I first visited during the beginning of October. My purpose was twofold; attend my friend's wedding in Santa Barbara and visit my boyfriend who has just started graduate school in Pasadena. The trip started with a flight into the famous LAX airport, where I was promptly picked up by Brian and his rental car, but was still held up waiting for my bag that had been checked gate-side.
After a good night's rest, we took off for Santa Barbara via PCH. We took a pitstop at the Santa Monica pier, which I discovered was the end of the famous Route 66. There was a small amusement park on the pier, but to my dismay, it was booked for the day for a private event.
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| Amusement part on Santa Monica Pier |
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| Fishermen's poles on Santa Monica Pier |
Santa Barbara is a delightful town with a charming main street and a beautiful pier of it's own. The wedding took place in a park and the reception was held at a local gallery. It was a beautiful night of laughter, dancing, and other festivities. The next day was spent frolicking by the beach. We tossed frisbees and footballs, sometimes separately, sometimes at the same time. Some were daring enough to dive into the cold water while others continued to fill up on cheese and crackers. Afterwards, Brian and I walked along the entire span of the artists fair, starting at the Santa Barbara pier. There were beautiful paintings, sculptures, pieces of jewelry, and my favorite, kaleidoscopes! Another highlight of the drive down was the fruit stand that we came across with fresh peaches and avocados. Delicious!
The rest of the weekend was spent exploring Pasadena. Brian showed me around Caltech. The small campus is filled with beautiful architecture, with turtle-filled ponds in between. We also spent a lovely afternoon exploring different flora from different regions of the world, at Huntington Gardens.
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| Turtle chilling at Caltech |
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| From the rose garden at Huntington Gardens. |
