Hey guys! I’m so excited to share my first post on my blog with my trip to Chicago! So here’s how it all went down, I got a call from my best friend letting me know that she might have to go to Chicago for a work conference and asked if I was down to meet her there. Luckily I had the free time and whats even more great is you can totally find cheap flights from LA to Chicago (major plus). I hopped on a plane to leave my little beach and off to Chicago I went!

Now I was only there for a few days and the bestie was busy with her conference during the day, but I had so much fun exploring the windy city solo. I figured out that all you need is a great pair of boots, leather jacket and a killer play list to wander Magnificent Mile and believe me when I say I never felt so cool (no lie). I love doing the whole local thing, like wandering the random streets, finding random coffee shops and making small talk with people, but I also did the obvious tourist stuff. And can we walk about the architecture? Its like the best combination of old and new.

I have to say my all time favorite part of the trip was the night life. Bestie and I had some of the best Italian food we have ever had in our lives- and thats saying a lot coming from two spaghetti connoisseurs. RPM Italian was a must and trust when I say it did not disappoint. We checked out the scene from an Irish pub to one of the best night clubs in town! We even ran into some old friends from home that moved to the city which was pretty cute!

I seriously loved Chicago guys. I was only there for a few days and I’m already planning my next trip back over there!

So after a few days in Chicago with the bestie, I rushed back to California for my sweet friend Chelsea’s wedding in Pebble Beach! The 4 hour plane ride from Chicago to LA and then six hour car drive from LA to Carmel was not ideal but it was all worth it to be able to see my friend marry the love of her life in a gorgeous wedding at Spanish Bay. I have to admit, on hour 3 of the drive I was asking myself why I decided it was a good idea to commit to it, but I love my friend it was the probably one of the funnest weddings I have been to. And trust me when I say I’m a seasoned wedding goer/bridesmaid.

So the morning after the wedding, of course we woke up to a complete power outage in the entire area, Carmel, Monterey.. everywhere. We were looking for a gas station but everything was closed from the outage. It was actually kinda funny to see everyone freaking out, like this was totally end of the world status. So we finally found a functioning gas station (phew!) and decided to just head out to Big Sur since nothing was open in Carmel.

It has been a long time but the drive on Pacific Coast Highway is GORGEOUS and Big Sur is so rad. And we stopped off at a couple of great spots, like McWay Falls (duh).

Even though I was so tired from traveling I loved being back at the central coast, celebrating my sweet friend getting married and exploring the gorgeous beaches of Carmel and Big Sur.

“Something good will come of all things yet- and it will be golden and eternal just like that.” – Jack Kerouac, Big Sur

xo,
E