california trip-wedding

My boyfriend’s sister lives in San Francisco and got married in early October last year and we got an invite to the wedding. Although they live in San Francisco, the wedding was in the Carmel Valley area so we had to rent a car from the airport and drive down to the venue. We decided to go out a couple days early since we were invited to pre-wedding festivities, but we also wanted to take advantage of some of the awesome things California has to offer. I knew before flying out to that area of some things I wanted to see and do. Number one on the list was the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA. I love going to zoos and aquariums in any city I travel to and try to squeeze in a visit at any opportunity. I also wanted to stop by the Monterey Fisherman’s Wharf and see some of the sea lions hanging out in the sun.

First stop was the aquarium bright and early in the morning. Our time was a little limited since we had to participate in the wedding celebrations so we were at the aquarium before the doors even opened. I loved the Monterey BayAquarium and it was 100% worth the money for admission. They had a ton of interactive things for people of all ages. We watched the morning penguin feeding, and then took in the Open Sea feeding. After the morning feedings we walked around the aquarium at our leisure and check out some of the exhibits. They had a very cool “hands on” station where you could reach in and touch a skate or sting ray as it swam by and a location where you could touch a variety of sea creatures like starfish, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins. Again, totally worth the somewhat pricey admission and the ticket costs goes towards conservation efforts.

Since we were at the aquarium so early we were able to get lunch on the historic Cannery Row. There are some cool shops and restaurants that line Cannery Row, so we stopped in a place called Tico’s Tacos. It was a very interesting place….it was a cross between a sit down Mexican restaurant and Taco Bell. I could order an enchilada meal and it was ready in less than 10 minutes, and surprisingly tasty. After lunch it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for the rehearsal dinner that Friday night. I was checking routes to get back to the hotel and realized that we weren't far from 17-mile drive, which goes down the coast of California and passes Pebble Beach.

We took a small detour, and paid the $10.00 entry fee, and drove through the cypress forests along 17-mile drive. There are a few stops along the 17-mile drive that are worth stopping for. We stopped at Seal Rock and we were able to see and hear about a hundred sea lions hanging out together and sun bathing. The next stop we took was to see the oldest cypress tree still standing. If you’re not careful this is definitely one you will miss along the coastal drive. We had to make a U-turn because we drove right pass it. The Lone Cypress Tree is also a must see on the drive. This is a 250 year old tree that is still standing after being scarred by fire. We drove by Pebble Beach Golf Course, but unfortunately didn't stop and made our way back to Carmel Valley for the rehearsal dinner.

On Saturday morning we woke up early and again went to Monterey to see the Fisherman’s Wharf. We had to make this a quick trip because this was the day of the wedding. We went and walked around the wharf for a while then stopped in for lunch. We did get to see some sea lions sun bathing and swimming around the bay. After lunch we headed back to the hotel again to get ready for the wedding. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and took place in front of picturesque scenery. The dinner was served family style-which I thought was awesome-and it was delicious! Sunday morning we had to get up and catch our flight home so we didn't do anything except go to the airport. The trip was an incredible fun-filled weekend.