My sister and I adventured across the country this spring to get her to her new home in LA. Keep scrolling to find out what we ate and where we explored! And if you ever need someone to plan your cross country trip (good food pitstops most definitely included), I am your gal!
Day 1: 03.02.19
We headed out on our journey early this morning, and snacked on some Brandless snacks to ease our nerves from the icy roads. Soon after we escaped the horrible driving conditions of southern MN, we stopped in Des Moines to visit our cousin and get a bite to eat at Jethro's. I heard that Guy Fiere had been there, and I love some good boneless BBQ wings, so Jethro's was our first stop. I had wings and Megan had pulled chicken nachos. We continued our drive until our next stop in Wichita, KS where we enjoyed pizza at the Wichita Brewing Company. We finished our drive and made it to our AirBnb in OKC!
Day 2: 03.03.19
We woke up in OKC and headed out to Breakfast at Syrup before getting back on the road. Breakfast consisted of Huevos Rancheros for me and a Breakfast Hash for Megan and pancakes on the side for both of us! The aesthetic at the Breakfast joint was right up my alley. After breakfast, we headed out for Albuquerque. We made a pitstop in Amarillo, TX to get some tea at Starbucks and some cheese to accompany our Brandless snacks. Our final stop of day 2 was Albuquerque-- we had finally made it to warm weather and sunshine! We stayed in the cutest AirBnB and walked to dinner at Salt & Board. A top 10 meal forsure. We shared a delish cheese board, and I had a grilled cheese and fig sandwich and Meg enjoyed a root vegetable salad. Day 2 was full of great food.
Day 3: 03.04.19
On day 3 we woke up and ate a quick McDonald's breakfast before heading out to the Grand Canyon. Not all of our meals were so glorious, but you can't go wrong with a McDonald's breakfast! We stopped in Flagstaff, AZ before heading to the Canyon and grabbed some fresh fruit and more cheese from Whole Foods, and juice from the Local Juicery. We explored the Grand Canyon and enjoyed the beautiful views while snacking on our groceries and snacks. After a long day, we headed to Williams, AZ to our next AirBnb and enjoyed pizza in bed (another glamorous meal!)
Day 4: 03.05.19
Woke up in AZ and headed to Cali! We fueled up with breakfast at a cute cafe in Williams, AZ called Brewed Awakenings Coffee Co and then headed out to Joshua Tree. A pit stop was made soon after crossing the border to CA to change into shorts and snack on some McDonald's french fries and a Diet Coke! We arrived in Joshua Tree after driving through the desert and enjoyed lunch at the Natural Sisters Cafe, how fitting! I had a salad and smoothie and Meg had a veggie burger and green juice. After an afternoon spent exploring Joshua Tree, we headed out to our final destination of LA.
Day 5: 03.06.19
After a slow rainy morning at Megan's apartment, we headed out to Grand Central Market and downtown LA. Grand Central was filled with so many diverse food options, but we went for some tacos and Diet Coke, of course. Then for dessert, some ice cream from McConnell's. We explored downtown and checked out the Last Bookstore before dinner at a yummy Italian restaurant. I tried pesto gnocchi for the first time and absolutely loved it along with some calamari. A great first day of eating in LA!
Day 6: 03.07.19
On day 6 we headed out to Santa Monica in the morning. I absolutely love the ocean and coastal towns, so Santa Monica was right up my alley. We explored the pier, sat on the beach and soaked up some sun, and then went shopping. We stopped for lunch at a wonderful Mexican restaurant called Lula Cocina and enjoyed our meals on the sunny patio. I had goat cheese and shrimp quesadillas. Santa Monica I'll be back! We enjoyed dinner and drinks at Fin Asian Tapas--my fav dish was the sashimi. No pics were taken because the mood lighting was too dark, lol.
Day 7: 03.08.19
Last but not least, day 7. For lunch I tried some authentic Indian cuisine at a restaurant called Annapurna. I loved the paneer butter masala (top right in photo) and masala dosa (left). After lunch, we explored the Getty Museum and took in many beautiful views of LA. My last meal in LA was at a neat hand roll sushi bar called KazuNori sushi. It was so fun to have fresh sushi hand rolled right in front of me. Now time to hit that red eye flight back to MN...
WOW what a trip! Our road trip across the U.S. was truly was an amazing experience. It was so fun to adventure across the country with my sister, discover new restaurants with delicious food, adventure to new places, and take in some amazing views while snacking on some great treats. Trying new food and exploring new cuisine is so much fun, and I can't wait to go on more food adventures. Thanks for following along on the journey that this blog post was. Next up: Europe! Stay tuned to find out what new foods I enjoy across the world.
This might just be my new motto...
