Day 7 – Travel Day: Paso to LA & The Magic Castle

Our day started at 7:30am so we could pack our bags and check out of our Paso AirBNB. Our time in Paso was fabulous, but I wish we had just one more day. I think staying anywhere for 3 days & 2 nights is too quick because you really only get 1 full day to experience the destination, since the other two days you’re traveling.

On our way out of Paso we stopped at Starbucks. We definitely needed a caffeine fix for the 4 hour drive from Paso to Los Angeles. We could’ve taken the highway which would’ve shortened the journey by 30 min, but Stelios prefers to drive along the coast & since there was no traffic I was all for the scenic route. I also needed the long car ride so I could write these blogs (it’s really hard to write when we’re out and about all day, and it takes longer than you think!) I enjoy writing in the car though so I can collect all of my thoughts and it also makes the time we spend on the road fly by. Stelios has been a trooper driving the whole trip even though he says he does enjoy it – he is also a full supporter of the blog and giving me time to write while he listens to music which I appreciate❤️

By 11am we were getting hungry and stopped at The Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach for lunch which was about the half way mark for our drive. Unfortunately it was still gloomy back in Santa Barbara but this restaurant was owned by the same people as Santa Barbara Shellfish Company so we knew the food would be good & fresh. We ordered the Louie Cobb Salad with Dungeness Crab on top and a lobster roll to share. Both were delicious & we were back on the road within the hour.

I knocked out 3 blogs on the car ride to LA and with about 30 min left it was time for me to put the phone down and take a break. We were listening to chill house music the whole drive so far, but it was time to switch it up and put some Beyoncé on as we pulled up to LA.

We checked into Hotel Per La around 2pm. It was a 5 star boutique hotel in Downtown La that I got a great deal on through Expedia. Upon arrival the valet guy helped us load all of our luggage which at this point was A LOT. We did not try to pack light on this trip since we had the car the whole time, but now I was starting to regret it. For the record – technically all of my stuff would have fit in my Large Samsonite suitcase with plenty of room to spare BUT it would have been over 50 lbs (does anyone else HATE that rule?) so we each packed a checked and rolling carry on which I now realize was unnecessary, PLUS we had the additional box of wine at this point. I can already see my friend Sam (the minimalist packer) shaking her head at me as she reads this.

Aside from our ridiculous amount of luggage, there was some good news. The man who checked us in at the front desk said that because I’m an Expedia VIP member we were eligible for a free room upgrade, so he upgraded us to a suite and we got a $30 food/beverage credit each day. #Winning!

After settling in we changed and got ready for our evening plans — tonight we were going to the Magic Castle in Hollywood, an exclusive invite only venue where some of the top magicians from around the world perform. Luckily Stelios & I happened to be at a Greek restaurant in San Diego 2 years ago and our sommelier turned out to be a magician. We had a great time tasting wine and watching his table side magic tricks. I think he enjoyed us as an audience also because he said that if we ever wanted to go to the Magic Castle to reach out. So I DMed him on Instagram several months ago and he remembered who I was and gave us 6 passes to the Magic Castle which was just enough for me, Stelios, my mom, my sister, Jon, and Adi to get in.

The dress code at the Magic Castle was strictly evening/cocktail attire which meant suit jackets for men and dresses for the girls, which made it kind of fun to dress up. Upon entering we ordered a round of drinks and started to explore the castle which is literally a maze of different rooms each with a different magician performing. Some of the rooms have specific show times that you have to line up for and other rooms you can pop in and out of as you please.

The 2nd show that we went to my cousin Jon got picked and the magician asked him to think of a person not with him today in his head and the magician would try to spell the name of who he was thinking of. The magician asked Jon to hold his hand up to his & after saying a few facts about Jon which were VERY true he spelled out the name “Simon” which was Jon’s boss and the person he thought of. How wild?! That by far was the coolest show of the night. The bar shows in the basement of the castle were my 2nd favorite. In general I find close up Magic with a smaller crowd more impressive and fun to watch than the flashy stage style shows. We stayed at the castle until midnight and then decided to call it a night. Overall the magic castle was definitely a cool experience and I would go back again.