TikTok Travel Video Itinerary Outline by Ruth Paget

TikTok Video Travel Itinerary Outline (Suggested) for California’s Central Coast by Ruth Paget

I have been watching TikTok travel videos for my region and like TikTok’s that have an itinerary like the following for Central Coast California tourism:

Recharge Overnight Stay in Monterey or Carmel for example:

-hotel description

-dinner out

-breakfast out

-coffee for walk through town or coastal drive with hike with some wildflower and tree identification and description

-lunch

-outing with 1 or more of the following

-art or craft making activity (new form of tourism here)

-writing workshop shots

-farmers’ market

- museum visit - history museums have an anthropological bent often with exhibits about Native Americans and settlers from other places

-agritourism such as visiting artichoke farms, orchards, oyster farms, organic farming operations, and so on

-cooking class (done in Europe but US could do this too) - chicken noodle soup, dinner rolls for homemade sliders, pork chops with homemade applesauce, sheet pan baked vegetables, scalloped potatoes and mashed potatoes, and roast beef with vegetables are some good American dishes to start with.

-wine tasting

-art gallery visit

-shopping for books, kitchen items, regional food souvenirs

-decaffeinated coffee or agua fresca for drive home with sunset

I like videos like these for giving me travel ideas.

Thanks TikTok filmmakers!

Note: This is a nice outline for print travel stories too.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Great Egrets Wading by the Coast in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

Great Egrets Wading by the Coast in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget 

On the last three outings I have made to Pebble Beach, California during April and May 2026, my husband Laurent and I have seen Great Egrets wading in tide pools by the coast and flying low and strong around the golf courses at Pebble Beach. 

Great Egrets are part of the heron family. They have orange, long, dagger-like beaks for spearing fish, frogs, rabbits, and other small shoreline animals for food. 

Their economic value comes from eating rodents like rats and mice in oceanfront, high-property value areas and from their eco-tourism sightseeing interest. Bird watchers are tourists who might come to Pebble Beach just to see them. 

Great Egrets have long necks that they crunch up into S-curves. The neck and body of a Great Egret is white while their long legs are black. 

Great Egrets can be seen in larger numbers a little farther north of Pebble Beach in Moss Landing by Elkhorn Slough. They can also be seen wading in the Salinas River along Highway 68 when the Salinas River is low. 

Great Egrets are found on all continents except Antarctica. They were an endangered species at one time, but conservation efforts early in the 20th century restored populations. 

More information about Great Egrets, photos, and bird calls follows:

https://www.sacramentoaudubon.org/kids-corner/meet-the-great-egret

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Mediterranean Pork Chops Recipe by Ruth Paget

Mediterranean Pork Chops Recipe by Ruth Paget

I just made Omaha Steak pork chops for lunch winging it in the kitchen, but I am pretty sure the following measures would work:

Ingredients:

-2 Omaha Steak pork chops, thawed in the refrigerator

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-5 sprigs rosemary, snipped 

-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

-1/4 cup water

-Kirkland salt and pepper, to taste

Steps:

1-Heat olive oil in frying pan and add pork chops. Cook on high heat 5 minutes per side.

2-After ten minutes, add balsamic vinegar to color pork chops.

3-Add water and snipped rosemary to the pan and turn pork chops to darken the pork chops.  Use a wooden scraper to deglaze the pan.  Let pork chops cook another 5 minutes.

4-Run the pork chops through the microwave to thoroughly cook and to help carsmelize the balsamic sauce on the pork chops.

Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Bon Appetite!

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Costco’s Quiche Lorraine is a Deep-Dish Quiche! By Ruth Paget

I made Costco’s Quiche Lorraine for lunch today and really liked it -

The quiche was about 3 inches thick and almost reminded me of deep-dish pizza.

There was enough quiche for 8 portions.  Leftovers went into Pyrex containers to be eaten for lunch tomorrow.

Some of my favorite ingredients are in quiche - eggs, cheese, cream, and savory ham.  

We drank a De Tierra Coco red wine from Salinas’s local winery tucked away in Corral de Tierra made famous by John Steinbeck’s novel The Pastures of Heaven.  

If you like quiche, Costco’s deli quiche is a pretty good deal especially on busy event weekends.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Hot Pot Trending on Tik Tok and my Cookbook Recommendation by Ruth Paget

I saw that H Mart’s Chinese Hot Pot Kit has people lining up at stores almost like a video games or manga release.

My blog about Jeff Mao’s Hot Pot Cookbook might provide some interesting recipes for first-time purchasers:

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2023/04/chinese-hot-pot-meals-by-ruth-paget.html?m=1

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Kalanchoe Flowering Plants from Madagascar at Lowe's Nursery in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Kalanchoe Flowering Plants from Madagascar at Lowe’s Nurserty in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

On a trip out to Lowe’s Nursery in Salinas, California by Northridge Mall, I saw that Lowe’s was selling the perkiest, blooming plant called a kalanchoe whose origins are in the island of Madagascar off the eastern coast of Africa. 

The flowering blooms in this plant at Lowe’s were a tight cluster of pink in a naturally forming bouquet surrounded by a ring of green leaves at the bottom of the plant. 

The kalanchoa would look great by a specials board in a coffee shop, diner, or bistro. Hotels might like to place this plant on a counter with brochures about area shops (shopper guides noting store specialties), restaurants, spa services, and tourism sites. 

The kalanchoa plants require little water and are pretty safe to place next to promotional materials. More information about the kalanchoa plant follows below: 

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/kalanchoe/#:~:text=Factsheet%20%7C%20HGIC%201563%20%7C%20Published:,houseplant%20fertilizer%20once%20a%20month.

As of today, kalanchoa flowering plants sell for $12.99. Information about this plant and others for sale at Lowe’s Nursery follows:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Multicolor-Kalanchoe-in-1-4-Quart-Pot/3628346?store=3095&cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-lwn-_-ggl-_-CRP_SHP_LIA_LWN_Online_Mid_Priority(E+Band)_Omni-_-3628346-_-local-_-22862735652-_-&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22862735652&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W8u5cdqRslx8uc91NE-qkPGX

Lowe’s by Northridge Mall in Salinas, California has a large nursery next to its hardware store with competitive prices and a large parking lot. It is located off Highway 101 by North Main Street. 

For San Jose and Bay Area visitors, a plant, herb, or even a tree or two make great souvenirs of a trip to Salinas and Monterey County. 

A place like Lowe’s Nursery is important if you want your town to be like a French “ville fleurie” – a town decorated with flowers. Information about France’s Villes Fleuries program follows:

https://www.travelfranceonline.com/villes-et-villages-fleuris-basic-facts/

Happy Nursery Strolling! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

May 1 in Salinas, California - Spring Carnival is Here posted by Ruth Paget

For more information about the Spring Carnival in Salinas, California today through May 10, 2026, check out my blog below:

https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/04/spring-carnival-may-1-to-may-10-2026-at.html?m=1

A carnival in town always reminds me of California writer Ray Bradbury’s dark fantasy novel entitled Something Evil This Way Comes. 

Maybe there is a movie idea here too.

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games