Los Angeles with Kids: Our Recent Adventure

We returned from our Spring Break trip last Friday, so I wanted to share a little bit about visiting Los Angeles with kids. At the start of the week, it seemed fine to be out and traveling even with coronavirus going on. I was reading information about the relatively low risk to younger, healthier people and about the power of hand washing. By the end of the week, it felt like, “What were we thinking?” By that point, I was seeing more about the need for all of us to practice “social distancing” and the need to “flatten the curve.” It felt downright morally irresponsible. Oy! Needless to say, as soon as we got home, we hunkered down in our house and have stopped nearly all in-person contact with the outside world.

California seems to be our go-to spot for many school vacations, both in the Spring and Fall. It’s partly because we love California and partly because I’m drawn toward warm weather. It’s not so easy to find it in the United States in March and October! We recently returned from a long weekend in San Diego, but we have also traveled to Stinson Beach, San Francisco, Los Angeles when the kids were younger, and San Diego when they were younger.

Matt and I love going on vacation with our little family. Now that we are down to one, full-time income, it’s much harder to fit in vacations. Luckily, Matt has been brining in more than the minimum amount that we designated in our budget. Because of that, we are able to continue our vacations.

Day One: Los Angeles with Kids

We caught an early flight out of Austin and landed in LA in the morning. Immediately we headed to Melrose Trading Post to browse vintage and handmade goods. We especially enjoyed meeting a jewelry maker who gave Henry a lesson all about emeralds. They have a kids area on Sunday mornings, with crafts and music, so I held Tate and danced to a Taylor Swift cover song. Then it was on to Honeybee Burger for a completely plant-based meal. Next we caught the ferry to Catalina Island. We settled into a 100 year-old beach bungalow and spent the afternoon at the little beach swimming with seals and playing tag. Highlight of the day = lots of holding hands with Tate. After the kids went to bed = ice cream and Netflix! 

Day Two

The boys and I soaked up small-town living by walking to the grocery store to pick up breakfast. (Henry made a strong argument for getting a sugary cereal since it’s vacation). While he ate it, he said, “Mom, I think you’re raising us well. Like the scientists would think it’s good. But it’s not like Mimi.”

I listened to podcasts while I prepared food for a picnic. That was the moment I fully transitioned into vacation mode. I was able to immerse myself in the moment and actually enjoy preparing food for my family (as opposed to considering it a chore).

Then we rented a golf cart and drove through the hills of Catalina Island. We landed at a beach club and stayed for a couple hours. Tate stacked rocks and Henry searched for sea anemone and crabs in a naturally-formed tide pool. I napped and read my book. Then we lounged at a park while we waited for the ferry to take us back to LA. Back on the mainland, we picked up Thai take-out and settled into our AirBnb in the Venice Beach area.

Day Three

We headed to the California ScienCenter for a peek at the Endeavor space shuttle, a documentary about the incredibleness of sea turtles (after 25 years of swimming hundreds of miles, they return back to the exact same beach where they were born so they can lay their eggs), and a Lego art show. Then we went boogie boarding, grabbed some vegan treats, and played Mario Kart in the evening.

Day Four

We hiked to the Cave of Munits and it became clear that we have two types of people in our family: those who are adept at clambering up steep rocks that have small footholds with ease and those of us who are not. It’s an even split. The walk back in the rain was memorable and muddy! Then we picked up tacos and headed to Santa Monica Beach. We ended the night at a restaurant in Venice Beach, ice-cream from Salt & Straw, and the last 15 seconds of the sun slipping below the horizon. The boys dug and dug and I danced and danced in the orange glow. My sound track: Florence and the Machine (Dog Days Are Over), Frightened Rabbits (Swim Until You Can’t See Land), Mountain Goats (This Year), and Phosphorescent (Song for Zula).

Day Five

We rushed to The Getty Museum to 1) beat the rain and 2) beat the crowds. What a spectacular location (even when you don’t beat the rain) and even when your children complain the whole time because they want to get home to buy a new Minecraft world with their bi-weekly allowance. We snaked our way through the museum, trying to stay under the overhangs and suddenly we would pop out and suck in our breath because of the sheer unexpected beauty: right up against a railing overlooking a verdant canyon and a sculpted succulent garden.

Then it was off to tour our friends’ kombucha factory—Better Booch, which was super-interesting (even according to our whiny kids). The best we could muster for lunch was the In & Out drive through (free hot chocolate on rainy days). The rest of the afternoon was TV, video games, and pizza delivery. Oh, and massive online grocery shopping to prepare for Coronavirus social distancing. There was that.

Day Six

We packed up and then headed to the University of Southern California for brunch. Stopping by college campuses is such a fun way to help our children build positive associations with college. We chose the honors college dining hall because it looks a little like Hogwarts! I always call ahead to make sure they are open to the public. They frequently are.

Recommendations for Los Angeles with Kids

1. Catalina Island: Renting a golf cart and driving around the island is so fun! It takes about an hour to ride the ferry from Los Angeles to Catalina Island. Warning: This is not a cheap excursion! The ferry is expensive, and housing tends to be expensive on the island. However, it’s definitely a memorable experience! We saved money by getting picnic food at the local grocery store and finding a free spot on the sand at the Descanso Beach Club.
2. California ScienCenter: The museum itself is free, but it ended up being an expensive trip because we added on the space shuttle (we couldn’t be that close to one without actually seeing it!), the IMAX movie, and a little shuttle simulation. The free parts are fun, too!
3. Cave of Munits: It was super-fun to go on a relatively short hike and end up at a cave. It was definitely steep and scary but a fun adventure nonetheless!

The last time we vacationed in Los Angeles, we had a hot tub and pool. We tried for a similar set-up this time, but the hot tub was broken! Without a hot tub, a pool isn’t much use in March either. It was very disappointing. I can see how fun it would’ve been to retreat to a home hot tub and pool in the late afternoons. Oh well. We had a fun time regardless!