Treelined Avenue

This week has been a bit weird and unpredictable. But as always, there's a highlight to every week, every day, and every minute of life. This week, the highlight was getting to swim at the famous Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle on California's central coast, which was owned by the American newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst (today, you might recognize the name on such publications as Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, or Marie Claire, as well as many others). The castle sits at the very top of a high hill overlooking the sea.

We even got to dress in the original dressing rooms! Loved them- they were so vintage!

One of the guest houses. Unfortunately, didn't get to stay in those!

Hi!

To me, Hearst was just some old guy who built a fancy house in a beautiful location, but I can see why others who lived in his time period might have respected him more. Normally, I don't like swimming much but since this was basically a once in a lifetime opportunity, who could pass it up!? The water was FREEZING, by the way! It has been said that Hearst always used to require his guests (who were mostly Politicians, celebrities, and other "important" people) to dress modestly even when swimming. So, to make my swimming experience feel more authentic, I took it upon myself to wear some swim suit shorts, and a cotton crop top with a stretchy cami underneath - as modest as I could get on such short notice! :)

There's something about LA that leaves me fascinated yet curious at the same time.I guess maybe it's because there's so many diverse surroundings, views, and atmospheres all kind of cramped together in one location. It's a place that you can go back to and always see something that you've never seen before. While it's not my favorite city in California, it is definitely a cool place. On my recent trip to a family reunion (which is always awkward because, well, who really knows any of their relatives at a family reunion?), I visited the area known as San Gabriel. Although I had been there a few times before, this time I saw it at a different angle. I saw the pretty side and the ugly side. I saw the historical side as well as the present. While I didn't witness any fashion-y boutiques this time around, what I saw was still enough to make me feel inspired & satisfied.