Taking On The Pacific Coast Highway - Day 3

Stop 6 - Swanton Berry Farm: Our first stop of the day was at the Swanton Berry Farm along Highway 1. The kids enjoyed getting to run down the rows of the strawberry patch to find berries ripe for the picking. One of the coolest things about the farm was that it was right along the coast so you could actually see the ocean while you picked. After we finished picking we went inside the vintage farm store to pay and sat in their lounge area snacking on the berries while the kids admired the many knick knacks displayed throughout. 

Stop 7 - San Francisco's Chinatown: Anyone who knows Maeli knows that ever since she started the Mandarin program in school she has been completely obsessed with all things Chinese. Some people may think it's crazy to make a stop in San Francisco just to see Chinatown, but we knew it would be a highlight for Maeli. 

We walked out the elevator doors & were immediately surrounded by old Chinese people gathered in groups playing card games in the park. We first stopped and let the kids play at a park in Portsmouth Square. Maeli quickly made friends with a little Chinese girl and they practiced hanging upside down together. 

After the park we headed down Grant Avenue to let the kids explore the various touristy shops. The kids each brought spending money on the trip and decided that their money would be best spent in these shops. Maeli bought an umbrella that came in a hard case and Milo and Cooley each purchased a small airplane. We also made a stop in a kite shop and overpaid for a Minion kite to use at the kite festival we would be attending a few days later. 

Next we made a quick pit stop at the Willy Woo Woo Wong playground so the kids could run around before heading down Waverly Place to view the pretty painted balconies lining the road. 

Before our trip Maeli watched a travel show where they showed many of the strange foods sold on the streets of China. We told her that she would be able to see some of the foods they eat in the local food markets in Chinatown. It took all of 60 seconds of walking through a market for her to decide she would stick to her unauthentic Panda Express.

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Taking On The Pacific Coast Highway - Day 2

Stop 3 - El Matador Beach, Malibu: The next morning we started our day off at El Matador Beach in Malibu. When we arrived at this particular beach we noticed film crews and trailers in the parking lot. When we got down to the beach we found them filming just a few hundred feet from where we were. After finishing his scenes, Kevin Kilner waved to our kids on his way back up to his trailer.

Stop 4 - Hearst Castle: Our next stop was at Hearst Castle to take a tour of the amazing mansion. The kids enjoyed the bus ride up to the house but their amusement stopped there. The combination of the workers being super strict about our kids not touching ANYTHING and the kids being a bit stir crazy from the car ride, we found ourselves counting down the minutes until we could get out of there. I think next time we'll leave the kids at home...

Stop 5 - Elephant Seal Vista Point: Not far from Hearst Castle there is a great little viewing point where visitors can watch hundreds of elephant seals sunbathe on the beach. The kids found the seals almost as amusing as the many friendly squirrels running around the tourists. The kids were laughing as they watched the squirrels come within a few inches of us. Maeli was even brave enough to reach out and pet one.

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Taking On The Pacific Coast Highway - Day 1

Stop 1 - Old L.A. Zoo: We began our trip around 3am in order to put us into L.A. by mid-morning. Our first stop was the Old L.A. Zoo. The old zoo is now can now be found in the middle of a park near downtown L.A. The kids were able to run through the park exploring the old cages where the animals were once kept. It was a bit eery to walk in the halls where such dangerous animals once roamed.

Stop 2 - Santa Monica Pier: When we arrived in Santa Monica our first stop was at the beach. After spending a few hours playing in the sand we got some dinner and finished our day eating ice cream at the pier. The highlight of the evening was riding the ferris wheel at sunset while the kids looked down at all the people below. It was a great day to start off our PCH road trip. 

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