Honeymooning with the Joneses
Hi friends! We are back in the mainland and you can all us the Joneses now! Ah!
We had such an amazing time at our wedding. It was basically a huge dance party with all of our favorite people, and I can’t wait to share with you guys the wedding video and the rest of our photos, as well as all the details! In that blogpost, I’ll be basically walking you guys through the planning timeline and my thought process through the 12 month engagement. I’ll also be including product links and DIY ideas, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
But in this blogpost, I’m sharing all the deets about our honeymoon in Hawaii and LA, links and reviews and photos and all! So sit tight, because this is gonna be a long one.
We chose Hawaii because we always travelled to colder places on our trips: Seattle, Boston, Spokane, etc., and we wanted to get some sunlight. Plus, you guys know that food is super important to us and we’d never explored Hawaiian cuisine before, so what better way to eat authentic Hawaiian food and get some Vitamin D than spend 1 week in Hawaii!?
Being the Type A planners that we are, Caleb and I began planning on a shared Google calendar weeks in advance. We individually found restaurants and activities and added them onto the Google calendar and would discuss over dinner or while watching the Bachelor. For most of our trips, I’m the one in charge of the food, and Caleb’s the one finding the activities and planning details like finding the scenic route, when to drive from one place to another, and how long to spend in each area. I use several resources to find the best eats, most of them coming from Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other bloggers to make sure that I’m not getting just a 1 sided review.
We also exclusively stay in Airbnbs on all of our trips because we usually stay away from the city/resort life and it’s just another way to immerse ourselves in another region by staying in someone’s home. Plus, it’s usually way more cost effective than staying in a big hotel.
With all that being said, we started our trip with an interesting Uber ride. Interesting because it was 5AM the morning after our wedding, and I’m pretty sure Caleb and I were still tipsy, and we had only gotten roughly 2 hours of sleep. Then we flew for 5 hours to LAX, then 6 hours to Honolulu.
DAY ONE IN OAHU
We landed in Honolulu at 1300 their time (1900 our time), and picked up our rental car. It felt absolutely amazing to be away from home. It was warm, the skies were so blue, and we were finally getting a break from work! But before we headed off to our Airbnb in North Shore, we had to grab a bite to eat.
Our first meal in Oahu was at Uahi Island Grill, and Caleb got the delicious fish curry and I got the Kalua Pork and Ahi. This was the first time I’d tried Kalua Pork and I knew I wouldn’t like it, but that tuna poke was amazing, as was Caleb’s fish.
With our bellies full, we were ready to take the scenic route to North Shore, with the ocean on the right and the mountains on the left. We decided to stay in North Shore because we wanted to stay away from the craziness of Waikiki and Honolulu and it was probably one of the best decisions we’ve made, because we were so close to the water, and the drive into the city was just under an hour with barely any traffic.
Now, if you saw my Instagram, you saw this amazing view we had from our bed in our Airbnb. We stayed in the upstairs of Scottie’s townhome and it was such a treat to fall asleep and wake up to the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore.
The beach was literally a couple hundred feet from our bed and the winds allowed us to fall asleep without any AC. We especially loved that Ted’s Bakery was only a 5 minute walk from Scottie’s place, and a 10 minute drive to Shark’s Cove and all its food trucks where we later had a late night dinner at the Aji Limo foodtruck. Caleb had the Peruvian ceviche which he kept referring back to as the best ceviche he’s ever had, and I had the chicken yakisoba which was wayyyy too salty and just mediocre. Hey, not every dish can be the best thing we’ve ever had, right? It’s all good though because just about everything we ate from this point was 100% better.
DAY TWO IN OAHU
Our first full day in Oahu was one for the books. We woke up at 0600 their time and watched the sun rise from our bed, then walked to Ted’s Bakery where I just got a coffee and some local juices, and Caleb got a croissant and coffee.
We were so tempted to get a breakfast plate or one of their pies, but we were still so full from dinner the night before, and we were more excited for Papaya bowls at Sunrise Shack.
We walked back to the Airbnb, then along the beach to Sunrise Shack. Did I mention how amazing the location of our Airbnb is? I mean, the walk to breakfast was along the beach and the weather was fantastic. Not to mention what an amazing leg workout it was, haha!
But when we got to Sunrise Shack, we were disappointed because they had just run out of papayas. We had to default to a bullet coffee and their Blue Dream bowl, and it sure was delicious. We had been talking about their damn papaya bowl for weeks, though and will probably talk about it until we go back.
PS - I loved the wild chickens!!
We then headed off to Waimea Valley, expecting a quick hike to the falls and back, but we were so pleasantly surprised! Instead of a trail like we expected, it was set up like a botanical garden inside of a park, all leading up to the waterfall. There was an entrance fee, but we quickly decided it was definitely worth the $16/person because we were able to see so many beautiful plants, flowers and trees all while walking toward the waterfall. You could also swim in the waterfall, but we opted out of it.
Our bodies were still adjusting to the time change and being on a plane for 11 hours, but the hike made us pretty hungry and ready to eat at the infamous Giovanni’s shrimp truck. And boy were we hungry, especially after the wait. We were warned to wait around 2 hours, and I think we waited about an hour and a half, all the while being tempted to grab a sandwich instead like some people in line had. But we waited, and it made the shrimp scampi taste even more delicious than it probably was.
With garlic breath and all, we drove through Haleiwa and met up with Carol for stand up paddleboarding, which we booked through Airbnb. Neither Caleb and I had paddleboarded before, and to be honest I was pretty freakin nervous because I’m terrified of water. It’s fine if I’m on a boat or on a beach, but just being so close to open water terrifies me. But we were on a peaceful river and once I got the hang of it, I had so much fun. Carol talked us through the history of the sugar cane industry along the river and we saw so many turtles just sunbathing and swimming alongside us! I think I had more fun than I expected because I was able to get over my fear. And Caleb did perfectly and encouraged me the whole time.
After 2 hours of paddleboarding in the sun, we were ready for dinner. We were so ready for some sashimi and drinks at Banzai Sushi Bar, where I had a lychee martini (probably one of my favorite cocktails ever), and Caleb had a pineapple cocktail which he loved. We sat outside where they had traditional Japanese seating and low tables, and dined on Agedashi Tofu, Toro, and their Negi Sake and White Dragon rolls. We had their Banana Tempura for dessert which was served with coconut ice cream and it was so incredible that I didn’t even remember to take a photo of it! Our waitress was fabulous, as well.
DAY THREE IN OAHU
We kicked off day three by getting breakfast at My Cafe. Caleb got the pork hash and I got the Kama’aina fried rice which was absolutely delicious and way too big of a serving, so we saved the rest for an afternoon snack. We used that fuel to hike Diamond Head and getting sunburnt! Woohoo! But really, that was a really great hike, though it was super congested and we witnessed a middle-aged guy get heli-lifted out probably from heat exhaustion, and a rambunctious group of teenagers climb out onto a bunker and a local calling them out for it.
We were so pumped to drive to Ono Seafood for what the locals call the best poke on the island. But when we got there, we didn’t find the cramped parking situation we were expecting and thought maybe we got lucky. Instead, we noticed the lights were off and there was a piece of paper taped to their door. “Closed for renovations,” it read, and I totally pouted. I was so ready for some Spicy Ahi and Shoyu Ahi, but for some reason I can’t always get what I want!? So we called a totally random audible and went to Marukame Udon for some noodles instead. Good news is that noodles are always a great idea and each bowl was only $7 each, with tempura at $2 each. We never both get the same dish, but we both got the Nikutama which was delicious and hit the spot. Next time though, I want the Curry Udon.
And nothing prepares you for the beach quite like a bowl of noodles, right? So we ventured off to a random beach near all the resorts in Waikiki and got some sun. Afterward, we wandered back to the Interanational Market Place to spend some time before dinner. Plus, the parking situation was pretty nice (easily validated at any of the stores/cafes near the mall), and the public bathrooms were some of the best I’ve ever used. And we’ve used a lot on this trip.
Our last dinner in Oahu was at Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin in Honolulu and one for the books. We didn’t make a reservation, so we were told there would be atleast a 30 minute wait., but being a party of 2 always helps because we can be seated literally anywhere. In 15-20 minutes, we were seated at the bar. I had read amazing reviews for this place, some saying it was the best tonkatsu, most authentic tonkatsu, etc. I honestly had low expectations because, well, I live in Atlanta and I’ve had a lot of katsu in my life, especially my mom’s homemade katsu. Little did I know, they specialize in Korobuta (black pig) katsu, which is essentially the Wagyu of pork. It was fun grinding our own sesame for our katsu sauce, drinking some Asahi and anticipating the long-awaited katsu.
Caleb got the Korobuta katsu ($36), while I got the thick cut ($24) katsu, which was just as delicious. However, the fat cap on my pork loin was massive and off-putting, which surprised me because I typically enjoy fatty pieces of meat.
Was it delicious? Sure was. Was it worth the hefty bill that also includes a 15% gratuity that’s separated from an additional tip for our waitress? Meh. Call me a proud Korean, but it just wasn’t worth it. It was good though. I mean.. hard to do katsu wrong.
We crawled back into bed pretty early because we were beat from our long day, and got plenty of rest on our last night in Oahu.
DAY FOUR IN OAHU
We actually went back to My Cafe for breakfast! Whaaat? Yeah, we went to a restaurant twice in 1 trip and I’m gonna need other foodies to take a seat and chill with the judgment. It was just that good. The thing about My Cafe was that it totally felt like a restaurant we would frequent at home. It’s not confusing nor does it try to be something it’s not. It’s just simple, delicious food made by the locals for locals. So we went back. Caleb had the breakfast burrito which was stuffed with potatoes, chorizo, lomi tomatoes, eggs, and cilatro, and I had the chicken apple sausage omelette with their house potatoes. We actually both regret not getting their pancake flight which consists of mini versions of their special pancakes: Cookie Butta Luva, Lilikoi, & Chocolate Taro-haupia. Next time!
And that concludes our time in Oahu. So much good food and so much fun overall, but we had no idea how much we were going to love Maui. Our inter-island flight from the Honolulu airport to the OGG airport in Maui was about 30 minutes. I will say though, the Honolulu airport was a mess. Maybe I’m biased because I fly primarily out of and back to Hartsfield-Jackson, the busiest airport in the US where there’s no time to be disorganized or inefficient, but Honolulu didn’t really know how to line up their security lines or make things work efficiently. But oh well - we got to Maui safely and that’s all that matters.
DAY ONE IN MAUI
We picked up our Jeep and guys- the craziest thing happened. The employee at Alamo joked around when he saw our ID’s and said he was mad we didn’t bring him any Chick-fil-A. Turns out, he went to my rival high school and moved to Maui during his college years. We were blown away at both this coincidence and his service. So Darion from Alamo who went to North Gwinnett High School, if you find yourself reading this somehow, thanks for your amazing service. You deserve a raise. And some Chicken Mini’s.
Old Tank Top from Hollister | Linen Pants | Sandals
We took our Jeep to Tin Roof as fast as it would let us, because #hungry and HI MAUI! WE LOVED YOU THE MOMENT WE LANDED! Also, can we talk about what an amazing Insta hubby Caleb is!? Contrary to popular belief, he hasn’t always been - but now he tells me to pose for photos without me begging him to take some for IG! *Snaps*
And guys - tin roof didn’t disappoint. I wanted all of it - the Mochiko chicken, the pork belly, the chop steak, the spicy ahi poke, the kale salad. But I ended up getting the Chop Steak bowl, and Caleb got the Spicy Ahi Poke. We had to get some Kimchi, too, because this Korean girl was missing her spice.
Afterward, we stopped by a Down to Earth, a local chain that’s kind of like Whole Foods/Fresh Market, and picked up some kombucha and snacks because kombucha really saved our digestive system in Oahu, and keeps our gut happy back at home, too.
We wanted to spend the rest of our day near Lahaina, where we would later go on our sunset sailboat ride, so we parked and explored and quickly fell in love.
Lahaina was touristy, no lie, but not as bustling and crazy as Waikiki or Honolulu. It was warmer in Maui, too and we were just having a blast. I think it had something to do with starting off our time in Maui with good old Darion and having our bellies full of Tin Roof goodness, and oh yes - finding a plethora of clean public bathrooms. But of course, not all good things last because while roaming the streets of Lahaina, I quickly realized that I no longer had my wallet in my hand, and I went into full panic mode.
We backtracked all the places we’d been since Tin Roof, including the men’s bathroom I had to use because they were taking too long cleaning the women’s and my bladder was full of kombucha. Turns out, I had left my wallet behind on a bench while waiting for Caleb to pee in the courthouse, and a kind soul turned it into the courthouse souvenir shop counter. We were both so relieved that we didn’t have to make the dreaded calls to banks and whatnot.
So of course, we had to celebrate. We got drinks at Down the Hatch for their happy hour and I absolutely loved their Lava Flow and Summer Sandia, and Caleb loved their Mai Tai and Snake Oil cocktail with CBD oil.
We then explored some more and found some functional souvenirs to take back home with us for family and friends before checking in with the Pacific Whale Foundation for our sunset catamaran sail ride!
Now this was truly the highlight of our trip. We booked this experience via Airbnb upon learning that 100% of our proceeds go to the Pacific Whale Foundation, an organization that funds ongoing research, education and conservation programs for the whales and the ocean environment!
We honestly didn’t expect too much. We didn’t even expect to see whales! We just wanted to enjoy the sunset on the water with snacks and drinks before heading to the Airbnb in central Maui. But boy were we impressed. The boat ride was hosted by 2 marine naturalists who were in their 20’s, like us. Their passion for marine life and whale conservation was so apparent and inspiring. There were about 10 others with us on the sail ride, as well as a local musician who sang and played the ukelele the whole time.
There were delicious hors d’oeuvres, ranging from quesadillas to ahi crostini, as well as so many delicious cocktails ranging from mai tais to pina coladas, all made on the boat. We cruised out away from the harbor and were lucky enough to see so many whales at the tail end (pun intended) of their migration from Alaska. The marine naturalists also taught us so much about the whales and their journey to mate and survive in the water. They explained that in the beginning of their migration, their songs was slow and monotone, while at the end of their journey in Hawaii, their songs were wild and loud and all over the place with various patterns and riffs, with every song being different each year. The naturalists used a mic to dip under water to let us hear their songs and it was definitely one of the coolest things Caleb and I have experienced.
Two hours, several drinks, and many whales later, we made it to our Airbnb in Makawao and John, our Airbnb host met us to give us a mini tour of the property. This has by far got to be the best Airbnb we’ve stayed in, and now I’m wishing I was sponsored by Airbnb because I’m always praising all the places we stay at.
Our Airbnb was amazing. We had our own cottage on John + Sue’s property, and thought it was quite a drive up the mountain, it was perfectly secluded and relaxing. Our only regret was that we didn’t spend more time in it! They had orange, lemon, banana, and avocado trees on their property and we were free to pick the fruit and eat it at any time, and those were some delicious oranges. The roosters did wake us up every morning but it didn’t bother us too much since we wanted to be up early to start our day anyway.
DAY TWO IN MAUI
Day two in Maui was a beach day for us, and by beach day, we mean beach hopping in between meals. We started off back in Lahaina because we wanted to stay near the Old Lahaina Luau where we would be ending our day. We had breakfast at Sunrise Cafe, a small mom + pop spot that has atleast a 30 minute wait for anyone, purely because of the size of its kitchen. We didn’t mind though. We weren’t crazy hungry, and would rather experience a local favorite, supporting a small family, rather than a big corporation. I had the breakfast burrito and Caleb had a loco moco, both of which were the perfect fuel for a day at Baby Beach.
One cook and 2 servers, all rotating to ring you up at the end of your meal!
Sadly, I don’t have any photos from Baby Beach, but it was really cool. It was very private and also family/kid friendly, as the “beach” was blocked from the ocean by a line of rocks, and so the water only got as deep as waist-high several hundred feet in. There were no waves, but there were lots of cool reefs and the water was super clear! We laid out and got some much-needed sun. And yes, of course, we wore SPF 50, but Caleb got a wonky tan/sunburn, but c’est la vie for that white boy.
After sunbathing, we were hungry and headed off to Maui Brewing Company to snack and indulge in some local brews. Tbh, the food was mediocre at best, and the beer was alright! But it was just what we needed for some more exploring in Lahaina before the Luau!
I remember when I first told Caleb I made us reservations for a luau, he thought it was lame. But how often do you get to go to a luau IN Hawaii? And the oldest Luau? And with leis? And with an open bar????
Safe to say, we had an amazing time. Yeah, it was touristy af but it was so much fun! We were greeted with leis and mai tais and roamed around and took photos and drank some more before being seated at our table with another interracial couple who were recently engaged and their family who’s from Caleb’s hometown! Small world, huh?
The food was nothing crazy amazing, but I did discover my love for chicken long rice omg, I could’ve eaten a whole bowl if they let me!
It was truly an awesome experience, and we can’t wait to go back already!
DAY THREE IN MAUI
Day 3 was unforgettable. We did the Road to Hana, but we didn’t dare take the “Divorce Highway” by ourselves in our rental car. I knew that if we drove the 52 miles ourselves, neither of us would be able to enjoy the views and see everything we wanted to. That’s why we booked a tour with Valley Isle Excursions and it was undoubtedly one of the best decisions we made! Now, before you gasp at the prices, I will say that it isn’t cheap, at $159/person. However, during the 10 hour day, we couldn’t keep from saying how happy we were that we decided to have someone else drive us. Plus, this included breakfast and lunch, and a personal tour guide!
The cool thing is that they can pick you up from your hotel, but if you stay in an Airbnb like us, you can just meet them at the Maui Lani golf course where we all meet up to eat breakfast.
Freshly baked banana bread…. yummmmmmmmm
We visited Black Sand Beach, and also went for a swim in the Seven Sacred Pools. Because it was a smaller group of us (10 people total) in this air conditioned bus, we were able to tell Glenn, our driver, where we wanted to stop and how long we wanted to stop at each place. It was such a fun day, though long, and we stopped by the Halfway to Hana shack to pick up some banana bread and some ginger shots because boy were those roads rough.
Aside from the stunning waterfalls and amazing botanical feats, my favorite part was probably the Maui Honey Bee Sanctuary, which was our last stop on the tour. It wasn’t really anything insanely amazing, it was simply 2 shacks, selling some coffee and items to fund the bee sanctuary, but I just loved it so much. Maybe it was the view, maybe it was the PUPPIES (probably), but I just remember this spot so fondly. And I also got a lavender lotion made with beeswax and it’s the most moisturizing thing I’ve ever put on my skin. Saved my life after those dry days at the beach and on the plane!
After we said farewell to our awesome group, we headed off to dinner at The Mill House. This is a fantastic restaurant located among several different sights on the Maui Plantation and it was fabulous. We were severely underdressed but that didn’t stop us from enjoying our meal!
We started with the roasted eggplant, which was glazed in miso, grain + seaweed crumble, chive oil. I had the handcut pasta with braised beef, garlic crumble, and tomatoes, and Caleb had the pan-seared fish (I think it was Hamachi?) that was accompanied by sweet corn cob + purée, zucchini and saffron butter. It was all super delicious and we loved that we were eating farm-fresh, locally grown produce.
We finished off with the almond cake topped with chocolate-caramel creme, served with semi-frozen banana mousse and shaved almonds, which was honestly pretty underwhelming.
It was an amazing day, and as soon as we got to our cottage in Makawao, we passed out.
DAY FOUR IN MAUI
We kicked off the day by kayaking and snorkeling with Kelii’s in Makena! It was soooo much fun and I feel like I sorta kinda conquered my fear of open water on this trip. I only capsized the kayak one time, and Caleb only hit me with the paddle once (on accident), so I’d say it was a pretty successful morning. We were with a group and Greg, our guide, was super cool and explained details and facts about all the nearby islands, which we were able to see! We saw the tail end of some whales, but it was all good because we saw so many on our sail ride so we weren’t too bummed. What was cool was snorkeling above the reefs and seeing all the colorful fish, as well as some turtles! After we were done, we even got to see a pack of dolphins, which Greg said only happens once or twice a year!!
Needless to say, we had a blast and worked up an appetite.
We had a quick, fresh lunch at Joy’s Place, where Caleb had a breakfast sandwich and I had the turkey avo collard wrap. It hit the spot and was exactly what we needed before spending the next couple hours at the beach!
We had a great time laying out at Kamaole Beach III, which was conveniently located super close to where we were getting lunch. There were lots of young people our age, and it wasn’t super close to a resort so it felt more relaxed and non-touristy, which we loved. The waves were perfect for hanging out in the water and wading, but the beach itself was suuuuuper sandy and I think any sand we tracked back from Hawaii was probably from this beach. Our jeep was a mess, but it was all good.
We had lunch at Da Kitchen Express, which isn’t the original location but it was way too conveniently located for us to pass up. I had the Hawaiian Plate with lau lau, kalua pork, chicken long rice, and potato mac salad, and it was so much food that we ended making a third meal out of my leftovers alone! I decided to give kalua pork another chance, but it’s just not my thing. It’s not very flavorful and it makes me want something tart and fermented, like kimchi or sauerkraut. But lau lau, oh man. I love me some lau lau with some sriracha. Their chicken long rice was decent. Caleb got the bento box which was a combination of all their best sellers, like katsu, spam, chicken teriyaki, all over a bed of rice. We also got spam musubi, because when in Hawaii, right?
To continue our day of beach hopping, we ventured off to the Wailea area near the resorts, and parked at the Shops at Wailea and walked down the road to Wailea Beach, where the waves were fun and we were able to lay out some more. There were also outdoor showers there so we could rinse off before heading to another beach.
Then we went to Big Beach/Makena State park, which we absolutely loved but it started raining as soon as we got there! We tried to wait it out, hoping it would just be a passing storm, but it just continued to get worse and once the sun was out of sight we were both freezing from being wet from the beach. But I highly recommend Big Beach for a non-touristy vibe, soft sand, and beautiful waves. I could have easily hung out there all day! We were also super grateful that this was the only rain we experienced, even though so many people warned us that Maui could get really rainy.
We actually drove back to one of the Kamaole Beaches (there are 3), because they each had outdoor showers which saved us! We were able to rinse off and freshen up for dinner at…. drumroll please.. Koiso Sushi Bar!
If you guys saw on my Instagram, we made reservations 3 weeks in advance. Actually, I remember the exact moment because I was sitting in PACU with no patients, waiting for it to become 2300 so that it could be 1800 in Maui so that I could call to try to get reservations, after reading reviews saying that it is very difficult to get a reservation if not months in advance, because the restaurant can only seat 15 people at one time.
It did not disappoint. It felt intimate and homey, and with 2 servers and chef Hiro, you could tell that you would be cared for. We each had the Omakase, and Caleb got a glass of sake to sip on. After the omakase, we each had to have another black cod roll because oh my god, it’s melt in your mouth good. I personally don’t like uni that much, though it had just been shipped in from Japan the day before, so I actually gave it to the super nice lady next to me after she told me it’s her absolute favorite roll ever. It was just an amazing experience overall, and I think it was also special to us because right before we went in, we had found out that Anthony Bourdain had eaten there. May you rest in peace, you amazing human.
It was nice to return to the Airbnb at a decent time from Kihei because we were able to decompress before our last day in Maui. We actually had big plans to hike Waihe’e Trail the next day, but I proposed that we just have a day to do laundry, sleep in, and enjoy the cottage so we didn’t feel rushed before check-out.
DAY FIVE IN MAUI
We went out into Paia, which was only about a 15 minute drive from our cottage in Makawao, and grabbed breakfast to-go at Paia Bay Coffee and enjoyed it with some home-grown oranges back at the Airbnb.
After enjoying a slow-paced morning of packing, cleaning, and doing laundry, we went off to explore some more of Paia, which is kind of like a “hippie” town, and more of Makawao, both very small towns. I absolutely loved the vibe of Makawao and Paia because it felt more like home, compared to Waikiki or Honolulu, or even North Shore in Oahu. We were feeling a bit hungry upon walking around, so we stopped by Cafe des Amis for drinks and appetizers and we shared the mediterranean plate over Aperol Spritz and Lilikoi Margaritas. Why can’t every day be like this?
Then we ventured toward Kahului near the airport and man, were we bored before our flight. We quickly learned that there’s almost absolutely nothing to do in Kahului besides a Target and a Barnes and Noble which doesn’t even have seating, so we ended up driving around, me wasting time at Old Navy, and then getting to the airport early. PS - we totally tried to make reservations at Mama’s Fish House, just because of the rave reviews and its high recommendations, but when we tried, they only had lunch reservations left, and we didn’t want to skew our day just for one meal. Maybe next time. Maybe not!
And just like that, we were off to LA!
DAY ONE IN LA
I unfortunately didn’t any sleep on our red-eye and by the time we landed at 0430, I was beat. But our Airbnb didn’t let us check in until 2PM so we were kinda stranded. Here comes my best friend, Sora, to the rescue, who let us crash at her place for a little nap while she was at work, and that was one of the best sleeps ever. We had lunch at Yupdduk and it was delish! Then we were off to the Paramount Studio Tour, which was pretty cool! We didn’t get to see any celebrities, but we learned that Selena Gomez was just on campus to meet with a Make a Wish family, and Dr. Phil was filming. Riveting.
We then later had dinner at Quarters because we were both craving Korean food so badly, and then had dessert at Okobing. To be super honest though? Kbbq in Atlanta trumps all, but the bingsu was soooo good and what was even better was reuniting with my bff/MOH/soulmate and laughing our asses off with bellies full.
Our Airbnb in LA was located in Echo Park, which we loved! It was never too far of a drive to anywhere, even with traffic. Street parking was decent and the size was just what we needed.
DAY TWO IN LA
We started off day 2 in LA and day 11 of our honeymoon by grabbing coffee from Woodcat Coffee on Sunset, which was just a 4 minute walk from our Airbnb, followed by a photoshoot by myself during our walk because why not? Plus this $9 jumpsuit from Old Navy was giving me life.
Jumpsuit | Sandals (similar) | Sunglasses (these were actually a dupe of my aviators at a random touristy store)
Then we drove to Little Tokyo, roamed around before lunch at Marugame Monzo. No, it’s not the same Marukame we went to in Waikiki, but yes it was noodles again because noodles! are! life! Caleb got the Mentai Squid Butter Udon and I got the Spicy Dragon after we snacked on some takoyaki. Verdict? Meh. I did love my matcha latte from Midori Matcha, though! Exploring Little Tokyo was fun, especially for Caleb, because he grew up in Okinawa, Japan (#AirForceFamily) and he said so much of it reminded him of his childhood.
To keep the ball rolling and to really squeeze the life out of LA as much as we could, we went to Griffith Observatory and Caleb and I went full nerd mode. Last time I went, I was only able to go up to the roof because it was nighttime. I had no idea there was so much cool stuff inside and we geeked out at all the science before making it up to the roof for subpar photos. But it was such a cool day, and we just kept saying how we want to come back with our own kids one day because there were so many little kids who were so fascinated by all the science! Then that night, we went on such a fun double date with Sora, my bff, and her boyfriend Kevin, and he took us to his favorite places. We started with pizza at Triple Beam Pizza, then had exotic sausages at Wurstküche, then beer at Highland Park Brewery, and then finally tacos at Ave 26, where Caleb almost killed me with the red sauce. We couldn’t believe those tacos were only $1 and the horchata $2, but don’t mind me, I was just trying to put the fire out in my mouth while all Caleb could ask was, “How do they profit!?!?!?!”
It was such a fun night and the foodie in me was beaming at all the delicious food we ate and the beer we drank in less than 6 hours. #lit
Safe to say, we slept really well that night and woke up reenergized for…
DAY THREE IN LA
We brunched at Pollen and it was so good! I had the smoked salmon benedict and Caleb got the fried egg sandwich and ermergerd both were soooooo good! It was so ~LA~
We then drove down to Santa Monica/Venice, walked around 3rd St Promenade, and had a pretty disappointing meal at Cafe Gratitude. BUT ALL WAS WELL BECAUSE……
We came home to this good boy that we missed soooooo much!
I hope you guys enjoyed this post! If you didn’t notice, I linked all the restaurants and adventures and beaches and whatnot so that you guys can also find them and experience them! I also linked our Airbnbs. Let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below or using the contact me page in the “About” tab! Till next tme!
xo,
Clara