Tourist in my own town a continuing series…
Looking for things to do over the winter holidays I decided on a visit to Universal Studios Hollywood and more specifically the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We had a wonderful time! However, you might be surprised to hear that none of us were all that excited, and I had to drag the kids. In fact it was only the promise of Butterbeer (which we had in Orlando four years ago) that got Simon excited…
Now I don’t mean to start off negative, but unlike the Orlando location , I remembered the SoCal park as a much smaller place in dire need of an update. The last time we’d visited (10 years ago) the attractions already seemed outdated and irrelevant. The movies they were showcasing… Terminator, Waterworld, Backdraft… were movies from my own youth, which meant nothing to Simon and honestly, you couldn’t have given me free tickets to go back. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case! Enter Minions, Jurassic World, and Harry Potter!
First Stop: Butterbeer!
So, our most recent visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was largely driven by our desire for Butterbeer and as soon as we parked the car we made a beeline right for it! In my humble opinion Butterbeer is the only beverage in the world that might be worth a 3000 mile flight and was absolutely worth a one hour drive! Over the past four years, we’ve tasted many imitations in our attempt to find it, and while some have come close, they just weren’t Butterbeer.
Hard to describe, Butterbeer is a delicious mix of flavors which could be butterscotch, marshmallow, cream soda and even shortbread, but one can’t really know exactly what it is, because the recipe is a secret! The creamy foam on top is my favorite part and cold is the most popular way to drink it, but you can also order it frozen and hot!
Arriving to the park at lunchtime, we decided to enjoy our Butterbeer while waiting in line for a table at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade Village.
The line for the Three Broomsticks moves quickly and just like the other park attractions the ambiance inside the restaurant is perfect and immersive helping to make the wait time go by. The process is seamless from start to finish and once you order your food the friendly staff will find you a table. I wish more theme park restaurants would do this!
We enjoyed our food very much. I had the Sunday Roast, while the boys went safe with fish and chips. We decided to try hot Butterbeer, which I loved, and topped it all off with some Sticky Toffee Pudding! Now that we’d taken care of business it was time to explore Hogsmeade Village and some of the other attractions!
Hogwarts Castle is really impressive! One can almost believe it’s as real as any castle you might see traveling the world.
There are two ride attractions in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and while we all enjoyed The Flight of the Hippogriff, Simon rode Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey on his own. Elliot does meet the height requirement, but as soon as they buckled us into the seat restraints I panicked! Call it a mother’s intuition, but I knew he wasn’t going to like it and I pulled him off the ride just before we entered the tunnel. I’m so glad I did! Simon confirmed my fears and while many people might enjoy the very immersive 5 minute experience, which includes, darkness, Dementors, being shaken this way and that, and a squirt of water in the face, I knew my little guy would have been terrified!
My new theme park rule: If they tell me to lock up my purse and take off my glasses, it’s not the ride for me! That said, even if you don’t plan to ride,wandering through the castle is fabulous and there are many surprises to make you feel as though you’ve stepped inside the real Hogwarts! There is a cozy little room where Harry Potter movies are playing to keep littles and their keepers occupied while waiting for the riders.
Even on a rainy day Hogsmeade was crowded, so we weren’t able to do everything, but we really enjoyed wandering around the village and were able to pop into Honeydukes where we picked up a few treats before we set off to see what else Universal Studios had to offer…
One last stop at the Butterbeer cart before we set off for home, made our day complete!
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In a big city like Los Angeles, there is no a shortage of things to see and do, in fact if anything, deciding which amazing thing to do next is the challenge. I know! It’s a struggle! Lucky for me, I live here, so even though I can’t do it all, I at least have a fighting chance! But what if you don’t live here, how do you narrow down all those great options?
If you’re looking for a few ideas to get you started, look no further! Our recent 8 hour whirlwind tour, which started in Santa Monica and ended with a gorgeous sunset over Museum Row, hit many iconic highlights, and included something for everyone. We had a lot of ground to cover, especially since some of our group had never been to California before, but I think we did a pretty good job!
A great place to grab breakfast and go over the day’s plan, our group met at 
If you’re interested in street art you might like to view the large 
When visiting Los Angeles the world famous Hollywood sign is always a popular sight! If you’re not up to
Another famous Hollywood institution is the 
After all that hiking and walking we’d whipped up an appetite and no trip to Los Angeles would be complete without a trip to 
Our next stop will be of particular interest to any history lovers in your group! Can you believe that at one time the bustling area that is now Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard was once the home of dire wolves, saber-tooth cats, and mammoths? It’s true! Of course that was 50,000 years ago, give or take a few thousand years… The 
Excavation is still taking place and during your visit you’ll see bubbling tar pits, current dig sites, fossils, informational films and interactive exhibits. A few things to keep in mind: There is an entrance fee to the museum, but viewing the outside exhibits is free. You won’t see dinosaurs here, as they’d already been extinct for 65 million years when animals started becoming entrapped in the tar pits.
Conveniently located across the lawn from the Tar Pits, we walked over to our final stop of the day, The 
I could spend hours at Urban lights by artist Chris Burden. The solar powered installation is made from 202 restored cast iron street lamps from 1920s and 30s Los Angeles. This is an incredibly popular place to take photos and hang out, so unless you want to visit in the middle of the night, expect to have other people in your photos.
The boys loved Penetrable by artist Jesús Rafael Soto, an interactive art installation just outside the entrance to the Ahmanson Building. Made of simple yellow tubing hanging from a steel grid, this installation is meant to be touched! The boys spent ages here and I think we need one of these in our yard!
Just as the sun was setting and having had our fill of outdoor art and photos we decided to call it a day. There are so many amazing places to see in LA and I’m doing my best to see them all… I’ve got my work cut out for me, but I think I’m up to the task!
Is this really happening? WTF? What’s going to happen now? These are just a few of the thoughts floating around in my head right now and I know I’m not alone.
A labyrinth of books, the comic section, the first edition vault, (literally, it was inside an actual vault), the artist studios, and a rare book room were just a few of the places we explored during our recent visit to The Last Bookstore.
A self proclaimed voracious reader there was a time when I would have spent hours perusing bookstore shelves in search of the next great read. Often becoming lost between the pages of a book or even the latest gossip rag I would not even realize the hours had melted away. Just one more chapter…
What was I talking about? Oh yes, when I heard about that cool book seller in Downtown Los Angeles that not only sells books but sells them with flair, I just knew I had to go there!
I’ve got a serious case of wanderlust, and I’m pretty sure it’s not going anywhere, so I’d better get going… But where? While it’s not always possible to travel far, if one is so inclined, it is possible to find fun and even a bit of adventure closer to home and it’s a whole lot cheaper too! Lets go!
Our most recent discovery, The Huntington Botanical Gardens, has something for everyone! Museums, a library and acres of beautiful and unique gardens, including a fabulous children’s garden! Entrance tickets are all inclusive, but because the Huntington has so much to offer it would be tough to see everything in one visit, so membership seemed like our best option.
Having recently taken more of an interest in my home garden the Desert Garden was of particular interest to me. Its over 100 years old and with over 2000 species it’s the largest collection of succulents in the world! I loved the vibrant colors of the cactus flowers and we saw a number of creatures scurry about during our visit! Be sure to stay on the path in this garden!
I must confess that we visited the Huntington Children’s Garden once before, 12 years ago when Simon was a toddler. If you have young children this garden is the place for you! It’s a magical spot with plenty to explore and touch and do. Water play, magnetic sand, tunnels, a playhouse and volcano, and so much more! When visiting this garden a change of clothing might not be a bad idea!
Doughnuts are the new cupcakes, which in turn were the new bagel or were they the new frozen yogurt? It’s hard to keep track, because very much like fashion, food fads come and go.
These days with gourmet donut shops popping up on just about every corner it’s getting harder to resist. I’m not usually one to jump on the bandwagon, but, Hey… I’m jumping on! Of course the kids and Tim will need to assist! Care to join us? Keep reading…
This list will be our version of a best of, and as we currently reside in SoCal, many of our donuts will be located here, however as this fad seems to have taken the world by storm, I’ve included a few places worth mentioning from two of my other favorite cities. The more the merrier!
We discovered District 2 years ago and when I’m not in NOLA, I drool over their daily donut creations on Instagram. They’re not beignets, but these guys sure know how to make a donut! Not to mention their sliders and brew (coffee) are pretty great too!
I must admit my first impression of Dks wasn’t the best. It wasn’t super clean, but it was super popular. That says something… doesn’t it? There were many donut choices ranging from strange and unusual (Ube, anyone?) to the classics. We sampled a strawberry crueler, red velvet oreo, peanut butter chocolate, a cronut and a cinnamon twist. The donuts were fresh and we all agreed the peanut butter and chocolate was the best!
Swooping in at the last second to claim the number one spot is Cafe Dulce in Downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo. Though technically not a donut shop, donuts dominated their pastry case and after tasting one I can see why! We shared the strawberry cream though I would have loved to try the Fruity Pebbles donut or the Chocolate Creamy donut…The dough was the lightest, fluffiest dough we’ve had yet and the flavor was delicious. I am thankful this place isn’t near my house, but I’m sure we will find our way back!
There’s a reason Southern California is one of the worlds most popular tourist destinations and there’s no reason we shouldn’t take advantage of it just the way a tourist would! Not only that, I really want my boys to get a sense of their new home and all it has to offer! Pulling up a list of “Things to do in Los Angeles” on Google, Simon’s first choice was the Hollywood Sign! What a great idea! Not only is it one of the most famous icons in Los Angeles and the world, but it would be new for me too making it the perfect place to start!
First things first, you can’t actually get to the sign, not legally anyway, and since I tend to be a “stay on the path” kind of girl and setting good examples for my children is key, we needed to find another way. We consulted the 
