jolenegoes: Travel blog + Reviews + TRAVEL Tips

Over the weekend, I decided to splurge and attend Pop Up Disney: A Mickey Celebration, located at ESPN Zone's old home in Downtown Disney. Pop Up Disney! is Disney's an Instagrammer's heaven, composed of a number of themed rooms celebrating everyone's favorite mouse. Please note that for the first time ever on this blog, these photos were NOT taken by me! They were taken by my friend Monte Dobbs. Please message me if you'd like her contact info, or you can find her at @montef

I'm sure by now it's no secret that I practically bleed Disney, so attending another Southern Californian theme park is not normally on my radar. However, I started following various theme park blogs last year to help me plan my Disney World vacation and have subsequently found myself unable to escape the numerous social media posts and ever-growing popularity of Knott's Berry Farm's Boysenberry Festival. I already had a lot of fun plans in the month of April, but when one of

Even though my Instagram feed has flooded with super bloom photos, I decided to take up my friend Stefani's invitation to a different kind of spring outing - the Flower Fields in Carlsbad. I'd never been before, and I couldn't see any reason not to go. Photos? Flowers? Day trip? Sign me up! We arrived in Carlsbad Village after a traffic-laced 2.5-hour drive from Long Beach. It was around 1PM and we grabbed coffee and lunch first. For coffee, we visited Sleeping Tiger Coffee -

Sometimes, a mental health day means going to Disney California Adventure in the middle of the week! My cousin Caleb invited me as one of his guests to be signed into one of my happiest places, so of course I couldn't say no. Please enjoy this collection of photos in lieu of a review... after all, a picture is worth a thousand words, right? My aunt was visiting from Virginia, so my priority was making sure she had the best time, especially since I really love DCA and it was h

Famously depicted in Hollywood favorites such as Rebel Without a Cause and La La Land, the Griffith Observatory is an iconic Los Angeles landmark that draws tourists and locals alike. So, when I found out one of my besties of 13+ years (Christine) would be in that area, I suggested we include it in our LA-day. Recently I've been battling with some mental health issues, all triggered by recent negative personal and professional experiences. I got to a point where I basically

While I do not celebrate Christmas, I still find myself engaging in seasonal, ~festive activities such as this one. Last year, a good friend of mine wanted to do something festive for the holidays but our schedules didn't work out. This year, I knew I had to make her a priority this season, and oblige her holiday-themed craving. We settled on visiting the LA Zoo Lights, an after-hours event that skips out on the animals but brings plenty of sparkling lights and holiday cheer.

Sometimes it's nice to be a tourist without going too far! My girlboss friend Cathrine (who I have mentioned in several posts before) spent the day exploring Venice Beach, CA, with no particular plans. We meandered through alleyways, drooled over the canal homes, and ate some pretty yummy food. Blue smoothie bowls at Great White Exploring the canals "Youth is in a grand flush, like the hot days of ending summer; and pleasant dreams thrall your spirit, like the smoky atmospher