Courtney GThe third day in California was the day I finally slept in (at least for a little). Our morning reflected the plans for the day. We had more leisure time compared to day two…at least for the rest of my family.
The plan was to go to the beach and then the Santa Monica pier. From there I’d meet up with another friend from college and hang out with her separately. My family would go shopping on Rodeo Drive in the meantime.
The Beach
I was under the impression that since we were going to Santa Monica pier that we’d be going to the beach in Santa Monica. To my surprise we went to Venice Beach. It wasn’t far from Santa Monica per say but it would’ve been a 40-minute walk to the pier which wasn’t ideal.
The beach had little traffic when we first arrived. It was probably because it was mid-morning on Monday. We found $ 10 parking for 3-hours and walked on from there.
We spent most of our time taking pictures, not getting in the water. Dad had us standing around for over 20 minutes trying to help him get the perfect shot of him on the rocks with the water splashing behind him. I’d like to think he was going for his “Ariel” shot.
Santa Monica Pier
After a few more pictures, we drove towards the Santa Monica Pier. A short but scenic drive. We were all hungry so we wanted to get lunch first and then do the pier attractions.
By the time we got there and parked (for $15), I knew I’d only have time for lunch. My friend and I had timed reservations for the Academy Museum so I’d have to order my lunch to go. I was definitely bummed I wouldn’t get on any rides.
We ate at Seaside on the Pier. We saw their rooftop from the parking lot and thought it would give us a nice view.
They’d just opened so it took them awhile to come up and take the orders of all patrons on the roof. I ordered a shrimp po’boy and they accommodated my request to put it in a to-go bag. Soon after I got and paid for my food, my friend arrived at the pier so I hugged my family goodbye and headed off to the Academy Museum.
Catching Up
My friend had driven-up from San Diego which I appreciated her for doing. We hugged once I’d gotten settled in the car. We caught up since we last saw each other back in January during the cruise. I stuffed myself with my sandwich and fries while we drove towards the museum. I was still hungry, after all. The food was so good and flavorful but I’m not sure if that was just the hunger talking.
The Academy Museum
When you arrive at the Academy Museum, you can’t miss it. The gold architecture on the side stands out. And it literally says “Academy Museum”. Tickets are $25 for adults but prices and discounts vary. We parked in the LACMA Parking Garage ($20) but you can also park at the Petersen Automotive Museum Garage ($21).
If you’re a huge movie buff fan, specifically older classic Hollywood, you will have such a good time here. There’s a total of 4 floors of the museum that you can take your time to look through. I’d probably block out 2-hours to look around, read, and watch the different experiences.
My little sister, who’s a film major, probably would’ve enjoyed it a lot. I regret not taking her with us.
After the museum, my friend and I did a brief look around at the tar pits next door and I walked within the “Urban Light” sculpture installation.
Amoeba Music
Getting hungry again, we went off to dinner to meet up with another friend from college who lived in the area. However, I’d mentioned wanting to stop by Amoeba Music, the record store. I knew there was one on Hollywood Boulevard and we were so close to it the day before but didn’t have time to stop by.
My friend said she didn’t mind going to it before dinner so we went. We parked on the street and walked up to it. There were more Hollywood stars on the walk of fame on the way.
I think the store normally has people check their bags but because my backpack was on the smaller side, they let me go in with it on.
I ended up not buying a record (mostly because I didn’t have a way to carry it with me back on the plane and didn’t want to pay for shipping). However, I did get an Amoeba Music pin. My friend got the Breaking Dawn Part 2 soundtrack to go with her Twilight collection of items. She even had Robert Pattinson earrings and “Cullen” baseball jersey to wear to the Academy museum.
Dinner at bb.q Chicken
We picked up our other friend from his apartment on the way to the restaurant. They both said the place we were going to had the best Korean friend chicken. I didn’t have anything to compare it to so I trusted them.
When we got there, I realized I actually recognized the chain, but not from anything I’d tried. I recognized it from the K-dramas I watched. We at bb.q Chicken. I had always wanted to try them (the product placement in the dramas paid off)!
We had to pay $7 to valet park since it was after 6 on a weekday and headed inside the restaurant. We all ordered the honey garlic boneless chicken which was $17 per order. I got the small but I was surprised when I saw my plate.
“All of this is the small?” I asked my friends as I pointed at all of the chicken on my plate (some were already eaten in the photo above). I originally thought $17 just for chicken was pricey but considering how much chicken I was getting, it was worth it. And it was absolutely delicious!
None of us finished our plates so we got to-go boxes and took a quick trip around the corner to 7-11. Our local friend decided to walk home from there since he was close by. We went to get my friends car and nearly ran into an issue.
Parking Issues
Apparently, if you leave the plaza, even if just for two minutes, that causes a problem for the valet people. The person saw us coming back from 7-11 and confronted us.
“You said you were going to the restaurant,” the valet said.
“Yeah, we ate there and just went to 7-11 for water,” my friend said. The restaurant’s drinks would’ve cost more.
“You can’t leave the plaza like that because parking is only for the plaza,” the valet said. Again, we told him we were only around the corner and were gone for less than 5 minutes. He said normally he’d charged extra for leaving the plaza but he let us pay the original price he quoted. I guess my tip is, avoid valet in regular parking lot if you can.
After dinner, my friend drove me back to the Airbnb before she drove home to San Diego. I let my family try my leftovers since I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish it before leaving for the airport in the morning. I still had leftovers from Roscoe’s in there.
My dad liked it so much that made a plan for him, my step-mom, and little sister to go there the next day. Both my sisters and Dad ended up fighting over the last pieces of chicken if that tells you how good it is.
I made sure to get packed up for the flight home the next day so I wouldn’t do too much rustling in the morning. My sister and I were hoping to make it out on the early flight. We’d be in for a rude awakening.
Day 4 – Flying Home
My sister, Dad, and I woke up at 5AM. Dad drove us to the airport, braving navigating LAX. We were through security by 6AM hoping to catch the 8AM flight out. We were flying on buddy passes so our chances weren’t great unless the flight had a lot of opened seats.
To our annoyance, we kept getting pushed out flight after flight, constantly changing gates until we were finally able to get on a 2PM flight which landed us in Atlanta around 10PM. Needless to say, we were exhausted.
What made it bearable was the LA crew of the airline had a hospitality staff that gave passengers snacks as they waited to board the plane. Since we kept getting pushed back from flight to flight, we were able to catching the hospitality staff and get snacks twice.
Because we didn’t land at the original time we planned for, I decided to drive my sister back home so her ride didn’t have to worry about coming to the airport late and she didn’t have to wait for them by herself.
After I dropped her off, I went and slept at my mom’s house since my dog was still with her.
I didn’t get to my house until the next morning and I had to clock-in to work at 8AM. I’d never been gladder to work from home.
That was my trip to Los Angeles! A quick trip for reconnection with friends and family. What are some things you would do in LA? Let me know in the comments!
