A Girls Trip to LA
Our adventure started Friday evening after work. We met at the SLC airport and flew to Los Angles. We flew into LAX, which is quite possibly the worst airport in this country. It took way too long to get to the rental car facility, but before too long we were on our way to Anaheim. Meg was a gem and door dashed Chipotle while we were driving, so we had dinner waiting for us when we arrived at our hotel. We stayed at the Homewood Suites on Harbor Boulevard. We finished eating dinner at little after 9:00 and we raced to Downtown Disney to get there before it closed at 10:00. Our objective was to get ice cream at Salt & Straw and then head to World of Disney if we still had time. Unfortunately Salt & Straw closed at 9:00, which was really sad because they have the world's best ice cream. It did however give us enough time to drown our sorrows at World of Disney in the form of Retail Therapy. Kristin and I both purchased new apparel to wear to the park the next day and got a few souvenirs.
Saturday morning we slept in before heading to Downtown Disney to get a light breakfast at Starbucks. Touch of Disney began at noon, so we had a little bit of time to kill before they started letting people in for the event. We got into the park around 11:30. The feeling of being back inside DCA after over a year of being closed was surreal. I was holding back tears as we walked into the park. Our first stop was to get a churro, which was unreal. Disney churros are definitely the best. We then placed a mobile order for Smokejumpers Grill and then we started walking around the park. We headed over to Pixar Pier where we took some photos and played the Boardwalk Games. The games were free during Touch of Disney, which was really fun. I won two of the games, so I got a button. We also visited the Legacy Passholder area where they were giving away more magnets and buttons.
Our food was ready at this point so we headed towards Smokejumpers. This event had more sample sized foods, which was great because we got to try a lot of different things. At smokejumpers we got the 1/2 Monte Cristo, Brisket Mac & Cheese and the S'mores milkshake. The Monte Cristo was yummy and a far better size than the normal size at Cafe Orleans. If it was always that size, I might actually order it sometimes. The Brisket Mac was unbelievable and the S'mores milkshake was just OK.
We then ordered some gumbo and some pepperoni pizza egg rolls. Both were excellent. At this point we were feeling a little full so we decided to just walk around the park and see everything. We walked through Cars Land, which was dreamy. We also went to the Hollywood Backlot where they had really fun backdrops for Falcon and WandaVision. The Hollywood Backlot area is one of my favorite areas of the park, so it was fun to spend some quality time there. We could smell the funnel cake fries while we were waiting, so we decided to place a mobile order to try those out.
After the Backlot we found a shady spot for my mom to relax, while Kristin, meg and I headed to the pier to get some ice cream. They had the normal lemon ice cream at Adorable Snowman, but they also had the pineapple dole whip. Meg and I both got the swirl and Kristin got pineapple. It was delicious! There is nothing quite like eating an ice cream come where it's sunny. The roller coaster was running (without people) so we enjoyed watching that and dreaming about the park being back to normal. We walked around the pier for a little bit and then headed back to find my mom. We sat in the shady spot and chatted for awhile while eating popcorn before heading to pick up our funnel cake fries.
Funnel Cake Fries have been pretty popular in DCA for a few years, but I've never tried them out. The flavor this week was carrot cake and they were delicious! They were quite small, which was great since none of us wanted to eat a lot of fried food. I don't know if I would order them again if they were normal size, but they were a really fun, delicious treat. At this point we were hungry for some real food so Meg, my mom, and I all ordered grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup and Kristin ordered some bacon mac & cheese.
While we were headed to pick up our food we met Philander, who is a Disney Cast Member who I follow on instagram. He was delightful to talk to and told us about coming back to work for the first time after being off for over a year. He said he came in through Toon Town and there wasn't any music playing and it was eerily quiet. However, when he got to Fantasy Land the music was playing and he said it felt like normal, just without the guests. He said that he couldn't wait until guests were back in the park and made an interesting point that the relationship between guests and cast members was very symbiotic. The cast members get their energy from the guests, and the guests are reliant on cast members. It again made me sad for the time we lost in Disney and also overjoyed for future times we would be back. I know I won't ever take a Disney trip for granted again.
After we ate we decided to do another loop around the park from the pier and then over to Cars Land. We arrived in Cars Land just as the lights were about to turn on. There were quite a few people there and it was honestly the most people I've been around in over a year. The lights turned on and everyone started cheering. It was such a happy moment, the kind where you want to hug strangers (but you don't because of COVID). Instead we did a group hug with our little group and realized that we had made it. The end was almost near and even after a year we were back in our happiest place. Half of our family is fully vaccinated and the other half are halfway vaccinated. Before too long the world will be back to a new normal and Disney will once again be full of crowds riding rides, eating food, and enjoying parades and fireworks.
The park was nearing closing so we got a few last pictures and then headed out of the park. Saturday really was such a wonderful day. The park felt like a moderately busy day - there were a lot of people around, but without rides or shows to absorb crowds everyone was out. It wasn't overly crowded and certainly never felt unsafe. Everyone wore masks the entire time. It was really nice to take it slow and enjoy the details of the park. Normally when we are at DCA we are focusing on rides and fast passes and shows and keeping to a schedule. It was nice to slow down, eat food, enjoy each others company, and enjoy the park for the work of art that it is. Philander said that without guests at Disneyland it was like owning the Mona Lisa and keeping it in the basement. The parks are meant to be enjoyed. I couldn't agree more.
Saturday morning we woke up and packed up. Kristin and my Mom left LAX at noon and Meg and I had until 7:00. We went and got some breakfast at local spot in Anaheim. It was delicious. I had a sweet potato smash that was divine. After we were all full, we took Kristin and my Mom to the airport and then Meg and I headed to Milkbar. Meg and I each got the cereal milk soft serve and a piece of birthday cake. We ate the soft serve while we were at Milkbar. It was some of the most unique and delicious ice cream I have ever experienced. I can't wait to go to NYC later this year with Eric and try it there. He will love it!
We then went to the Santa Monica pier so we could hang out by the ocean. The pier had some really cool carnival rides and a really lively environment. It was a cool place to hang out. I purchased a sand mat and then we headed down to the beach where we relaxed for a few hours. We shared a piece of birthday cake and it was divine! Milkbar easily makes the best cakes in the country. I don't like cold water, so I didn't get in at all, but I just enjoyed being by the water. Beaches and the ocean are my happy place. I rarely feel as stress-free and relaxed as I feel when I'm by the ocean. Meg and I chatted while we relaxed and it was just such a wonderful time. I don't know how we got so lucky to get Meg in our family. She fits in perfectly and we absolutely adore her.
After the beach we headed to Din Tai Fung for dinner. Din Tai Fung is one of Eric & my favorite places to eat on the West Coast and Meg had never been. We ordered several different dishes to try a lot of different things. We stayed there for 2 hours eating slowly, so we didn't fill up too fast. We didn't finish everything, but we did eat a lot of food. Meg spent some time in Taiwan when she was in college and said the dumplings at Din Tai Fung were very similar to the dumplings she enjoyed there. I wasn't surprised because the first time Eric and I enjoyed Din Tai Fung was in Beijing and we've loved it ever since.
After dinner it was time to head back to the airport. This was such a lovely trip and a wonderful girls weekend. We can't wait to do another one!
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