Good morning from the beautiful California coast.

I'm in Carlsbad, California for the very first time this week, thanks to Visit Carlsbad, who's hosting me for this trip.

Carlsbad sits just north of San Diego and for as much as I've explored California, I used to live in Southern California.

I've never explored Carlsbad.

I'm staying at the Beach Terrace Hotel, which is really interesting.

This used to be an apartment building back in the 1960s that has since been renovated into this beautiful hotel with these modern large rooms because they used to be apartments.

So it blends modern with that vintage California beach feel.

And the views from the rooms are amazing.

This hotel is literally on the beach, waves crashing right outside of my balcony.

If you're the type of person who likes to fall asleep to the sound of ocean waves, this is the spot for you.

In downtown Carlsbad, you'll find Carlsbad Village, which has a very charming feel to it with lots of local boutiques and restaurants, murals, theaters.

There's the iconic Carlsbad sign with the Twin Inn behind it.

This was built as a private residence in 1887 by a Civil War veteran and over the decades changed hands multiple times.

It's been a boarding house, a restaurant, it's been featured in Nat Geo as a historical site, and today it houses a variety of businesses.

Something I was really excited to do in Carlsbad Village is pottery.

I've never done pottery with a wheel before, so I went to Handled Pottery Studio, which has a beautiful open air space with an earthy, artsy feel, and this was so fun.

And I was surprised that I got the hang of it enough to actually make something.

Like when we made a bowl and a plate, it actually looked like a bowl and a plate.

Oh my gosh, it actually looks like a bowl.

Yeah, it's getting there.

I was even more surprised when I saw how the pieces turned out once they were glazed and finished.

I am obsessed.

This looks like something straight out of the home section of anthropology.

Like I would buy these in a store, except I made them, which is so cool.

After pottery, I headed to the beach to do some meditation with Happy Blue Marble through Carlsbad Village Yoga, and my session with Elizabeth was fantastic.

She combined sound therapy with breathing techniques and mental imagery, and being right in the sand next to the waves was so nice.

Something Carlsbad is known for is its seasonal flower fields at Carlsbad Ranch.

55 acres of flowers bloom here annually from early March to May.

I'm currently in the Sunflower Fields.

There are acres and acres of sunflowers here.

I don't think I've ever seen this many sunflowers in my life.

And then on the other side of the farm, there are rows and rows of all different color flowers.

I'm here at the very tail end of the season, so some of them have started to go already, but it is absolutely spectacular.

This is also a great spot to take pictures, and everyone seems to know that.

So if you want to come take cute pictures somewhere, this is the spot.

My next stop was the Agua Hedionda Lagoon, where I went on a kayaking tour.

This is a critical habitat for local species, and the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation has a Discovery Center for Education about the ecology of the lagoon,

which is where I went to meet the cutest little guy in Carlsbad, at Raptor Ridge.

Hi, my name is Samantha, I'm the director of the Discovery Center here at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation, and this is Tecolote.

Tecolote is a Western Screech Owl.

This is a species native to San Diego County, and believe it or not, he is full-sized.

But don't tell Tecolote that he looks small, because he is very sure that he is a gigantic, very, very tough owl.

The birds at Raptor Ridge are not releasable into the wild.

Tecolote lives here because he's blind, and there are a couple things about him that fascinated me.

He constantly swivels his head back and forth, and Samantha said they think he does this to map his surroundings with sound because he can't see.

And then his countershading camouflage is really interesting.

His underside has dark stripes that mimic the way tree branches look against the sky, so predators looking upward won't see him among the trees,

and then his back is brown to blend with the forest floor if seen from above.

I also got to meet Blue, an American Kestrel, and because American Kestrels are daytime hunters, they have an adaptation to help them see better in bright light.

So if you look at his cheeks, those black stripes running down his cheeks are called Malar Stripes.

So when light hits his cheek, it's absorbed by that black stripe instead of reflecting back into his eye, and it cuts down on glare.

This is also the reason you'll see athletes wearing eye black under their eyes, or other species such as cheetahs with similar markings.

I've come out to the Leo Carrillo Ranch, which is a 27-acre historical property with an old American West feel.

This was originally purchased by the actor Leo Carrillo back in the 1930s to use as a secondary home.

He used to host Hollywood Friends here, and it's now a historical park that you can come walk through and enjoy.

And the reason I really wanted to come here is there are peacocks roaming around everywhere.

In fact, right now on top of this building, there's a peacock that every couple minutes comes and peeks his head over and looks at me.

If you're going to come to Carlsbad, come with an appetite, because the food scene is fantastic.

I quickly realized that I did not have enough days in my trip to eat at all of the restaurants I wanted to, but some of the highlights were brunch at Cafe Topez.

They have great coffee, great menu.

They also have cinnamon rolls the size of your head.

If you're looking for something sweet, also check out The Goods, which is a donut shop that had some of the best donuts I've ever eaten.

I had some great tacos at Pure Taco, and if you're looking for a rooftop with a view, you have to check out Tower 39.

This is pretty new and has awesome ocean views.

They've really gone all out with their drink menu with fun, beautifully garnished cocktails and mocktails.

Like, if you want that vacation pick with a cute drink, this is the spot.

If you're looking for a place to sit around a fire, watch the sunset, I highly recommend it.

I've had a bit of a slow morning.

I woke up, I ordered room service breakfast, I got a salmon toast that was really good.

I went for a walk, I headed into the village, I got my coffee, and now I'm getting all packed up and ready to go.

I am so sad to be leaving this view and the sound of these waves.

I have slept so well since I've been here.

It's been really fun exploring a new part of California.

If you are going to come to Carlsbad, I highly recommend staying in this area.

It's so nice to be right near the beach, right near the village.

You can walk everywhere.

If you are debating whether or not you want to rent a car or wondering how you're going to get around, Carlsbad has a free transportation service called Carlsbad Good Ride.

It's a car service with pre-designated pickup and drop-off spots that's designed to get you from your hotel to key places like the beach, Carlsbad Village, restaurants, et cetera.

It's provided by Circuit.

You can download the app and select where you want to get picked up and where you want to get dropped off.

All of the cars are electric.

Thanks for coming along with me on my little coastal getaway.

I hope you all are doing well, and I will see you in the next one.

Bye.