family


Places to eat in Chinatown

wearing: statement earrings / sweater (sold out, similar here) / black handbag / bracelets (local designer) / summer nail polish / black belt / jeans (sold out, also love these) / sneakers /

It is always a fun day in Chinatown with our family. We tend to gravitate towards the same restaurants when we visit, but this time we decided to try a new place, and we are so glad we did!

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company

We started our day by visiting the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company. While an obvious tourist destination, us locals love going there too! They have really yummy chocolate dipped fortune cookies. If you visit the city, be sure to pop in and pick up some cookies!

Far East Cafe

On KTVU Amber Lee filmed a segment where she highlighted her favorite places to go in Chinatown. She mentioned Far East Cafe and how it has been in the city for over one hundred years. How did I not know about this restaurant? So, of course, we had to try it!

Far East Cafe has a large menu and we ordered just enough for the five us to enjoy for lunch. The decor inside the restaurant is traditional and the overall vibe is old school San Francisco. Love that! We will definitely go back in the future!

Another recommendation by Amber Lee was to try the mango cake and mango desserts at AA Bakery. Unfortunately, I forgot to snap pictures, but take my word, it is delicious! We tried mango pudding as well as other breads and pastries which we took home. We will be back there too! The food is delicious and next time we want to pick up a full mango cake. Yum!

Hi Sweetie Tea and Treats

What day is complete without boba? We found the cutest boba place with squishies for sale, and games you can play while enjoying your afternoon boba. Hi Sweetie Tea and Treats was a fun place to pop into for tea and few games. The Creme Brulee boba is my favorite. yum!

Our family also loves the moon cakes at Eastern Bakery. So, we picked up a box to bring home, as well as an order of their sesame balls. Seriously, they have the best sesame balls; and they are huge! I highly recommend enjoying one while they are warm. So yummy!

Locations:

Far East Cafe is located at 631 Grant Ave., San Francisco.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory is located at 56 Ross Alley in San Francisco.

AA Bakery is located at 1068 Stockton Street in San Francisco.

Hi Sweetie Tea and Treats is located at 775 Jackson Street in San Francisco.

Eastern Bakery is located at 720 Grant Ave., in San Francisco.

I hope you have a chance to try at least one of these yummy locations!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy


Historical Hollywood Walk of Fame

One of the most touristy things to do in Los Angeles is to visit the Historical Hollywood Walk of Fame; but everyone needs to go at least once in their lifetime. Sometimes it is fun to be a tourist!

I know this post is a bit delayed, I am not sure how posting about the Historical Hollywood Walk of Fame slipped my mind! We went down to Los Angeles during New Year’s to attend the Rose Bowl game. My husband’s Alma Mater is Penn State, and they made it to the Rose Bowl! They didn’t just make it, they won! Yay!

It was really fun attending a large-scale college football game. My college did not have a football team, so I had never been to a huge college football game before. I have attended smaller schools’ football games, but nothing like this. It was amazing. The Penn State band was incredible, and the fans were highly spirited, fun, and friendly. I had so much fun! Too bad my school didn’t have football! I am now a little bit jealous. . .but I digress. . .

We have been to Los Angeles plenty of times with the kids, but somehow, we never made it to the Historical Hollywood Walk of Fame. So, this time, we took them! I had not been since I was a little kid, so it was fun to see it all again as an adult.

This is a huge tourist attraction, so when you go, I recommend going in the morning before the crowds arrive, and also try to go in the off-season. The summer and weekends are crazy busy; try to go during the week before tourist season. The winter break was a good time, I also recommend going in the fall after school is in session, or the first part of the spring semester. Ski week is a good time too if you plan to take the kids since it is in February before the colleges start their spring break season.

You will want to allow plenty of time for walking and looking down. I recommend going to the Chinese Theater first, before it gets too crowded. Once the tour busses arrive, it’s game over. If you go early, and by early, I mean try to get there by 9am, you will have time to search for all your favorite Hollywood stars. I found Shirley Temple! Love! In case you are wondering what the Chinese Theater is, it is where all the Hollywood stars have their handprints, footprints, and they have signed their names in the concrete. This is a small, select group of celebrities which are mostly iconic stars from early Hollywood, with a few modern stars.

In addition to the Chinese Theater, there are several blocks of stars to sort through in order to find your favorite celebrities. You will want to walk the Hollywood Walk of Fame after visiting the Chinese Theater. Take your time, and walk carefully, since you will be looking down instead of straight ahead! haha

Stay safe out there! This is a walking activity, and it can also get very crowded, so I recommend dressing appropriately. Make sure you have comfortable walking shoes, and keep your wallet, phone etc. in front of you. You want to be aware of possible pickpockets. They love crowded tourist areas! A cross body bag in front of you is ideal. Try not wear a backpack which can easily be entered and stolen from without your knowledge. If you have a backpack, wear it in front of you while you are walking around. I recommend wearing understated jewelry, nothing too flashy, and keep it casual.

What I wore to the Historical Hollywood Walk of Fame:

This is a half day activity. I recommend planning to attend in the morning, and then eating lunch at one of the restaurants along Hollywood Boulevard or heading out to your next adventure and enjoying a meal there. We ate there, at California Pizza Kitchen.

Enjoy your trip to LA! Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO

Cathy


3 California road trip ideas

It is the time of year when we all start to plan family vacations. Spring break is fast approaching, and summer vacation is on the horizon. Sometimes we have enough of a break in our schedule to plan a plane trip somewhere and enjoy it for a week, or possibly more, but other times, we have a small break in our schedule and a road trip is the best option for a family vacation.

If you are local to California, and looking for a road trip idea, here are a few, which may seem obvious, but hopefully will spark a road trip idea anyway. If you are from out of state, you can easily fly into one of our airports, rent a car, and enjoy one or more of these spots on your vacation. Feel free to leave your road trip ideas in the comments below!

Napa Valley

napa river sunset winter

One of the most popular road trips in California is heading up to wine country. That being said, you don’t have to go wine tasting to enjoy the Napa Valley. This can be a road trip you enjoy with the entire family, and also as someone who does not drink alcohol.

There are plenty of activities in the Napa Valley the entire family can enjoy such as hiking through the Petrified Forest. Here is my full post on this beautiful destination. Call before you go to ensure they have recovered from the recent storms.

You can also visit the geysers, check out the culinary institute, or enjoy a winery with or without drinking.

Pismo Beach

pismo beach sign pier

Pismo Beach is one of the less traveled beaches in California. It is in between Los Angeles and the Bay Area, so for those of us traveling between the two Metropolitain areas, Pismo Beach is a great rest stop for lunch or brunch. That being said, have you ever stayed overnight? If not, then you should! There are fabulous hotels on or near the beach and the beach itself is quite relaxing in the quiet morning hours before the tourists arrive. Even when the tourists arrive, it isn’t too overrun.

In addition to enjoying the beach, you can drive a few minutes to San Luis Obispo and enjoy the hiking trails at Cal Poly SLO. You can check out my post about it here. Poly Canyon Trail is a must-see in the Pismo Beach, SLO area.

Tahoe

Lake Tahoe might be an obvious choice, but it is a place you can visit again and again. So, even if you have already taken a road trip to Tahoe, you might think about going back to see something new. There are too many trails to count, so hiking is always new and exciting. The views from most hiking trails are beautiful and beyond belief, therefore, it is always a breathtaking experience; in addition to the thin air! haha

There are also silver mines close by. These are worth the drive to see in person. We always talk about the gold mining history in California, but the silver mines were here too.

This year, we had record snowfall. This means the Tahoe region may still have snow during spring break and early summer! Grab your sled and get ready to play in the snow! You can build a snowman, make snow angels, have a snowball fight, and just play!

Of course, these are only three ideas. You can always take a road trip to a more obscure location in the state, or head down to Disneyland or Universal Studios for some fun. It is also fun to play tourist and check out all the tourist areas and traps in Hollywood.

What are your favorite road trip ideas in California?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy