewhere along the Mediterranean!

Santa Barbara's courthouse and bell tower not only offer amazing views, but also some gorgeous decor on the inside like authentic tilework and the mural room, featuring paintings that depict the history of Santa Barbara. Breathtaking in real life.

santa barbara courthouse
santa barbara courthouse mural room
santa barbara bell tower

And then that view! 

Santa barbara view from bell tower

Beautiful town, well worth a visit or a stay. We ended our time in Santa Barbara with some time exploring its old mission, a pink marvel featuring a beautiful church and stunning chalk artwork on the pavement in front of the building.

santa barbara mission
santa barbara mission
Santa Barbara mission chalk artwork

 A whirlwind visit but highly recommended!

We made only two more short stops before arriving in San Luis Obispo, to check out the views on lake Cachuma, named after the indigenous population of the region. Probably the most stunning natural view I have ever laid eyes on. The pictures do not do it justice.

Travel: California diaries - roadtrip Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

Most of the pics in this post were taken with my Samsung Galaxy s7 btw - quality isn't as amazing as with my Canon 5D Mark i, but sometimes I really enjoy the ease of a lightweight compact camera. And the Samsung s7 camera is still pretty spectacular.

I hope you enjoyed this little recap! More still to come ;-)

More on California;

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