Excursions: Joshua Tree + Los Angeles
- Nikki Matsuoka
- May 18, 2018
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 7, 2020
Wandering through hip desert town and sprawling metropolitan city.
Spring break of 2019. Destination: Orange County, CA (John Wayne Airport > LAX). My good friend, Kylie, had been attending college at the time at Chapman (congrats Ky! #2020grad). We'd been talking in the past about meeting up in California over a break, and it turned out my two week long spring break overlapped with her weeklong break. So in mid-March, I packed my suitcase and escaped snow covered central NY for the high 60/low 70 degrees of SoCal. Come to think of it, this was the first trip to California in my life that wasn't for the purposes of Disneyland, SeaWorld, or volleyball. Just like how I felt about my Tokyo trip last May, I was excited to have a different experience of a city I'd been to before. The part of this trip I was most excited for was hands down Joshua Tree (JT) National Park. Kylie and I decided to rent an Airbnb in the town and make it more than just a day trip. I'm glad we did, because there is more to JT than a day trip could suffice. We left for JT the day after I landed, and stayed over the weekend. In the days to come, we'd hit up West Hollywood (hello celebrities) and Studio City (hello Warner Bros).
Sunrise in Joshua Tree, California. Got up at like 6am to capture this. *claps for myself*
Driving from Anaheim to JT took around 2.5 hours. We left around 8am, grabbed light snacks and drinks from Starbucks, and reached JT around 11am. Sitting shotgun, I looked outside the window almost the entire time and stared in awe as the scenery gradually changed. Driving east toward Joshua Tree took us past San Bernardino, into Morongo Valley, and finally, the town of Joshua Tree. As we drove further past the San Bernardino city limits, the landscape began to transform; houses more distantly spaced out, the snow capped mountains surrounding us, sneak peeks of desert scenery. White wind turbines dotting the desert landscape seemed to go on for an eternity. These turbines are actually part of the San Gorgonio Wind Farm, home to 4,000+ wind turbines that power Palm Springs and all of the Coachella Valley. Turning onto Twentynine Palms Hwy., the main highway into JT, I just felt the vibe change. We were officially in the desert and that much closer to JT.
I love how the snow capped mountains contrast with the rolling green hills below it.
Warm welcome to JT! ft. discarded Starbucks cup :(
Portobello mushroom burger from Crossroads Cafe. That heaping side salad though>. We ate here twice. No regrets.
The first stop upon reaching JT was Natural Sisters Cafe. Kylie and I decided to split a sandwich, but still wondered if it would fill both of us up. IT DID. Both pieces of the sandwich were literally the same size as my head. It was just loaded with vegetables; I don't think I'd ever seen that many alfalfa sprouts stuffed in a sandwich until that day. With our tummies full, we headed to the Joshua Tree Visitors Center to pick up some park maps and info pamphlets. In general, March is a good time to visit JT and the surrounding areas- sun and clear blue skies 24/7, but the air still brisk and refreshing. The excitement as we entered the gates into the park was palpable. One of the first things I saw were the chopped down Joshua trees. Sadly, I'd been expecting to see these scenes-- the US government was still in shutdown during this time, and America's national parks were among the many governmental entities being left to fend for themselves. Joshua trees that once stood strong and tall now laid in piles on the ground. There was still beauty to be found amidst the devastation.
Joshua trees on Joshua trees on Joshua trees.
Little crevice I found while exploring huge rock piles in the park. Nice cool escape from the sun. Peep my thumb in the bottom corner.
Cholla cactus. Don't get too close to them unless you wanna get attacked by their prickles!
Installment at the Noah Purifoy Museum in Sunfair. Such a unique space; Purifoy used purely junkyard scrap to create these structures.
I'd never been in the desert before prior to visiting Joshua Tree National Park. Honestly, I always viewed the desert as a desolate and scary place (thanks a lot, Holes). It's funny trying to retrace how I heard about JT in the first place. When I was in high school I was obsessed with the Free People (FP) blog, especially its travel section. The folks at FP always seemed to be writing about Joshua Tree National Park; they even created a JT road trip playlist. The images they captured of the park were so beautiful, and made me want to someday experience the geological formations and desert ecosystem for myself. Big props to Kylie-- when I told her about Joshua Tree, she was all in.
One of my favorite parts about driving through the park was stopping at various rock formations and climbing rocks. For a moment it felt like I was in elementary school again, a young kid at heart climbing through the jungle gym. The shapes of the rock formations were so unique and interesting; the way the rocks leaned against each other made it seem as if they were meticulously placed by humans to look a certain way. But no, they are all products of mother nature. We stopped midway through the park to head back to town, as the sun was about to set. Our Airbnb was a little addendum to our host's house. The interior was nicely furnished and decorated, making the space feel super comfortable. I couldn't believe how clear and bright the stars were at night (goodbye LA air pollution). It was hard to remove myself from the peace and serenity I felt under that gorgeous night sky.
The inside of our Airbnb, about 10 minutes north of JT.
I could literally go on and on describing the minutiae of JT and my time there. You know when you can't really explain why a certain experience or place moved/changed you but just know deep inside that it did? Yep, that's JT in a nutshell. Driving away from the desert, I took in the landscape with the same unfiltered excitement I had upon arrival. I was excited to get back to Orange County and be a potato for a hot sec after spending long hours on my feet at the park and around town.
LA traffic is real- so real that we had another early wake-up call. Leaving 2 hours prior to the actual time you have to be somewhere is NORMAL (especially on weekdays during rush hours). We left Anaheim around 7:30 am to drive north to Studio City, home to Warner Brothers, where we booked the WB Studio Tour for 9:30 am. Somehow, we got to WB earlier than expected and had about an hour to spare before checking in. The tour was so great! It was awesome driving around the premises and walking around the sets that so many of my favorite films and shows were shot at. My favorite part of the tour was the final stop: Friends Central Perk stage! I think WB purposefully saves their best for last. There was even an adjacent Central Perk coffee shop selling drinks and Friends memorabilia.
Where the Friends magic happens! Surreal experience for fans of the show.
After the WB tour, we drove down to West Hollywood to check out the eclectic shops lining Melrose Avenue. I don't know a single neighborhood in LA or even the country that is trendier or more hip than West Hollywood. Although celebrities swarm the area on a daily basis, we didn't see any on that particular day. Walking further up Melrose, toward Beverly Hills, I noticed the locally owned boutiques being replaced with more luxurious, brand-name shops. We discovered Melrose Alley, a cute extension of Melrose Avenue. It was filled with retailers from Outdoor Voices to Bottega Veneta. Pretty versatile, right?
Selfie taken in the bathroom of random restaurant. Sorry not sorry.
West Hollywood was quite the experience. I got a taste of life in this neighborhood, albeit for a couple hours. Walking through its many famous streets and avenues was exciting and inspiring. Maybe one day, I'll go back to West Hollywood and run into the Kardashians. Just maybe...
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