Since I have the most wonderful husband in the world, he suggested that we take our family vacation over my birthday. He even let me choose the destination (with his input) which is how we ended up in L.A. It was such a wonderful treat to spend my day doing something exciting and new. Our first stop was at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, which is in close competition with Starbucks to win my heart, to pick up caffeine and pastries. I had to rein myself in when I saw the perfectly delicious looking chocolate cupcakes. I knew there would be time for cake later!
We decided that today would be the best time to visit the beach since it was going to be warm(er) and sunny, so our day began in Venice. I had read online about the history of Venice and that when it was built in the early 1900's it was designed to be a replica of Venice, Italy. Therefore, all of the streets were actually canals. Over time, and with the popularity of the automobile, the residents realized that boats weren't a very practical means of transportation and almost all of the canals were covered by pavement. Only 6 canals still remain and all are in a residential part of the city. Tourists aren't exactly welcomed but they are tolerated, so we decided to take stroll around the area to see how Venice originally looked.
We also stopped to smell the flowers (which Samuel said were "stinky").
Then we played at the neighborhood park just like the locals!
Next we headed down to the Venice Beach Boardwalk for lunch and sightseeing. It's actually most famous for people-watching and we did some of that too. There are definitely some interesting characters there! As we walked along the boardwalk there were several artisans selling their crafts. We stopped at a blanket full of seed-bead jewelry and Allen bought me a necklace and bracelet as a surprise birthday present. We had lunch at Figtree's Cafe, where we all enjoyed drawing on the paper tablecloth as we waited for our food to arrive.
After lunch we ventured over to the Santa Monica Pier. Today was the first time Samuel had ever seen the ocean. It was too cold for him to get in, but he sure enjoyed watching the waves and talking all about the "wa-wa." We all got a little grimy walking around in the sand and it was so windy my hair was blowing straight up!
We had a few hours to kill before our dinner reservation, so Allen (being the wonderful husband that he is) let me do some shopping at Santa Monica Place where I was able to visit H&M, a mecca of great clothes at even better prices. I picked out a few things while Allen chased Samuel up and down the stairs. What a great birthday gift! We even indulged in a make-your-own frozen yogurt sundae.
Two of my good friends from Colorado Springs, Lori & Katie, are now stationed at L.A. Air Force Base, so no trip would be complete without seeing them. Luckily, they were both free to join us for my birthday dinner. Allen and I are huge Top Chef fans so I thought it would be fun to eat at L.A. Farm, owned by Stefan Richter, a finalist in Season 5.
We made our reservation really early since we had a very young dinner guest and this is a upper-class restaurant. This strategy worked to our advantage since the restaurant was empty when we arrived. Stefan even dropped by our table and chatted with us for nearly 20 minutes. What a great experience! He told us all about being on the show and his restaurants. Allen was a little starstruck but didn't let it show, and we had a wonderful conversation with him.
Samuel and I enjoyed the Sea Scallop Risotto while Allen tried the Gnocchi with Bolognese sauce. We also shared a few small plates including Fois Gras, Truffle Arancini and Miniature Corn Dogs (guess who those were for).
Then for dessert the girls surprised me with Apple Beignets and vanilla ice cream!
My "milestone" birthday could not have been more memorable. It was such a special day full of my favorite things and shared by some of my favorite people!
