No matter which way you get there, via ocean trail or valley highway, Ojai is an oasis of hip. It has always been the artist’s quiet refuge from the hustle and bustle of the big, overwhelming city to the south. For us, emphasis on the quiet.
But what’s beneath the simmering, slow-paced exterior of this little bungalow town just north of Los Angeles? We took a late Summer trip on a free weekend to see what we’d always been missing, and Ojai did not disappoint.
Read MorePortland has recently gotten a bad rap. In the aftermath of the COVID crisis and the George Floyd riots to follow, most of the city’s shops and restaurants had boarded up their windows and prepared for the absolute desolation of a previously vibrant downtown. During our early ‘21 visit to PDX, we found a lot of this to be true. But the pieces were beginning to be picked up, and most of the timeless pillars remained as strong as ever, refusing to shut their doors. We have always loved the Pacific Northwest, and “The City of Roses” has always been one of its crown jewels. Portland, Oregon offers one of the most vibrant food culture scenes in the world and one of the most unique and interesting populations of any urban area in the country. So much remains to be experienced in Portland, and we walked the streets for a few free days to get the lowdown on exactly where the heart of The Rose remains stronger than ever.
Read MoreDon’t get it twisted, we both love our coffee just as much as the next couple. Molly is the coffee addict of the two of us, and I like to branch out and keep it fresh as often as possible. Most days, in fact, I revert to my favorite caffeinated beverage, of the viridescent green kind. If you are curious, doubtful, or downright dismissive of matcha tea and its benefits, this might not be the article for you. For more information on matcha, you can easily google and find some great resources on page one. This one’s for the matcha lovers.
Matcha has had my heart and soul for years. As I’ve come to know and love great, pure matcha in all of its forms, I’ve become a bit of a collector of high quality matcha offerings - primarily as a hot and frothy latte. Of course, there are plenty of true matcha experts and connoisseurs out there roaming the streets, but I’ve taken it upon myself in the recent years to document every matcha latte I’ve consumed, regurgitating the copious and far-reaching notes as something that would help me remember where to (and where not to) order a matcha latte.
Read MoreSo much has fascinated me about where I’m living and I’d be completely remiss not to point out all of the uniqueness and novelty I’ve experienced after almost two months living here. These are some of my biggest takeaways from Bavarian culture, the vibe in Herrsching, and my overall time in Germany thus far.
Read MoreWe’ve done quite a bit of road tripping in our time together and prior and have come to find that packing light on the right things and heavy on the other right things can make a massive difference in the overall road trip experience. In this process, we’ve come up with a list of items we think it’s absolutely crucial for us (and we think eventually for you) to pack into the trunk before anything else gets stacked neatly in there. In no particular order and without further ado, here is our list of 10 Absolutely Essential Items We Never Road Trip Without:
Read MoreIf you’re looking to visit a famous National Park, see rare creatures in their natural habitats, and get engaged at the top of a Glacier, you’ve come to the right blog post.
Read MoreRed rocks, canyons as far as the eye can see, howling winds, black ice, and more! The second leg of our trip to southern Utah ranks up there with some of our favorite road trips, to date. We’d be hard pressed to find any span of two days quite as cold as this, so pack your beanies and winter coats. It’s time for a little M+J adventure, high desert winter-style…
Read MoreOne night in early February, James was driving along the highway when he texted Molly that he knew exactly what he wanted to do to celebrate his birthday. “I want to go to Southern Utah. Let’s knock off another five or six national parks in one weekend.” And with that kind of confidence (bordering on audacity), we set aside a four day weekend and crushed it all. Even the weather forecast of low thirties and twenties throughout the entirety of Utah and northern Arizona couldn’t stop us from making it happen.
Read MoreAre you ready for the ultimate national park-adox? Death Valley brought us back to life!
We took a much needed retreat to the hottest, lowest place in North America over the last weekend of February (‘22) and came away with a whole different perspective on one of the country’s most often overlooked national parks. This was our first trip to a national park of the year, and now that James is back to his fully capable ambulating we were finally able to get out on the trails a bit, too. Late winter/early spring is an ideal time to go to the Valley, as you’ll be able to avoid the 1. heat and 2. crowds, but you’ll also have a chance to 3. see the flowers in full bloom before the deathly heat comes to fry them in their place.
Read MoreFor contextual purposes, we’ll tell you that we were only slated to be in town due to James’ heel screws removal going down on the middle day of a 2.5 day stay. We really only spent the first day and last half day bumbling around Denver - fortunately armed with plenty of recommendations from friends and acquaintances who’ve spent much more time here. We would have loved to squeeze it all in, but the time restraints we were up against only allowed us 18 hours or so to truly experience this city on four fully functioning legs.
Read MoreAre you a new Angeleno looking for a way to spice up your life? Have you heard about the flavorings and cultural offerings of Ethiopia but figured you might never be able to truly indulge in the tastes and smells of East Africa without spending a chunk of your life savings just to make it happen? Look no further, you’ve found your in.
Read MoreThis may be hard to believe, but our second date was an overnight scamper to the nearby, towering mountains and forests of Sequoia National Park. As far as dating is concerned, we set a pretty high bar for ourselves with this one. But why not head to the woods to up the ante from date number one? When you’re both in love with getting away to bathe in the forests, and it just so happens to be a short (for us) three and a half hour drive from our meetup spot at the Wal-Mart in Santa Maria, there’s almost no better way to find out how the other person adapts to sleeping in the back of a Subaru. When the car camping just so happens to be set in one of the world’s most picturesque locations in the world, that’s an entirely different set of circumstances, of course. So let’s get into that part of the date.
Read MoreIf you’re like us and are just a short drive away from the Indio Valley area, you have the perfect opportunity on your hands to experience the majesty of Joshua Tree in a quick 18 hours. Here’s how we did it…
Read MoreWondering why you’ve never been to the crown jewel of the Pacific Northwest? Curious what a “Puget Sound” even is? Contemplating how it’s even possible that North Cascades National Park is on the list for top 5 least visited National Parks of the last year? You’ve found your perfect guide, so look no further!
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