Dan had earned various rewards from a some business trips to Iowa, so we decided to cash them in and put them towards a vacation. We had two ideas in mind: Vegas and LA. We weighed the pros and cons of each trip, calculated the cost and basically tried to figure out which location would give us the most bang for our buck. The result: Los Angeles, California!
On Friday, August 27th we got up super early to catch our flight to LA. We landed at LAX and went straight to Avis to pick up our rental car. I played the "birthday card" and got the guy to upgrade our basic, little car to a red, 2010 Mustang Convertible! We had to pay a little bit extra but not nearly as much as anyone else. It was worth it!
Once we loaded up our car I drove us to Huntington Beach. We were a little disappointed by the chilly overcast, but we still had a good time. We did a little shopping, had lunch, and stopped by the ocean to snap a few pictures.
When we drove to our hotel the sun came out and got a lot warmer. We checked in to our hotel and then drove to the nearest Best Buy that had some miniDV HD tapes. Seriously, back in Illinois and in California we had the hardest time finding them. Finally, Dan managed to call a Best Buy that had some and we went to pick them up.Later that afternoon we walked to Downtown Disney from our hotel. We were curious how long the walk was - since we picked our hotel based on Dan's rewards and it's closeness to Disney. It was about a 15 minute walk. Not bad at all. Good exercise and we didn't have to pay for parking!
That night we went to Red Lobster for dinner. We had gotten some gift cards for our birthdays, so we used them on our trip. I also had a coupon, so needless to say, we ate good! Our waiter was awesome! He knew it was almost my birthday and that Dan had recently celebrated his birthday, so he kept treating us to all sorts of goodies - including an extra pound of crab legs for Dan!
Saturday, August 28th we got up nice and early to make our way to Disneyland! I was so excited to be spending my actual birthday at Disneyland!We get a kick out of their specialty buttons (which are free). So once we got into the park we picked up my birthday button and Dan even got a button to share in the fun!
We spent the morning hitting our favorite rides at Disneyland: Peter Pan, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride... needless to say, we were having a great day! Cast members and even other guests were wishing me a happy birthday! "Hey! Happy Birthday!" "Happy Birthday, Karolyn!" It was like having a big birthday party! I felt so special.
In honor of Dan's recent birthday, I let him choose where we should have lunch. After using his phone to find a few options, he decided to go with Wine Country Trattoria at the Golden Vine Winery in the Disneyland California Park. This the same restaurant that we dined at with Dan's parents back when we celebrated his 21st birthday, in 2008.
I ordered Lasagna Rustica served with house-made bolognese and Dan enjoed a delicious Grilled Chicken Sandwich featuring herbed chicken breast, arugula, provolone and walnut-porcini aioli on toasted ciabatta with a green salad.
During our lunch we were pleasantly surprised when we got to watch a Toy Story parade pass by - Dan's favorite Disney movie!Once lunch was over it was time for more rides and attractions.
That evening, Dan surprised me with dinner at Blue Bayou in Disneyland. Located inside the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, at the Blue Bayou you sit "outside" in perpetual twilight, surrounded by winking fireflies and the soothing sounds of the bayou's crickets and frogs, while boats filled with guests heading into pirate-filled Caribbean waters drift past.For dinner I enjoyed a delicious Filet Mignon broiled to perfection (medium rare) and topped with bearnaise sauce with Blue Bayou potatoes and seasoned vegetables - complete with a thirst-quenching Diet Coke. Dan cheerfully ordered and enjoyed the Bayou Surf & Turf. Sweet petite lobster tail from the Pacific Northwest, paired with an expertly broiled filet mignon (medium rare, of course), bearnaise sauce with Blue Bayou potatoes and seasoned vegetables.
I was surprised with a chocolate mousse dessert from our waiter - complete with birthday candle and birthday wishes. A sweet, delicious way to complete our meal.
After dinner we went on more rides and gazed upon some magical Disney fireworks.
On Sunday, August 29th we met up with Kimmy in Beverly Hills. There we enjoyed a nice lunch at Panini Cafe followed by a walk to the Sprinkles Cupcakes bakery for dessert. I've been selling Sprinkles Cupcake mix at Williams-Sonoma for years, but this was my first time ever visiting an actual Sprinkles Cupcakes bakery. We each ordered a single cupcake and enjoyed it while sitting outside in the warm sunshine.Sprinkles Cupcakes is like Garrett Popcorn in Chicago. People line up for blocks to buy Sprinkles Cupcakes. The line wasn't very long when we got there, but it was out the door - not that the bakery is very big to begin with. Still, it was a fun experience.
Together we cruised and explored Beverly Hills. The weather was perfect for driving around with the top down! We had a blast until it was time for Kimmy to get picked up by her friends at a nearby mall.
After we parted ways with Kimmy, Dan and I went to Hollywood! We went strolling down Hollywood Boulevard and checked out the Hollywood Walk of Fame, found our favorite celebrities' hand prints in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theater and shopped at the Hollywood and Highland Shopping Center.
After hanging out in Hollywood we made our way to the Universal City Walk, located just outside the Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park. There we shopped and enjoyed a nice, casual dinner at Johnny Rockets. We were both craving a simple burger and Johnny Rockets hit the spot!
For dessert we tried out Yogurtland for the first time. There we got to customize everything we wanted in our ice cream and in the end they charged us by how much our dessert weighed. It was fun and very yummy!
We spent the majority of our last day in California at Downtown Disney. It was nice to just spend the day walking around and enjoying the scenery. We also enjoyed one final lunch at Storytellers Cafe.
Leaving is never as fun as going, but when it was time to go home we left knowing that we just shared a very memorable vacation.
So it was "good bye" California! Until next time...
