Huntington Beach (New Year's Eve)

If you visit Southern California, one beach that you must see is Huntington Beach.  It has a nice pier and many shops in the area.  It has a very relaxed atmosphere and its nice to stroll around.  There used to be Ruby's Restaurant at the end of the pier, but for some reason it got shut down.  I was looking forward to eating there because the view from the restaurant is awesome.  After Huntington Beach we went to Newport Beach for a little bit.  It was a bit windy and cold, so we didn't stay long.  For New Year's Eve we just celebrated with my parents by watching the ball drop in New York City.  It was a relaxed New Year's due to covid situation. 

                                                                concrete surfboards

                                                               you can see a fish in its mouth

                                                                        Newport Beach

                                                                    cheers to the New Year!

                                                     pretending to be in Times Square, haha!

Coronado (San Diego, CA)

After we got back from Las Vegas, my parents wanted to go on a day trip to Coronado.  First we had to drive to San Diego and then take the Coronado bridge to get to the area.  When we went there,  we decided to check out the Coronado Hotel.  That was the hotel where they shot the old movie, Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe.  It was a beautiful day.

                                               great view at a rest stop on the way to Coronado

                                                    the bridge seems to be going towards the sky

                                                                        view from the bridge

                                                hotel where the movie Some Like it Hot was filmed

                                                             Christmas tree inside the hotel

                                                                in front of the Dragon Tree

                                                                checking out the beach

                                                                about to get on the bridge

                                                                     view from the bridge

                                                                    bridge in the distance

Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

My parents suggested to us that we check out Red Rock Canyon.  It was just a half hour drive from Las Vegas so we decided to go check out some nature.  We didn't want the same thing to happen to us in Palm Springs, so we made sure to purchase our pass for the National Park ahead of time.  The day was beautiful and the nature was incredible.  The scenery was such a huge contrast to what Las Vegas is like and its funny to think how close they are to each other.  One place is crazy with lights, money and people and the other is so quiet and serene.  While driving back to southern California, we stopped by In-n-Out for some delicious burgers.  Leos didn't know about the secret menu, so I educated him with that, haha!  The drive home was quite hectic.  The weather was terrible and there was a lot of traffic, but luckily we got home safe.  It was a great short trip to Vegas. 

                                                                            back in California

                                                      gotta have In-n-Out while in California!!!

                                                                lots of rain and traffic