Rodeo DriveOn April 7th, me, my hubby and kids spent 5 days in West Hollywood. WOW!!!!! California is beautiful!!!!! There is so much to see and do there, including all the beautiful people walking around looking perfect.
The Mexican food was fabulous. I had been craving Mexican the whole time we were there. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants was called " The Spanish Kitchen." The food was delicious. We actually ate dinner there twice during our time in L.A..
The kids had a great time and didn't want to come home when it was time to leave.
Beverly HillsWe stayed at a wonderful hotel called "The Chamberlain" which is located in West Hollywood.
The rooftop pool was beautiful. We spent lot of time up there, so that Ivy could swim while we enjoyed some cocktails lounging around the pool.
The room was perfect. It was roomy and very pretty. All the staff was extremely friendly and very helpful.
The dinner menu at our hotel looked delicious and I would have liked to have dinner down at the restaurant, but I feared it would was bit too elegant for the kids. Oue kids tend to get loud, so I didn't want to bother others who were trying to have a nice quiet dinner.
As for the driving, it really wasn't as bad as we heard it would be.
The weather was perfect for me. It wasn't too hot or too cold. It got up to the upper 60's and low 70's the whole time we were there.
The mornings were partly cloudy, breaking way to full sunshine by the early afternoon.
It was the perfect weather for walking around and exploring.
View from Hollywood HillsWOW!!!!!! I didn't realize how high and steep the hills were! The views from above were breath taking.
I couldn't believe how different the topography was from where I live. I love it!
Me One night we hired a babysitter(who the kids loved), so my hubby and I could have a night out on the town.
We started our evening by having sushi at the Mondrian, which was absolutely fabulous!!!!!!
After our sushi, we went and had some cocktails at "Skybar" which is outdoors and so relaxing and classy. They also have a breathtaking view of Hollywood.
We stayed at "Skybar" for a while and then decided to go to "The Roxy", which is a rock club not too far away on the Sunset Strip.
Carmen Electra was supposed to be there. We went late so we missed her appearance. We did end up seeing a great all girl band and to my surprise the lead singer from the '80's band "Rat" made a surprise appearance and sung one of my favorite songs.
After experiencing The Roxy we went back to Skybar and spent the rest of the evening enjoying cocktails and looking at the gorgeous view of Hollywood.
HollywoodOne day we took a ride through Malibu. The homes there are amazing!!!!
Instead we drove out to Laguna Beach. It took about an hour to get there. Once we arrived I couldn't believe how pretty the town was. It was certainly worth the hour trip.
My hubby and kids ate lunch at this outdoor restaurant overlooking the ocean, while I sat there in the warm sunshine and enjoyed a few bloody marrys.
Later we took the kids down to the beach and they played in waves of the Pacific.
Hollywood BlvdMy hubby made sure that before we left we went to see Hollywood Blvd.. It's pretty interesting and very packed with tourists.
We saw the Chinese theater, The Kodak theater (where they film American Idol) and there were also a lot of people dressed as famous characters out on the streets, which the kids found fun. My son shook hands with "Spiderman". He now likes to tell people he met Spiderman and Batman.
We decided to do some gift shopping for our friends and family on Hollywood Blvd, since there are tons of touristy shops there.
Driving up the coastThere was a really neat farmer's market not too far from where we were staying.
We went there often. It was called "The Grove." The shops are many and the food is reasonable and delicious.
While there I had a great middle eastern meal, then later enjoyed some drinks at one of the outdoor pubs.
We took Ivy and Jonah to the American Girl Doll Museum. It was packed with little girls getting either American girl dolls or clothes for the dolls they already owned. Ivy Obviously needed to own one of the dolls herself, so we let her pick one out. She ended up picking the doll that resembled her the most and after begging me a bit, I also broke down and bought her new doll an outfit.
While walking through the market part of the grove, me and my hubby spotted Tommy Chong from Cheech and Chong. We also spotted the singer Jewel, who is even more beautiful in person than she is on T.V..
When we were out cruising around the streets, we saw the paparazzi chasing around Hiedi M0ntage and another one of her male co-stars from the show "The Hills".
Laguna BeachOn our last day there, We decided to take it easy and relax by the pool most of the day. This is the day Ivy refused to get out of the pool and received a nasty sunburn.
She didn't regret frolicking in the pool most of the afternoon. She felt it was worth the sunburn.
The night before the long and boring flight home, we dined once again at the "Spanish Kitchen" and I'm glad we did.
The Doll hair salon, inside the American girl doll museumThe day we left we thanked the staff for being so accommodating and helpful during our stay. If I ever go back I would without a doubt stay at the Chamberlain again.
