it may only take 8 or 9 hours to travel from the bottom of California to San Francisco but if you wanted to make it take a week, here's my imaginary travel itinerary (and yeah, i'm slowly making them non-imaginary one by one) -
day one:
Shadow Mountain Lodge, Julian, CA - staying in the Gnome Home maybe. the tree house is pretty neat too...it's hard to choose. make it a two night stay and get some famous
Julian pie!
day two:
The Parker, Palm Springs, CA - An uber-mod Jonathan Adler designed oasis, I can vouch for this one. And last time we got the Glutton's Delight ($200 free food spending spree), which made it doubly fun. But i forgot to try the Lavender Martini so it's time for another visit.
day three:
Castle Wood Cabins, Big Bear, CA - A+++!
Like getting locked up in a weird ride at Disneyland after hours.
Actually, the outside of this place is totally adorable but some of the rooms look really creepy (ie. the Gone with the Wind Room?) except for the two gourmet ones - the Castle and the Treehouse.
Those two...totally worth it.
Plus snow, which isn't really going to happen at any of the other hotels on this imaginary trip. And a town full of awesome thrift stores.
day four:
Arrowhead Springs Resort, San Bernardino, CA - this one's REALLY imaginary.
it's not even open yet or maybe even ever again.
i think mainly because of environmental concerns regarding some stupid golf course for some stupid golfer choads who insist on building giant water guzzling playgrounds in deserts.
geez, i hate golfers!
especially if they're in any way keeping the rest of us from enjoying this posh Dorothy Draper decorated former wonderland.
ooh Dorothy Draper. LOVE!!!
actually forget ever making this a hotel. i want to win the lottery & then just live here.
day 5:
any shitty dive motel, Los Angeles, CA - this one's purely personal after living at the ol'
Ace Motel (the website makes it look way nicer than it really is. where are the hookers?). Now all dive motels make me happy & nostalgic.
day 6:
Madonna Inn, Santa Barbara, CA - so overdone and full of old sideways-inspired wine tasters but i don't really care. the only thing that gets hard is deciding on a room. so far the Love Nest or Just Heaven are at the top of the list but the Cave Room would definitely do just as well.
day 6:
The Victorian Mansion, Los Alamos, CA - well, you have to stay somewhere when you're in Los Alamos.
This one doesn't look like a theme hotel from the outside but you'd be surprised.
I think i'd opt for the gypsy room and kill someone if they stuck us in the 50's diner room.
day 7:
the
Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel, Pescadero, CA - yay a hostel!
especially because i'm imaginarily out of money by this point.
i'm not saying it happened, especially since the top of the lighthouse if off limits, but somehow it seems like there was some smoking of something and an amazing view that may or may not have taken place here years ago.
day 8:
oops. it's been 7 days and we never made it to San Francisco.
eh. oh well.
if you want to skip it, head to Tahoe for another snowy adventure & finish up in style in the Graceland Room at
The Fantasy Inn
a lovely wookie hairdid rabbit!!!
