Laguna Beach

Playing: Just for Tonight-One Night Only
Reading: Mary Kate And Ashley Olsen Talk Elizabeth and James with Barneys

When you live in Southern California, it's mandatory that you visit the beach at least once during Spring Break and Summer Vacation. It's practically a law, since the weather is always so sunny here. Laguna Beach is probably most well known from the TV show, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. You know, the show with Lauren Conrad showing us how awesome life is as a pretty girl in a pretty town? What's nice about Laguna Beach is the wide collection of art galleries, beach wear stores, and small, artsy boutiques. It's really quite a quaint area and it's filled with stereotypical Californians, which is a good thing for tourists.

The Chicken Divan Crepes at C'est La Vie are excellent and the sauce is great for dipping their fresh baguettes in. What originally drew me to C'est La Vie is that it's one of the few restaurants with reasonable prices and it has a beach view. Plus, the service is quick and it offers tons of unexpected French cuisine that I haven't seen before.

For dessert, the waitress brings over a whole plate of desserts for you to choose from and then brings you a fresh one, once you have chosen. One of my favorite desserts is a tart, so I chose the Mixed Fruit Tart, which was served beautifully with a shortbread cookie and chocolate ice cream plus decorations done in various fruit and chocolate sauces.

 If you're not in the mood for French treats, may I suggest Casey's Cupcakes, winner of an episode of Cupcake Wars? Her cupcakes tend to have a light, muffin texture and aren't overly sweet, so it doesn't feel as fattening as other cupcakes. Most of her icings aren't too sweet, but the chocolate cupcakes are weak compared to her amazing fruit cupcakes. My favorites are the orange and the lemon flavors. Plus, every month, there is a new specialty cupcake!

Also, on a side road, they have beautiful gardens and random stores that sell items such as animal rugs and pet koi. I loved this arch, covering a small street. Very pretty and slightly whimsical, right? I would love it, if this arch was covering a gravel road instead. Laguna Beach is perfect for anybody that wants a beautiful beach, art galleries, or interesting shopping. It has so much to offer and along PCH, there's a vintage car store and various bead shops that I failed to photograph for you. Definitely worth a trip, if you're in the area!