Travel Diary: Newport Beach, California

In October 2019, Ben and I traveled to Newport Beach, California, because Ben was a presenter at a conference. Ben’s presentation was on the very first day of our trip, shortly after our plane landed, so we had an opportunity to explore Newport Beach and the California coast for a few days!

We stayed at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel. The weather was sunny and beautiful, and because Fashion Island was just across the street, we had quick access to shops, restaurants, and most importantly, coffee.

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We walked from our hotel to Balboa Island, which was not for the faint of heart. Then, we took the Balboa Island Ferry across the bay so we could reach Balboa Pier.

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I was really eager to hike and spend time outdoors, so I Googled and found “Top of the World” in Laguna Beach. We took an Uber to Laguna Beach, hiked, over-committed to the Mentally Sensitive hike, and spent hours outside hiking back to the trailhead.

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We were so, so hungry and found The Stand Natural Foods — a vegan restaurant (More like a walk-up window!) where the seating was directly under a big tree. It was awesome. Then, we walked to Banzai Bowls to get açaí bowls. We were exhausted after such a long hike, so a peaceful walk along the beach was really all we could do!

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