Reminiscing about Los Angeles.

What does a vacation mean to you? This is always a conversation I engage in with my clients- Do you want a sitting-on-the-beach and just relaxing type of vacation? Are you adventurous and outdoorsy? Or, are you in the mood to immerse yourself in the culture and rhythm of a new city?

I truly love exploring new cities, especially when traveling domestically--there are so many to choose from! After a quick trip to Los Angeles last year for my cousin’s wedding, and after having helped many families plan trips in & around Los Angeles, I knew I had to go back for more.

My girls had a week-long vacation from school so I figured, why not head to LA and see what this huge metropolitan city truly had to offer us? 

LA has amazingly tall (over 80 feet!) palm trees and gorgeous panoramic views to be enjoyed from the mountains, beaches or awesome rooftop bars. Also, different from other big cities, it offers so many canyons and hiking trails to explore. Under Mount Hollywood, you’ll find Griffith Observatory, where you can get a great view of the Hollywood sign and free access to astronomy fun.

My family loves museums and LA has an amazing selection to choose from. The Broad Museum was one of our all time favorites. Just the architecture of the building makes it worth going to visit. I studied art history in college, and I always try to show art to my kids that is positive, not  too dark, and relatable. Jeff Koons’ Large Tulips and Balloon Dog are something every kid can enjoy. Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms is just incredible. This room is a truly immersive experience. “The illusion of infinite space” will leave you in awe.

Then you can move from art history, to  prehistoric times at La Brea Tar Pit & Museum. This is one of those touristy places that exposes your kids to something new and different--they will get to explore their inner archaeologist. Just looking at their website will get you excited to bring your dinosaur lover ASAP! 

LA also has its fair share of studio tours. This is Hollywood- the center of where all movies are made. We loved the Warner Brothers Studio Tour- the set of Friends, and the famous home with the red door from Full House, amongst others--it brought such a sense of nostalgia. It’s so cool to see how the same street on the tour, with a tweak here and there, can be used for so many different cities in the world or time periods. Kids learn how much actually goes into making a good movie and/or tv shows, from the costumes and makeup to the sets and special effects.  

On that same note, it’s also really cool to get to be a part of the audience cast during a live taping for some shows.

When it comes to farmers markets, LA has so many to choose from that are truly unique and amazing in their own way. Also, every town in the LA area has strip malls called country marts. If I had to choose a few that stand out I would say Melrose farmer’s market on Sundays because it has a great selection and is surrounded by the best stores. Next I’d say the Malibu Country Mart because it’s beautiful with nice restaurants and stores right by the mountains and the Brentwood Country Mart which also has nice restaurants and boutique stores, plus it looks like an actual farm!

Walking around Beverly Hills--just window shopping and enjoying the perfect weather was a nice feeling. Beverly Hills is referenced in everything from TV shows (even having a full show about it), songs like Beverly Hills- that's where I want to be," and endless movies. So what is it that makes it so special? I actually think it's everything- Rodeo Drive, the restaurants, cafes, the palm trees, and then the stores- it's a great place to walk around and just be.

Being from Florida, we always go to Disney World, but since we are huge Disney fans, we decided to give Disneyland a shot. We didn’t set our expectations too high as Disney World is so amazing, but wow were we surprised. This Disney was smaller but we loved the attention to detail, like on the It’s a Small World ride, where Disney characters are incorporated into their respective countries. We loved the feeling of California Adventure Park, like Epcot and Hollywood studios combined. The ferris wheel, incredicoaster- Awesome! In the end we left Disneyland, extremely impressed, and excited to come back next time we head to LA, as there clearly will be a next time. 

LA also has a wonderful food scene from delish coffee shops (like my fave, Alfred) to vegan restaurants, and amazing sushi spots--the choices are endless. 

So if you’re a foodie, an art enthusiast, or just looking for a city getaway, LA has it all. I can’t wait to get back to the west coast and especially this beautiful city ASAP!