Last week, the boyfriend and I along with another couple decided to make a road trip out of our drive from Orange County to San Francisco on our way home for Christmas.

Within three days and nearly 500 road miles, I got to see much of California in a whole new light since I’ve never driven up the coastline before.  There was so much to see - we snapped nearly 300 photos on our digital camera!

Since our trip was so extensive, I’m going to split up my road trip experience into a couple of posts full of pictures and places to visit.  Here’s a run down of where we stopped along the way, starting with my hometown:

Garden Grove, CA
San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA
Santa Barbara, CA
Lake Cachuma
Solvang, CA
Pismo Beach, CA
Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA
Ragged Point, CA
Monterey, CA
Scenic 17-mile Drive
San Francisco, CA

Hopefully you’ll discover something new about my beloved state that you might not have known before, I certainly did!

Like this post? Subscribe to The Daily Cookie RSS feed and email to follow along while I travel up the coast of California!

While I was out and about shopping a few weeks ago, I noticed that a Lucky Brand store just popped up at Stonestown in San Francisco.  And while I like Lucky jeans as a splurge, I usually walk right past the stores because I just can’t afford anything in there.

But this week must be mine (and your) lucky week!  Now through December 7th, Lucky Brand is offering a whoppin’ 50% off any item with the purchase of a pair of jeans!

With this offer, I can actually shop for myself and then shop for someone on my holiday list.  I know my cousin will love this Disney Oswald Boxing T-Shirt ($45 US) and at 50% off, I’ll love getting it for her 

So what are you waiting for?  Head out to your nearest Lucky Brand store or shop online to take advantage of this holiday offer!

Can’t get enough promo codes? Subscribe to The Daily Cookie RSS feed and email where I will always share the best offers from my favorite brands - especially from me to you.

Okay, this might not be a revelation to some but to me the idea of all this stuff I can do from a mobile phone is AMAZING (as my friend Julie would say).

I’m sitting in the car while the Boyfriend is at the DMV offices right now and just caught up on My Yahoo! RSS reader on my new G1 phone while waiting for him. With just a couple of scrolls I can amuse myself while he waits in that long line (yuck).

Now that I’m done catching up with my favorite blogs, I’m going to continue working on the scarf I’m knitting for a holiday present.

Over the weekend, the Boyfriend and I went to Hollywood with some friends.  Now don’t laugh, I may have grown up in Orange County, but I have no clue when it comes to LA.

I’ve never seen a lot of this glitzy and glamorous city is known for - the Hollywood sign, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, or even what folks might consider is the most famous theater, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

For those of you like me who haven’t yet experienced Hollywood yet, here are a few photos of my day out.

The Kodak Theatre is home to American Idol.  Although I could really care less about this mega-hit of a show, I must say that the star I found right outside of the theater completely had me giddy with awe: Barbara Walters’ star on the Walk of Fame.  Since I was a small child, I aspired to be an amazing journalist like Babs and couldn’t believe that out of the many stars on the strip, I find the one of my true Idol!

The Boyfriend and I love Entourage and we’re pretty amused to see buses all around Hollywood with our favorite boys plastered all over them.  I think Ari Gold is the most annoying man I love to hate.. Go Lloyd!

While walking around in the outdoor shopping center in the Kodak Theatre, there’s a walkway up on the 5th level that’s got a pretty amazing view of the Hollywood sign.  I’m still baffled that I had never seen it before until now.

Right next door to the Kodak Theatre is Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.  All I can say is that it’s much smaller in person than I would have expected.  Still, a beautiful looking building with Trekkie fans taking photos of the handprints of the Star Trek stars that were cemented just on its front steps.

After walking the strip for a couple of blocks, we decided to be true tourists and roam around LA looking for celebrity homes.  You can get a Star Map on Hollywood Blvd. for $5 and be on your merry way to Hugh Hefner’s mansion.

On this particular day, we saw at least 3 tour buses making rounds around the mansion grounds and a ton of cars parked on surrounding streets.  We ran into a man that actually worked for Hef himself and he told us that there was a Halloween party taking place as we speak.  Boy what we would have given to be hanging out at one of his parties in the grotto!

Afterward we headed up to the Griffith Observatory to get a full view of Los Angeles below us and watch the sunset.  It was really a gorgeous day to end a day of sight seeing! And if you’ve never to the Observatory, please make a trip up there next time you’re in town.  They have cool exhibits on space that’s totally out of this world!

Love this post? Subscribe to The Daily Cookie RSS feed and email to read more about my weekend jaunts in Southern California.

Last weekend, we spent a few days with my aunt who lives in Murrieta, CA, about 65 miles away from Orange County.  When she moved there, I thought she was crazy for living in what I considered was out in the middle of nowhere.

What I didn’t realize was that the new communities popping up in the Temecula area were actually creating more awareness for a hidden gem that I never knew existed until now - a quaint little Wine Country.

If you’re from southern California and want to do a quick weekend getaway that doesn’t require flying north to Napa Valley, jump in your car and drive out to Temecula.  There’s plenty to do for the entire weekend - hanging out at the nearby lakes, outlet shopping right off the I15 freeway, and wine tasting, of course!

Last Monday, the Boyfriend and I drove down the main road to Wine Country and decided to stop at my aunt’s favorite tasting stop, the Ponte Family Winery.

The Ponte Family Winery has been growing grapes in Temecula for over 20 years but just opened their winery and began creating their own wines since 2003.  We took a stroll around the grounds; the landscaping is really gorgeous and we think it would be perfect for those who want a local wine country wedding.

After oohing and aahing at how cute everything was, we settled into their Marketplace and Tasting Room to try 6 wines each for $10 per person (or $12 if you’re visiting Fri-Sun).  With 6 pours each, we got to taste virtually every wine we wanted to try, minus ports.  The Boyfriend and I aren’t really into dessert wines.  Afterwards, they even give you souvenir glasses to take home with you (I love free stuff!)

All in all, their wines were lovely although I think their white wines taste yummier than their reds.  We brought home a bottle of Sangiovese for my aunt and her hubby as well as a bottle of Graciela (chardonnay and sauvignon blanc mix).  It has delicious fruity notes of peaches and pears making it the perfect wine for me on that warm autumn day in the valley.

Love this post? Subscribe to The Daily Cookie RSS feed and email to read more about my weekend jaunts in Southern California.