Working Remotely in Northern California (NorCal)
This is part of my remote work travel series where I review places I visit as a digital nomad. Check out the rest of my posts and follow me on Instagram, YouTube, Substack, or on TikTok for more travel content!
The theme of my life lately has been “how can I do more of what brings me alive?” That’s a question we don’t ask ourselves often enough, and the answer brought me to the beaches in NorCal to spend a lovely week with my partner Kyle as he showed me all of Big Sur and the stunning coastline by Carmel.
What I love about being a freelancer is that I can travel without asking permission. I don’t need to check in with a boss to ask for time off. All I do is arrange my deadlines accordingly, let my clients know when to expect certain deliverables, and hit the road.
So, here’s my list of highlights and curated recommendations if you’re a digital nomad or remote worker headed to NorCal for some sun and surf 😊
Working Remotely in Oakland, CA
For the first few days of the trip, we headed up to see some friends in Oakland. One of my new hobbies in the past few years has been bouldering, and we went to the bouldering gym Pacific Pipes once we arrived. If you have a Touchstone Climbing gym near you, I highly recommend you check it out. I’ve been bouldering twice a week since the beginning of the year and it’s been an awesome hobby and a nice way to get out of your house and meet people. Plus, your membership gets you free yoga and workout classes. I’m always on the hunt for a good workout, and climbing has topped my list so far.
There’s some great food in Oakland, and here are my top picks (curated by Kyle):
The Cheeseboard Collective. Each day, there’s just one pizza type you can order. They have vegan and gluten-free options, but all have the same toppings. You have to wait in line, but it moves fast and it’s worth the wait! All the ingredients taste super fresh, and as a bonus it’s a worker-owned collective so you’re supporting an innovative business model while eating here.
Bakesale Betty. They’re known for their biscuits, but when we went they only had cinnamon rolls — which were to die for. So soft and baked just right. 10/10 would recommend.
We also went to Palace Games (another Kyle pick!), which is a world-famous escape room based out of the Palace of Fine Arts. If you love puzzles or are just looking for a team-building exercise to do with your remote work team or a group of friends, this is the place. There’s a 20% success rate, so get ready to be challenged. (We, of course, escaped!)
If you’re a remote worker or digital nomad visiting Oakland, I’m sorry to report that I can’t really offer you any good coffeeshop suggestions as I fell prey to the siren song of Philz Coffee, my absolute favorite coffee chain at the moment. Their mint mojito coffee concoctions are really something else, so I caved and went there instead of a local chain (but this is sort of a local chain because it started in Oakland, right?)
Anyways, I would recommend picking an Airbnb with a good work set-up because COVID restrictions in the Bay Area are still pretty strict so most places had outdoor-only situations.
Overall, I loved Oakland way more than San Francisco. It’s got that hip neighborhood vibe, and there’s some good hikes and nature nearby. You should definitely pin this place to your remote work wishlist.
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Working Remotely in Monterey, CA and Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
After Oakland, we drove down to Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea, where we stayed at a beach house. I’d never stayed right on the beach like this, and it was a trip to wake up and see this view out our window.
I’ve been working on a lot of NFT and metaverse projects lately as a copywriter, and it was nice to be able to dream up the virtual world while enjoying the wonders of the natural one.
My favorite stops in Carmel and Monterey were:
The Monterey Coffeeshop Captain + Stoker. This was another Kyle pick that has got to be my latest coffeeshop obsession as we went there three days in a row. First, this coffeeshop is perfect for working remotely. Great tables, open-air sliding garage doors that let in so much light and a nice sea breeze, and fantastic food and coffee. It’s a trifecta like I’ve never seen — oh, and they have great merch. While I didn’t spot too many outlets available and you’ll have to share a table or bar area with others, we found it to be the perfect spot to post up, eat a great breakfast, and handle some emails and work before we wandered and explored.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium. This is probably the best aquarium I’ve ever been to, and they’ve got multiple floors of some awesome exhibits. We visited at lunchtime for the sea otters, and watching the trainers give the otters puzzles to get their food was v cute.
The 17 Mile Drive. If you can, do the famous 17-mile drive at sunset. It’s about $10 if memory serves, and it’s a drive down the coast that ends at Carmel. We stopped along the way and watched the sun set, and were joined again by sea otters (wild ones, this time!) who were below us in the surf trying to open some feisty clams.
Eat Baklavas at Paprika Cafe in Monterey. We got some incredible Mediterranean food at Paprika Cafe, but the REAL treat were the baklavas and Turkish coffee. The owner of this place is also the chef, and he’s spent his life perfecting his baklavas — and you can tell.
If you’re a remote worker or digital nomad, Carmel and Monterey offer a great blend of nature, things to do, great walks, and places to do work with a view. I can’t recommend this part of NorCal highly enough!
To finish up our trip, we drove down through Big Sur, which I had never visited before. The winding coastline drive and layers of fog feel like you’ve been transported to another planet, and the mix of forest and sea is dreamy.
Remote Work for All
This trip is one of many that have affirmed my belief that remote work is the way that we can have it all: travel, a full life, and time to move through our day-to-day life more joyously and peacefully while creating new things for the world.
We have some really awesome projects in the works, and I can’t wait to share them with you.
Onwards to the digital future :)
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