Orange County, Fashion Island

It’s day three of our Orange County getaway, and we decide it’s time to hit Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

After a leisurely room service breakfast in our mini suite at the Marriott in Costa Mesa, we head out to what we know will be a beautiful day. It can’t be any other way when you’re in Newport Beach.

We lived in Orange County five years ago and I know this will re-ignite the fire in my soul. This area is just so beautiful.

My husband and I arrive and decide to head off in our own directions. My husband is a good man, and knows I’ll be taking photos and, in general, running amok with my camera. We set a time to meet for lunch. Bye, baby!

Fashion Island is an incredible outdoor mall, and I hate to even use the term mall in the same sentence with Fashion Island. It is more than that. It’s a place to enjoy the outdoor beauty and shop if you want. It is situated on the Pacific Coast Highway, right across the highway from the ocean.

People watching is so much better than shopping. I went in and out of a few shops, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s, but only bought a couple of things. The day was too beautiful to be inside.

Dogs are a part of Fashion Island. The majority of people strolling about have their dogs with them in one way or another.

I met back up with my husband for lunch at Rustica, that has been transformed from another restaurant that we used to frequent back in the good old days. The open kitchen of Rustica is a tightly run machine with the chef barking out orders, and all the prep and sous chef focused on the job at hand. Delicious food. Comfortable dining.

We wandered back out to the center of Fashion Island after lunch, and again parted ways.

I was off to take some more photos, and found a great place to sit and relax in one of the many areas provided with rattan chairs under umbrellas with a view of the ocean. It was Memorial Day weekend, and what a great view, and reminder of the day.

My husband and I had a late afternoon drink at the bar in PF Chang, another lovely view of the ocean from our seats at the bar.

Great day with a great dinner later that I will post about next.

I’d like to share just a few more photos of Fashion Island for your enjoyment.

There was a $100 million dollar renovation in 2009 changing the look from Spanish to Italian. The renovation made a beautiful thing even more beautiful.