When I was first told that we were doing Southern California as one of the episodes for the show I was slightly disappointed.  Not that I dislike California at all, quite the contrary, I love it here!  It is my home and I foresee myself living here possibly for the rest of my life but sometimes when you spend a lot of time in one place you can become jaded and forget about all the wonderful things right at your finger tips.  I learned a lot about my community and how much fun I can have right in my own backyard.  Best of all, this is one travel adventure that I got to bring my dog Wednesday on!

Malibu
Let’s begin with Malibu and work our way down the coast.  Malibu is beautiful and known for its real estate, celebrities, scenic beauty and rocky coastline.  It is a place where people want to be seen.  And since Holly has the perfect car, a red 1960 convertible Corvette, for cruising the coastline I had her give me a ride.
So, since I’m in the market for a new home…why not enlist the help of a Sotheby’s real estate agent and look at some homes.  The house or shall I say estate he took me to was immense with an amazing view of the beach.  However, the style of the house didn’t exactly suit my tastes and at $15 million it didn’t really fit my budget either.  It was still fun looking.
Then Holly and I went to the infamous Geoffrey’s for lunch.  This restaurant has been around for ages and it used to be the stomping ground for many famous celebrities such as Carey Grant.  Today it was Holly and I!  The food was delicious and the view was amazing.
Speaking of views!!!!  After lunch I went paragliding!!!  The paragliding contraption was nothing like I thought it was going to be.  We actually started on the beach as opposed to a cliff or mountain top and my guide had a huge fan and motor attached to his back after I was clipped to the front of him, he instructed me to start running.  As I did, we got lift off and were soon flying over 500 feet in the air with spectacular views of the ocean, coastline and Malibu Mountains.

Santa Monica
The Santa Monica Pier is filled with all kinds of fun carnival style adventure rides, games and junk food.  What I didn’t know about is the new trapeze rig!  I love doing trapeze and for those of you who know me, you know that I have incorporated trapeze into my normal workout as much as possible.  So, when I heard that there was a new flying trapeze rig on the Santa Monica pier, I knew I had to try it out!  It was so exciting flying through the air with the ocean breeze whipping through my hair and swinging straight out towards the ocean.  It was truly a unique way to enjoy an activity that a truly love.  Not to mention I had several friends come to visit…my trapeze trainers Ray and Tania from Hollywood Aerial Arts and my good friends from the Playboy Mansion Stacy and Roy.

Venice
Continuing on down the beach Stacy and Roy joined me for a bit of roller skating and tandem biking on the bike path that links Santa Monica and Venice beaches.  Not only is this a great form of exercise but it is a great way to see the seaside as well.  Stacy and I went shopping amongst all the street vendors and performers and tried on funky sunglasses and ate ice cream.  Another thing I would love to do there is learn to graffiti.  There is a wall in Venice that artists can actually apply for a permit to tag the wall.  Although I’m not an artist, I would love to leave my mark on Southern California like that!

Laguna
In Laguna, I met up with and artist that shared with me the importance of the art culture and lifestyle in Laguna.  He walked me down the main street showing me where many of the local artists get their inspiration.  He then took me down to the beach and gave me a painting lesson.  As mentioned earlier, I’m far from being an artist…but I didn’t think I did to bad!
Next, it was off to the St. Regis Hotel.  One word…BEAUTIFUL!!!  They showed me the Presidential Suite where I got to reside for the rest of the day.  The bathtub was so large I could practically swim in it, the balcony overlooks the pool, golf course and the ocean and the chef made me huge chocolate sculptures that I couldn’t keep my hands off of!!!   The St. Regis is also pet friendly!  So, I got to bring Wednesday and boy was she spoiled!!  They had a dog bed, treats and fancy bowls awaiting her arrival.  I got a partial massage out on the balcony it was feeling amazing but it had to be cut short due to our filming schedule…bummer.  After my abbreviated massage I headed out for a golf lesson.  I was a little unsure about playing golf.  Golf was always a sport that I had never been interested in and the few times I did try and hit a golf ball, I usually missed.  I felt I was best suited for miniature golf.  However, after a short lesson with my instructor I was hitting the ball and holding my own.  Surprisingly, I’ve decided that I like golf and it is something I would like to try again.

Del Mar
In Del Mar there is an annual event that makes people get dog gone crazy.  It’s a Dog Surf competition!!!  I don’t claim to be an expert surfer but these dogs surf way better than I do!  They also have a doggie bikini and board short competition as well vendors representing everything you could need for your pet and more!  It was a fun day and I brought Wednesday with me to help judge the contest!

San Diego
When I went exploring San Diego I knew I needed to bring along my good friend Kendra Wilkinson.  She grew up there and new she would know of all the sexiest places to go!  Kendra picked me up from the Ivy Hotel, where I was staying, in a convertible Mustang and we headed to her favorite beach, Wind and Surf Beach.  We stayed there for a little while working on our suntans and getting caught up.
A little later, we went to La Jolla and went kayaking with sharks.  Yes…SHARKS!!  I looked down and saw tons of them swimming all around and under our kayaks!!!  Luckily, they are leopard sharks and they can’t hurt you.  I was happy to her that but at the same time I was praying that we didn’t tip our kayak!!
That night we went back to the Ivy hotel and partied it up at the rooftop bar.  Hot people, good music, beautiful view and awesome drinks what more can you ask for?

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