Epic West Coast Road Trip, Part 3

“If I had to come back in life, I’d come back as a dolphin… they’re always smiling; they’re always playing.” ~ Nathan Phillips

During my recent trip to Long Beach, California, I had the opportunity to take to the sea in search of whales and other sea creatures. This was my first adventure on a boat in the ocean off the coast on a ship that sailed far off into the wide expanse with only water in view. Although I didn’t see a whale, I was delighted to see dolphins swimming right under and in front of our ship. It might seem like this would be expensive, but actually it was pretty affordable. You can get a ticket for $35 per person if you book your ticket online in advance. Here’s the website for more details. I will note that we enjoyed the venture while wearing masks during the COVID-19 Pandemic as we traveled in August of 2020. (More photos here)This made our experience more unique and although the wind at times was so strong, I felt okay breathing through the mask.

After our tour, my boyfriend and I went back to the Airbnb we had rented for a few days in Marina Del Ray and freshened up before heading to Venice Beach. Here’s our cute Airbnb listing. I found that this was much more affordable than any hotel along the coast. I also enjoyed the decor and community. Had we spent more time there, we might have gotten to know the neighbors, as this was one of several lofts at this location. It had a welcoming enclosed outdoor area with seating for evening chatting as well as tables outside of our room to enjoy a meal. It was small, and if you are tall, like my boyfriend, it might be a challenge as the loft bedroom ceiling slants low. It didn’t bother me much, but I’m 5’1″, so there’s that!

We headed to Venice Beach to walk the boardwalk and take in the sights. My boyfriend grew up in the LA area, so he enjoyed checking out his hometown sights. This wasn’t my favorite place and was a bit sad to see so many homeless here. I was inspired by the many artistic vendors, iconic rollerbladers buzzing by, and the sea salt in the air. We dined near the beach as we watched vendors and listened to a talented piano player who had set up along the boardwalk.

Our next stop in the LA area was checking out the sights from the comfort of our SUV (rental). The freeways weren’t too busy but we spent time driving past the Warner Brothers Studios, the Hollywood sign, and the Santa Monica Pier. With little traffic (less than a regular day in LA due to the Pandemic) it was easy to navigate around town. We stopped for a brief moment to snap a photo in front of the Hollywood sign, then we headed to check out other parts of LA and Santa Monica.