Half the fun of traveling to the Bay Area from Los Angeles is the journey there and back. Perhaps you’ll choose to take the 5 Freeway and stop at Harris Ranch, the iconic steakhouse that functions as a sort-of-halfway point between both areas. If you have lots of time to kill, you could opt for the roughly 10-hour drive along the Pacific Coast Highway, which passes through stunning bluffs, quaint towns and breathtaking views. Once you make it to Berkeley, you’ll have access to all that the surrounding cities have to offer. I spent a morning wandering around Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue, where you can stop by Sleepy Cat Books (to meet Lyla), check out the original Amoeba Music store (to pick up some records) and shop at plenty of thrift stores (to pick up some new old clothing). In San Francisco, I was also happy to check out the de Young Museum, particularly the understated James Turrell skyspace that’s tucked in the back of the museum’s sculpture garden, where you can catch a sky-altering light show around every sunset.

I decided to take Highway 1 back down to L.A., which gave me plenty of cute places to stop and a great excuse to explore Big Sur. I even got to grab lunch in the dreamy beach town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, where Clint Eastwood was once mayor (and where I picked up plenty of silly merch with my last name on it).

Stay at: Claremont Club & Spa (rates from $312), where there are three outdoor heated pools and Le Labo products in your hotel bathroom.

A great solo activity: There’s one thing that I want to do when I’m in the Bay Area, and that’s eat good bread. In the morning I’d recommend visiting Fournee Bakery (located across the street from Claremont Club & Spa), where they make divine flavored croissants and other sweet treats. There likely will be a line wrapped around the corner when you go, but there’s a Peet’s Coffee up the block where you can grab a beverage for your wait. Around the corner from the bakery, you’ll find a quaint alleyway with tables where you can sit and enjoy your spoils.

Later in the day, I’d suggest going on the hunt for a loaf of sourdough bread, which is, of course, a San Francisco specialty. I prefer the crusty yet oh-so-buttery loaves at Tartine (which you can also find in L.A.), but Boudin is a San Francisco classic for a reason.