Elmer’s bottle tree ranch is just off highway 40 on Route 66. It’s a plot of land filled will artistic trees made from old collected bottles and found objects. Elmer inherited these bottles from his father who collected them and other antiques. He turned this junk into over 200 art installations free for all to explore.

Amboy Crater is a 6,000-year-old cinder cone volcano that rises above a lava field. I loved seeing all the plants spring up from the black lava forms. New life sprouted from the darkness.

The Lost Coast is the most undeveloped and remote portion of the California coast. The stretch is 24.6 miles, a hefty undertaking for a the 48 hours we allotted ourselves to hike it. I highly recommend hiking this trail, but learn from our mistakes, and prep accordingly.

Santa Barbara is a quick two hour drive from L.A.. Better yet, you can take the Surfliner, a train that goes through a lot of California’s major coastal cities. The Pacific Surfliner drops you off in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, a wino’s dream.

Two benches sit perched on a mountain facing the sea. I’ve been lucky enough to experience this on a less traveled day. It’s quiet, breathtaking, and feels so far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city below.

There are over 120 rock climbing routes on high quality volcanic rock in Malibu Creek Canyon, and it’s considered some of the best rock climbing in Southern California. 

About a year ago I had a dream of owning a small cabin in Joshua Tree that I could both enjoy as a vacation home, and also Airbnb. That dream has finally come to life.

Surprising as it may be for most people, Los Angeles is surrounded by national parks and within a 30min drive you can go off the grid and into nature for an escape from the concrete jungle. My friend Rachel and I headed to Crystal Lake in the San Gabriel mountains on a sunny October weekend to unwind.

Kern River is near Bakerfield, and highly unknown by most Angelinos (L.A. residents). It has an loads of outdoor activities like mountain-biking, hiking, tubing, white water kayak and rafting, and rock-climbing. 

When Angelino's think of the California Desert, they think of Palm Springs. Below I've listed seven other quirky destinations in the high desert, not far from the mid century modern mecca.

Sutro Baths are a lesser known attraction in San Francisco. The three acres baths were opened in 1894 as the world's largest indoor swimming pool establishment. Now it lies in ruins along the Pacific Coastline.

Take a day trip (from LA) to Ojai to hike and and meditate, then grab some food in the quaint little downtown area.