A Local's Guide to Where to Eat, Play & Stay in Orange County

Morning hike at El Morro: In 90 minutes, you can do a moderate to hard hike and get breathtaking views of the ocean.

Walk your dog on Balboa Island: It's about four miles if you do the whole thing. I reward myself with a frozen banana from the famous Sugar and Spice.

Go shopping at South Coast Plaza: It's one of the best and highest-end shopping destinations in the country. You'd be hard pressed to find something better.

Get coffee from Coffee Dose: Long before this became an influencer's dream coffee spot, they were serving up delicious coffees with some spicy messages. You can't take yourself too seriously in there. That's why I love it.

Rent a Duffy boat: Take two hours, grab some wine and snacks, and cruise around the harbor.

Thousand Steps Beach: Spoiler alert: It's actually 223 steps (I counted). But after you've climbed down, you'll find caves and tide pools that make you feel like you've discovered something nobody else knows about.

Visit Lido Village: Grab a smoothie from Malibu Farms and a book from Lido Village Book Shop, then read at an open table.

Drive to Little Saigon and get life-changing pho: Pho 79 serves beef pho that won a James Beard Award.

Check out the galleries in Laguna Beach: The city is known for being artsy and hippie. Stop at the Chakra Shack and get your aura read.

Visit the high-end consignment shops in Corona Del Mar.

A Restaurant: This steakhouse is over 100 years old. There are two locations, but my favorite is the original on PCH.

Arc Food & Libations: Everything here is cooked over wood fire, which sounds gimmicky until you taste what that does to a ribeye.

Bear Flag: The freshest poke you will ever eat. There are a few locations to chose from.

Din Tai Fung: Okay, this is a Taiwanese chain, but their dumplings are made fresh, and you can watch them make them in the kitchen. They are so good.

Dori Deli: If you come to OC and don't have a breakfast burrito, did you even come at all?

Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens: A lovely farm-to-table restaurant in a nursery.

Fuji Yama: My favorite hole-in-the-wall sushi.

Javier's: The fancy Mexican restaurant that has a reputation that precedes it. I always get the mole.

Knife Pleat: This Michelin-starred spot is tucked inside South Coast Plaza mall.

Lavetina's: I prefer to grab a pizza, walk to the beach, and eat it on the sand.

Mama D's: For old-school, casual Italian that makes you feel like you're part of the neighborhood.

Marche Moderne: The French bistro that makes you feel like you've stumbled into Paris without the jet lag. Get the onion soup and just try not to lick the bowl—I dare you.

Nobu: Great drinks, views, and world-class sushi.