as part of our weekly bible study meet up, ellie and i went to intelligentsia on abbot kinney. i’ve been here a few times before but never stayed long enough to appreciate what a gem this location is. it has such a different vibe from the intelligentsia in silver lake (which i posted about here) which is more slick and less chill. going to this location is a nice change of pace and after a lot of patience, we finally scored spots on the balcony bar overlooking the whole shop. we people watched (since we had the perfect spots) and wrote and drew and laughed and of course had amazing coffee. i always love intelligentsia’s coffee (especially their iced lattes on a hot day) but i do wish they had hemp milk instead of soy and honey instead of simple syrup but i guess i’m just too picky lol. overall, i think i like this location just as much, if not more, than the silver lake location. i think i found myself a new favorite spot.
i always love a good farmers market and its especially fun to find them while traveling. its fascinating to see how much the selection can vary from place to place and from time to time and i enjoy trying new things. this farmers market was particularly unusual because it was on the beach, had a beautiful wildflower selection (we bought a bundle for our hotel room) and had an adorable little family folk band. though it was small, the produce was good and the ambiance was one of a kind. this is definitely a farmers market i would like to visit again.
on our way home from our road trip up north, we stopped at sally loos in san luis obispo. my dad went to cal poly in slo so we spent the day exploring the town and the college and seeing where my dad spent his college years. after looking at taylor kitto’s instagram (she’s from slo), i decided i needed to try sally loos from her endearing pictures. i love the cozy feel of sally loos and it reminded me of some of my favorite hang outs back home like alta and gypsy den. once i saw they had intelligentsia coffee and acai bowls on the menu, i was sold! the acai bowl was fruit filled and as good as any acai bowl i’ve ever had and of course the coffee was amazing. sally loo’s makes me wish i followed in my dad’s footsteps and went to slo. if only they had my major…
los olivos is a darling little town in what seems like the middle of nowhere. we usually stop here on the way to or from a road trip to northern cali and i always look forward to these stops. when we used to visit, especially after the recession, the town was quiet and almost like a ghost town but things have since picked up and now it is a wine tasting destination. though i can’t drink yet (10 months and counting), it is still a cute town to explore. there is an adorable garden store that has been there since i was a kid that i have fond memories of. the cute little cafe and park right off the town square are good stops too and since i last visited, there are a few more quaint shops and artsy boutiques that have popped up along the main road. someday, i want to stay here for a few nights to really get a feel for the town but for now, a quick afternoon visit does just the trick.
while i was in morro bay, we decided to grab lunch at top dog coffee bar. the bright yellow cafe immediately stands out because it is so bright and cheery. i had a great mexican soy iced mocha which was out of this world! we had our own little “top dog” with us so we took a seat outside and enjoyed the beautiful summer day. if i’m ever back in morro bay, top dog is the first place i will go
one word that would describe morro bay would be colorful! there was color everywhere you looked which made the town so cheery. i also loved the quirky little shops like old fashioned record stores, bright bead shops and hippy health food markets. i went to morro bay years ago but this time, we stayed away from the tourist traps on the water front and ventured into the downtown which was much more my style.