Laguna Beach Workation Week 4 - Wisetrips Travel Blog

Saturday, July 3, 2021

In the morning, I woke up at 7:30 a.m. I stopped by the nearby Farmer's Market to purchase a few essentials for the upcoming week, including fresh organic tomatoes, pita bread, blueberries, and tzatziki sauce.

After returning home and eating a breakfast of yogurt with blueberries and raspberries, we drove Alex to San Onofre to surf for two hours at Trestles (Uppers). While Alex surfed, we visited San Clemente Pier and enjoyed the beach. 

I set up two beach chairs and an umbrella for Inna and me. We stopped by the nearby Bear Coast Coffee for hot drinks and pastries. I ended up with a delicious mocha while Inna enjoyed her latte with extra foam. 

We shared the delicious Pistachio-Cranberry Custard roll. It was yummy! 

By the way, the local WiFi Password is: bearcoastcoffee618

Since the waves looked clean and large enough to surf, I decided to surf for 60 minutes. I enjoyed the cool, fresh ocean water and rode 5 waves. The waves were sometimes large, but they permanently closed out.

At around 1:00 p.m., we picked up Alex at Trestles (San Onofre Parking Lot) and ate lunch at Maison Cafe in Dana Point.

There was a 30-minute wait when we arrived, but it was a lot shorter. We sat down and ordered the following items:

• Alex: Gravlax toast, Honey Basil Lemonade, Mocha
• Boris: Linguini with tomatoes, Honey Basil Lemonade, Cappuccino
• Inna: Tagliata (Steak, medium rare), Honey Basil Lemonade, Latte
• Dessert: The Cookie, Cherry Crisp

I liked my Linguini, and Inna raved about her Tagliata toast, which she shared with Alex. The desserts were outstanding - the Cherry Crisp was phenomenal!

We also purchased freshly baked bread and a couple of pastries from Maison Cafe (to use in the upcoming week).

After lunch, we returned home to 320 Loma Terrace and rested. After showering, Inna and I went for a stroll in Heisler Park. There were so many people out. It was the busiest I've ever seen. Lots of people were playing volleyball and swimming in the ocean.

At Rockpile Beach, we saw many surfers catching waves. Some of the waves were quite large. We also saw one surfer land on one of the rocks (that was covered by water). He probably damaged his board.

 Sunday, July 4, 2021

Happy Independence Day!

In the morning, I woke up at 7:30 a.m. and walked to Heisler Park for my daily morning walk. It was already quite crowded, with many people setting up tents and beach chairs to prepare for the July 4th festivities.

After returning home and eating a breakfast of yogurt with blueberries and raspberries, we drove Alex to San Onofre to surf for two hours at Trestles. 

While Alex was surfing, we drove to San Clemente Pier and enjoyed the beach. 

After trolling for parking (it took 15 minutes to find an empty space), I set up two beach chairs for Inna and me. We stopped by the nearby Bear Coast Coffee for hot drinks and pastries. 

I ended up with a delicious mocha while Inna enjoyed her latte with extra foam. We shared a Blueberry Scone and a Feta Egg sandwich. Both were delicious!

I was sitting on the beach, reading Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics 4th Edition on my iPhone. At around 12:20 p.m., I received a call from the Trestles Lifeguard that Alex wanted to be picked up early (we arranged a 1:00 p.m. pick-up) because he broke his Firewire Tuomo v4 LFS surfboard.

We picked up Alex at around 12:30 p.m. He was upset about his broken surfboard but otherwise uninjured. One of the 6-foot waves crashed on him, and he did not duck dive.

We decided to grab lunch downtown in San Clemente since our favorite Maison Cafe would be closed by 1:00 p.m. After finding parking downtown, we decided to try lunch at Cafe Mimosa. 

After waiting 15 minutes to be seated, we ordered the following items:

• Alex: Sparkling Lemonade, Chicken Panini
• Boris: Lingonberry Mimosa, Creme Brulee French Toast
• Inna: Elderberry Mimosa, Traditional Eggs Benedict

I liked the Traditional Eggs Benedict, and the French Toast was not sour. After lunch, we thought we'd stop by Doheny State Beach, but we couldn't find parking. It was so overflowing!

In the evening, we walked down to Main Beach and then to Thalia Street.

Skimboarders and surfers were having an enjoyable time!

We walked to Heisler Park in the evening to watch the superb 4th of July fireworks.

The fireworks continued for about 30 minutes (from 9:00 until 9:30 p.m.). The nearby cities of Newport Beach also had fireworks that we could see in the distance.

 Monday, July 5, 2021

In the morning, I woke up at 7:30 a.m. and walked to Heisler Park for my daily morning walk. It was not as crowded as yesterday (July 4), but many people were still setting up tents and beach chairs.

After I returned home, Inna and I decided to go for another walk in Heisler Park. On the way back, we tried to stop by Moulin Cafe for coffee and pastries, but it was too busy, so we returned home. At home, I made some Jasmine green tea, and we enjoyed it with a remaining pastry from Maison Cafe.

Inna purchased tickets to the Huntington Library, Museum, and Botanical Gardens for 1:00 p.m. We started our drive there at around 11:40 a.m. We arrived at Huntington Library and Gardens at just about 12:55 p.m. After parking our van, we walked to the entrance and scanned our tickets. Since we were hungry, we decided to eat lunch at the 1919 Cafe.

There was not much selection at the cafe, so we purchased Korean Chicken and coffee. We first visited the art gallery. There were only a few large paintings by a British painter, Thomas Lawrence.

Afterward, we walked to the Japanese Gardens and then the Chinese Gardens. We stopped by for a refreshment at the Chinese Garden, as it was sweltering outside.

At around 7:35, we drove to meet Nicholas in Laguna Niguel. Alex found a Lost Mini Driver 5'11" surfboard for sale on Craigslist Orange County for $450. After looking at the surfboard, we decided to purchase it, negotiating the price to $430 (from $450).

After we returned home, we walked to downtown Laguna Beach to purchase a few slices of pizza from Pizza Bar. Alex selected two California slices, but I didn't like the pizza's look, so I did not purchase any.

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

In the morning, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and walked to Heisler Park for my daily morning walk. There were a few surfers out surfing and a few rolling waves. I thought about returning and surfing, but Alex was still sleeping.

Since my morning meeting was canceled, I met with Inna at Moulin Cafe for a mocha and a pastry. We shared an apple turnover and a pain au raisin. After breakfast, I drove Inna to Diver's Cove Beach in Heisler Park so that he could spend her day off enjoying the wonderful beach. 

After setting up the umbrella, I asked Alex to prepare his Lost Mini Driver 5'11" surfboard for surfing. He had to install fins, attach a leash, and wax the newly purchased board. I dropped him off at Rockpile Beach and planned to pick him up at 1:15 p.m.

After many busy meetings, I returned to Rockpile Beach and picked up Alex. He enjoyed his time on the new surfboard. I also received a call from Inna, who was ready for lunch, so I picked her up and drove them home. They enjoyed a delicious lunch at the local Anastasia Cafe.

I drove back to Rockpile Beach for a short evening surfing session. The waves were inconsistent, and I could only ride 4 waves. At around 5:00 p.m., I decided to spend time with Inna on Diver's Cove Beach. We walked around the beach, enjoying the cool ocean water and watching the strong shore break.

At 6:00 p.m., we picked up Alex from Rockpile Beach and drove home. Alex made plans to purchase new Futures fins for his Lost Mini Driver 5'11" surfboard, and we went to Doheny State Beach to buy them. We returned home after meeting with the seller at around 7:15 p.m. (he was late). 

Inna stopped by Brussels Bistro and added us to the waiting list. We sat down for dinner at around 7:50 p.m., ordering the following items:

• Appetizer: Bread & Butter
• Alex: Kombucha, Burger
• Boris: Bavik (Belgian beer), Mushroom Soup
• Inna: Cidre Stella, Creamy Chicken

I enjoyed my Mushroom Soup, and Inna raved about her Cidre Stella.

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

In the morning, I woke up at 7:00 a.m. and walked to Heisler Park for my daily morning walk. There were a few surfers out surfing and a few rolling waves. 

After finishing my morning meetings, Inna, Alex, and I strolled to Moulin Cafe for a breakfast of coffee and pastries. We ordered the following items:

• Alex: mocha, pain au chocolat
• Boris: mocha, pain au raisin
• Inna: latte with extra foam, apple turnover

We really enjoyed our mochas and pastries! It was so enjoyable to sit outdoors, enjoying the lovely sunshine, delicious coffee, and pastries.

At lunchtime, Inna and I went for a short walk along the main beach to Thalia Street. The ocean water felt refreshing, and we saw a few surfers trying to surf the small, lumpy waves.

In the evening, I decided to surf at Doheny State Beach. Alex wasn't in the mood to surf and did not come along. I enjoyed surfing at Doheny, catching 4 waves and one really long ride. It's one of my favorite places to surf.

After returning home, Inna and I ordered take-out from our favorite La Sirena Grill. We ordered the following items:

• Alex: Carne Asada Quesadilla
• Boris: Carne Asada Quesadilla
• Inna: Shrimp Salad

I really enjoyed the Quesadillas. They are so delicious!

We stopped by Whole Foods and picked up two pints of McConnell's ice cream for dessert. Since Strauss was not available, we decided to try McConnell's, selecting the following flavors:

• Eureka Lemon & Marionberries
• Sweet Cream Caramel Brownie

We really enjoyed the dense, delicious flavors! What a great discovery. We thought there would not be any more decent ice cream after Three Twins closed.

Thursday, July 8, 2021

I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and drove Alex to Heisler Park. After looking at the small waves, he decided to surf at Thalia Street instead. I dropped him off at Thalia Street, and Alex suited up in his shortie wetsuit and prepared his Lost 5'11" Mini Driver shortboard.

I returned home to 320 Loma Terrace and parked my minivan. I decided to do a short morning walk to Heisler Park and then ate breakfast of yogurt, raspberries, and blueberries. I was a bit tired on my walk and thought it seemed unusually hot and humid, though my Apple Watch reported a temperature of only 68 Fahrenheit.

Inna also took a short walk to Thalia Street and caught Alex surfing. 

He was doing very well and caught a few waves. Alex surfed for 3 hours (7:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.) before returning home.

While I was very busy with meetings, Inna and Alex found time to eat a delicious lunch at Anastasia Cafe.

In the evening, Inna purchased 3 tickets to see Laguna Beach's Pageant of the Masters - a show that recreates famous paintings with live actors on stage.

We really enjoyed the show, which featured the following paintings. In the Live paintings, the people stand still but are added to the canvas. 

2021 Pageant of the Masters

Act 1

• Revolutionary Artists
• Passage of Delaware
• The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1977
• Declaration of Independence
• George Caleb Bingham
• Fur Traders Descending Missouri
• Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap
• Karl Bodmer
• Bison-Dance of the Mandan Indians
• Edmonia Lewis
• Hiawatha's Marriage
• Hagar
• Death of Cleopatra
• Winslow Homer
• Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)
• Daniel Chester French
• Standing Lincoln
• Lincoln Memorial
• Mary Cassatt and the Columbian Exposition
• Columbian World Exposition Poster
• Woman's Building Poster
• Modern Woman
• Frederic Remington
• Coming Through the Rye
• The Roots of American Music
• The Power of Music
• The Ragtime Dance (Scott Joplin)
• The Vaudeville Act
• The Hot Fives
• Duke Ellington Memorial
• George Gershwin in an Imaginary Concert Hall
• Statue of Liberty

Act 2

• The Road West
• One Man Caravan
• California
• Norman Rockwell: Americans at Work
• Construction Crew
• Happy Birthday, Miss Jones
• The Window Washer
• Jo and Edward Hopper
• Office at Night
• Nighthawks
• Duane Hanson
• Lunchbreak
• Self-Portrait with a Model
• Luis Jimenez
• End of the Trail (with Electric Sunset)
• Vaquero
• John Nieto
• Three Buffalo Dancers
• Two Fancy Dancers/Hoop Dancers
• Fancy Dancer with Flag
• Matthew Rolston's Art People
• Da Vinci, The Last Supper
• Saint James the Less
• Da Vinci's The Last Supper
• Saint Simon the Zealot

Friday, July 9, 2021

I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and drove Alex to Heisler Park. After looking at the small waves, he decided to surf at Thalia Street instead. I dropped him off at Thalia Street, and Alex suited up in his shortie wetsuit and prepared his Lost 5'11" Mini Driver shortboard.

I returned home and worked. Alex returned 4 hours later, utterly exhausted. Alex, Inna, and I decided to have lunch at the Moulin Cafe. 

When we arrived, we sat down and ordered the following items:

• Alex: Mocha, Croque Monsieur, Pain au chocolat
• Boris: Mocha, French Onion Soup, Apple Turnover
• Inna: Cappuccino with extra foam, Croissanwich (Ham & Cheese), Pain au Raisin

I really enjoyed my mocha and French Onion Soup. Alex liked his Croque Monsieur sandwich and his pain au chocolat pastry.

I drove to Doheny State Beach to surf for a few hours in the afternoon. When I arrived, I noticed a construction crew destroying a boat that had somehow landed on the beach.

Although the waves were usually small, I had better luck than usual and caught many rides. I had a fantastic time. Doheny State Beach is now one of my favorite places to surf in Southern California.

We met up for dinner with Olga, who suggested we try the Taiko Japanese Restaurant in Irvine. We had a very long wait to get seated (as Taiko does not accept dinner reservations). After waiting over an hour, we were finally seated around 7:50 p.m. (initially planned for 7:00 p.m.). We ordered the following items to share among us (Boris, Inna, Alex, and Olga):

• Eel California
• Spicy Tuna Cut Roll
• Baked Scallop
• Yellowtail Sashimi
• Dynamite Roll Cut
• Crunchy Cut Roll

We were first served hot green tea (it was okay but not as delicious as the jasmine dragon pearls we brew ourselves) and miso soup. The soup was quite tasty. Overall, I liked the rolls, though they don't compare favorably to the Japanese sushi in Tokyo.

After dinner, Olga stopped by to share the Persian Pomegranate ice cream with waffles. It was unique and delicious. We shared it with McConnell's ice cream (Eureka Lemon & Marionberries).

Saturday, July 10, 2021

In the morning, we woke up at 6:30 a.m. for our morning breakfast at the Beachcomber Cafe in Crystal Cove. It's one of our favorite cafes in Newport Beach, and it is tough to book ahead. 

Inna booked weeks in advance and could only reserve the 7:15 a.m. time slot on Saturday.

We drove to Newport Coast and parked near the freeway in the Crystal Cove parking lot. Although a shuttle usually exists between the parking lot and the Beachcomber, it was not running in the early morning. Consequently, we walked the short path to the beach.

After checking in and sitting down, we decided to order the following items:

• Alex: Coffee, Steak Chilaquiles
• Boris: Coffee, Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
• Inna: Coffee,  Crabcake Benedict

I always enjoyed Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, which were delicious (though perhaps a bit dry). Inna really liked her Crabcake Benedict, and Alex wanted his Steak Chilaquiles.

After breakfast, we walked along the beautiful Crystal Cove Beach, enjoying the clean sand and ocean waves. 

At around 9:15 a.m., we returned to our van and drove to the San Onofre State Beach parking lot to drop Alex off for his morning surf session at Trestles (Lowers).

After finding parking, we drove 10 minutes to San Clemente Pier and brought our beach chairs and umbrellas to the beach. 

There was a surfing contest going on, and we watched it for some time. I enjoyed the young surfers trying to outdo each other's moves on the small 3-4 foot waves.

Eventually, I decided to try surfing there, too, around 12:00 p.m. I suited up in my O'Neill shortie wetsuit and waxed my Firewire Spitfire 6'6" shortboard. 

I tried surfing for about 30 minutes, but catching the rapidly forming and breaking waves was challenging. Also, my duck diving skills were not the best. After half an hour, I decided to end my session. I returned to the van and changed back into my everyday clothes. 

On the way back to the beach, I noticed that Inna was drinking tea at the Bear Coast Coffee, and I stopped by for a mocha and a pastry (pain au raisin). We enjoyed relaxing in the morning sun and watching the many young people, dogs, and surfers walking around. Inna was trying to read her Kindle but was a bit distracted.

At 1:35 p.m., we returned to the San Onofre Parking lot to pick up Alex. He had a fantastic time at Trestles (Lowers) on his new Lost 5'11" Mini Driver surfboard. He said that the competition for the waves was intense, but the waves were fantastic. After some discussion, we ate lunch at Maison Cafe in Dana Point.

I had some difficulty finding parking but eventually secured a spot. Inna and Alex were already seated and ordered Ginger beer (as Lemonade was unavailable). We decided to order the following items:

• Alex: Tagliata (Steak) Toast, Ginger Beer
• Boris: Wild Mushroom Toast, Ginger Beer
• Inna: Duck Confit, Ginger Beer
• Dessert: Cherry Crisp, Mousse

We really savored our last lunch at Maison Cafe. I especially loved the Cherry Crisp! We will miss it- we have not found anything so delicious in San Jose.

With lunch finished, we decided to drive 10 minutes to Doheny State Beach for another surf session for me. I waxed my Wavestorm 7' surfboard and attached a leash. I wore my O'Neill shortie wetsuit while Alex set up the beach umbrella.

I had another fantastic surfing session at Doheny State Beach, catching many long rides. It has become one of my favorite longboarding spots in Southern California. While I was surfing, Inna and Alex relaxed on the beautiful Doheny Beach. 

All sorts of mayhem were going on - surfing, volleyball, boogie-boarding. Nearby, a live band was playing in the outdoor cafe.

Here is a Nikon P900 video of Alex surfing at Doheny State Beach:

We returned home and rested for a few hours. Inna and I decided to walk to Heisler Park to watch the sunset. On the way there, we saw a few surfers on Rockpile Beach. We watched the beautiful sunset, and I took a few photos. I also watched the surfer patiently waiting for a giant wave. Eventually, the wave came, and he surfed to the shore.

Inna made reservations for dinner at Nick's at 8:30 p.m., and we walked there from Heisler Park. We checked in at Nick's - hectic - and were ushered to our table. We messaged Alex, who arrived in a few minutes to join us. Our waitress - Olga (from Kyiv) - brought our menus, and we ordered the following items:

• Alex: Strawberry Lemonade, The Prime Rib Dip with French fries
• Boris: Lemonade,  Crispy Chicken Sandwich
• Inna: Strawberry Lemonade, The Prime Rib Dip with salad
• Dessert: Warm Butter Cake

The Crispy Chicken Sandwich was the best I've ever tasted! Inna was also very impressed with the Prime Rib Dip and her salad. The Warm Butter Cake was outstanding, too!

Sunday, July 11, 2021

Returning home to San Jose

After waking up at 6:30 a.m. (I expected to take Alex surfing one last time to Rockpile Beach), I showered, shaved, and started laundry -in preparation for our extended return trip home to San Jose.

I dropped off Alex at Thalia Street (after visiting Rockpile Beach) at 8:45 a.m. Alex preferred the waves at Thalia Street. I picked him up at 11:00 a.m.

While Alex was surfing, Inna and I walked to the main beach in Laguna Beach. We enjoyed our last long walk on the beach and even saw Alex surf a few times. I took photos and recorded a few of Alex's rides with my Nikon P900 Ultrazoom.

Here is a Nikon P900 video of Alex riding a wave on Thalia Street:

We stopped by for coffee at Tippi's Cafe on our return home. 

After picking up Alex, we packed our suitcases and cleaned the house. We decided to eat lunch at Moulin Cafe at around 1:00 p.m. 

We ordered the following items for lunch:

• Alex: Croque Monsieur Sandwich
• Boris: French Onion Soup
• Inna:  Latte, Croissanwich (Ham & Cheese), Pain au Raisin

We enjoyed our last lunch at Laguna Beach a lot. We loaded our van and continued the 6.5-hour drive home to San Jose. It was boiling on I-5, reaching 115 Fahrenheit in places.

Laguna Workation Report

Highlights

• Watching beautiful sunsets at Heisler Park and Main Beach
• Morning walks along the central Laguna Beach to Thalia Street
• Touring beautiful gardens at Huntington Library, Museum, and Botanical Gardens (Pasadena)
• Delicious coffee drinks (mochas, lattes) at Moulin, Bear Coast Coffee (San Clemente)
• Breakfasts at Beachcomber Cafe (Crystal Cove), Moulin
• Lunches at Anastasia Cafe, Maison (Dana Point), Nomad's Canteen (San Clemente)
• Dinners at Nick's, Oak Restaurant, 230 Forest Ave, Brussels Bistro
• Surfing at Tressels, Rockpile Beach, Doheny State Park, San Clemente Pier, and Thalia Street
• Watching Pageant of the Masters
• Eating gelato at Bacio di Latte in Newport Beach
• Discovering McConnell's ice cream in Whole Foods
• Buying a like-new surfboard for Alex: Lost Mini Driver 5'11" 

Lowlights

• Alex broke his Firewire Tomo v4 surfboard at Tressels (Lowers)
• Crazy California drivers on I-5