it's been a whole month since our trip to Los Angeles. what was planned to be a business trip quickly became a random vacation for a family of ten. that's right, ten! my family plus my parents, brother, sister and niece decided to come along for the wild ride too. it was a late night wine sippin' type of decision and the next thing i knew we were all packing our bags for the California coast.
i attended my very first textile show and the girls got to see + feel the Pacific Ocean for the first time. we stayed at a beautiful place tucked away in Hollywood Hills, an Airbnb we called home for a week. it was indeed "our California home" as kendi would say. it was comfortable + cozy and the beds were AMAZING. so comfortable. i still can't get over how well we all slept while being away. it's usually quite the opposite but everyone slept great which was so nice. we decided to stay in the Hollywood Hills area because it was close to the textile show yet not too far from Santa Monica and Venice Beach where we wanted to visit. you can see more homes from the Airbnb we stayed at here.
we started most mornings on the patio sipping coffee and planning our day. we tried our best to schedule around LA's busy traffic hours to avoid any unnecessary long periods of time in the car. we were't always successful in doing so. but the times we weren't, we were blessed with a luxury car from Budget USA to keep us comfortable and happy if minutes turned to hours. which they usually did.
a few favorite places we visited:
- the grove: the grove is a beautiful outdoor shopping center anchored in the heart of the city. it offers amazing places to eat and shop. the atmosphere is lovely too. what i love most about this place is the farmer's market that is part of the center but tucked away like a hidden gem. it's packed with authentic foods and super cute shops. a place you must visit if you should get the chance to do so.
- santa monica pier: is a local and tourist hot spot. it has amazing entertainment, awesome food and features the world's only solar power Ferris wheel. not without mention the beautiful view and sandy beach. it's a wonderful place to visit no matter the time of year.
- Venice beach: while a little less crowded and quiet this time of year, Venice beach is a place you want to be sure to add to your itinerary when in town. it's known as the hangout for the creative and artistic and that is exactly what it delivers. not only is the food enough to draw you in, muscle beach can keep you entertained for hours.
- Disneyland: not sure i need to say much about the magical world that is Disneyland other than, it is indeed magical. a slice of heaven for little ones and enough to do and see for days on end! if you have the time and you're budget allows, it's a fun (and maybe a bit overwhelming... just being honest) place for everyone no matter how big or small!
the highlight of the trip was being with family and seeing old friends. the textile show made it all worth it for my business and the timing of our stay happened to fall on the night of the Oscars. which was pretty neat knowing it was happening just blocks from where we were staying. a pitfall of the trip was the weather. they had a cold snap and it wasn't until the last day when the beautiful california sun
do you do a summer bucket list? we would love to hear what's on it if you do!
we have been planning our summer bucket list already and this year we've decided to block off two weeks for travel to some place within the US. do you have any recommendations of "must do" places to see and visit?
we would love to hear them!
* thank you Hollywood Luxury Rental + Budget USA for making our trip comfortable, convenient and memorable!
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