Category Archives: U.S. Los Angeles, CA

Family, friends, and fun

Stateside Merrymaking: LA and SFO

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It is always a whirlwind when I come stateside.  I try to see my family and friends in a short amount of time.  It is always a lot to squeeze in.

My stateside visit started in Los Angeles with my sister Kimberly.  We really enjoyed some beautiful walks including this one in Palos Verdes.  We had a clear, beautiful day and then stopped at the Yellow Vase for some hot drinks.

Celebrating the end of the week with Kimberly and her husband Troy at Rockefeller.

My beautiful friend Kathryn at Descanso Gardens.  There was one cherry blossom tree in bloom, lots of beautiful trails, and several ducks frolicking in the river and small falls.  Kathryn and I met while we both worked at Advocate, MD 16+ years ago.

We celebrated Deborah’s birthday at Palmilla Restaurant on the Hermosa Beach Pier.  I met Deborah in Austin, TX around 25 years ago.

San Francisco

I took a whirl wind trip to San Carlos for a day to visit one of my sweetest friends.  I met and lived Jeannie back in the very the late 80’s in Hermosa Beach.  It was a super quick, but truly amazing visit.  Her husband Srinivas and son Sanjay were home to make it a truly wonderful celebration.  Jeannie and I met in the early 1990’s, lived together for many years and have remained close friends ever since!

Family Time

Kimberly organized a big brunch for the family.  My Aunt Donna drove over 2hours (one way) from San Diego (top left).  My Aunt Diana and Uncle Mark drove an hour (top right).  M funny and sweet uncle Matthew drove an hour.  And from my dad’s side of the family we had Kelly (his wife), my Uncle Joe and my two cousins Mark and Adam.

Kimberly made delicious chili and salad and I made homemade cheesecake bites.

Cameron’s Volleyball Team Sweeps the Tournament

Cameron, Kimberly’s youngest son, plays Men’s Club Volleyball at Colorado University.  They had a tournament in Irvine which is about an hour away. 

After two full days of playing, the ended up winning the entire tournament! 

Super proud of these young men, especially, Cameron!

Kalani (Cole’s girlfriend) came to visit us while we were in Irvine (what a sweetheart)!

We also took Cameron out for a celebratory dinner at a great Mexican restaurant.

Two friends from junior high reached out to us and came to meet us for breakfast! 

Kimberly took me to a great coffee place called Gitana and I fell in love with this artwork.   

We also completed an old school lunch box puzzle during my visit.

Kimberly’s fur babies. Felix the cat, Luke the new shepherd/husky puppy and Critter.  Views from their bedroom across to the Atlantic.

Only in Los Angeles will you see these crazy billboards.

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events. I was stateside, LA and SFO during the first two weeks of March.

Come visit Descanso Gardens with me in our last blog post.

Descanso Gardens cherry blossom tree

The Sleeping Descanso Gardens

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I met my dearest friend Kathryn at Descanso Gardens in La Canada, California.  These botanical gardens are on 150-acres.  They feature a wide area, mostly forested, with artificial streams, ponds, lawns, and small sitting structures.

There were gravel, wood chip, and dirt paths twisting throughout the property.  Streams with small waterfalls, towering forest and blossoming floral gardens.

The colors were extremely vibrant and the smells are deliciously fragrant.

Poppies, daffodils, roses, stargazers, lilies and more.

There are lots of seating areas, bridges, and water features.  We came across a man wearing a captain’s hat and reading.

Daphne’s Wardrobe

The Descanso Gardens had a wonderful display called Daphne’s Wardrobe Metamorphosis into Nature.  It is beautiful combination of art and fashion. 

The displays consisted of clothing, sculptures, paintings, and photography.

Many beautiful sculptures and carvings were on display as well.

I really wanted to try this on!  Check out the pretty little shoes on display.

This was my favorite spot. 

The cherry blossom tree was in bloom and reflected beautifully in the water.

What a joy it was to spend some quality time with Kathryn! 

We really enjoyed the Descanso Gardens.  Although, I’d recommend going in the spring when the flowers are in full bloom.

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events.  We were in Descano Gardens in early March 2025.

We had the best time as we danced through Disneyland, come play with us.

Dancing through Disney

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It’s a Disney Day!  I’m with my sister, Kimberly, her husband, Troy and my cousin Mark! 

Despite rain in the forecast, we arrive at 0900. The first thing we notice is the nearly empty parking lot.  This is a good sign of fewer people in the park.

We methodically planned out  the order of the rides.  We started with the most popular rides first.  Next we hit the rides with lines exposed to the rain. 

So we zig zagged across the park a lot. It is such a magical feeling to enter Disney!

Rise of the Resistance

The Rise of the Resistance ride is really new and often has over a 3 hour wait in line.  We came to the Star Wars Park to do this ride first.  We were super excited that there was only a 10 minute wait. 

This ride had a blend of holograms, films, and live action characters. Technology is throughout this ride.  You start off in a room with a hologram explaining about the Resistance.  Then you are “captured” and shuttled through two rooms with soldiers (both live action and holograms).  Next you enter a small ship where you try to escape.

Outside the ride, Disney makes it a truly authentic steam punk style. 

Smugglers Run

Sticking to the space theme we hit Smugglers Run.  This had a very impressive entrance putting you in the setting of the ride before you enter.  They had “pet shops” with the strangest stuffed creatures and a robot roasting space pig.

Smugglers Run had a blend of holograms, film, and interactive spaceship.  They ushered us into our own “pod” where everyone is given a role: Pilot, Engineer, and Gunners.  Everyone is pushing buttons or pulling levers throughout the ride.

Pirates of the Caribbean

What kind of sailor would I be if I did not stop in to see my Californian pirate friends?  Disney made a few updates to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  Always a fun and jovial ride.

Super bummed these photos came out blurry.  I was using my iPhone 13 Pro Max low light feature which works great.  However you are supposed to stay still which is hard to do on a moving ride!  The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are both located at New Orleans Square.

The Haunted Mansion

Haunted Mansion is always a crowd pleaser.  It has great hologram effects and creepy ghosts that ride with you.  The haunting starts as you wait in line (which we did for 10 minutes). All along the perimeter are hysterical grave markers.

Big Thunder Mountain

One of my favorite rides is Big Thunder Mountain in Frontier Land!  This fantastic roller coaster is full of twists and turns and giant drops! 

My phone had to be stowed so I did not get many photos. 

We stopped in at the bakery and watched the bakers make bread bowls. 

I had fun with one of the bakers.  Pretending to eat her bread bowl through the glass.  Doing my best to make her smile. She later chased me down to hand me a Mickey Mouse bread!  

Space Mountain

Space Mountain in Tomorrow Land is another great ride.  This is fabulous roller coaster that gets your heart beating as you travel through space. 

They have a camera that captures you toward the end. We did not buy the photos at ($16-20/piece) but we took a photo of them. Troy is on the left front and Kimberly and I are in the back right making heart symbols.

The Matterhorn

The Matterhorn ride is 66 years old!  It is an iconic mountain situated at Disney.  You climb into newly renovated bobsleds as your zip around the rickety old roller coaster.  It is a true back adjustment ride, but one that you have to go on when you visit the park!  The Matterhorn is located in Fantasy Land.

As we were leaving Disney to head to California Adventure we stopped to watch the character parade. 

The parade had Micky and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, several princesses and so many more.

California Adventure Park

This park is located right next to Disneyland. 

You can visit both parks with the purchase of your Disney ticket.  

Cars

My sister’s favorite rides “It’s a Small World” and “Peter Pan” were closed. 

However, her 3rd favorite ride, Cars was open. This ride was complete inspired by the movie. Super silly but loads of fun – especially if you like the movie.

Soarin Over California

On Soarin California you climb into a chair that is raised really high. 

A giant screen which displays different parts of California.  This virtual ride moves you in concert with the film. 

The ride has interactive effects including wind that blows in your face and special smells.

Personally, I do not like virtual rides as they make me fuzzy headed and a wee bit sick.

IncrediCoaster

HOLY COW this ride was amazing, thrilling, frightening, exhilarating, and truly fantastic! 

Incredicoaster is my new favorite roller coaster!  This rollercoaster takes you in a complete circle, upside down.  YTou plummet down several steep drops and twist in so many directions that you can’t figure out which end is up!  Loved it!

How Much Does it Cost?

The average adult, non-California resident, ticket is $103-$206 per day!  If you live in California, the tickets start at $67/day, kids start at $50/day. Prices vary based on the number of days you want to visit. 

Parking is between $35-$55 per day.  Food and drinks are also very pricey!

This was best day I have ever had at Disney!  Why?  Because there were no lines and we walked on each ride.

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events. 

We were at Disneyland in early March 2025. 

We walk you through a lot of boat projects we’ve been working on in our last blog post.