So we finally made it to Arizona and boy was it hot here! I forgot how 100 degrees and blazing heat felt, and it was brutal!
But not to be discouraged, we still had a good time preparing for our California adventure! We met up with Ryan's sister Sharon who lives out here and his other sister Megan, who flew into Phoenix to visit and come with us to California.
So we set about getting ready and didn't really spend much time exploring Phoenix. (More on that in a post(s) after I talk about California.)
Anyway, we bought more snacks, loaded up the car as much as we possibly could and set out for California! We left Phoenix and drove straight west to Los Angeles. Now most people would skip over LA, but all of us had never been and just wanted to see what it would be like. This went against both my mom and Mrs. Coleman's wishes (they worried about the traffic).
And well, the traffic was bad (not as bad as the moms made it out to be, but bad still.), but we had a mission. To get cupcakes from Magnolia's cupcakes. Yes, that's right. We had to go through L.A. to West Hollywood in order to get cupcakes that Ryan had claimed were the "best cupcakes in the whole world." Ryan loves the cupcakes so much that he compares every cupcake we've ever had in Georgia to Magnolia's. So, in order for Ryan to finally prove to me that Magnolia's were truly the best, we went. And well, Ryan was right! They were delicious and worth going to L.A and then we went north to San Jose....
Just kidding! We didn't go to LA just for cupcakes, we had lunch at Jane's on Third street a trendy lunch spot in West Hollywood. We sat outside and it was so much fun people-watching, plus the food was delicious! People in L.A. are just so different in style and personality than other parts of the country, so many backwards caps and tank tops, haha! And I was also surprised how 1950's West Hollywood looked. It was upscale but also a little retro at the same time.
Anyway, afterward we went to Beverly Hills and drove on Rodeo Drive and Sunset Boulevard. This time our mission was to find Betty White's house. We all love her and Ryan was able to look up her supposed address, so while we explored we hoped to catch a peek of her house. Alas, we didn't find it. But oh well, we had a good time anyway! Here are some photos from the first stop in L.A!
(Note: First pic: Magnolia's. The second, a sign I saw in West Hollywood, unfortunately, the restaurant (or bar?) was torn down. :-( Third: L.A. traffic. Awful! Fourth: Sunset Boulevard, pretty drive!)
Afterward, we finally left to head up to San Jose. And that felt like the longest drive of our lives! We all took turns winding up I-5 to the Bay area. The interstate took us through some beautiful scenery. I was amazed at just how wide and varied California is. There are high mountains, beautiful beaches, desert, forests, plains, etc. it was incredible just to drive through all of it.
Finally, we arrived in San Jose completely exhausted. I was so excited to see my Aunt Chris and Uncle Tom though, I knew that they had an exciting time for us planned and would be able to guide us on the best things to see in the Bay area. More on that in my next post! Take care!
Nick
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