Once You Go Cali, You Don’t Go Back

If you are like us, you have lived coast-to-coast, north-to-south, side-to-side, and everywhere in between. So why have we landed here, in Santa Monica? There are arguments to be made for anywhere, but to us, we see an oasis here, in this state of nearly 40 million people, due to its unique desert-like climate, with an ocean breeze on its shoulder.

Los Angeles is rare geographically, in that you can actually ski and surf in the same day — not that we ever have, but we like having the option. My grandfather always used to say, “the rest of the country is just conditioned to suffer.” I think there might be something to that, which is why we, like so many others, have chosen The City of Angels as our home base for not only our lives but our business as well.

It’s a brisk 79 degrees on a lovely November afternoon, so we decided to take a stroll down to the Santa Monica Beach and enjoy our never-ending summer. Afterwards, we walked up to Ocean Avenue and grabbed a seat at one of the local seafood cafes to enjoy a dozen delicious fresh oysters and a perfectly chilled bottle of sauvignon blanc. I think we might stay here a while.

Key Takeaways

• Santa Monica’s combination of desert-like dryness and ocean air creates a climate that feels like a permanent summer — a genuine quality-of-life argument, not just a marketing line.
• Los Angeles is geographically rare: you can ski in the mountains and surf at the beach on the same day, which is a real reflection of the region’s unusual terrain and microclimates.
• The decision to base a life and a business in California was deliberate — climate, geography, and lifestyle all factored in.
• The Santa Monica Beach-to-Ocean-Avenue walk — beach stroll, then seafood and a chilled white wine — is a repeatable ritual worth building into any visit.
• Oysters and sauvignon blanc are a classic pairing for a reason: the wine’s crisp acidity and citrus notes cut through the briny richness of the shellfish.

Why Santa Monica Specifically

People ask why Santa Monica and not, say, San Diego, or Santa Barbara, or any of the dozens of other coastal towns up and down the state. The honest answer is that Santa Monica sits at a particular intersection of things that are hard to find all in one place.

• The climate. The desert-like dryness inland meets the marine layer rolling off the Pacific. The result is warm, sun-drenched afternoons without the oppressive humidity you’d find on the East Coast or the Gulf.
• The walkability. You can park once and spend an entire day on foot — beach, pier, promenade, restaurants, bars.
• The proximity. Downtown Los Angeles, the mountains, and the airport are all within reasonable reach. You’re not isolated; you’re just insulated.
• The culture. It’s a beach town with a real food-and-drink scene, which matters enormously if you’re in the business of craft spirits and cocktails.

That last point is not incidental. A brand lives or dies by the community around it — the bartenders, the home enthusiasts, the people who care about what’s in the glass. Santa Monica has that community in abundance.

The Geography That Makes It Rare

There’s a reason people repeat the “ski and surf in the same day” line. It sounds like a boast, but it’s a straightforward description of the terrain. Within a couple of hours’ drive you can go from sea level at the beach to snow at elevation in the San Gabriel or San Bernardino mountains.

That range of microclimates does something to a place. It draws a certain kind of person — someone who wants options, who doesn’t want to be locked into a single season or a single way of living. That temperament tends to overlap heavily with the kind of person who gets curious about what they’re drinking. The same instinct that makes you want to drive to the mountains on a whim is the instinct that makes you want to infuse your own vodka rather than buy whatever’s on the bottom shelf.

My grandfather’s line about the rest of the country being “conditioned to suffer” was half a joke and half an observation. He meant that most places ask you to endure something — brutal winters, swampy summers, months of gray. California, at its best, doesn’t ask that of you. Whether that’s worth the trade-offs is a personal calculation, but it’s a real one.

A November Afternoon, In Detail

It’s a brisk 79 degrees on a lovely November afternoon. That sentence alone explains a lot. In most of the country, November means coats, early darkness, and the first real bite of winter. Here, it means a stroll.

So we walked down to the Santa Monica Beach and enjoyed our never-ending summer. The beach in November is a different experience than the beach in July — fewer crowds, longer shadows, a softer light. It’s arguably better. The water is cold, but the sand is warm, and the whole stretch feels like it belongs to you.

Afterwards, we walked up to Ocean Avenue and grabbed a seat at one of the local seafood cafes. Ocean Avenue runs along the bluff above the beach, lined with restaurants that face the water. You sit, you order, and the Pacific does the rest of the work.

The order that day: a dozen delicious fresh oysters and a perfectly chilled bottle of sauvignon blanc.

Why Oysters and Sauvignon Blanc Work

This pairing isn’t random, and it’s worth understanding if you care about how drinks and food interact — which, if you’re reading this, you probably do.

• Oysters are briny, rich, and slightly sweet. They carry a mineral, oceanic quality that can overwhelm a heavy or oaky wine.
• Sauvignon blanc is crisp, high in acidity, and often shows citrus and green notes. That acidity acts like a squeeze of lemon — it lifts the richness and resets your palate between bites.
• Chilling matters. A white served too warm turns flabby and loses the tension that makes the pairing work. “Perfectly chilled” is not a throwaway phrase.

The same logic applies to spirits. A clean, well-made vodka — especially one that’s been infused with something bright like citrus or herb — plays the same role as that sauvignon blanc. It cuts, it lifts, it refreshes. This is why infused vodka works so well alongside seafood, and why a citrus-forward infusion can stand in for wine at the table if you’re so inclined.

What This Has to Do With What We Make

We didn’t choose Santa Monica as a home base by accident, and we didn’t choose it only for the weather. We chose it because the way of life here — unhurried, sensory, a little hedonistic in the best sense — is the same way of life that makes someone care about a well-made drink.

Craft infusion is a slow process. You don’t rush flavor out of real ingredients. You let citrus peel, herbs, fruit, or spice sit in spirit until the character develops, then you taste, adjust, and wait some more. That’s not a California invention, but it’s a California temperament. It fits here.

When you sit on Ocean Avenue with oysters and a cold glass of wine, you’re doing the same thing we’re doing in the infusion jar: letting good ingredients be good, without forcing them.

Building Your Own Version of This Afternoon

You don’t need to live in Santa Monica to recreate the spirit of that November day. You need three things: something fresh from the sea, something cold and crisp to drink, and the willingness to sit still for an hour.

If you want to swap the wine for something you made yourself, here’s a simple approach:

• Infuse a clean vodka with citrus peel — lemon, grapefruit, or a mix. Keep the pith off; it turns bitter.
• Let it sit a few days, tasting daily. Pull it when the flavor is bright and forward, not when it’s overwhelming.
• Chill it hard. Serve it neat, ice-cold, alongside oysters or any simply prepared seafood.
• Add a squeeze of fresh citrus at the table if you want more lift.

That’s it. No complicated technique, no special equipment. The point is the pairing and the pace, not the production.

The Case for Staying a While

“I think we might stay here a while.” That line was written lightly, but it’s the whole thesis. The article you’re reading is nominally about a place, but it’s really about a decision — the decision to stop treating where you live as a compromise and start treating it as a choice you’d make again.

Most people inherit their geography. They live where they grew up, or where a job took them, or where it was affordable. Choosing a place on purpose — for its light, its air, its food, its pace — is a different kind of act. It’s the same act as choosing to make your own infused vodka instead of buying whatever’s convenient. Both are small declarations that the details matter.

So: if you’ve lived coast-to-coast, north-to-south, side-to-side, and everywhere in between, and you’ve landed somewhere that feels like an oasis, stay. Have the oysters. Chill the wine. Take the walk.

And if you’re ever in Santa Monica on a warm November afternoon, walk down to the beach, then up to Ocean Avenue, and order exactly what we ordered. You’ll understand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Santa Monica’s climate different from other coastal California towns?

Santa Monica sits where the dry, desert-like air of inland Southern California meets the cool marine layer off the Pacific. That combination produces warm, sunny afternoons without heavy humidity, and it keeps temperatures relatively moderate year-round. It’s the reason a November day can feel like the middle of summer.

Is it really possible to ski and surf in the same day in Los Angeles?

Yes, in principle. The mountains to the east of the city get snow in winter, and the beaches along the coast are surfable year-round. The drive between them is manageable, which is why the claim is repeated so often. Whether anyone actually does both in one day is another matter — the point is that the option exists.

Why do oysters pair so well with sauvignon blanc?

Oysters are briny, rich, and slightly sweet, and they can easily overwhelm a heavy wine. Sauvignon blanc brings high acidity and citrus-and-green notes that cut through that richness and cleanse the palate between bites. Serving it well-chilled keeps that crispness intact.

Can I pair infused vodka with oysters instead of wine?

Absolutely. A clean vodka infused with citrus peel or fresh herbs plays a similar role to a crisp white wine — it’s bright, refreshing, and palate-cleansing. Serve it ice-cold and neat, or over a single large cube, alongside simply prepared seafood.

What’s the best way to infuse vodka with citrus at home?

Use a clean, neutral vodka and add strips of citrus peel with the white pith removed, since pith turns bitter. Let it steep for a few days in a sealed jar, tasting daily, and strain it out once the flavor is bright and forward. Keep the finished infusion in the refrigerator.

Do I need to live in California to enjoy this kind of lifestyle?

No. The specific climate and geography are unique to Southern California, but the underlying habits — seeking out fresh local seafood, drinking something crisp and well-made, and slowing down long enough to enjoy it — travel anywhere. The place matters, but the pace matters more.