Pack a light jacket or a sweater, and you’re golden, literally. Along with the ideal forecast, California has a wealth of food, beverage, shopping, and wellness opportunities that will have you feeling like Gwyneth Paltrow, Queen Goop herself, whenever you inevitably head back to your home state with seasons. The closest thing we have to Goopy-hipness at SCOUT HQ is Deb (name one person who has walked more or consumed more tea, we dare you) who recently returned from a delightful detour to the West Coast. We begged her to share as soon as we saw the Instagram story. It was too perfect not to post!
Deb and Ben Johns kicked off their travels at The Parker Palm Springs, a very SCOUT-esque option with spaces decked out in Jonathan Adler decor giving it this classic Cali, hip-Partridge-Family-vibe. Of course, the renowned La Quinta Resort in Palm Desert, CA, is another fab spot to crash. We’re fairly certain Ben hit those pickleball courts hard as he is quite the aficionado. Finally, peep Deb’s ‘fit check for the main event for the west coast wedding weekend!
The drive from the desert to Los Angeles is a relatively chill drive at about two hours. Deb and Ben kept the wedding weekend vibes strong and cruised into Santa Monica for an anniversary dinner at Rustic Canyon on Wilshire Blvd. Pork chops and creamy potatoes made for a delicious and celebratory date night. Speaking of romance, the entrance to the iconic Santa Monica Pier will always be nostalgic and dreamy, re. every scene of The OC filmed at the pier (it was Redondo Beach Pier, but still!).
In the vein of chillness, Deb always heads to Venice Beach for her favorites. First things first, an egg biscuit with sriracha mayo at Eggslut never disappoints. She’s an early bird so the line is a breeze. Being the walker that she is, Deb powered her way through Abbott Kinney, the ideal beach-adjacent street for topnotch, chill window shopping. Personally, the little Farm Rio bungalow would be too tempting to pass up. Once she walked her little East Coast legs out, Deb headed to the treasure that is Gjelina for her cult favorite Italian cuisine with a Cali twist.
After traipsing amongst the VW vans in the lots along the Venice Beach coastline, Deb was ready to sing the song of her people at Brentwood Country Mart. Our neighborhood fave, Sid Mashburn, also has a storefront in Santa Monica nestled amongst other fabulous designers like Clare V., Sezane, Dôen, and (drumroll please) Goop! Plus, you can grab lunch at Farmshop or ice cream at Sweet Rose Creamery if you’ve had your fill of fashion.
Though this doesn’t even begin to cover every single thing Deb did while she was “abroad” in California, we would like to believe we covered the fair share of her West Coast faves. Now do we have you craving something coastal? Grab your own taste of summer with the help of SCOUT. You won’t even have to leave your front yard!
