“I want to see the world.” Something a lot of us have said once or a hundred times. But what do we mean, exactly, by “see the world”? Of course, it means different things to different people. But for me, I mean it quite literally. I want to see all the little nooks and crannies of the world. Not just the highlights. This is one of the main reasons I love TrustedHousesitters so much. Our dog-sitting trip this Spring to San Pedro, California really showed us parts of Southern California we likely wouldn’t have visited otherwise.
Want to know more about TrustedHousesitters? Click here and here!
San Pedro is a coastal community in Los Angeles. And while it technically is part of LA, it’s also very much not. People living in “real LA” (downtown, Beverly Hills, etc.) probably don’t pay much attention to this enclave of the city.
But there are a lot of things to like about San Pedro. The traffic is manageable. The food is great. The views are even better.
The area where we stayed was beautiful, very quiet and peaceful. We woke up every morning by 6 a.m. (at the very insistent request of the dogs we were watching) and went for a walk through the lush and meticulously manicured neighborhood. Although we’re usually not morning people, the crisp ocean air and scenery almost converted us to the early bird lifestyle.
San Pedro is also home to the LA Waterfront and America’s busiest port, the Port of Los Angeles. This area was a short drive away, but unfortunately going through a lot of construction during our visit. Still, it was an interesting place to walk around.
San Pedro is a 45-minute drive to the heart of LA (depending on that dreaded traffic of course), 15 minutes to amazing coastal hikes and 20 minutes to Long Beach. It was our first time in Southern California (we’ve been to Sonoma, Napa and San Francisco but never further south), so we used San Pedro as our base for exploring the area.
We ventured into “real LA” twice during the trip. Once to meet a friend in Hollywood for a comedy show and once to visit the infamous Venice Beach. We’re heading back to LA in September, so we didn’t feel the need to pack it all in at once.
Venice and San Pedro are about as different as two places within the same city can get. We like to balance our off-the-beaten-path travel experiences with more popular (read: touristy) ones, and Venice Beach was a great option. If it’s people watching and street performers and T-shirt shops you’re looking for, head straight to Venice and forget about San Pedro.
As I said earlier, sometimes it’s this hustle and bustle we crave while traveling. Other times, we’re content to make friends with a couple of goofy labradors and stare at the ocean for hours on end.
By the time we left San Pedro we felt a little more deeply acquainted with the majestic, massive and awe-inspiring state that is California.
We’re heading back in September for an OU football game and plan to see an entirely different side of LA. I feel so fortunate for this travel life we’ve created. From major bucket list destinations to relaxing, weekends away we’re always up for the next adventure.
Like it? Pin it!
Leave a Reply