Los Angeles, Malibu, Santa Monica, Laguna Beach, San Diego

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Optimum Seasons: Summer and Fall

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I'm a New Yorker from the suburbs. So Los Angeles is kind of really, really, really unimpressive in every way possible. It's hard to understand all the hype. Aesthetically, it's kind of ugly and dry. You're not gonna find beautiful parks or gardens here. It's not as green as New York. The beaches are cleaner but they are also massive. Like, be prepared to walk a quarter mile from the parking lot to the shore. Perhaps for living, it gets the job done. The climate is mild to warm all year round and there's less stress. The houses are nice. But so are the houses in the outer boroughs and suburbs of New York. Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd are surprisingly ugly. It's like any commercial Blvd in the country except lined with palm trees. Everything is far from each other. There's no hotel on the actual beach (which is plentiful in Miami). I mean, the only reason anyone should go here is to say that they have been to Los Angeles. Perhaps it is better without children so at least you can experience high end restaurants and good meals?

If you are going on vacation with children though, you should only consider staying in Santa Monica which has a lot of hotels in close proximity to the beach, a great vibe, good restaurants, the iconic Santa Monica Pier, Tongva Park and the charming pedestrian Third Street Promenade with its cute shops. I find this the prettiest part of Los Angeles. After searching on www.tripadvisor.com, I was able to narrow my search and find a great deal at Courtyard by Marriott. Within a 10 minute walk to the Pier and Third Street Promenade and well decorated rooms, this hotel was probably the best part of our stay in LA. Remember, prices in Santa Monica are high so if you get a rate in the low $300s, you have found yourself a deal! And no need to pay for the steep $40ish parking at the hotels. There are lots all around you. And a metro station right across the street if you ever want to head to the Staples Center or go to downtown LA.

From Santa Monica, it's easy to walk to the boardwalk for at most an hour and get to Venice Beach. Think Williamsburg on the waterfront with lots of legal marijuana. Rent a bike or scooter if you must and enjoy! Also, walk a couple blocks inland to Abbott Kinney Blvd (hipster shopping). But again, I'm more impressed by the boardwalks in Long Beach and Far Rockaway New York.

For high end shopping, visit Rodeo Drive. But again, I wasn't all that impressed. I've seen much nicer high end malls and streets in both New York and Miami. I didn't get the chance to visit The Grove which is an outdoor mall that is really pretty at night with its lighting. But I was told this is just a 15 minute visit. The Walk of Fame is ugly. It's shocking that the city hasn't done much to beautify Hollywood Blvd which is its big tourist attraction. You can totally skip this. We didn't even get out of the car, I was just so repulsed by how unkept and grimy the whole stretch was. And I decided to go to Griffith Park just to see the Hollywood Sign. Don't do this. It is like a 45 minute drive from Santa Monica in traffic and it looks better in pictures.

Pico Blvd is lined with kosher restaurants for those who strictly observe. You don't even need to plan in advance. Just drive down the street and you'll find plenty of great places to dine! And if you are solely Kosher, it may be a good idea to stay in Beverly Hills over Santa Monica as Pico Blvd is very close. My favorite part of LA, as an Iranian of course, was it's Persian ice cream. If you are going to the Walk of Fame...you may as well stop by Mashti Malone's for some authentic pistachio ice cream in a wafer sandwich! Heaven on earth! LA is also capital to Iranians of all religious observances. You will find both kosher and non kosher amazing Iranian restaurants and kabab all around. Just do a google review or ask friends about their experiences.

I only explored the east side of Malibu from the Pacific Coast Highway, which again, is really nothing interesting or scenic. There is a dry mountain on one side with a beach on the other. I mean, you won't really get that on the east coast of the country...but you'll see plenty of that in the Caribbean and Europe and lots of other places in the world. I guess it's unique in the US. And if you are kosher, there is a pretty small little shack of a restaurant called Fishgrill with very good food for both adults and kids and outdoor seating. It is across the street from the beach but is not really scenic. And pretty buggy at night in the summer. Check hours before you go. If you aren't with young children, just go to Nobu and you may spot a few celebrities.

The houses from the outside aren't pretty in Malibu. And there are plenty of neighborhood all over Long Island that have houses on a sand beach. Think the Hamptons and all the neighborhoods on the south shore. And even some scattered along the north shore! For those that live in the midwest, I can see why this is an appealing vacation spot. But the time zone difference and the flight length really aren't worth it if you are only visiting Los Angeles!

The big draw here are the parks (which are far better in Orlando so if you reside on the east coast, again, no need to go cross country!). Legoland, Universal Studios, Disneyland, and Knott's Berry Farm are all in or surrounding LA. I went to none though as I wanted to save the money for the parks in San Diego, which are like nothing in the states!

My biggest regret over my three day stay in LA was not taking a day trip to Santa Barbara which is known as the "American Riviera." I couldn't really convince my husband that a four hour round trip drive to see a town just for about three hours was all that worth it. But there are allegedly beautiful homes here, horse back riding on beaches, great shops on State Street, and some great wineries and vineyards. Just google it and go if you're spending more than three days in Los Angeles. You'll have enough time to kill. You can even squeeze it in if you're only here for three days! Also on the way to Santa Barbara I was told to stop by El Matador State Beach (big rock formations), but again, I didn't get around to it.

The real fun started on our drive down (by the way, you must rent a car when you come to LA...and you must also go to San Diego as it's only two hours away) the Pacific Coast Highway. We stopped by Laguna Beach, which is probably one of the most beautiful and scenic places in all of America. We first stopped by Heisler Park, which is a gorgeous garden that sits atop a cliff overlooking the beach. We then decided to go to Crescent Bay Beach which is like a mile north of the Main Beach area, but far more private and scenic. Just park on any residential street and walk down the hill by the houses until you get all the way down. There are bathrooms and places to rinse off. We spent about two hours here before we began driving down the coast again towards San Diego. Also, further south is Laguna Niguel which is a bit more affluent. People stay at the Ritz here but honestly, a day trip is more than enough!

We arrived in San Diego on Day 4 and spent 4 days altogether which was the perfect amount. San Diego is a beautiful and clean city. It has a skyline, a beach, a seaport, great dining options and hotels. However, hate to make the comparison again, it is basically the boring version of Miami. And there are no hotels along the beach here. These are the must sees in San Diego:

1) La Jolla Cove: Sea lions in their natural habitat in crystal blue water you can swim in. You'll never experience anything like this. It's just about half an hour outside of downtown San Diego. You'll just need good luck with parking. If you can't find, double park and take turns going down the stairs to the beach. And make sure to go in the caves which I was told to do afterwards and deeply regret.

2) San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park: Worth every penny and includes free parking. But you don't really need a car in San Diego as everything is in close proximity. Uber will do. And anyone who tells you "this is just a zoo" is mistaken. The landscaping itself is out of this world! And the animal exhibits are far more impressive than anything we have at the Bronx Zoo. Six hours here is more than enough.

3) Seaworld: Don't watch the documentary "Blackfish" before you go. Be prepared to pay a lot more than you would at the zoo but again, you will get your money's worth. The shows are amazing and scattered throughout the day. This is the main draw. The signage around the park is pretty awful and you'll find yourself going in circles. You'll get the hang of it by the very end. Go on the weekend when you can catch the Sesame Street Parade (new as of 2017). If you go the week of 4th of July, there are fireworks several nights of the week starting at 10pm...if you have survived the day, stick around for these although we didn't. You can do the whole park in like 10 hours. Food here is crappy but you can't bring food in so you don't have much choice. And you must pay for parking.

4) Gaslamp District: Spend an evening here. Not really the best with kids but we dragged them anyway. Lots of amazing places to dine and an amazing vibe. Lots of outdoor seating, bars, and gorgeous restaurants. The pedicabs here are adorable! You can bargain with any of the bicyclists and get them down but we decided to just walk around and not pay the $40 fair for half an hour.

5) Little Italy: Dine here one evening. We didn't get around to it but we had our uber driver pass through and stop by a pizza place (best pizza I've ever had in my life). The area was super cute and I wish we were able to explore more here! Much better dining options for children than Gaslamp.

6) Old San Diego: Probably best to go here a couple of hours during the day. We didn't get around to it but this is Old San Diego in all it's glory with Spanish style architecture all around.

7) Coronado Island: We had a few hours left with our rent a car so we decided to drive 10 minutes from our hotel and drive through this small Island across the bay. This was a glorious place in the 1960s for celebrities. But honestly, nothing about it fascinated me. There is a sand beach here but too massive for my taste. And the Coronado Hotel is historic and worth driving by. But you can skip this altogether. There is ferry service offered at Seaport Village but then you'd have to take an uber once you get to the island to get to the beach anyway.

8) Balboa Park: This is a huge park. San Diego Zoo is within this park and is huge in an of itself. That should give you a good idea how big it is. There are museums and gardens all around here but we just didn't have enough energy or time to stay after our day at the Zoo. Another big regret!

9) Stay at the Manchester Grand Hyatt and no where else. This was a phenomenal hotel with a fantastic pool deck and great amenities for the kids. Fantastic food. Fantastic views. Close proximity to everything. And best views of the 4th of July fireworks (although we didn't realize at the time that we should have stayed on the pool deck and brought sweaters to watch). We ended up watching from our room but the closest and most impressive views were at the pool deck!

10) Seaport Village: Just a super charming area on the San Diego Bay with restaurants and beautiful landscaping and architecture. Unfortunately, I was told that in a few years, developers will buy it from the local government and build hotels on the strip. This is the most tragic thing I heard when i was there. Definitely visit San Diego before this historic part is gone!

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Tongva Park - Santa Monica

Tongva Park - Santa Monica

Third Street Promenade - Santa Monica

Courtyard by Marriott - Santa Monica

Courtyard By Marriott - Santa Monica

Santa Monica Pier

Ocean Avenue - Santa Monica Beach

Venice Beach Boardwalk

Heisler Park - Laguna Beach

Crescent Bay Beach - Laguna Beach

La Jolla Cove - San Diego

San Diego Zoo

Seaport Village - San Diego

Seaworld San Diego

Gaslamp Quarter - San Diego

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