City of Angels

Dave and I love to travel and explore, and we love our kids.  As of yet, we had not combined the two.  We had taken multiple trips to Texas and Chicago and Nebraska to see family, and one big trip to Disney with the boys (Sydney stayed with Grammy).  However, we wanted to get a big full family trip in before Sydney turned 2 (free airfare obviously).  We talked through a ton of locations, and landed on Los Angeles.  Specifically West Hollywood.  Maybe not always considered in the scheme of family vacation location spots with little kids, but we love California and it gave us the added bonus of seeing Joe and Hannah!  

We worked out timing with them, booked an Air BnB within walking distance (after Aunt Hannie checked it out of course) and we were ready to go!

The spring of 2019 was a rough one on us, and we were so looking forward to some time away.  However, the night before we were supposed to fly out, our flight on Southwest got cancelled.  Come to find out later, there was a hail storm in Denver that took several planes out of commission which was why our flight was no longer happening.  Dave spent several hours on the phone with Southwest exploring all the options to rebook us out of Indianapolis, none of which got us there earlier than Friday afternoon (almost 2 full days after we were supposed to get there!).  So, in a minor act of desperation, we took the last 4 seats on a full flight out of Midway to LA that left at 5 a.m. the next morning.  Then we came upstairs from the basement, fed the kids dinner, put them to bed, went to the airport to get a rental car, finished packing, packed the car, went to bed, got everyone up at midnight, and drove in a packed tiny SUV to Chicago.  We got to Midway in the middle of the night, dropped off the keys to the rental car and dragged 3 kids, 3 car seats, a pack and play, 5 suitcases, 5 carry on bags and a diaper bag to the bus stop that would take us to the terminal.  

Obviously, at 3 am, we were the only ones on the bus, and it was a good thing, because we literally filled the whole back of the bus with our things.  The sweet driver helped us unload at the terminal and sent us on our way.  We had to wait until 3:30 for the terminal to open, checked all our bags, headed through security and found our gate. 

We pieced together a breakfast from the convenience stores and stumbled onto the plane.  All things considered, the kids did really great.  Syd feel asleep on me on the plane across the aisle from Dave and the boys.  The flight there was relatively uneventful, thankfully, after our journey to get on the plane.  We had rented a van that Dave went to get once we landed and we headed to our rental!  

Another minor hiccup - the house wasn't ready, since we had ended up arriving earlier than planned, and there were still other guests there!  So, luckily Hannah's schedule was open and we were able to drive over there and hang out with her until the house was ready!  We swam at their apartment pool, introduced the boys to NBA2K and then checked into our house.  We had a huge, delicious Italian dinner at Marco's right up the street.  The kids LOVED being able to walk to eat, to Joe and Hannah's, the grocery, frozen yogurt etc.  It was so great.  Also, a side note, only in LA, we saw a man in a wheel chair get hit by a car, proceed to get out of the chair, yell at the car, and move on his way.  Slight culture shock :)

The next day was relaxed as well!  We walked over to Joe and Hannah's swam, did some laundry and some grocery shopping and enjoyed our time together.  We were so appreciative of Joe and Hannah and how much time they made for us while we were there!  They came over that night and we had some wine and caught up!  Selfishly, we loved time with just them, in their place, so wonderful!

Friday we met Hannah for breakfast by their house at Joey's, so good.  She took us on an amazing, not crowded hike up to the Hollywood sign.  We had a blast exploring and the boys really really loved running up the trails and adventuring :)  We met our friends Mayra and CJ for a delish dinner in Studio City that night with Hannah as well.  We had an amazing time catching up and trying to stop our boys from burning the place down.

Saturday Uncle Joe and Aunt Hannah rented a jeep for our adventure to Malibu and Point Dume!  Side note, the boys are OBSESSED with jeeps and always talk about how they are going to have one when they can drive.  It was SO sweet of them to rent one!  They rode up the 1 with no doors and the top down.  Hannah and Syd and I drove in the van :)  It was Sydney's first trip to the beach!!  The boys had been in Galveston, Tx, but we all had the best time even in the chilly weather exploring and enjoying the shore!  We had lunch at Paradise Cove Cafe, right on the beach - like, sand under our table beach.  It was so great.  We headed back to LA and hung out that night with Joe and Hannah again - so much good quality time!

On Sunday, we went to our beloved Marco's for breakfast and bottomless Mimosas, another benefit to the house being 1 block from Santa Monica Blvd!  Later that day we headed to Griffith Observatory to explore, see LA from above and hike!  That night Joe and Hannah so sweetly offered to baby sit so Dave and I had a dinner date at Laurel Hardware, just down the street.  It was beautiful and delish, and such a great time just the two of us.  Then we met Mayra and CJ for drinks across the street at a super fun bar!  Loved all that we could see and do within walking distance!

That Monday, we threw the kids a bone and after our daily morning trip for coffee, we headed to a putt putt and arcade place just outside the city.  We had a blast playing a round and the kids loved the arcade games, both things we don't normally do!  Then we headed to Joe and Hannah's for laundry, pool and chill time.  That night we had vegan Indian delivery and more wine at our rental house!

Tuesday after rush hour we headed up to Santa Monica Pier and beach, the kids LOVED that it was the end of Route 66 and had a great time playing in the waves and walking the pier and shops.  We honestly were so impressed with their flexibility, sense of adventure and willingness to try new things!  We headed back later in the day and drove through Hollywood Boulevard, had In and Out burger, and then spent the evening with Joe and Hannah.  This was our last night with them as they headed out to a wedding on the east coast the next day.

We spent our last day relaxing and swimming, and then headed to Burbank for dinner at Mayra and CJ's with our other friends Marcus and Julie who were in town for a wedding.  It was honestly a magical night.  Mayra and Cj's home is beautiful and their yard had a chicken coop, lemon trees, a hammock and twinkle lights galore.  Mayra made an unbelievable Mexican dinner and there was plenty of wine and champagne.  It was a night I will not soon forget!  The kids had a blast with Amelia, Liam and Harper and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves catching up!

The next day we packed everything up, headed to In and Out Burger and headed home!  The flight home was a little crazy - LAX had lost power to two terminals the night before so it was way overcrowded and hopping with media and police etc.  Luckily our flight left on time and we made it home!

It was an amazing, eye opening, humbling, encouraging and lovely first big family vacation!  We were so proud of the kids adapting, adventuring and really rocking the traveling process.  We LOVED all the alone time with Joe and Hannah, new experiences, time with old friends, and gorgeous sites.  On to the next!