California is somewhere that had been on my dream travel list for a long long time. The sunshine, palm trees, beaches, landscape and diverse wildlife, along with the world-famous and culturally diverse cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, being the main attractions. So when my boyfriend and I sat down back in February to plan an epic Easter holiday, it wasn’t long because California was suggested .. and decided upon as our destination. With two weeks to see as much as we could, we put together an itinerary that gave us a good introduction to the sunny state of California but also allowed us to visit my top bucket list destination, the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Our two week trip was jam packed but thanks to the Californian sunshine and general laid-back vibe, I still came home feeling relaxed and refreshed.
So here it is, the first blog post from our trip – a photo diary showing how we spent 2 weeks exploring California and the west!
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San Francisco, California
The first stop on our west coast adventure was the beautiful city of San Francisco. We stayed for four nights which gave us time to get a taste of what the city has to offer. Our hotel, The Orchard, was excellently located in the proximity of Union Square and Chinatown, and was well connected when travelling to other parts of the city.
Our days in San Francisco were jam packed with exploring; we walked along the front from the Ferry Building and Pier 39 to the Golden Gate Bridge, passing Bay Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf on our way. We also paid the Aquarium of the Bay a visit and marvelled at all sorts of beautiful marine life including jellyfish, rays and even a playful river otter!
Of course we didn’t miss out on other classic sights such as the steep and crooked Lombard Street, the fascinating island of Alcatraz, Alamo Square’s Painted Ladies and skyline, the Palace of the Fine Arts or the elegant City Hall.
Along with the city’s major attractions, we also managed to head off the main tourist trail in an attempt to discover authentic San Francisco. We spent some time in the different neighbourhoods including the Castro, hippie and laidback Haight-Ashbury, and Hayes Valley where we gorged ourselves on various delicious delights including made-to-order ice cream at Smittens. Our final evening in the city also saw a brief trip to Japan town where we had our first ever taste of mochi and taiyaki.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Stop number two was Sin City, aka the one and only Las Vegas, where we spent two nights at the New York New York Hotel. Our only full day in Vegas was spent soaking up the sights – we started at one end of the Strip and slowly made our way along stopping at the Bellagio, Paris (with a trip up the Eiffel Tower), Caesar’s Palace and the Forum shops, the Venetian and Palazzo hotels and of course, I had to visit the Flamingo hotel to see their resident birds for a selfie!
In the evening we headed out once again to see the Strip by night, have a drink and watched the gorgeous dancing fountain display outside the Bellagio.
The Hoover Dam
Our second day in Vegas was not actually spent in the city, but instead we embarked on a mini adventure out of Nevada crossing the state border into Arizona. Our final destination was the Grand Canyon but on our way we made a few stops, the first of which was the Hoover Dam.
Seligman, Arizona
The other stop enroute to the Grand Canyon was the now-sleepy desert town of Seligman in Arizona. The small town, however, was originally an important railroad stop on the Santa Fe mainline train route and was on the original Route 66, which ran all the way from Chicago to Santa Monica. In 1987 Seligman gained its name as ‘the birthplace of Route 66’ and is the first stop heading west on the longest uninterrupted stretch of historic Route 66.
The Grand Canyon, Arizona
At long last we made it to the Grand Canyon’s south rim. Despite having seen countless photos of the canyon nothing prepared me for the sight that met my eyes. No pictures do this place justice – it is gigantic, so beautiful and truly breath-taking.
San Diego, California
Heading back to California, our penultimate stop was San Diego, the state’s southern most city. On our first day we checked out the historic Gaslamp quarter, seaport village, as well as the waterfront featuring the USS Midway Ship and, in the evening, Little Italy.
Day 2 took us to San Diego Zoo where we saw all sorts of amazing animals, the Spanish Arts Centre, and the beautiful Balboa Park. 
La Jolla, California
Our final afternoon in San Diego was spent visiting nearby La Jolla. We had a chilled afternoon by the sea accompanied by a whole host of local animals. We saw wild sea-lions, dolphins in the bay, pelicans, osprey and harbour seals.
Los Angeles, California
The final stop on our west coast adventure was Los Angeles where we had 3 and a half days to see all that we could. The morning of day 1 was spent in Beverley Hills before we made for Venice and Santa Monica in an attempt to catch a breeze in the 35 degree heat!
Day 2 was just as hot but we managed to see the main sights of Hollywood; the Chinese Theatre, Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Sign. We also took an Uber up to Griffith Park where we spent some time inside the gorgeous Griffith Observatory and enjoyed the amazing views out over the city.
Of course we couldn’t resist a trip to Universal Studios (we had a tough time decided between Universal and Disneyland) and spent a good few hours enjoying the various rides, which included a trip to Hogsmead and Hogwarts Castle. We also hopped aboard the Studio Tour which took us round some classic film sets such as Amity Island (Jaws), War of the Worlds and King Kong.
Our final (half) day was a little bit more relaxed and we decided to spend it in the area around our hotel, predominantly searching for street art along Melrose Avenue.
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As you can tell we managed to do a lot in just 12 days – we saw so many places, ate so much delicious food and experienced so many unforgettable things. I for one fell in love with the west and am already dreaming of a return visit in the future – that’s surely the sign of a fantastic holiday?!
What did you think of my photo diary post on my trip to the west? Have you ever been to any of the stops on our adventure and if so, where? Perhaps I’ve inspired you to take a trip to California or Nevada yourself? If you enjoyed this post or have any questions about our trip, please leave a comment in the box below! Love V x
For more pictures, check out my Instagram @thegirlonthemoveblog
