1st Summer 2018 vacation - California

Our first summer vacation started a little early this year as we headed to the West Coast!  Los Angeles CA here we come!  We were going to take the kids to Atlantis but Cash seemed a lot more interested in going to LA.  I think he thought he was going to run into all of the YouTubers he watches.  As I started to make plans for the trip I tried to think of the things we wanted to see and do so we would really maximize the time we had.

Before our trip E and I got our nails polished....she chose gold for her color because its "ultra rare"!

Ride to the airport:
We decided to use Lyft to take us to the airport.  We couldn't choose a larger car so we (to include luggage) squeezed into a small 4 door sedan.  We were cozy but excited to start our vacation!

Emma held on to me pretty tight on the way to the airport.  As excited as she is to go new places she definitely stays close in unfamiliar territory.

Our flight:
We flew Southwest on a direct flight.  The times were great coming and going.  Emma was ready to go...Frozen earphones, Minnie backpack filled with activities, toys and snacks!

We selected early bird check in so that we got a better boarding position.  I wanted to make sure that the kids sat with me so we wouldn't disturb anyone if we had to use the restroom etc.  Ben sat in the aisle seat next to us so we were all still close together.

Taking off!  Cash's favorite part!

I did give both kids dramamine before the flight as they get motion sick just like me. Cash doesn't get it as bad when flying as he does in a car but better safe than sorry.  I can't really say if that is what knocked Emma out because being in a car can make her go to sleep.  Its a toss up.  None the less she slept for quite awhile heading to LA.

We arrived/the weather:
The weather in CA is just amazing.  Possibly ranks in the top 5 for our trip as the highs were in the mid 70's.  The air is dry which of course leads to good hair days!  It was sunny the entire time.   It was actually hard to pack but we packed layers as we knew mornings would be chilly, days warmer and evenings chilly.  We arrived at about 1:15pm and it was still pretty chilly outside.  Snapped a pic of E while we waited on the shuttle to take us to Hertz.

Car rental:
We arranged to have a car so we could drive around on our time which allowed us the freedom to explore at our pace.  We chose a mid-size SUV but Ben upgraded us to a Range Rover Sport.  Cash was excited about that.  He definitely has a love for nice cars.  (didn't get a pic of our rental but this is what it looked like...very nice....comfortable....but you needed a guide to figure out all the buttons!)

Our hotel:
I booked our room at the iconic Beverly Hilton.  The hotel is certainly dated even with a renovation to one of the towers.  It was still a nice hotel but they have some work to do with respect to customer service.  We all slept good each night although that may be because we were exhausted by the end of each evening.

 View from our balcony....

In-room shenanigans!

Hotel restaurant....we ate here for breakfast our last morning in LA.  It was a buffet and really good.

Day 1:
We headed straight to Wahlburgers for lunch.  Ben and I had eaten at the one in Vegas but Cash wanted to eat at the one in LA.  They have great food!  On our way there we got to see some great sights....billboards, famous bars....

We were expecting the roads to be a lot busier as they typically are at any given time in LA.  It seemed more people left LA for Memorial Day weekend than came in.  It was nice to see so many lanes to at least try and accomodate the growth/population.

After lunch we checked into the hotel.  That was a little bit of a cluster hence the customer service comment.  None the less it all worked out.

After getting settled we headed to Rodeo Drive via a driver from the hotel.  Ben and I both said that we felt like Rodeo Drive was more impressive at night.  Not sure why it seemed less than it was at night when he and I visited the first time....maybe more nice cars at night...who knows.  We couldn't put a finger on it.  We walked up one way and down the other.  After seeing Rodeo Drive we decided to go back to the hotel and get our car so we could drive around.

So many high rises!

Snapped a picture of the street Roxbury...but look at the Hollywood hills...that is one thing that is so amazing to me....the topography.

Cash wanted to go to the shoe store Flight Club so that is where we headed.  It seemed like it was in a questionable area but the lines outside some of the stores was just insane.  The stores he wanted to go into were Flight Club, Supreme and Bape.  These stores were so over the top expensive it was insane!  Ben and I were shocked at the prices of some of the clothes and tennis shoes.  Flight Club does have a store with pre-owned tennis shoes.  They are shoes that were kept in good condition so they are able to be re-sold.  Ben found two pair of Jordan's.  Cash brought money with him that he had saved up but couldn't find anything.  The prices were just so high.  Some tennis shoes were $12k.  Who would buy tennis shoes for $12k?!?!?!?

We ate chinese food at Xi'an for dinner per the Beverly Wilshires recommendation.  The food was not as good as we anticipated but edible.  After dinner we headed back to the hotel and turned in for the night.

After getting back to the hotel we see this beauty in the drive.   Cars that were turning our head were so common there.

Day 2:
The next morning we went to breakfast at a place that has been around since the 1930's called Du-Pars. They did in fact have the best pancakes, donuts and french toast.  I had the best fried eggs I have ever had at a restaurant.

After breakfast we drove around trying to get close enough to the Hollywood sign.  We could see it from different spots but couldn't figure out how to get close to it.  As we were driving we started following this line of cars up what seemed to be the side of a mountain.  Come to find out we were headed toward the Observatory.  We found that you have to park and hike.  There was no way Emma could have handled the walk.  Truth be told I don't think I could have handled it.  We decided to follow cars back down and were just happy that we saw some beautiful sights and the Observatory at a distance.

This is what I am sure it looked like up close....

I wanted to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre so that is where we headed after our unexpected scenic tour.   We parked and just started walking.  I did find it really cool to see some of the stars.  Emma got her picture taken with Minnie Mouse's star.  We also stopped in to what I thought was Madame Toussand's wax museum.  It was something similar but we quickly realize it wasn't the same quality.   The Chinese Theatre was just amazing!  To see the signatures of some of the greatest actors we have ever had was surreal.  We stopped into a massive Foot Locker.  I did find a few things there.  They had a great women's selection.

Right in the middle of the Walk of Fame is a Scientology center....

The one thing that was more outrageous than anything is the homeless population.  It was shocking to see so many sleeping on the streets, some that hadn't moved the entire time we were there.  We walked down one way and as we came back the homeless man/woman was still in the very same spot...the same sleeping position.  His/her head was covered and we really didn't know if he/she was dead or just sleeping.  Most had signs up asking for money.  The asking for money part wasn't shocking it was what they were asking for.  One sign said "I need money for heroine and hookers".  I had to give an E for effort.  It was sad to see the sheer number of homeless we did.  It was disheartening.

The Grove was on my list of things to see/do so we headed that way after the Walk of Fame.  It was already packed with people but was a very cool outdoor shopping venue.  There was a trolley that went through the shopping center which was awesome along with the three story Nike store and the American Girl store!  The Nike store was our first stop, and then we grabbed some lunch at an Italian restaurant.   After lunch we took Emma to the American Girl store so she could pick out her very own American Girl.  She chose a doll that looks just like her right down to having glasses.  She picked out an extra outfit and earrings.  We even had Layla Jane's (that's her name) hair done.  Emma was one happy little girl!  The next stop was a candy store filled with every candy you could think of.  I helped E get what she wanted and then I waited outside while they checked out.

Before heading back to the hotel to go for a swim we drove by this house having an open house.  We decided to take a peek by way of acting like we were moving to LA.  The house itself was beautiful.  Some areas needed extra attention.  The decor was beautiful and while the house was large/spacious it only had a tandem car garage and backed up to an alley.  There was a pool and even though it had a feel of privacy it was just hard to swallow the price of $3.5 million.  I just snapped a few pics.

When we left The Grove we headed back to the hotel.  We were going to drive to the beach but the kids decided they were just as happy to go to the pool at the hotel.  I think because it was pretty chilly outside the thought of going to the beach didn't seem so enticing.  To say the least the pool wasn't much better.  Even with the pool heated it was cold.  When we got out there all of the spots in the sun were taken so our time spent at the pool was cut short as we were freezing.

It really was like stepping back into the 1950's....a feeling of history everywhere.

After the pool we headed back to the room to get ready for dinner.  I had asked the concierge at the hotel if he could recommend a place for dinner.  He recommended a steak house that Ryan Seacrest is an investor called Boa.  The atmosphere was great and food even better!

Day 3:
The next morning we grabbed a muffin and coffee downstairs and then headed straight for Universal Studios!!!!  This may be the best part of our trip.  When I purchased the tickets online it allowed us to go an hour before the park actually opened and I upgraded the tickets so that we wouldn't have to wait in line for rides etc.  When we got there Ben went ahead and upgraded our tickets to VIP tickets which allowed us to have a tour guide along with 2 other families, unlimited express passes for the rides, breakfast and lunch, a tour of the actual studios where shows/movies are made.  They took us into the prop warehouse which I thought was really amazing!   They would only allow us to take pictures of certain things and not others.  We saw chairs used in the show Ballers which we love.  We went into "Amity" and saw Jaws which I had wanted to see since I was a kid.  I was definitely the most excited on the shuttle during that stop.  We drove down the street where Desperate Housewives was filmed.  We got to see how they flood an old western town.  They took us into a stunt show where we got to see a stuntman being lit on fire and then of course put out.  At least all or a few of us went on every ride.  Emma even went on the Jurassic Park ride with us which so fun!!!!  It was just the most fun for all!  After Universal Studios we were very hungry and headed back to Wahlburgers.  To say the least it was a favorite spot.

New York brown stones...

A western town flooding...

A subway flooding...

No words.....

Wysteria Lane....Desperate Housewives

Psycho...

Plane crash...

Props....

Minions....

We were exhausted to say the least when we got back to the hotel and it didn't take long to go to sleep after our heads hit our pillows.

Day 4:
This was our last day in LA so we made the most of it sense our flight was later in the afternoon.  We got up, got dressed, grabbed breakfast downstairs and then packed up.  I was very glad that we had our own vehicle so were still able to do some things before leaving for the airport.  Traffic was definitely heavier than we had seen it on this day (Tuesday).  Our first stop was the La Brea Tar Pits.  This was truly amazing.  The fossils the Archeologists and Palientologist have pulled from the tar pits is simply amazing.  Between the mastodons and sable tooth tigers to the wolves that evolved over decades it was just incredible.  The wolves would venture into the tar pits when they saw another animal stuck in the pits as they thought that was a meal.  The wolves didn't realize they would also get stuck and meet their demise!  We were able to see an actual dig spot as well as archeologist working findings.  So glad that we fit this in to our morning before we had to leave.

On our way to the La Brea Tar Pits we saw the SAG-AFTRA building!

And...leaving...we saw the CBS studios...

After the tar pits we promised Cash that we would take him back to Flight Club and Supreme.  There was already a line outside of Supreme and for what I still have no idea.  It was insane.  We went back into the used Flight Club store to see if he could find any shoes he liked.  He found a few but none in his size.  He wants a pair of Yeezy's at the tune of $400+.  Really?  Its hard to ask for logical thinking from a kid that has a one track mind.  He did finally come around.

Interesting hello as you enter this store.

Flight Club

I wanted to go to the Getty Center but didn't make it this trip.  That said as we left we at least drove past it.

No idea that See's Candies headquarters was located in LA but here it is...my dad's favorite.

Just a pic of the houses built, literally, into the sides of massive hills.

That ended our trip and we headed to drop off the rental and then on to the airport.  We grabbed lunch at the airport and of course after boarding our flight it was delayed due to a mechanical error they needed to fix before we could take off.  Ben and Cash decided to get off the plane and go to the bathroom/get snacks.  Emma and I stayed on and just relaxed.  It didn't take long to get going...and home we went.

After we got home I went back out to grab some food for us and off to bed we went.  We were all pretty tired and glad to be home.  It was fun and a trip the kids will always remember.  Cash really liked LA and for some reason I can see him living there one day.  Premonition?  Who knows where life will take him but when we left had said he wished we could go to LA for our annual family vacation.  To say the least he had a great time!

The next morning Cash headed back to school for his last few days of 5th grade and lucky him a field trip to the McNay.  Emma and I headed to pick up this cutie!