Laguna Beach Workation

Due to the raging wildfires in the San Francisco Bay area, the air quality deteriorated to some of the worst values in the whole country. The Air Quality Index (AQI), usually around 25-30, now exceeds 160 on multiple days. Hiking and mountain biking were now out of the question,  and even our short walking in our neighborhood or around Vasona Lake became unpleasant due to the burning smell and the multiple incidents of coughing I experienced.

Since all of us were working from home, I thought about places to get away from the horrible Bay Area air. At first, we considered flying to Raleigh, NC (as Alex was considering Duke University) and wanted to explore the area. However, spending a month there didn't excite us. Then, I thought about flying to St. Pete Beach, Florida (where my parents used to live). Although Tampa had plenty of rentals, the thought of flying far away (and the additional threat of COVID-19 on airlines), plus the danger of hurricanes, tempered our excitement.

 

 

Finally, after reviewing multiple options, Inna found multiple properties in Southern California, near Laguna Beach, where air quality was significantly better, and the thought of living on the beach was tempting. Luckily, Inna found a beautiful home minutes away from Laguna Beach for rent at an attractive price.

We decided to rent the Laguna Beach home for 30 days (September 4 - October 4), as Inna had to return to San Jose due to her work requirement (and so did Alex, as Bellarmine College Prep was planning to resume classes in mid-October).

This would be our work-cation at a beautiful beach destination!

Friday, September 4, 2020

Since Juniper had a Friday, September 4, as an extra company holiday, I spent most of my morning packing my Toyota Sienna minivan. In addition to 4 surfboards, 3 beach chairs, and multiple suitcases, I had to determine which electronic gadget to bring and which to keep at home.

I started the long, tedious drive from San Jose to Laguna Beach at around 3:45pm, arriving in Laguna Beach at 11:00pm. During the 6.5-hour drive, I stopped by twice for rest and fuel. It was the first time we stopped by to eat at Jack in the Box, ordering some burgers for dinner. Since there was nowhere to sit down and eat (like an average human), I almost immediately resumed the drive to Laguna Beach while Alex and Inna ate in the car.

When we arrived at Laguna Beach, at around 11:00pm, Olga greeted us (she was still working in the garage) and showed us our new accommodations. The home contained a short outdoor swimming pool and a Weber barbecue grill (with a non-working lighter).

After carrying our gear upstairs, we unpacked and turned down for the night. We were all so tired from the long drive and needed rest.

Saturday, September 5, 2020

I planned to wake up at 7:30am, but I set my iPad alarm incorrectly to 7:30pm! Despite this error, I woke up naturally at 7:50am. I decided to visit Whole Foods early to avoid the crowds. Inna and I dressed and drove a few blocks to Whole Foods nearby.

The Laguna Beach Whole Foods is a much smaller store (than our San Jose Blossom Hill variant), with smaller physical space and a more limited selection of breads, meats, drinks, and other items. Fortunately, we brought our own green tea and rice, so we were not seriously lacking anything.

 

After eating a quick breakfast of yogurt, Inna, Alex, and I decided to visit the Saturday morning Farmer's Market a few blocks away. We purchased fresh sourdough bread, multiple pastries, cucumbers, organic blueberries, and organic strawberries. I was thrilled to buy bread because our local Whole Foods had an abysmal bread selection.

After resting and trying to get the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K to work our rental's LG TV, we decided to explore downtown Laguna Beach and the nearby beach. 

 

Walking downtown, we saw multiple cute restaurants, art galleries, and boutiques. Inna thought that Laguna Beach reminded her of Carmel.

We decided to walk on the beautiful, clean sand when we reached the beach. The beach was quite busy and packed with sunbathers. Multiple people were swimming in the water, and we even saw a few beginner surfers.

After walking for a few miles, we returned to our rental. On the way home, we stopped by Dolce Gelato for a taste of delicious Italian gelato. While Inna raved about her strawberry gelato, I enjoyed my espresso and chocolate flavors.

When we returned home, Alex was still studying for the ACT, doing one of the verbal sections. We decided to drink some hot green tea with pastries.

We rested a bit, and after Alex finished taking the math portion of his ACT practice test, we decided to drive to Dana Point (since Huntington Beach was too far away). When we arrived at Doheny State Beach Park, we parked our minivan and strolled onto the beach. Multiple surfers were in the water, and the clean, rolling waves looked nice (though small).

Alex and I decided to try surfing. I put on my O'Neill Reactor 2mm shortie wetsuit, and Alex put on his 4/3mm Ripcurl wetsuit. We paddled in the calm Pacific Ocean; the water felt relaxed and refreshing. Alex caught a few rides immediately, but it took me a few tries to see my first wave.

The waves lumbered in slowly and were much smaller than expected. Nevertheless, I caught 2 nice rides, and Alex rode at least 7 waves. At around 7:30pm, the sun already set, and it was getting quite dark.

After returning to our minivan, we changed clothes and drove back to Laguna Beach. Initially, we thought about eating dinner at Carmelita's Kitchen de Mexico (but it was pretty busy), so we decided to stroll downtown to see if we could find a restaurant with open seating.

We must have been quite lucky, as just a few minutes from our rental was the Lumberyard Restaurant, which seemed to be open. We were immediately seated and ordered a few dinner entrees. We were lucky to have arrived at 8:30pm, as the restaurant closed at 9:00pm.

After examining the menu, I selected the Fish & Chips, while Inna and Alex decided on the highly recommended Beef Stroganoff. I enjoyed my Fish and chips, and Inna liked her Beef Stroganoff. Alex settled on the Campfire Chocolate Chip cookie for dessert, which we enjoyed sharing.

With a live musician playing, we really enjoyed our time at Lumberyard. After returning to our rental house, we drank hot green tea and rested. I got the Apple TV working, so we could now watch Netflix.

Sunday, September 6, 2020

With my iPad alarm set to 6:30am, I woke on time. Alex also woke up at about the same time and ate breakfast (Morning O's Cereal with goat milk). At around 7:00am, we were ready to head out. Despite a wrong AQI index at Huntington Beach, we decided to try our luck there. Huntington Beach is a premier surfing spot where many surfing contests are held. The surfline.com wave forecast was 3-4 feet near the Pier, and Alex was eager to test his short-boarding skills there.

The drive from Laguna Beach to Huntington Beach took about 45 minutes, crossing multiple famous cities and beaches, including Crystal Cove, Emerald Bay, and Newport Beach. When we arrived at 8:00am, we found one of the last parking spots near the Pier at Huntington Beach.

Huntington Beach is incredibly long and has parking lots stretching for miles in either direction. Being a Labor Day weekend, it was hectic.

After paying for my parking at the nearby machine (I paid for 4 hours), I carried the Tommy Bahama beach umbrella and chairs to the beach so that Inna could enjoy herself without sunburned. Alex was already putting on his wetsuit and waxing his shortboard. He used his best shortboard - the Firewire Tomo v4 6'. I put on my O'Neill Shortie and waxed my Wavestorm 8' surfboard.

I plunged into the calm waters of Huntington Beach (North of the Pier) and paddled through the surf break. It wasn't as difficult as I expected. Eventually, I met up with Alex surfing there as well. Unlike surfing at Doheny State Beach, surfing at Huntington was much more competitive. Surfers would paddle hard to catch incoming waves, and right-of-way rules were fundamental. Seeing a wave that didn't already have someone else riding it was hard for me.

During my two hours of surfing, I caught and rode 3 waves. I enjoyed the cool water and lovely, clean waves but needed time to adjust my expectations of when the waves would break.

After finishing surfing, I returned to the beach and rested with Inna until Alex returned at 11:30am. We packed our things, loaded our car, and decided to dine at the famous Duke's Restaurant. We were quickly seated and ordered our drinks: Watermelon Lemonade. We also ordered Black Bean Nachos to share (as Alex and I were starving). 

Alex ordered the Classic Burger for his entree, while I selected the Macadamia Crusted Fresh Fish (halibut). Inna ordered the Ahi Platter with fresh, sashimi-grade Ahi tuna. During our meal, we heard a nearby BLM protest - but it was peaceful (thankfully) and did not affect our enjoyment.

The drive back to Laguna took a bit longer (45 minutes) as there was more traffic. We saw lots of cars waiting in long lines for parking spots. After returning to our home, we rested a bit. I was so exhausted that I took a 2.5-hour nap, and even Inna fell asleep.

At around 6pm, we decided to walk to the beach to taste Dolce Gelato and a sunset view. We ordered 3 large gelatos - and they were delicious as usual! Being hot, we had to rush to a bench to sit and enjoy the gelato - as it rapidly melted in the 90-degree air.

After finishing with gelato, we waited for the beautiful sunset, taking many photos. After the sun had set, we walked along Laguna Beach, reaching the end as dusk approached. On the way back, Alex stepped on something (perhaps a Scorpion), and his left foot exploded in pain. He couldn't walk for a while, but he eventually started walking. At first, we thought about getting UberX to take Alex home, but his pain finally subsided, and he could walk relatively normally.

We had dinner reservations at Carmelita's Kitchen de Mexico at 8:30pm, but we were not hungry due to all the gelatos we ate earlier. We decided to skip dinner and purchase a few items from nearby Whole Foods instead.

Monday, September 7, 2020 - Labor Day!

After waking up at 7:30am, Inna and I decided to visit Treasure Island Beach -  one of the highlighted beaches recommended by thatocgirl.com. 

We loaded our minivan and headed to Treasure Island Beach, parking at Lot 7. (We didn't know we had to pay for the parking). We grabbed our two beach chairs and umbrellas and headed to the beach while enjoying the marvelous view of the Montage Resort.

We set up our umbrella and chair near the official Montage Resort chairs and walked along the beach for a long walk. We enjoyed our walk and observing the kids trying to boogie board and skimboard. 

On the way back, we stopped by for breakfast at a cute little place called the Lost Pier Cafe. While the line was long and moved slowly, the food was worth the wait. In addition to delicious coffee, Inna and I shared a croissant with strawberry jam, avocado toast with egg, and a breakfast burrito with chips. All the items were top quality - entirely unexpected from the little cafe on the beach!

We enjoyed the rest of our day at the beach. Despite the foggy weather and somewhat reduced visibility, we appreciated the lack of hot sun and the clean air coming from the ocean.

At about 1:30pm, we returned to our rental and made some lunch. It was the first time I used the home's Bunn Coffee maker, which didn't work initially but started working eventually.

After resting, I decided to surf at Doheny State Beach, about 20 minutes away. After parking and paying the $20 day-use fee, I put on my O'Neill shortie and took out my Wavestorm 8' board. The waves looked mushy, but I caught and rode 3 waves.

When I finished at 7:00pm, it was getting dark as the sun set on the horizon. I drove back to Laguna Beach, meeting up with Inna, who arrived at about the same time - 7:40pm.

We decided to go out for dinner in downtown Laguna Beach. Since Inna always wanted to try the Brussels Bistro restaurant (highly recommended by Olga), we decided to put ourselves on the waiting list. 

Luckily, there was space downstairs, and we were quickly seated. Inna ordered the Lasagna Bolognese, I had the Beef Bourguignon, and Alex selected the pasta dish. 

Our entrees were incredibly delicious; even the freshly baked bread was warm and appetizing.

Tuesday, September 8, 2020 - Back to Work

After waking up at 6:30am, I decided to enjoy a long stroll to Laguna Beach before starting my workday. I stopped by Whole Foods during lunchtime to purchase a gallon of spring water, cereal, and Pirate Booty popcorn (for Alex).

After my work finished at 4:00pm, I decided to surf at Doheny State Beach, about 20 minutes away. After parking and paying the $6 fee for two hours, I put on my O'Neill shortie and took out my Wavestorm 8' surfboard. 

The surfing spot was much more crowded than I expected; all the high school kids were surfing (lucky them!). There were waves coming in, but they were not steep, and catching a wave for me was difficult. I also noticed, later on, that I did not balance my board as best possible to ensure a low-drag glide through the water. I didn't have any great rides, but I enjoyed the exercise.

I returned home around 7:00pm, and Inna already had chicken ready in a dish for baking (and rice cooking in the rice cooker). This was our first time using the gas-powered oven, and we undercooked the chicken a bit. Our GE electric home oven is much more accurate.

During the previous day's walk, Alex's left foot was stung by a scorpion, and he still had symptoms of red swelling. Inna cold an online Urgent Care expert to check, but the online doctor required a 1-on-1 consultation before prescribing any medicine. It turned out to be a waste of time.

I also had problems using the Bunn coffee maker; it failed to make coffee, so I decided to use the French Press provided. Eventually, I read online instructions (as I have not done it for a while).

To make the best French-Press coffee, the following instructions should be followed:

1. Boil hot water in a kettle to boiling point. Let it sit for 30 seconds so the water temperature drops to 200 degrees F.
2. Put freshly ground coffee in the French Press
3. Pour hot water into the French Press
4. Wait 30 seconds, then stir the foam rising to the top.
5. Let it sit for 3 minutes before pouring out.

Wednesday, September 8, 2020

As I was tired from the previous day, I slept until 7:30am. I took a shower and ate my breakfast of yogurt with fresh blueberries. I had many back-to-back meetings (and Inna went for an early morning walk), though I could see smoke in the air.

Inna found a new coffee shop called Tippy's, which also serves London Fog!

Inna didn't complain about the smoke, but I could smell the odor. I tried to work while sitting close to the air cleaner.

At lunchtime, Inna and I went for a walk, taking me to see Heisler Park. She showed me an excellent surf spot called Rockpile Beach, where many advanced surfers were surfing waves. There was plenty of nearby parking (metered), so I decided to try surfing there later in the day.

After we returned to our vacation rental, we resumed our work. At around 3:30pm, my work was finished, and I was itching to try surfing at the new surf spot at Heisler Park.

I put on my O'Neill shortie wetsuit at home and drove 5-minutes to Heisler Park parking (on Cliff Drive). I had difficulty working with my parking meter using the Laguna Beach Parking app. It didn't seem to understand it. I gave up, took out my 8' Wavestorm, and descended the long stairs to Rockpile Beach.

Many large waves were near the rock pile (in the middle of the beach), and the best waves were at the rocks. The waves could get rather large, sometimes as big as 6-8 feet. I tried to catch the waves but couldn't get the exact timing right; I had to be at the right spot to catch the wave before breaking.

After surfing for over an hour, I returned to my Toyota Sienna minivan and drove home. After a quick shower, Inna and I decided to walk around Laguna Beach; it was a nice, relaxing walk, where we strolled on the beautiful, deserted beach, watching some surfers at Thalia Street.

Laguna Beach Trip Report

Highlights

• Our new work-cation home at 320 Loma Terrace 
• Walking the beautiful sandy Main Beach
  
• Surfing at Rockpile Beach
• Surfing at Doheny State Park
• Freshly baked pastries from Moulin
• Newly-made gelato from Dolce Gelato
• Dinner at Brussels Bistro
• Lunch at Lost Pier Cafe
  

Lowlights

• Long drive from San Jose to Laguna Beach (7 hours)
• Crazy Southern California drivers
• No freshly baked bread in Whole Foods (unlike San Jose)
• Days with bad air quality