Coastal Layers
a few days in La Jolla, CA
Hello from the friendly skies, where I am thoroughly enjoying a peaceful morning of travel after embarking on the same bi-coastal flight solo with my toddler last week. Nothing really resets anticipatory travel anxiety like flying with a toddler. How was I ever possibly stressed about packing for myself and traveling alone?
Travel under the age of 2 is always hard, but in my experience, always worth it and tends to leave me feeling accomplished and more empowered in the ordinary facets of motherhood upon return. Shout out to this circuit board and beanie buckle buddy who were the true MVPs of the trip… funny what gets a 1.5-year-old going.
A Few Days in La Jolla
We spent the weekend in La Jolla visiting my best friend and her 6-month-old daughter, and took the girls to the San Diego Zoo, where we had some incredible panda sightings and met Karen, the famous orangutan who was the first to undergo life-saving open-heart surgery and now endearingly rolls rather than walks from spot to spot. We also had a lovely lunch at Albert’s, which I have to believe is the most luxe restaurant option at the zoo. Think full-service open-air dining in a tree house in the middle of the Lost Forest overlooking a private waterfall, with a full kids’ menu.
We sipped rooftop spritzes at Il Fornaio while the girls cycled through an hours-long rotation of silicone toys and crinkle books, and managed a few evenings out without kids — including a sunset dinner on the ocean terrace at George's at the Cove (I still need to figure out how to recreate their smoked chicken, broccoli, and black bean soup) followed by drinks at Le Coq . One of our favorite meals was the almond-crusted Dover sole for two at Fluerette, the newly opened restaurant from San Diego chef Travis Swikard. The concept is French-meets-Southern California think more olive oil, citrus, and poached fish than heavy cream or gluten.
The food and cocktails were exceptional — light, bright and refreshing, exactly the type of food I love to eat. The restaurant feels like a floating little glass jewel box, with feminine, gem-toned interiors housed within a modern glass office complex. The layout is such that every table has a view and can see directly into the open chef kitchen, reminiscent of Café Boulud and clearly inspired by Travis’ time training under Daniel.
A Gem of a Boutique Hotel
I stayed at the Orli, a 13-room boutique hotel in La Jolla run by siblings and local natives, Hailey and Max Waitt. Opened in 2022, it’s housed in a beautifully restored 1913 Spanish Colonial home tucked right into the heart of La Jolla Village. Each room feels distinct and surprisingly spacious for a boutique property, with generous layouts and especially large bathrooms.
Given the young ownership, the hotel is stocked with Millenial appreciated touches like xBloom Studio pour over coffee machines, Vital Proteins collagen creamers, Flamingo Estate bath products and cold brew on tap, perfect to enjoy with the fresh morning croissant delivery. There’s also a charming courtyard that works equally well for a pre-dinner glass of Chablis as it does for letting your toddler run laps to burn off steam before bed.
The hotel offers a personalized text concierge service I was initially skeptical of, but ended up really appreciating. Communication was seamless and unobtrusive, with daily check-ins about housekeeping timing, quick answers to questions, and recommendations on request. The service went above and beyond — I coordinated Amazon packages, groceries, and baby gear rentals (BabyQuip is great for this), and everything was already unpacked and organized in the room when I arrived, with groceries stocked in the fridge.
It was an especially wonderful place to stay with my daughter. The hotel sits directly across from a public park and just a two-minute walk from coffee shops and restaurants in downtown La Jolla I could stroll to. It’s also near one of my favorite neighborhoods to wander through, the Beach Barber Tract, where twisting streets of historic spanish style homes and english cottages lead to various access points to Windansea Beach.
Transitional Layers from Coast to Coast
The weather in La Jolla ended up feeling pretty similar to what we’d just left in NYC, so below I leave you with a mix of recent outfits worn coast to coast in temperatures ranging from the mid-60s to low 70s during the day, and 50s to 60s at night. Basically my ideal weather to dress for.
CA Layers
NYC Layers
And finally, Charlotte’s layers at NYC’s Greene Street Playground lovingly known as “Banana Park”.
Have a great weekend and Happy Mother’s Day to all of our incredible moms!!
Totally agree with you with travel under 2! We recently relocated to Stockholm and have multiple trips back to the states to visit family. I always am so nervous for the journey, and end it feeling, yes, tired, but also so empowered.