This guide is pretty long overdue, considering we got back from out trip almost a month ago and we went from freezing cold in Wisconsin to more of a semi-spring-ish weather in the meantime. I was debating on what to include in this post, because honestly, AJ and I were both sick almost the whole time, so we didn’t get to do nearly as much as we wanted. We had visions of visiting the beach, more food and much less shopping for DayQuil, but of course, life happened! I do still feel like we squeezed in as much as we could between taking naps and visiting with family, so here’s a little peek into our trip (but really, mainly what we ate). Let’s get to getting on this travel guide to Los Angeles and Arizona!
Los Angeles/Pasadena:
Our main purpose of our trip was to see family and visit a couple places we both hadn’t traveled to before, so when it came to LA and Pasadena, we had little to no plans going into the trip. We knew we wanted to explore a bit and visit Dodger Stadium (since my husband loves all things baseball), but beyond that we had zero plans. The first few days were pretty rough with being sick and not feeling like doing anything at all, but we managed to get out and about a bit to see the city. On our second day, AJ and I finally decided that going on a walk was the best idea and wandered around Pasadena until we got too hungry and had to stop. We stopped by the Pasadena City Hall,(pictured below) explored Old Pasadena and finally stopped for a late lunch at King Taco. We had zero plans for where we were going to eat lunch, so as soon as we saw King Taco when we turned a corner, we both knew it was something we actually wanted to eat (even with feeling very meh). It wasn’t fancy and was pretty basic, but it really hit the spot after walking around for an hour or so. They don’t have vegan options (as far as I could tell), but I do still eat cheese occasionally so I went for a bean and cheese burrito, which really hit the spot. Afterwards we had plans to eat dinner with family, so we moseyed on back to our AirBnB until it was time for dinner. We stayed in a lovely guest house and it was perfect for our needs and the trip. The owner was super nice, meeting us when we came to check in and leaving coffee and tea in the kitchen for us (which we needed badly). I would totally recommend this listing if you are visiting Pasadena, especially if you are looking for parking, since it includes a spot in the driveway too.
One of the highlights/plans I did have for the trip was meeting and chatting with one of my favorite lady food bloggers, Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen! If you read her blog, you know she’s funny, witty and pretty much keeps things real (oh and she has an adorable corgi). I reached out to Adrianna when I started planning our trip and she was gracious enough to take time out of a busy week to meet for coffee. We met at G & B Coffee and chatted over a macadamia latte (so good!) about blogging, Amelia and general life stuff. It was wonderful to finally meet her and if you’re in the area, I would totally recommend stopping at G & B for your morning caffeine. Afterwards, at Adrianna’s recommendations, I popped over to Sqirl and felt very LA while I waited in line for brioche toast with homemade almond butter and blackberry jam. It seems super silly to wait so long for something seemingly so simple, but I promise it’s worth it! I washed my fancy toast down with a glass of their homemade vegan horchata and didn’t regret any of it, not one bit. After a bit of resting up, AJ and I check out Dodger Stadium and Angels Point Lookout, (view in the picture above) which ended up being one of the best views of the city we had for the whole trip. We did visit the iconic Griffith Park Observatory on our first day in LA, but didn’t time it quite right so it ended up being WAY too busy. After all the exploring and needing to get back to take another round of cold meds (glamorous, I know), we stopped at Veggie Grill so I could pick up a quick lunch. I ended up getting the Buffalo Bomber sandwich with coleslaw, which was SO good and highly recommended. I had a hard time choosing what to order, since everything is vegan, but for some reason, buffalo chicken is one of the only meat-y things I miss after going vegan (I never ate it much as a meat eater, so go figure on that one). The next day was when we were flying out to Arizona, so we packed up and got ready for our flight!
Tucson/Phoenix:
Moving on to the second half of our trip, which covered two cities in Arizona! My grandparents have lived in Arizona for a long time, so I’ve gone many times over the years growing up, but never with just my husband, so this was a great opportunity to go back. The first couple days of our time in Arizona was pretty laid back especially since we went out with the intention of spending as much time as possible with my dear grandparents and partaking in their nightly cocktail hour (my grandma’s garlic pecan recipe and it always reminds me of drinks at their house!). The other part of the time we ate lunch at my grandparent’s favorite Mexican restaurant, La Placita where we chatted over delicious enchiladas (see a trend here, lots of Mexican food!) and soaked in a little more time together. I also was able to scoop up a few of my grandma’s antique kitchen tools that are perfect as props, which will be making an appearance in photos here soon!
We moved on to Phoenix the next day for a quick trip to the Cubs game, which turned out to be a perfectly warm and gorgeous day! A lot of our weather throughout the trip was rainy and chilly in California, so Arizona’s weather was a welcome change. We snagged lawn seats for the baseball game, which ended up being the best of both worlds because AJ was still able to get a good view of the game, while I was able to wander around and check out all the food trucks that are parked in the stadium. Later on, we grabbed dinner at Yard House during their happy hour, which ended up being a great place for all of us to eat. Yard House not only had a pretty extensive beer list, but also served quite a few appetizers, including vegan-friendly Gardein wings, a welcome surprise for dinner. Since we were flying out the next day, we capped the night off by cozying up in our adorable AirBnB that was fully stocked with snacks and fresh baked cookies. If you are traveling to Phoenix, I would highly recommend staying in this guest house! The owner wasn’t around when we arrived, but stopped to say hello/goodbye as we caught an Uber to the airport. So far for me AirBnB > hotel, any day!
That’s a wrap! I can’t wait to go back and explore more around Phoenix, plus we both haven’t been to the Grand Canyon yet, so that’s next on our list in AZ.
Hawk and Animal - Roadwarriors says
Great trip commentary! Animal wants to go vegan every time he goes to LA. Somehow I don’t think he would be right for that.
Hawk
genevieve y says
I love the rebranding, Abby! I’ve heard such great things about Sqirl and would definitely be lining up too 😉
Heart of a Baker says
Thank you Genevieve! It was a labor of love, that’s for sure 🙂 Squrl is worth it, even if it feels silly waiting in line for toast!
Erica says
I love Pasadena! It’s fun to just walk around the shops and soak in all the California sunshine. And the places you visited sound so delicious, I’m adding them onto the list for when I go to California!!
Heart of a Baker says
Hooray! Enjoy Erica!