California

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After 4 years and 3 months we found ourselves back in California. We left another hazy and smoky Canberra Friday morning and arrived in a clear blue-sky southern California Friday morning. It was quite surreal. Everything looked familiar but felt different at the same time. We had to switch from driving on the left-hand side of the road to the right-hand side. We had to remember that pedestrians have the right of way. We also had to remember to add tax and tip to prices. Driving everywhere and the traffic was still not pleasant.

We didn’t get much sleep on the flights over, so jetlag was challenging the first few days. Although it felt busy at times, I think we managed our itinerary and activities quite well. We skipped our usual big family and friends gathering and opted to see only a few friends and family when we could. This was better energy and stress-wise, although we hope to catch up with more friends next time.

Our trip was mostly focussed on theme parks. We found it to be much easier and more enjoyable with Nicholas and Catherine being older. The best part was letting them go off on rides by themselves. They enjoyed the Disney parks but seemed to like Universal Studios the most. Being fans of Harry Potter and other Universal productions, they appreciated the cinematic themes and learning some behind-the-scenes facts. They both mentioned that it would be cool to be an actor.

Day 1: Friday, January 17
18°C | 64°F
VA633 (ATR 72) depart CBR 08:05, arrive SYD 09:05
VA1 (Boeing 777-300) depart SYD 11:25, arrive LAX 06:05
Hustlers; Parasite*; The Intern; Life in Pieces S1; Deadpool; Godzilla; Ad Astra; Fleabag S2; A Dog’s Journey
Budget car rental (black Toyota Camry) LAX -> Alhambra -> Orange
Judy’s Nails
Sprouts Farmers Market
Best Western Plus Meridian Inn & Suites Anaheim-Orange
CBR VA Lounge*, SYD Emirates Lounge*, Starbucks, Panda Express, Burger King, Yogi’s Teriyaki House*

We drove straight to Alhambra to rest at Mom’s place before driving to our hotel in Orange. Catherine had her nails done at Mom’s local nail salon which she had been requesting for a while. I was struggling to stay awake while waiting. Having to drive that day helped me keep alert. Phil and Nicholas had a gourmet American dining experience while they waited - Burger King - followed by a rest. That night we slept over 12 hours.

Day 2: Saturday, January 18
22°C | 72°F
Nickel! Nickel! 5 cent Games*
Target
Starbucks, Target, Cheryl’s house

Our hotel breakfast was pretty good. The kids made too many waffles the first morning and we enjoyed the fresh plain yogurt. The kids also discovered they liked watching Let’s Make a Deal which was the daily breakfast entertainment on television.

After shopping at Target, we spent a fun couple of hours playing arcade games with nickels before it was time to catch up with family friends in Irvine. We had a lovely reunion catching up and meeting two new members of the family since we last saw them. It was wonderful to see the children getting along and enjoying each other’s company. Nicholas discovered Sriracha that night and enjoyed the spicy flavour. Unfortunately on the way back to the hotel, his stomach reacted otherwise. It was an interesting drive back. Luckily, we had a bag handy.

Day 3: Sunday, January 19
25°C | 77°F
Disney California Adventure
Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, churros, Smokejumpers Grill
19,735 steps

• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
• Radiator Springs Racers (2 hours wait!)
• Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
• Grizzly River Run (no wait but we all got wet – Phil and I were soaked!)
• Soarin’ Over the World*
• Incredicoaster* (Nicholas discovered the thrill of rollercoasters)
• Jessie’s Critter Carousel
• Pixar Pal-A-Round (ferris wheel)
• Toy Story Midway Mania!
• Jumpin’Jellyfish (x3)
• Golden Zephyr (x3)
• World of Color*

I think the last time Phil and I we were at Disney California was when it newly opened and the roller coaster was still called California Screamin’. It’s now the Incredicoaster which Nicholas and I rode. It was a pleasant surprise that Nicholas also enjoyed it. It was cool to use the Disney app to check wait times on rides and to see what fast passes were available.

Day 4: Monday, January 20 (Martin Luther King Jr Day)
17°C | 63°F
Rose Bakery Café* (Corona del Mar), The Outlets at Orange food court: Subway, L.A. Italian Kitchen, Oki Sushi, Cinnabon*
Corona del Mar State Beach
The Outlets at Orange

We met up with Cheryl and family for lunch at Rose Bakery Café. I had a delicious tuna sandwich and all the kids had delicious looking pancakes. We hung out at the beach afterwards. It was a cool and cloudy day. The youngest ones ended up paddling in the water and had to literally be dragged out in the end. In the evening, we went outlet shopping which was conveniently located close to our hotel. The kids still had energy to go swimming at the pool afterwards. The hotel pool was warm and there was a spa which they enjoyed. They also had a nice long pleasant conversation with a couple in the spa.

Day 5: Tuesday, January 21
17°C | 63°F
Disneyland
French Market Restaurant, churros, Alien Pizza Planet
20,483 steps

• Indiana Jones Adventure*
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run*
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad*
• Matterhorn Bobsleds*
• “it’s a small world”
• Gadget’s Go Coaster* (x2 – Catherine discovered small rollercoasters are fun)
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
• Autopia*
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (x2)
• Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
• Hyperspace Mountain

Day 6: Wednesday, January 22
19°C | 66°F
Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, South Carlsbad State Beach
Orange -> Anaheim -> Carlsbad
Homewood Suites by Hilton Carlsbad-North San Diego County
In-n-Out, Häagen-Dazs, Homewood Suites, Costco
Carlsbad Premium Outlets, Costco

After checking out of our hotel, we picked up Mom at the Anaheim train station not too far away. We then drove to Carlsbad where we stayed for the next two nights. We made a quick stop at South Carlsbad State beach to admire the beautiful southern California weather. We also finally had In-n-Out burgers for lunch. Dinner (aka social hour) was provided at the hotel. Nicholas was not keen on the hotel food, so we ended up doing a Costco run where he had pizza and a churro for dinner. We decided that churros in America are so much better than in Australia. The evening ended with the kids having a swim in the cold pool.

Day 7: Thursday, January 23
24°C | 75°F
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Carlsbad -> Escondido -> Carlsbad
Thorntree Terrace, Ichiban Ramen & Sushi, Homewood Suites
11,688 steps

After a satisfying hotel breakfast with more waffles, it was a struggle to get going to the Safari Park. Catherine was especially tired and unhappy, but we eventually got there. Then it was Nicholas’ turn to be unhappy when we arrived. In hindsight, we should have just planned to have a quiet day. But the Safari Park luckily was not crazy busy and it got quiet in the afternoon. After dinner at the hotel, we ended the night playing table tennis.

• Africa Tram*
• Gorilla Forest
• African Plains*
• Lion Camp
• Elephant Valley
• Nairobi Village
• Petting Kraal*
• Sanford Kids Theater* (Catherine enjoyed talking about Roblox to Robert the Zebra)
• Lemur Walk
• Lorikeet Landing

Day 8: Friday, January 24
19°C | 66°F
Carlsbad State Beach (aka Tamarack Beach)
Carlsbad -> Alhambra -> North Hollywood
AirBnB North Hollywood (Beck Ave)
Tommy’s Original Hamburgers (Lake Forest), Kahuna Tiki Sushi Bar* (North Hollywood), Yogurtland (NoHo)
Ralphs

Most of the day was spent on the road. After checking out at 11am we once again, made a beach stop. This time we went to Tamarack Beach (aka Carlsbad State Beach). Even though we didn’t stay very long, I loved seeing the water, watching the waves and appreciating another beautiful southern California day. Our lunch break was at Tommy’s Original Hamburgers where I had a chilli burger which brought me back to childhood. We stopped at Alhambra to pick up our third suitcase and drove to North Hollywood – our base for the rest of the trip.

Day 9: Saturday, January 25
23°C | 73°F
North Hollywood -> Northridge -> North Hollywood
Family gathering at Nick’s house

We had a mini family reunion at the cousin’s house in Northridge. It was lovely to see everyone but also overwhelming at times, especially for Nicholas. Seeing one of my younger cousins (our ring bearer at our wedding) and talking to him as an adult was a trip. It was great catching up. We had too much delicious Filipino food, played basketball and sung karaoke. Catherine got along well with my cousin’s younger kids. We didn’t have to go out for dinner that night as we brought leftovers from lunch back to our place.

Day 10: Sunday, January 26
17°C | 63°F
North Hollywood -> Universal City -> North Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood (California Neighbor Pass)
Three Broomsticks*, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, NoHo Pizza & Grill
12,027 steps

• Studio Tour*
• Despicable Me Minion Mayhem*
• Silly Swirly Fun Ride
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter*
• Flight of the Hippogriff* (x2)
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (x2 – broke down first time at the Dementors)
• Ollivanders* (Catherine was chosen by a wand)
• Special Effects Show
• Kung Fu Panda Adventure

This was a surreal day after hearing the news that Kobe Bryant and his eldest daughter were killed in a helicopter crash. LA was in mourning – memorial signs and headlines everywhere. It was shocking news for everyone and it affected Phil and I quite a bit.

After Universal, we stopped by a pizza joint near our AirBnB and picked up some dinner to go. We had a big meal with family friends back at the house. The kids got along and played games and watched TV while the grown-ups talked. It was great to catch-up with our long-time friends.

Day 11: Monday, January 27
24°C | 75°F
North Hollywood -> Van Nuys -> North Hollywood
North Hollywood -> Los Angeles -> North Hollywood
The Japanese Garden, Hollywood Sign
Los Burritos, NoHo Pizza & Grill leftovers
10,512 steps

We had a quiet day and spent the morning at The Japanese Garden not far from our place. Catherine had been wanting to have Mexican food so we bought lunch from Los Burritos. The tamales and burritos were good. The flavours were very different to what they’re used to, but it was nice to see Catherine and Nicholas try something new. Catherine enjoyed the Mexican rice and Nicholas like the pork burrito best. We walked off our lunch at the Innsdale Drive trail to the Hollywood sign in the late afternoon.

Day 12: Tuesday, January 28
25°C | 77°F
North Hollywood -> Universal City -> North Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood
Studio Café, Starbucks, Three Broomsticks*, Menchie’s, Wasabi, VooDoo Doughnut
17,780 steps

• Revenge of the Mummy*
• Transformers: The Ride (x2)
• Jurrasic World: The Ride (Catherine DID NOT enjoy this one)
• Despicable Me Minion Mayhem*
• The Walking Dead
• The Simpsons Ride
• Studio Tour* (I saw Ted Danson!)
• Animal Actors (Catherine volunteered and got a Fast Pass)
• Waterworld
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
• Flight of the Hippogriff (x3)

On our last night we made last minute plans to catch up with another old friend/ex-colleague whom we haven't seen for many years. Once we decided where to go for dinner, we had a satisfying Japanese meal and lovely catch-up at Wasabi in CityWalk.

Day 13: Wednesday, January 29
22°C | 77°F
North Hollywood -> Los Angeles -> Santa Monica -> LAX
Griffith Park Observatory*, Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica Beach
Water is Life (planetarium show)
Johnny Rockets*, Panda Express, LAX Emirates Lounge, BNE Virgin Lounge*
VA8 (Boeing 777-300) depart LAX 21:45, arrive BNE 05:55 (+2 days)
VA1210 (Boeing 737-800) depart BNE 08:35, arrive CBR 11:25
Toy Story 4; Big Little Lies S2*; Life in Pieces S1; Fast and Furious 8; Stuber

It was another clear sunny winter day. We explored Griffith Park Observatory after we checked out of our AirBnB. It was so clear that we saw the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island from the Observatory. We caught a show at the planetarium before we drove out to Santa Monica. I think by the time we returned our car rental, we had driven most of the major freeways of Southern California. Did I mention that I don’t miss the traffic? Although, it was interesting to note the abundance of Teslas on the road. We also observed we had the following driving soundtrack:

• Someone You Loved: Lewis Capaldi
• Circles: Post Malone
• Lose You To Love Me: Selena Gomez
• Orphans: Coldplay
• everything i wanted: Billie Eillish
• Trampoline (with ZAYN): SHAED

I’m so happy that we made it back to LA. It felt good to be somewhere familiar again, to revisit memories from childhood, catch up with friends and family and to experience all of it with my family. It was great to see the kids and Phil enjoying our holiday together and to have a break from our unusually stressful Canberra summer.

Our flights back home were good. We all slept a decent amount on the plane from LAX. With Phil’s gold status perks, we had international priority check-in and boarding and lounge access which helped. At Brisbane airport we ran into a school family at the lounge so Catherine also got a play date out of it. We also sat in the row in front so Catherine’s friend sat in between Catherine and Nicholas on the flight home which was much more entertaining for all of them. It made her friend’s 100th flight quite memorable. For Catherine and Nicholas, it was their 65th and 89th flight respectively. After this whirlwind trip, I gained silver status and am already planning my next trip.