Things have changed quite a bit since the last time I was in Santa Monica. For starters, it was so freaking crowded and traffic getting there was almost unbearable. So much so, that halfway there I could feel my anxiety and a headache creeping up on me. Ever been stuck in traffic with a crying/screaming child in the backseat? Yeah, it’s not fun. Hailey did quite well the entire ride there but somewhere along Bundy Drive on the 10 fwy she got hysterical and we had to pull over to get her out of that car seat. A quick little bite at Teddy’s Cafe and 30 minutes later we were back en route to our Sunday Funday destination, the Santa Monica Pier.
When Flavio and I were just dating one of our favorite places to go to was Santa Monica. We loved walking down the 3rd street promenade, shopping, eating, and drinking to our heart’s content. After downing a couple of beers at Barney’s Beanery we’d take a nice stroll down to the beach where we’d snuggle down on a blanket, nibble on some strawberries and watch the sun disappear behind the beautiful California ocean line. Oh, life was GRAND!
But those days are long gone folks. We are now a party of 3 and our whole world now revolves around this tiny beautiful spunky little girl, who much to our surprise LOVES Santa Monica just as much as we do.
Here is how our day went with our little one in tow:
1.Traffic on the streets wasn’t any better and I could sense another meltdown coming, (Mine, not Hailey!) so I made Flavio park in the first parking structure we could find. $20 dollars later two happy girls and one super annoyed daddy were strolling down Broadway on the way to the beach.
2.Once we got to the Pier, we took Hailey to Pacifc Park where we all enjoyed people watching and taking pictures. Hailey loves people watching and quite frankly she loves it when people shower her with attention. She is constantly waving at strangers and smiling at them and will continue to do so until they acknowledge how cute she is. This happens everywhere we go.
3. We walked around the famous carousel and watched as other children and their parents got on and off. Hailey prefers to watch and not actually go on the carousel.
4. We visited the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium which is set up by Heal the Bay and is located underneath the carousel at the Pier. It is a tiny little aquarium but surprisingly Hailey enjoyed this place the most. I think because she is starting to love animals and enjoyed pretending to touch the fish, eels, and small sharks that were on display. It was only $5 for adult admission, so if you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a look for the little ones.
5. For dinner, Flavio and I were craving sushi so we went to one of our old favorite spots, Sushi Roku, and enjoyed some of their specialty rolls before heading home.
These days romantic dinners have been replaced with messy meals that have to be eaten or swallowed at lightning speed, and snuggles on the beach, well, those are a thing of the past. But, though things have dramatically changed, as cliche as it may sound, we couldn’t be happier. The amount of joy, love, and laughter that she brings to our lives just couldn’t be measured and put into words. She makes my life worthwhile, and all that matters is this smile.
Regina Loves LA 