Even though I was born and raised in Orange County, there are still so many local places I have yet to see. Lately, me and Mike, who is originally from the Chicago area, have made it a point to start exploring the beautiful area we live so close to. Yesterday, we started with Santa Monica Pier and the surrounding area and I fell in love. While it’s a fairly tourist-y area, there were so many places to explore and see. Our first stop was Sugarfish, which we had both never been to before. I completely understand the hype behind this place now; it was delicious! We wanted to start the day light, so we shared the Nozawa Trust Me. One small course followed another and each was better than the one before. So good! After this, we went to the actual pier. It was so much fun to walk and experience all the energy of the little theme park and restaurants along the way. Not to mention, the views were breathtaking. We stopped at Mariasol at the end of the pier and had a few drinks. We saw a waiter make guacamole right next to a table and had to order some. Seriously the best guacamole I’ve had! On our way back down the pier, we stopped at Scoops and got ice cream. The atmosphere and sunlight really made it one of the best cones I’ve had. We sat and ate it while watching people in the ocean. It was so beautiful and relaxing! After this, we walked around the shops and the mall a little inland from the coast. There were so many cute buildings and cool shops to see. I loved the whole vibe of the city! As it got dark, we found this little bar on 2^nd Street call Bar Chloe. The lights were dimmed and the décor was old fashioned; it was such a great atmosphere to relax in. The cocktails were amazing, especially the Stiletto and the Cosmo. We also had a cheese plate, which was perfect after the long day of snacking. I have to say that I’m obsessed with the whole area of Santa Monica. I can’t wait to have another day-cation here!