Lately I’ve been making more frequent trips down the coast to Monterey to visit my ailing Grandfather, aka Opa. This Saturday, Andrew and I hit the road early for an idyllic morning drive down 101. Overtime these trips have become increasingly bittersweet as I balance the crushing feeling of watching a loved one’s battle through Alzheimer’s and Stroke with the blissful experience of creating priceless memories with my grandfather. It is in these rare, weightless moments with him that time stands still. There is no beginning and there is no end, just a sense of peace and gratitude for the patriarch of our family. On this particular day, we spent the sunny afternoon enveloped in laughter and the melodic tunes of his favorite bands.
Following my visit with Opa, Andrew and I decided to make the most of a flawless day by cruising down to Big Sur. Winding along the anxiety-inducing, scenic Highway 1 the majestic landscape of the Saint Lucia mountains takes your breath away. Honestly, I’m not sure if I was just holding my breath because we were riding along the edge of a cliff with a 100ft drop or if it was massive, glittering Pacific Ocean staring back at us. 
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| On Alex: Azalea Coat// H&M Shirt and Scarf (old)// Gap Jeans On Andrew: Ermenegildo Zegna Shirt// Ray Ban Sunglasses// Shinola Watch |
Our coastline trek ultimately took us to one of my all-time favorite restaurants, Nepenthe – a beautiful cottage within the hills overlooking the ocean. It’s one of those spots where if you blink you’ll miss it, but once you find it, you’ll wonder how it could ever get lost. After climbing somewhere in the ballpark of 5 flights of stairs, you find yourself atop one of the most glorious views in all of California. Be prepared for a bit of a wait – made better with a delicious cocktail around the fire pit – before you finally get your turn. The stars must have been aligned in our favor this day as our wait was rewarded with a table (under the heat lamp!! J) with an uninterrupted view of the sunset. After successfully stuffing ourselves, we leisurely made our way back up to San Francisco.
It is journeys like these that make you wonder what else really matters in this world? I’ll tell you – Fashion does (amongst other more important things). More on that next week!
This post is a part of a new series, “@,” where I will share with you some of my favorite spots around California and beyond!
