Everyone dreams of cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway (put your top down, crawl into the backseat) - and while it's something I'd certainly like to do one day, time didn't permit it during my last west-coast visit.

Instead, I settled for cruising from LA to Irvine to San Diego, for a quick 48 hour trip jam-packed with exciting things, thanks to an itinerary crafted by moi and executed by my amazing friend and tour guide Emily.

Here's how it went down:

1. Workout in LA

LAX --> 613 N. La Cienega Blvd. (30 Minutes)

Land at LAX, drive to workout class. If you're anything like me, that doesn't sound nuts - it sounds perfect!

I went for a killer class at Rise Nation - which you can read about here.

2. Healthy Meal at Cafe Gratitude

Rise Nation --> 639North Larchmont Boulevard (15 Minutes)

I've been dreaming of eating here for AWHILE since my Instagram feed is always full of drool-worthy pictures of their veggie-centric, organic dishes. It certainly did not disappoint.

You can read all about what we ate here.

3. Sing 'Beverly Hills' While Driving Through Beverly Hills

Thanks, Weezer!

4. Brews at Ballast Point Brewery

Cafe Gratitude --> 110 N Marina Dr. Long Beach (45 Minutes)

I am a big fan of Ballast Points Grapefruit Sculpin IPA and have tried a bunch of their more creative flavors - like the Habanero Sculpin. Though not all of their beers are my favorite, I appreciate their eclectic choices and was excited to check out their brewery.

The place was right on the water and though we just missed the sunset, it was gorgeous to look out at the water while we enjoyed our flights!

5. Sleep

6. "Breakfast" at Sidecar Doughnuts

270 E 17th St #18

My friend once cried while eating a doughnut from Sidecar, and I came pretty damn close after trying their Huckleberry doughnut. They import them overnight from Oregon! While the other doughnuts didn't thrill me, it was worth the trip for that Huckleberry heaven.

You can read my full review here.

7. Drive to Torrey Pines

Sidecar Doughnuts --> Torrey Pines (1 Hour, 15 Minutes)

Ideally, we would have gone for a hike here, but the trails were closed because of the heavy rains that had turned everything to mud. It was still a very pretty drive and I'm glad we made the stop!

8. Fall In Love With La Jolla Cove

Torrey Pines --> La Jolla Cove (15 Minutes)

Wow. Wowowowowowwwww. I could have stayed here FOREVER. It was one of the prettiest, most relaxing afternoons of my life. I mean, a freaking RAINBOW appeared. Come on, now.

See the Sea Lions

Seeing these little guys sunning on the sandy shores was such an unexpected surprise. I am pretty certain that I straight up squealed. SO cute.

Workin' On My Fitness

Why not get in a little exercise while you walk around? I came up with a bunch of different exercises you could do at La Jolla Cove - you can check it out here.

Check Out the Sea Cave

Emily and I kind of stumbled into this - it's $5 to walk down (and eventually, UP) a shit tone of stairs - with this as the view!

Walk Around the Shops In Town

So many cute stores - v. dangerous for your wallet if you're anything like me. I made a few purchases that were unnecessary but, OH WELL.

Eat at George's at the Cove

Though the meal wasn't super amazing wonderful by any means - the view made up for it!

You can read my full review here.

9. Watch the Sunset at Sunset Cliffs

La Jolla Cove --> Sunset Cliffs (30 Minutes)

There is nothing I love more than a beautiful sunset. I get emotional about sunsets. I would be embarrassed, except I'm not - because what is better than quietly sitting by the water and enjoying the beauty of nature? (While taking a million pictures to Instagram...oops).

Emily and I drove here and pulled over on the side of the road while we waited for the sunset. There were tons of people out and about watching it with us. It was a gorgeous sunset, but I still have yet to see one that beats my hometown beach's sunsets!

10. Night Out in San Diego's Gaslamp District

Sunset Cliffs --> Downtown San Diego (20 Minutes)

After struggling for a good long while to find parking - we took a quick nap before heading out for dinner, drinks and dancing.

The Neighborhood (777 G Street)

Great beer, great cauliflower.

Henry's Pub (618 Fifth Ave)

Interesting crowd, but great DJ.

The Tipsy Crow (770 Fifth Ave)

Loved this spot! Multiple floors, giant connect four. Highly recommend if you're looking to go out in the Gaslamp District.

11. Sleep

I also highly recommend NOT getting locked out of your Airbnb and spending the night in the apartment building's hallway. But that's a story for another day.

12. "Breakfast" at the Donut Bar

While I didn't love these donuts, the shop was super cute and serves both donuts and craft beer. I like it, I like it. And I also got to eat a donut that had an entire pop-tart stuffed inside of it. No biggie.

You can read my full review here.

13. Desert Garden in Balboa Park

Rumor has it that the landscaping in this section of Balboa Park is what inspired the illustrations in Dr. Seuss' work! Though it was raining when we made it there, the plants and cactus were still awesome to take some pictures of!

14. Drive Back to LA

So there you have it! 14 steps for an LA --> SD Road Trip.

Here are a few other things that I didn't quite fit in but I will definitely get to when I visit ERIN AND CAM in San Diego after their cross-country move!

7 Bridges Run

The fact that we were locked out of our Airbnb until 6 a.m. meant that I wasn't about to attempt a run bright and early. But when I'm back, I would love to do this route that brings you over 7 different bridges around San Diego.

Giant Dipper at Belmont Park

Cabrillo National Monument

Liberty Public Market

I had my eye on the Yam Bam! from Fully Loaded Juice - a drink made with almond milk, beets, yams, carrots, honey and dates with cardamom and cinnamon! Thrillist has an entire article dedicated to Liberty Public Market.

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens

Barrel Republic

This place seems AWESOME! Self-serve taps that track how much you've had with a bracelet that dictates how much you pay when you're done. High-tech beer tasting.

Leave your LA --> SD recommendations in the comments!

Sidecar Doughnuts

Legend has it that my friend Rebecca cried when eating a chocolate doughnut from Sidecar Doughnuts.

Needless to say, I was excited for my trip here in January.

It was our first stop on our journey from Irvine to San Diego and by the time we arrived there was already a line and the sweet smell of sugar wafting out of the storefront.

Sidecar was beautiful inside, with a small amount of seating and additional tables and chairs out on the sidewalk.

I wasn't sure where to start with my order, so I just started pointing when I stepped up to the counter - making my way down the line until I was satisfied with 4 doughnuts and a doughnut hole. 2 Girls, 4.5 Doughnuts - sounds about right.

Butter + Salt

To be honest, this doughnut was a little too much for me. So, so rich that I could only stomach a bite of it.

Rosemary and Honey

This glaze was very good and full of rosemary and honey flavor, but it was atop a yeast doughnut, which is not usually my favorite.

Chocolate Budino

This monstrosity was A chocolate doughnut with a chocolate budino filling, whipped creme fraiche, house made caramel, chocolate sable crumbs and jacobsen sea salt.

We didn't love this - it was a little bland, and again, a little "much."

Glazed Doughnut Hole

Very, very good. The outside was crispy and the inside was moist. The best.

Huckleberry

This doughnut single-handedly put Sidecar Donuts back on my good side. And this doughnut landed itself a spot on my top 5 doughnuts EVER (joined by the Tres Leches from Doughnut Plant, London Fog from Glory Hole Doughnuts, Gooey Butter Cake Doughnut from Strange Doughnuts, and the Everything Doughnut from The Doughnut Project).

This was definitely on the FRIED side - which is what gave it it's crispy exterior and deliciously rich, moist-yet-cakey inside. It was like a gloriously warm blueberry muffin encapsulated in sugary muffin-top textured glaze.

I couldn't stop saying "OMG" as I ate it.

Sidecar's huckleberries are foraged in Oregon and express shipped to the bakery overnight. I'm not sure if that's what gave this doughnut it's extra special amazingness - but it was absolutely incredible.

Donut Bar

A place that serves donuts and craft beer? Yeah, I feel you San Diego.

The doughnuts at this spot are over the top for sure. For one, they're GIANT. Certifiably MASSIVE. Elephantiasis-level doughnuts. and Emily and I chose perhaps the two craziest on the menu.

Homer's Donut

An XL pink glazed beauty with sprinkles. The most perfectly-picture ready doughnut you'll ever find. A though simple, it was pretty damn tasty!

Big Poppa-Tart Donut

Alright, get ready to judge the HELL out of me - but yes, I did order this donut that is STUFFED with a FULL-SIZED POPTART. A S'more pop-tar to be precise.

It was worth it for the chance to say I tried it - but honestly, it was underwhelming. The best part of a pop-tart is when the edges are crispy-burnt and the filling is melty and warm. The pop-tart being inside a doughnut meant that it was mostly soggy and sad.

Blueberry with Myer Lemon

After our experience with the Huckleberry doughnut at Sidecar, I couldn't pass up a chance to try another berry-based baked good! Plus, this was one of the only cake doughnuts that Donut Bar offered. It was good, but forgettable - nowhere near the doughnut perfection achieved by Sidecar.