city guide


Exploring historic downtown Truckee in the Tahoe area

Last weekend we went up to Tahoe for a quick trip after my daughter’s graduation. We thought it would be fun to have some outdoor fun, and further explore the area. We have been to downtown Truckee millions of times, but we never took the touristy historical walking tour before; I’m not sure why we waited!

If you are heading up to the Tahoe area and want to explore more then just the water and trees, I highly recommend taking the historic downtown Truckee walking tour! It’s really interesting to see the history behind the buildings which line the area. Many of the buildings are well over a century old and hold interesting historical tidbits about the local area. It’s incredible to see wooden structures that have been able to survive for so long; and are so well-kept!

wearing: golden drop hoop earrings c/o BaubleBar / lipstick / black top (under $20!) / turquoise and gold coin necklace worn as a bracelet c/o BaubleBar / Chanel summer nail polish / Chloe bag / side stripe jeans / black wedge espadrilles /

Since I knew we would be walking, I wore my comfortable jeans and espadrilles. Espadrilles are seriously like pillows under your feet. I am so addicted! I wore my handbag cross body which made walking around town a lot easier.

In addition to historic structures, downtown Truckee is flush with amazing restaurants. My kids were in a pizza mood, so we ate lunch at  “Best Pies Pizzaria” where I opted out of pizza, and into meatball sliders. They were so good!

If are downtown and not in the mood for pizza, I recommend “Moody’s Bistro” in the Truckee Hotel, it’s soooo good!

One of our favorite things to do in downtown Truckee is buy fudge! At “Sweets Handmade Candies” in downtown Truckee you can find so many delicious fudges! They make it all in-house, and it literally melts in your mouth. Our favorite flavor is Cookies & Cream. Yum!!

You can also watch them make fudge! It’s fun to see how they make it, plus it reminds you how fresh it is!! Double YUM!

So, if you are heading up to the Tahoe area for a vacation, and want a little break from hiking and water sports during the summer months, I highly recommend taking the walking tour in downtown historic Truckee. It’s a fun way to learn more about the local history, get some exercise, and explore all the cute boutiques Truckee has to offer. Be sure to pick up some fudge! It’s literally the best fudge you will ever eat! YUM YUM YUM!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy


LA summer road trip with the kids

There is nothing like taking a trip out of town as soon as school lets out. Since spring seemed so busy and stressful this year, we planned a one-week getaway after the last of school in order to relive any leftover stress from the spring semester. Our kids were just as ready as we were to escape the Bay Area, and have some fun!

We planned a five day road trip to Los Angeles. Our goal to was see things in LA we haven’t shown the kids yet. At first, we thought we would play tourist and show the kids all of the usual Hollywood tourist attractions. Surprisingly, our kids had no interest in any of that! So, we ended up finding things to do with kids in LA which were fun, new, and affordable.

Here is a recap of all the fun things to do in LA with kids which filled up our week and kept us busy!

Universal Studios-Harry Potter World

OK fine, this is not affordable, nor is it technically in LA, but we HAD to see Harry Potter World and try Butter Beer! Since Universal Studios is notorious for getting extremely hot, we looked at the weather report and visited on the coolest day during our stay; which was day one. Although the temperature outside was only 68 degrees, it felt like 80. There isn’t any shade there! We knew ahead of time that Universal can get long lines, and get very hot, so we splurged and purchased the “Front of Line” tickets. This was a life-saver since with these tickets, you don’t have to wait in long lines for rides. Some of the lines looked horribly long, and we were able to go right to the front. If you don’t mind spending the extra money, it is worth it to be able to cut the line. No-one should have to wait in line for an hour to go on one ride.

Harry Potter World was our first and most important destination. We quickly went on one ride, and then went over to Ollivanders. Rumor had it that your future wand chooses you! How fun is that?! They put you in groups of about fifteen people to go inside the famous wand shop. I thought we would watch every child enjoy watching a wand choose them, but this was not the case. Only one person in the room gets chosen to have a wand choose them. This would have been a huge letdown had one of our kids not been chosen. We got lucky!

My ten-year-old daughter, who is a HUGE Harry Potter fan, was the one person chosen in our group to have a wand choose her. It was so much fun watching the wand choose her! I was afraid my other two children would be sad they weren’t chosen, but they were OK because they knew my middle child was the biggest Harry Potter fan in our family.

After you watch the wand choose one person, they exit the group into the store. We asked a sales assistant inside Ollivanders if they could help find a wand to choose my other two kids, and they obliged! So don’t be afraid to ask, they will help you! Also, important note: we had no idea the wands were $49 each. Three kids, and three wands, turned into an expensive experience. Be prepared if you want to head into Ollivanders with your aspiring witch or wizard.

My favorite part of the Harry Potter world was eating at Three Broomsticks. They had traditional pub food and Butter Beer! Oh my, Butter Beer is so good! It tasted like cream soda mixed with butterscotch and topped with vanilla whipped cream. I found a few recipes online to make it at home, but they didn’t look quite right. I am going to try to come up with my own formula. So stay tuned for my version later this summer!

If you would like to visit Universal Studios and see “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” I recommend “Front of the Line” passes and to arrive when the park opens. If you plan to have a wand choose you, I recommend getting into that line first as the “Front of Line” passes do not work there. Also, don’t get your heart set on being chosen, they choose someone at random. Lastly, be sure to drink Butter Beer! It is really yummy. I had one while we were walking around, and one at lunch. Yum!

La Brea Tar Pits and Museums

The La Brea Tar Pits are an affordable way to enjoy the rich history of our Earth, and Los Angeles. My kids loved seeing the tar pits and found it quite impressive how many fossils were found in some of the small pits! We were also able to see an excavation in progress where archaeologists were finding new fossils right before our eyes!

I recommend arriving at the La Brea Tar Pits when they open in the morning so you can see the museum before it gets crowded; plus park close in the adjacent lot. There are also short movies at the La Brea Tar Pits museum. We watched one about the Ice Age which my kids found extremely interesting. Don’t you just love educational fun?!

There are a couple of restaurants across the street from the La Brea Tar Pits. We ate at The Counter and it was really good. Also, after you visit the tar pits and museum, the Los Angeles Museum of Art is next door and is extremely affordable. We took the kids through three of the four buildings. They ended up quite tired, but they did enjoy seeing the exhibits. I highly recommend visiting both locations in one day.

California Science Center-see the space shuttle Endeavour!

My son wants to be an astronaut when he grows up, so seeing the space shuttle Endeavour was a must! He was in complete heaven seeing the shuttle up close. This too is an affordable place to visit with kids while visiting LA. The permanent exhibits are free of charge and there are also IMAX movies you can purchase tickets to. We watched two; one about space, and one about the ocean. This is a must-see if you visit Los Angeles! It is also another educational stop which is fun for the kids.

Check to see if you need reservations for the space shuttle online here.

Santa Monica Pier

When you visit Los Angeles, you need at least one beach day! Normally I would recommend visiting a quieter, less urban beach; but if your kids get bored at the beach after a couple hours like mine do, then Santa Monica Beach and Pier is a good spot. We went to the beach before the rides opened on the pier. When we were bored with the beach, our hunger kicked in; so we decided to eat lunch before going on any rides. At the very end of the pier there is a fairly new restaurant named Mariasol. It was really delicious! I recommend the Salmon Tropical. It was delicious!

When we went over to the rides, we realized that the prices were quite expensive when compared to Santa Cruz; which is what we are used to. We decided to only send the kids on one ride each since they were $8.50 per ride; that’s a lot! They were OK with it since we had already been to the beach, and done a bit of walking around the pier. After the rides, we had ice cream at Soda Jerks Ice Cream Shop. I had a Cream Soda Float and it was so good! I highly recommend grabbing some ice cream here. They have limited seating inside which you can find by walking into the door next to the Soda Jerks sign; it will look like you are entering the Merry-Go-Round, but if you turn left after going through the door, you will see the ice cream counter.

Mentryville ghost town and hike

If you are local to the Bay Area, and take highway five up and down the state, there is a fun little pit stop you can make along the way to stretch your legs. Mentryville is right off five and only a few minutes drive from the highway. It is an old oil boomtown which is now a ghost town. The ghost town is at the beginning of the hike, so don’t use it as an incentive to get your kids on a hike; we tried that and whoops! The hike is after the ghost town.

There is a parking lot at the town which is only $5. You need to pay the iron ranger which is right at the start of the lot. There are about five structures left in Mentryville; and one is a movie set building built by Disney. As far as ghost towns go, this is quite small and nothing to write home about. It IS a great way to get out of the car and stretch, take a short hike, and learn a little bit about SoCal’s oil history.

A good way to save money when visiting several locations in Los Angeles is with the Go LA Card.; a three-day version is sold through Costco. We didn’t get one for this trip since we wanted to get the “Front of Line” passes at Universal, and this pass only offers regular admission. Although, you can load the card with attractions you want to see a la carte; and in hindsight, we should have done this.

What are some of your favorite affordable things to do in Los Angeles with kids?


Exploring the west side of Lake Tahoe

Over the Memorial Day weekend, we took a quick family trip up to Lake Tahoe. We always stay in Truckee when we visit Lake Tahoe, and we tend to visit the same hiking trails, beaches, and attractions every time we visit. This time around, we decided to explore the west side of Lake Tahoe; and we are so thrilled we did!

Anywhere you go in Lake Tahoe, there is natural beauty all around. So when I say my breath got taken away in Emerald’s Bay, that says something. It has to be the most beautiful hike I have ever done in the Lake Tahoe area. The hike we went on was at Vikingsholm.

Vikingsholm is an early 1900’s estate which has been turned into a public attraction. Initially I thought we were going to tour a mansion; much like the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. I was wrong! When we drove down highway 89 and approached the parking lot for Vikingsholm, I realized this was not your usual fancy house tour. The parking lot is quite small, and if you do not arrive when the lot opens at 10am, then chances are you will not find a parking spot. We snagged one of the last two open spots in the lot. Score!

While my husband was purchasing a parking pass, my kids discovered some huge rocks behind the parking lot office. They climbed up the rocks and discovered the beautiful Emerald Bay, and a roaring waterfall. It was beautiful!

I had no idea how long the hike from the parking lot, to the Vikingsholm mansion, would be. I thought it would be quick and easy, boy I was wrong! My daughter slipped on some rocks on the hike down, bruising her knee, and all of my kids started to complain about how long the hike was. Thankfully, we packed water and snacks for the kids, so that helped us get down the hill without too many complaints from the kids. Despite their tired feet, they were amazed at the beauty of the bay as we hiked down the hill.

At the bottom of the hill you are rewarded with a pretty, private beach and the Vikingsholm house. Unfortunately for us, the house wasn’t open yet for the summer season! We had to peer through the windows to see inside. I cannot believe I was able to get this shot of the dining room! Aren’t the details on the ceiling amazing!

The hike at Vikingsholm continues past the house, along the beach, and up a small hill where it meets a beautiful, roaring waterfall. To hike down the hill, be a Peeping Tom at the house, walk along the beach, hike over to the waterfall, and back up the trail to the parking lot took us one hour, and forty-five minutes. We were a little slow-going up the hill since the kids stopped a few times for water breaks and to rest their feet.

If you are looking for a beautiful hike, with a beach, and pretty house, then I highly recommend Vikingsholm on your next Tahoe trip! You can learn more at their website Vikingsholm.com.

Treat a visit to Vikingsholm as you would treat any hike. Be sure to wear hiking shoes or boots, wear pants to protect your legs, wear a hat to guard from the sun, wear sunscreen, and bring a first aid kit, snacks, water, a whistle, and anything else you pack when you hike.

We normally cook most of our meals at the cabin in Truckee, but sometimes we do venture out and enjoy a restaurant here or there. We ate at two restaurants this trip, Thai Kitchen and Sunnyside.

We have eaten dinner at Sunnyside a few times now and love the water-side ambiance, and delicious food. If you want to enjoy a meal by the water, at a buzz-worthy spot, then be sure to book reservations at Sunnyside a few weeks in advance; especially if you would like to dine on the patio! They are also a popular brunch spot. Parking is limited so be prepared to valet or park on the street a couple blocks down from the restaurant.

Thai Kitchen was a new spot for us. We were coming back from our hike at Vikingsholm and discovered it on our way back to Truckee. Thai Kitchen is located in Tahoe City, and has a small, shared parking lot. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, so if we were not starving for food, we may have walked past it. We are so glad we didn’t! Despite the dated decor, the food is fabulous! Seriously, I lived in San Francisco for ten years and have enjoyed a lot of different Thai food, so I feel like I can confidently say this is some of the best Thai food I have tried! LOVE it!

They have a lunch menu, and a dinner menu, so it is a great spot for either meal. Love!

Of course, when the weather is warm, the beaches at Tahoe cannot be beat. We enjoyed a restful day at Meeks Bay Beach over the Memorial Day weekend, and we loved it! The beach is tucked off the highway, so you don’t hear any street noise. Before you reach the beach, there is a general store where you buy a day pass for parking. It is really quick and easy. Then, you continue a few feet behind the building and park in the lot. There are picnic areas, camping sites, and a beautiful beach!

If you want a serene beach area, which is less busy then King’s Beach, then check out Meek’s Bay Beach. You will love it! Plus, if you have a raft, they have a pump you can use for free to blow up your raft. Love that!

Have you ever been to the west side of Lake Tahoe? If so, where are your favorite spots?

My round beach blanket can be found online here.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy