Hi Everyone!
Happy Friyay friends. We are well into winter and lately I’ve been dreaming of warm weather and tropical locales. We still have a couple months yet of cold wet days ahead so I’m living vicariously through the Travel Channel and my fave travel IG feeds while flipping through seed books and prepping for the summer garden.
Naomi and I try to plan a getaway once a year whether we go somewhere further away or choose to stay close (ish) to home. Just before the holidays we snuck away to Southern CA to explore a town neither of us had ever been to: Torrance. Naomi was raised in SoCal and we spend a lot of time down there visiting family so it was fun to check out an area that felt familiar, but was also new. Torrance is a coastal city within the Los Angeles Metro area. It’s conveniently located about 10 miles south of LAX and 17 miles north of Long Beach Airport, so if you’re like me and would rather gouge your eyeballs out than fly in or out of LAX you’re good!
I was pleasantly surprised by how pretty and green Torrance is. The city is filled with amazing parks, including a marsh nature preserve, a fantastic botanical garden (one of my fave parts of our trip), and a gorgeous beach. When I think of LA I don’t immediately think of nature so it was so lovely to experience it in the city. We spent two days exploring the area and here’s what we did:
WHERE WE STAYED
Our accommodations were at the Bluestem Hotel. Bluestem is Torrance’s brand new boutique hotel located close to pretty much everything. It was really easy to get in and out of , and is less than a 5 minute drive to shopping, eateries, and local attractions. I loved the feature mural created by a local artist.
Our room was really comfortable and pretty and had a great balcony for catching the sunrise and sunset. The balcony also had a great view down into the outdoor lounge area, which was my favorite detail about the hotel. It was super chic and such a great place to hang out. I loved the modern lounge furniture, fireplaces, hanging plants, and big french doors open to the inside lobby area!
WHAT WE DID
South Coast Botanic Garden
I promise you if there’s a vast green space or botanical garden, or basically ANYTHING plant related nearby I’m there! I was really excited to check out the South Coast Botanic Garden and it did not disappoint! It was massive and lovely, and even though we went in November when not a ton was freshly in bloom like in spring it was still my absolute favorite part of the trip. I vlogged our visit to the botanic garden and have it uploaded on IGTV if you want to check it out. There was a lot of walking, so if you plan to go by for a visit (which I HIGHLY recommend) make sure you wear comfy shoes, breathable clothes, and some sun protection. Naomi’s favorite part of any outdoor excursion is getting up close and personal with the trees.
Torrance Beach & Torrance High School
Two of the most recommended things we were told to do while we were there was to head to the beach and check out Torrance High. Now I have a confession, I’m not really a beach person. Let me clarify…I love the beach, but I’m not someone who enjoys spending hours lazing around on it. I like to know the beach is near if I want to access it, but Im much more of a explore the town/city type. I do love the sound of waves and walking along the beach while collecting seashells, but that’s about it. I’m not a fan of crowds and crowded beaches are the worst, so I was SO HAPPY to discover that Torrance Beach is kind of a best kept secret. I’m totally ruining it here, so my bad. Its about a mile and a half long and its tucked between Redondo Beach and Malaga Cove on the Santa Monica Bay and it felt like we were on a private beach. It’s known for being the “crowd-less” South Bay beach and for good reason. It was so nice and relaxing and just a couple of blocks walking distance to cute shops and restaurants. We will definitely visit again.
Now if you were a 90’s teen like me you’ll know that 90210 and Buffy The Vampire Slayer were basically life! I HAD to make a quick stop at Torrance High to check out the iconic location of one of some of my favorite shows growing up.
It was really really pretty in person. The architecture is just so so good. Torrance as a whole has been the location for hundreds of productions for TV shows to movies, to music videos. Its really just a lovely city.
Del Amo Fashion Center, Torrance Bakery
We also visited a couple of other local mainstays. The Del Amo Fashion Center is the third largest shopping mall in the United States! This place was crazy big. And we also couldn’t leave without a trip to Torrance Bakery. Unfortunately there wasn’t anything vegan for Naomi to enjoy, but they make delicious croissants!
Overall we really enjoyed ourselves in Torrance. There are a few things we didn’t get to see this time that we hope to get to on our next visit. If you are looking to stay close to the LA area but also feel like you’re getting away from the LA area I’d recommend you check out Torrance. If you’d like to see more of our visit check out my “Torrance” highlight on IG. Now I’m off to figure out where we will head next.
Until next time friends….
*This post is in partnership with Discover Torrance. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
