Balboa Island
My favorite place to hang out in California, other than the taco shops or sandy beaches, is Balboa Island. It's a cute, little island that has cozy houses and fun boutiques to shop at and explore.
This busy area is home to many festive residents who decorate their beach homes for every holiday. Whether its July or October, you can see flags placed throughout the city or spooky characters haunting the houses on the island. Christmastime is the best time of the year to visit simply because of the extravagant use of Christmas lights and decorations. Aside from these annual accessories, most yards are also covered with colorful flowers (pictured on the left/above) and plants that make each street beautiful and unique. Although walking around and taking in the sights is enjoyable enough by itself, the best way to see the island is with a yummy treat in hand.
Balboa bars are a famous dessert on this island. In fact, it's so popular that there are several competing stands selling the same foods only a hundred yards away from one another (pictured on the right/above). This chocolate-dipped vanilla ice cream bar is best accompanied with rainbow sprinkles (pictured below), but other toppings are also available.
Other delicious Balboa specialties include chocolate-dipped frozen bananas, taffy from the sweets shop, or Starbucks. Who can go wrong with Starbucks? A hot Caramel Macchiato on a cool December night while looking at Christmas lights or a filling S'mores Frappuccino on a warm summer day while shopping at the clothing stores (where I've found many great deals over the years), whichever drink you prefer, a Starbucks treat never fails to hit the spot.
All images were taken on a Nikon D3100 with a Sigma 18-250mm lens.
Model: Jonah Corder
