Besides spending some time exploring in Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park and Joshua Tree National Park, I spent some time in LA. Michael lives in Venice, and it was great getting to really take some time to explore that area of LA. One night, Michael and I biked along the beach to Santa Monica for dinner, which was a ton of fun. Another day, I walked all over that area, did some shopping on Main Street, sat at restaurants and bars on the beach, and walked along the beach. It was really great to just have a couple days all to myself to read, relax and reflect.
Santa Monica Pier from above
The top of the hill Michael lives on
Venice Beach
My friend Kenna and I had sangria on the beach one evening
Another thing we did was attend a music festival and a free concert at Santa Monica Pier. We drove to Anaheim, met up with a couple of Michael’s friends to go to Americanarama which included Ryan Bingham, Wilco, My Morning Jacket and Bob Dylan! I was so excited to finally see Bob in concert! It was a cool little festival! The bands sang some different covers all together like Cinnamon Girl and the Weight. It was incredible! Plus, Nancy Sinatra showed up and performed Bang, Bang and These Boots Were Made for Walking with Wilco, which was pretty cool!
Bob freaking Dylan!
Santa Monica Pier had a free twilight concert series going, and the night before I left, Michael, McKenna and I went to see Hanni el Khatib! I hadn’t heard of him before, but really enjoyed it. He put on a really good show!
I had a really, really great time healing, relaxing and exploring in California. It’s always hard to say goodbye to a place you really enjoy, and even harder when there are friends and family to say goodbye to, but I boarded the plane and headed back east to the Midwest.
To read about more traditional sights and stops to make in LA check out my post on a previous trip to LA. (click here)
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