The Urban Darling

San Diego Travel Guide | Restaurants, Boutiques, & More

By Esperanza on May 6, 2025

San Diego, San Diego hotels, San Diego restaurants, San Diego boutiques, San Diego coffee shops, things to do in San Diego, where to eat in San Diego, where to shop in San Diego, travel guide, travel blogger, family travel, family style, family blogger, The Urban Darling.

We had such an amazing time in San Diego during our big trip to California! We spent the most time in San Diego out of all the destinations on our trip. Andrew had always wanted to visit San Diego, and I wanted to explore it more since I only had a day there the last time I visited with my parents. We were able to see and do so much, but there were a lot of things we weren’t able to squeeze in. Hopefully, we will be able to visit this beautiful city again in the future because we both loved it! In this blog post, I am sharing all the restaurants and boutiques we visited as well as the hotel we stayed at, and all the sight seeing we did in “America’s Finest City”.

Our Stay At The Andaz Hotel In San Diego

By Esperanza on May 2, 2025

Andaz San Diego, Andaz, San Diego, downtown San Diego, Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego hotels, hotel review, hotel stay, travel blogger, family travel, family style, hotel style, hotel design, hotel lobby, modern hotel, modern design, family blogger, The Urban Darling.

On the second day of our California trip, we left Palm Springs in the early afternoon and drove down to San Diego! After exploring Little Italy, we drove over to the Andaz in downtown to check in. We relaxed in our room for a little while and then headed up to North Park for dinner at trattoria Cori. Our room was beautiful, and it was the perfect space to unwind after our day of touring the city. The location was amazing because we were only about a 10-20 min drive away from everything we wanted to do. In this blog post, I will be sharing more about our stay at the Andaz!

Palm Springs, California, USA | Travel

A Mini Travel Guide To Palm Springs

By Esperanza on

Palm Springs, Ace Hotel, Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Palm Springs travel guide, travel guide, what to do in Palm Springs, Palm Springs hotel, Palm Springs restaurants, Palm Springs boutiques, family vacation, family trip, Phoenix blogger, family blogger, family travel, family style, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, mommy style, retro style.

On the first day of our California trip, we stayed in Palm Springs. Andrew had never been, which is why I wanted it to be one of our stops. I have always loved retro, mid-century vibes and Palm Springs is known for that, of course! We only had about a day and a half to explore, but we were able to see and do quite a few things that I wanted to share in this blog post. Both Andrew and I agreed we wished we had more time to explore the town, so we will definitely have to plan another trip there sometime! I hope you guys enjoy this blog post.

My Life | Travel Style

My Surprise Beach Picnic Proposal In Malibu

By Esperanza on April 30, 2025

Proposal, surprise proposal, beach proposal, engaged, engagement, engagement photos, engaged couples, El Matador, Malibu, California, family travel, family style, family blogger, beach picnic, The Urban Darling, engagement ring.

We are ENGAGED!! Andrew proposed to me on our second day in Malibu on El Matador beach with a surprise picnic that he planned with my sister. They had been designing the ring & planning the proposal since the beginning of January! We have been talking about getting engaged/married since we started dating, but because Andrew is from Colorado, I thought he would propose on our upcoming trip there, so I wasn’t expecting it. He and Sage “popped” the question together which was so sweet and special! After all the heartbreak I went through in my previous relationship, I’m so lucky to have found this man, and for a “second chance” at love. I can’t wait for the future for our little family!

Joshua Tree, California, USA | Travel

A Mini Travel Guide To Joshua Tree, CA

By Esperanza on April 29, 2025

I have always wanted to check out the town of Joshua Tree after seeing some of the cool local boutiques the town had to offer on social media. When Andrew and I started talking about doing a California trip, I knew I wanted to squeeze Joshua Tree in! The itinerary for our week long trip was going to be super packed, so we only had a day to explore. Even so, we were able to stop by some really cute boutiques, and see some fun sights. I’m sharing all of these spots in this mini Joshua Tree travel guide!

Baby | Baby Style

Sage Wylder’s Eleven & Twelve Month Baby Update

By Esperanza on April 25, 2025

Baby, baby update, baby boy, baby must haves, mommy must haves, first baby, new mom, first time mom, baby style, neutral style, neutral baby style, baby milestones, baby photography, boho style, sustainable style, neutral nursery, desert style, desert vibes, lifestyle blogger, fashion photography, lifestyle photography, The Urban Darling.

This post is long overdue as Sage is now almost 15 months old! The past several months have been so busy with family travel, work, and life with a baby in general. This post has been on my to-do list for so long, and I decided that today was the day I would finally sit down and write it. The monthly photo updates were such a challenge, for a few reasons! The first reason was the dark lighting during the winter months and the second reason was this little wiggle worm who refused to lie still for these photos anymore! I would always shoot these on the bed, but at this point he was such a big boy that it was hard to get all of him in the frame. I had to recruit Andrew to help me get these shots from eight months on to keep him entertained while I snapped away. It was tricky, but I am so glad we did it, and have these photos to look back on!

Palm Springs, California, USA | Travel

Staying At The Ace Hotel & Swim Club In Palm Springs

By Esperanza on

Palm Springs, Ace Hotel, Ace Hotel & Swim Club, hotel review, hotel stay, Palm Springs hotel, hotel vacation, family vacation, family trip, Phoenix blogger, family blogger, family travel, family style, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, mommy style, retro style.

Palm Springs was one of the stops on our big California trip. Andrew had never been, which is why I wanted it to be one of our stops, and I had been years ago with my family. I have always loved retro, mid-century vibes and Palm Springs is known for that, of course! During our time there, we stayed at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club, a hotel I have always wanted to go to. This hotel definitely had that retro feel to it! With two restaurants, a pool, and that iconic Palm Springs scenery, it was the perfect hotel. I will be highlighting more of our experience staying at the Ace Hotel in this blog post.

Joshua Tree, California, USA | Travel Style

Family Travel Style In Joshua Tree National Park

By Esperanza on April 24, 2025

Joshua Tree National Park, Joshua Tree, family travel, family style, family trip, family vacation, travel style, California, California style, national parks, family blogger, travel blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, dad style, men's style, mom style, women's style, boho style, The Urban Darling.

We just got back from our first big trip as a family to California about a week ago. Our first stop was Joshua Tree! I wanted to explore the town a little more, and I also wanted to take Andrew to Joshua Tree National Park. I had already been there before several years ago with my family, and thought it was so beautiful. We were on a really tight schedule, but we had just enough time to drive through Joshua Tree National Park and stop at a few spots!

Phoenix, Arizona, USA | Travel Style

Staycation At The JW Marriott Desert Ridge In Scottsdale

By Esperanza on April 8, 2025

Scottsdale, Desert Ridge, JW Marriot, JW Marriot Desert Ridge, hotel review, hotel stay, hotel vacation, staycation, hotel staycation, Phoenix blogger, family blogger, family travel, family style, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, mommy style, retro style.

This past weekend, Andrew, Sage, and I did a “staycation” at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Scottsdale. It was a much-needed getaway for our little family with lots of fun activities in a beautiful desert setting! This was our first staycation together, and I have to say, it’s a super convenient way of “getting away”. We may have to do another in the future, maybe in the summer here in the Phoenix area, to take advantage of the pool! I’ll be sharing more about the hotel, its amenities, and what we did during our quick stay.

Family Style | Travel

Our Family Trip To Payson In Northern Arizona

By Esperanza on April 4, 2025

Northern Arizona, Arizona, family style, travel style, baby style, family trip, family travel, baby style, baby boy, Payson, winter style, outdoor style, hiking style, family blogger, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, men's style, women's style, first time mom, new mom, young family, family, Phoenix blogger, The Urban Darling.

My parent’s invited us to come with them to Payson in northern Arizona for a hiking trip! The cooler weather was super nice for a few days, and I’m glad we were able to do a few more hikes before it’s too hot here in the Phoenix area. One of the hikes we went on was a total of 8 miles with Andrew carrying Sage in our Ergobaby the whole time! We were both very tired after this trip and needed several days to recover when we got back home. My favorite part of the trip was the epic view from the rim where we shot these photos of our little family! It was nice spending some family time on this quick getaway.