travel tips

Things to do in San Diego during the summer with kids

August 3, 2016 in Travel tagged city guide / family / san diego / travel tips by Bay Area Fashionista

visiting san diego kids

There are so many things to do in San Diego with kids during the summer months! San Diego is filled with kid-friendly attractions, hotels, and restaurants. This makes it a great destination for a summer trip with the entire family. Love!

In the middles of July, we took a road trip to San Diego. It is a favorite California destination for me. I have family in San Diego, so I have road tripped down there many times throughout my life and have always loved all the activities I was able to do as a child. It was always so much fun! So, there was no question we would road trip to San Diego for a week to not only visit family, but to show our kids all of the fun things to do in San Diego with kids in the summer.

Below I have listed the four activities we did as a family during our vacation. These are great things to do in San Diego with kids over summer vacation.

LegoLand

If your kids love Legos, then Legoland is a must! There are amazing pieces of art throughout Legoland made from various sizes of Legos. It is absolutely amazing. In addition to incredible Lego art, there are rides for small children, as well as older kids. There are even rides adults can enjoy. I loved the boat ride, and the new Ninjago ride is a huge must. Since the Ninjago ride is brand new, make sure you get there when the park opens and go directly to the ride first. This way you can avoid the 45 minute line which forms by mid-morning, and lasts throughout the day.

There is a great, healthy marketplace for lunch which is located by the car ride. It is a great buffet-style lunch spot where your kids can avoid pizza, hots dogs and the like. I made a yummy salad. It is a little on the pricier side for theme park food, but it is worth it for the healthy food. Yum!

If you have a daughter, there are shows put on by Lego Friends which are fun to watch. A daily show schedule can be found at the main gates of the park.

You can learn more about Legoland online here.

San Diego Zoo

The San Diego is world famous; and the perfect place to bring kids! It is hard to see the whole zoo in one day, but if you get there when the zoo opens, you can do it! The pandas are adorable, and I loved the polar bears! You can learn more about the San Diego Zoo online here.

Seaworld

Sea World is a fun place to bring your kids. It doesn’t require as much walking as the Zoo, so it is a good place to go the day after visiting the zoo since you and your kids might be a little fatigued from the zoo. Sea World has a large selection of shows to watch, where you can sit down and relax, so it is great to do when your vacation is making you a little bit tired!

Be sure to catch the Dolphin show, Killer Whale shows, and the Comedy Sea Otter show; which is fabulous! Some of the rides have water, so you will get wet. Be sure to wear clothing that dries quickly, and you won’t mind getting a little bit wet. You can still have a great time if you choose not to go on the wet rides.

You can learn more about Sea World online here.

Mission Beach and Belmont Park

Mission Beach is a great beach to relax on. The parking is also free! Love that!

We arrived around 9am to enjoy the beach, and then at 11am we walked over to Belmont Park which is a boardwalk of sorts. It has rides, laser tag, and an arcade. It is a lot of fun!

If you have a sweet tooth like me, check out the ice cream shop which has the yummiest homemade fudge! You can learn more about Belmont Park online here.

Where to Stay and Eat

We Stayed in La Jolla at the La Jolla Sheraton. It was perfect for families. They have suites which feature two queens beds, a sofa bed, refrigerator, and microwave. It was very spacious, and my kids found it to be extremely comfortable. Love that!

The swimming pool was a great treat after spending the day outside in the sun, walking around. My kids loved cooling off in the pool.

Our favorite restaurants in San Diego, which were family friendly and yummy, were as follows:

Our Hotel restaurants featured delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. The Mickey Mouse pancakes were the cutest children’s pancake meal we have ever seen! My son was in pancake heaven. We also enjoyed WaveHouse Beach Club which is located on Mission Beach at Belmont Park. They had tables in the sand, and you could watch people surf while you dine. Love it!

Our favorite restaurant of the trip was Su Casa Restaurant. It is family owned, and the food was a-ma-zing! My kids loved it, and the food was so good! We definitely need an excuse to return to San Diego so we can eat at Su Casa Restaurant again. You must try it when you are in the area!

Travel Tips

We purchased the 4-day Go Diego Pass which was a great way to pay for our activities in advance, and save quite a bit of money along the way. You can purchase a Go San Diego Pass online here. We purchased ours through Costco, so if you have a Costco, or similar warehouse club membership, check to see if they have a good deal on the Go San Diego Pass.

These were our favorite places to go in San Diego with kids for our summer vacation. There are many more places to go, but these were our favorites. If you get the Go San Diego pass, you will find more places to visit. I recommend seeing the Safari Park in the winter, not the summer, as it gets VERY hot in Escondido.

Have a great vacation and thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Talaria flats

May 5, 2016 in Shoes / Travel tagged flats / talaria / travel tips by Bay Area Fashionista

talaria flats in champgane talaria flats in champgane 1

talaria flats in champgane 2 talaria flats in champgane 3 talaria fold up flats

Pictured: Travel flats: c/o Talaria flats

How many times have you worn heels all night long, only to dread the walk back to the car? Have you ever been out somewhere, and the strap on your shoe breaks? How many times have you met your BBF wearing your favorite pair of killer heels, only to find her wearing flats, and up for a walk? I bet you answered yes, yes, a thousand times yes to all of these questions!

The first time I went to New York Fashion Week, I killed my feet! I tried to wear high heels all day long. I had no idea fashion week involved standing in lines, walking-sometimes running, to catch a cab (this was before Uber), and walking; lots and lots of walking. I envied my smart friend Rita who would quickly slip off her killer heels for a pair of black fold-up flats hidden inside her handbag. Why wasn’t I aware of this trick?!

“Cathy,” she told me, “You have to carry flats with you for fashion week; or any time you are in New York. This is a walking city.” She was right! For the next few fashion weeks, I tried to carry flats in my bag, or wear flats during the day which did not really look right with my carefully put together ensemble. None of these options really worked. The flats I tried to stuff in my bag did not fold up, so they took up all the space. Where would I put my wallet? Better yet, where could I find a fabulous pair of fold-up flats like Rita’s?

I was thrilled when I found out about Talaria flats. They were exactly the fold-up flats of my dreams! They arrived in a cute little bag which fits nicely inside my go-to handbag for fashion week. I can still fit my wallet, iPhone, and camera inside my purse; even with the Talaria flats folded up inside. Love that!

Of course, my sparkling Talaria flats are perfect for many more occasions than fashion week. They are perfect for evenings out on the town when my sky-high heels start to pinch. They are also perfect to keep in the trunk of my car, just in case. Sometimes a heel can break (like last year when my 4″ heel snapped off my shoe while I was walking at church-embarrassing!), or a strap can snap off, rendering an otherwise fabulous pair of shoes useless. By having Talaria flats stored in my trunk, or tucked neatly inside my handbag, I am prepared for the worst shoe disaster!

I cannot wait to bring my new Talaria flats with me to New York Fashion Week next September. I am also looking forward to keeping them close-by when I am wearing my favorite high heels. Comfort is key; and being prepared is everything. 😉

You can find your own fabulous pair of Talaria flats online at TalariaFlats.com.

Things to do in Tahoe during spring break

April 19, 2016 in Travel tagged family / spring 2016 / spring break ideas / tahoe / travel tips by Bay Area Fashionista

The Lake Tahoe area is one of the most beautiful natural environments in the country. For those of us who live in Northern California, we are blessed with the ability to drive to the Lake Tahoe area during any season. For those who live farther away, Lake Tahoe is a plane trip away. Although most people think of Tahoe as a place to go during the ski season for snow activities, there are actually a lot of fun things to do in Tahoe during spring break.

Spring break is usually in March or April, and falls between the end of the ski season, and just before the summer season. The summer season in Lake Tahoe includes beach activities, lake activities including boating, hiking, river rafting, and more. Unfortunately, most of these activities do not start until May or June; after spring break has ended.

Oftentimes, people do not think of heading to Lake Tahoe for spring break because they fear there isn’t any snow, and the summer activities haven’t started; they think there is nothing to do! Well, this isn’t true-there are plenty of things to do in Tahoe during spring break!

Our spring break took place at the beginning of April. We were blessed this past winter with a great snow season which left plenty of snow on the mountains for skiing, and snow play. Although we were fortunate to be able to ski over spring break, there were plenty of other activities to partake in during spring break in Tahoe too.

Here is a list of all the fabulous activities we enjoyed during spring break in Tahoe this year; and they are activities you can enjoy next spring break too!

Skiing and Snowboarding:

Although the snow does not last through spring break every year, this year we were lucky. Most of the ski resorts were still open, and still offering lessons. If you are traveling to Tahoe during spring break, look at the resorts which are at higher elevation, away from the lake. They have the best remaining snow, and the most runs open. If you have children who are beginners, Tahoe Donner is a great ski resort to check out during spring break. It isn’t crowded, so chances are you will not have to wait in line to get on the chair lift.

Other resorts to check out are Squaw and Northstar. They had great snow during spring break, and they have fabulous runs for more experienced skiers and snowboarders.

Sledding, Tubing, and Saucering:

Most of the tubing parks, and snow play areas at the resorts, were open. The state owned snow play park was closed. Make sure you call a snow play area before driving over, just to make sure it is open. You can also find a clean hillside, which is safely away from traffic, and make your own, free snow play area.

Be careful with saucering. The weather during spring break in Tahoe can reach moderate temperatures during the day. This means the snow melts, and then freezes overnight; causing icy conditions which can be too fast for a slippery saucer. Proceed with caution.

Hiking:

Hiking is a free activity which is usually associated with summer activities in Tahoe, but it is also great in the spring season! Spring break is the perfect time to hike in the Lake Tahoe area. As the snow melts, you can see beautiful landscapes filled with streams, snow, and greenery. It is truly breathtaking. The snow-capped hills, balanced by the green growth, makes for a beautiful hike.

Picnic at the Beach:

The lake water is freezing, but this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the beauty of the lakeside beach. Pack a picnic, and enjoy the fabulous scenery that Lake Tahoe is famous for. I recommend enjoying a picnic at King’s Beach. There are picnic tables, and a play structure for the kids. Think of all the beautiful pictures you can take on the beach too! I hear a family photo opportunity coming!

Silver Mines:

If you were educated in California, you know everything there is to know about the Gold Rush; and the gold mines! But, have you ever visited a silver mine? They are similar to gold mines, yet different. If you drive 45 minutes east of the Lake Tahoe area, you can tour Silver Mines, and take in the history of Virginia City. It is a history lesson, and a fun, unexpected activity for you and your family. We set aside one day during spring break for our silver mine excursion. I recommend planning to visit one day during your vacation. Hey, maybe you’ll strike it rich!

See a Show!

The Lake Tahoe area is right on the border of California and Nevada. This means the casinos are just on the other side of the state-line. Many of the casinos in both north and south shore offer big names on stage. You can see your favorite singer, band, or show!

Relax at the Pool or Hot Tub:

Depending on where you stay during your visit to Lake Tahoe in the spring season, you may or may not have access to a swimming pool. If you stay at a hotel, you can enjoy the swimming pool or hot tubs after skiing. If you stay at a house with pool access, you can do the same!

There you have it! The list of activities of things to do in Tahoe during spring break is not as long as winter or summer, but there are still enough activities to fill up your spring break calendar. Another reason to visit the Lake Tahoe area during spring break is the fact that a lot of other people don’t! This means the Tahoe area is not crowded, so enjoying your favorite activities is extremely easy-and crowd-free! Love that!

If you have any other suggestions of things to do in Tahoe during spring break, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. I am always looking for more things to do with the kids, and I am sure you are too!

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