It’s crazy to think that my first real trip of the year didn’t happen until late June (I don’t count flying between New York and Florida as a real trip). In a non-pandemic year, I probably would’ve taken at least three or four trips by now, but alas, it’s a totally different world we’re in and I wasn’t even thinking of doing much pre-vaccine.

In my last blog post, I shared highlights from my first few months of the year in Florida, including getting fully vaccinated. Now that I’m vaccinated, for the first time in over a year, I planned a proper trip. And let me tell you, it felt so GOOD. I only traveled domestically, but I SO enjoyed the experience (minus the super cramped flights) and can’t wait to get back to my true road warrior self.

My trip started with an extended girls’ weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona with two girlfriends and then I decided to keep heading west and spent a week in a place I always love visiting: Los Angeles, California.

Here are some of my favorite moments from my recent travels:

Seeing Amazing Live Music in Old Town Scottsdale

In general I’m not a big concert person, but I LOVE live music. I didn’t realize how much I’d love seeing live music again until I did. After dinner in Scottsdale one night, my friends and I were tired and jet lagged, and we were so tempted to just go back to our hotel and rest, but we decided to try out an indoor/outdoor venue called Wasted Grain that one of the restaurant servers had recommended to us. “We’ll give it a few minutes and see how we feel,” we all agreed. Well, fast forward over an hour later and we were singing, dancing and having the best time listening to The Pickup Lines band. It was one of the most fun nights I’ve had in a long time.

Dining Out with Friends in Scottsdale

Many people can relate to the feeling that it’s the little things that have made post-vaccinated life so satisfying. I remember going out for dinner and drinks for the first time a few months ago and feeling GIDDY. And when I spent a few weeks in New York in late May and June, I loved getting to experience a revitalized outdoor dining scene in the city. Well, my trip to Scottsdale with friends felt the same. I loved being able to dress up, go out for a good meal and enjoy a nice glass of wine or a cocktail. My favorite meals in Scottsdale were at Fat Ox (the Gigi pasta is worth it!) and The Mission (who knew corn, crab and shrimp pancakes could be so good?!).

Spa Time at the Hotel

In case you weren’t aware, June in Arizona is HOT. You can’t really go hiking or do too many outdoor activities unless you want to get heat exhaustion and basically melt into the ground. So my friends and I spent a lot of time by and in the hotel pools, and one day we indulged ourselves for several hours at the hotel spa, where they had their own calming and beautiful mineral pool. It was my first time visiting a spa in a very, very long time and it was so relaxing and nice to just disconnect from the craziness of the world and the stress of life for a few hours.

Horseback Riding in the Hollywood Hills

Why yes, you can go horseback riding in Los Angeles. There are a few places to choose from, but I decided to go with Sunset Ranch Hollywood, which has a beautiful horse ranch in the Hollywood Hills. I decided to do the two-hour sunset ride, which was mostly relaxing except for the moments when my horse, Mars, decided to go allll the way to the edge of the mountain every time we turned a corner. This is not a ride for the faint of heart or anyone scared of heights. The ride itself is very low key (no trotting or cantering or anything like that), but the horses do walk along the edge of the hills as we go higher and higher up. As our guide told us throughout the ride: just look straight ahead and do not look down :)

Surfing in Santa Monica

Every time I go to Los Angeles, I try to always do something different. Fortunately, during this trip, I got to do a lot of different activities, including surfing for the first time in in 13 years. My only other surf lesson took place in Jaco, Costa Rica back in 2008 and I remember loving it a lot and thinking I need to try again. Well, that time didn’t come until this trip when I decided to take a 90-minute group surf lesson with Kapowui Surf Club. The first 25-30 minutes were spent on the sand learning how to get up on and safely fall off the surfboard and then we spent the remaining time in the water. It was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. I’m now committed to ensuring it’s not another 13 years before I surf again.

LA Hikes, Old and New

If there’s one thing I always try to do when I’m in LA, it’s a hike at Runyon Canyon. Yes, it’s cliché and touristy but also a good challenge and REALLY good people watching (during my trip to LA in 2019, my sister and I walked behind what seemed to be a very eventful hiking therapy session at Runyon). A good friend of mine also took me hiking in Rustic Canyon at Murphy Ranch Trail, which was a fascinating hike with a disturbing history. As someone who grew up in Florida and is rarely around any sort of mountain or canyon, I always love going for a hike anytime I’m in LA. Also, it doesn’t hurt that the weather was perfection.

Strolling the Huntington Botanical Gardens

Another good friend of mine took me to the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, which is a gorgeous space with different types of gardens spread across 120 acres. My favorite gardens were the Rose Garden, where the roses smelled incredible, the Japanese and Chinese gardens and the Subtropical Garden. It’s a place that’s great for literally anyone, where you could easily spend hours getting lost amongst the beauty of the gardens.

Picnic, a Movie and Fireworks at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery

When I first heard about going to a cemetery to watch a movie, I thought it sounded…creepy. But it was actually so much fun! Hollywood Forever is not just a cemetery, it’s also a cultural events center with all kinds of activities taking place regularly, including outdoor film screenings. Over the 4th of July weekend, they aired Dazed and Confused and added fireworks at the end of the movie. But it wasn’t just a movie and fireworks, it was a whole experience — starting with getting in line early before the gates open and bringing blankets and whatever food and drinks you’d like. And then, once you’re settled in front of the screen with your array of picnic food, you see in the distance, framed by palm trees and a glowing sunset, the Hollywood sign.

And that’s a wrap on my first proper trip of 2021. I also have a trip to Europe booked later this year… we’ll see if I’m able to go. Stay tuned!