What a Saturday it was for us – our dear friends Kristen and Steve got married and of course that meant it was a big day. Today was therefore a perfect day for a chill day of experiencing the unfamiliar familiar.
After all, with a sweet new test car from work (and therefore free gas – thank god since we recorded an abysmal 14 mpg for the trip – YOW!), why not? We present the 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited! Ed has loved these since they came out and today was a perfect day for some top down cruisin’ down PCH!
Yes, we’ve lived here all our lives and have been down this road before, but it’s been a loooong time and we’ve never done this drive together. But you know, rediscovering something familiar IS a lot of fun. Especially when you’re experiencing it together for the first time. We started our mini road trip at Bolsa Chica and just headed on south, taking in the scenery. Southern California beaches really are beautiful and for all the griping about real estate prices and the cost of living, well…we guess this is why! 
We think we’ve broken down what each of the major beach areas represent. Huntington is a pretty laid back surfer town, albeit with a lot of tourists. Newport is incredibly wealthy – lots of orange skinned long blonde haired middle aged ladies with shih-tzus and leopard print pants driving Escalades. Laguna is genuinely pretty, with a borderline bohemian feel in parts. Dana Point is just kinda there, and finally San Clemente (which was actually new for both of us) was really nice, with a nice pier, a good restaurant on the pier, and a lively yet relaxed atmosphere. For all the talk of Orange County’s homogeneity, we certainly saw a lot of different faces of OC beach life.
Anyways, it was the perfect summer day in the perfect summer car. Proof that you don’t have to always travel far to experience something new! It’s often all about the context.
