Pepper and I will be visiting California with the boys (and the husbands) in February. Aside from the obvious Disneyland and San Diego Zoo, what are the other "must-go" places we should take the kids? Also, we will be trading off watching the kids at night so we'd also love to know places that each individual couple/girls night/boys night would enjoy.
TIA!
grapefruit / 4731 posts
LegoLand
Universal studios
Pinks hotdogs... very touristy though. It's very good I thought. 
I don't think any LA-ians would go there though.
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
@Ra: Santa Monica Pier would be really fun with the kids. For a girls night do you like martinis? Lola's (in LA) is where the apple martini was invented. DH and I went there and it was fun. So jealous of your trip!
pineapple / 12053 posts
How long are you in each place, where exactly in LA are you staying and what kinds of things do you like to do when you travel?
honeydew / 7586 posts
@Mrs. Tiger: I 
fish tacos!
@Raindrop: Oooh...I bet the boys would love Legoland. Good call!
@lawbee11: How could I forget the pier?! Rides + beach =child heaven. I love Santa Monica, too!
@birdofafeather: We will be in Long Beach Monday-Friday (DH will be working--he travels to LB once a month for work) and then travel to San Diego Sat-Weds. We are all pretty relaxed when we travel. We don't like to be super scheduled and just prefer a general idea of what we are doing each day. I'd like a few kid-centric activities, a few laid back days, and lots of good food. Really, I just love to eat.
pomelo / 5628 posts
You have to go to The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach! It's great for toddlers.
In San Diego, Balboa Park (lots of museums, fountains, etc.) is next to the zoo and there is a carousel and train that are fun. They are just outside the zoo entrance.
La Jolla cove is great for breakfast (Brockton Villa) and a walk.
Liberty Station is a huge former military base converted to restaurants, offices etc. that had a great park. Also a 50's diner called Corvette Diner that is great for kids or Stone Brewery which is kid friendly and great for adults!
There are lots of great restaurants but some of my faves are: Harney Sushi, Seersucker, Cucina Urbana, Prepkitchen Little Italy.
There are also some family friendly (play areas ) cool spots like Station Tavern and another one I can't think of at moment.
Let me know if you have any specific questions!
nectarine / 2210 posts
Long Beach is actually where I grew up! I definitely second the aquarium. I also love walking down 2nd st, which has not only rubios, but also supermex and taco surf two other great Mexican restaurants.
bananas / 9973 posts
@Ra: Definitely the Aquarium! And do DL & CA Adventure when you're staying in LB because it's closer. Depending on the weather, I'd say a beach visit is definitely still worth a shot! Seal Beal beach is pretty close to Long Beach and pretty low key. We even saw orcas off the pier last winter! Huntington Beach is not too far either. You can check out the Anaheim Packing House for some cool new hipster-eats. Mama D's would be good with both couples and kid-friendly. There's such a vast area you'll be covering, PM if you want anything specific or want to meet up! 
ETA: There's always the kids' museum [Pretend City] and the Discovery Science Center. Both good options if you get rain days.
bananas / 9227 posts
San Diego:
Balboa Park - a large urban park beside the zoo. There's museums, an outdoor open-air organ (with free concerts), numerous picnic places, and tons of photo ops.
Coronado Beach - everyone loves a long walk along the sandy beach alongside Hotel Del. There's a casual outdoor pub on the balcony overlooking the ocean. Don't forget to buy an ice cream from a little shop near there (Moo Time Creamery).
Seaport Village It's a perfect little place to take a family stroll. It's right by the water surrounded by cute little specialty shops, restaurants, a park, a carousel.
Old Town - Don't forget to go to Cafe Coyote for some serious Mexican food (http://www.cafecoyoteoldtown.com)
For a night out, head over to Gaslamp http://www.gaslamp.org
I highly recommend Old Town Trolley Tours. It's a hop-on-hop-off tour that takes you all around town and explains a little bit of history. It can be very convenient (especially for visitors) since you can start the tour in Old Town (for example) and get off at Seaport or Coronado to eat and explore and hop back on to continue the tour. If you parked at Old Town, it's a good time to swing by and get that margarita at Cafe Cayote 
http://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego/
If you're looking for a romantic dinner, I recommend the San Diego Hornblower dinner or brunch cruise http://www.hornblower.com/home/sd
bananas / 9227 posts
For dessert, there's:
Extraordinary Desserts: http://extraordinarydesserts.com
Donut Bar: http://donutbarsandiego.com/
Last time I was there, I went to a sweet little dessert bar in Hillcrest, I forget the name, but it was surrounded by other shops like it and all had a great vibe.
There's also tons of microbreweries worth looking into.
coffee bean / 33 posts
@SugarplumsMom: I second Coronado Beach/Island. It's gorgeous!
In LA the Getty Center is beautiful. While the museum is great, DH and I prefer to go have lunch and walk around the gardens. The views are spectacular! Plus it's free minus parking!
pomelo / 5866 posts
In Balboa Park there is a science center that has a lot of stuff but also a great Tiny Town. Kind of like a children's museum or discovery center. There's a beach and a big outlet mall right next to Legoland.
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