Family Vacation Recap: Disneyland + LA
Hello loves! Welcome to my first blog post of 2019. I’m kicking the year off with a recap of my family vacation that we went on over New Year’s. One of my goals for this year is to incorporate more lifestyle content on the blog, and I think this is a great place to start! I’m breaking down where we stayed, what we did, where we ate, and of course, what I wore. I hope you find this post helpful if you’re planning an upcoming trip to Disneyland/LA.
coat | shoes | jeans (similar)
We were in California for a total of 5 nights, which we spent all of at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort. Staying at a Disney property is the way to go at Disneyland because unlike at Disney World, all the hotels are walking distance from the parks.
dress | earrings | jacket (similar) | sunglasses
On our first full day we hit the original Disneyland park and ate lunch at one of our favorite spots: Cafe Orleans. This is by far my top restaurant inside the parks at Disneyland! Because we got to the park super early in the morning to avoid the crowds on this day, I kept my outfit comfy and casual. (p.s. Disney had special gingerbread churros for the holidays and they were DELICIOUS).
leggings | crop top | tee (similar) | sunglasses | shoes | jacket (similar) | bag
Our first full day in California was New Year’s Eve, so that night we had a nice festive dinner at Mastro’s, one of my family’s favorites. They have a location in Orange County, so it was only about a 20 minute drive from Disney. If you’re looking to have a nice night out with delicious food, I highly recommend! I wore one of my favorite dresses this night to ring in the New Year.
On New Year’s day, we went to both Disneyland and California Adventure, the second park on Disney’s California property. We started off the day with breakfast at Carnation Cafe inside the park, a super cute and delicious spot. I wore my new “Ok cool. Hook ‘em” sweatshirt this day to support my horns who were playing in the Sugar Bowl that night (we’re baaaccckk). I paired my sweatshirt with my new leather leggings to stay comfy and warm at the parks (this day was the coldest of our trip due to some strong winds). Because we needed to watch the game, my dad and I picked up a pizza from Naples in Downtown Disney for dinner. I definitely recommend this place if you want some good pizza at Disney and don’t want to eat in the park (the restaurant just underwent a huge renovation…we actually ate there on the night we got into town).
The next day we took a break from Disney and spent the day in Los Angeles. We started off with an insanely delicious lunch at The Ivy. If you are planning a trip to LA you MUST eat here! My favorite dish is the lobster ravioli. (p.s. they also serve complimentary champagne) After lunch we did a bit of shopping which included trips to the Glossier store (ya girl needed her Boy Brow fix!) and The Grove. We ended the night in LA at the Lakers game, which was a blast.
After lunch we did a bit of shopping which included trips to the Glossier store (ya girl needed her Boy Brow fix!) and The Grove. We ended the night in LA at the Lakers game, which was a blast. It was so fun to check out the famous Staples Center (even though we didn’t get to see Lebron play due to injury).
On our last day, we hit everything at both theme parks that we hadn’t done yet, along with re-riding our favorites (Space Mountain and Guardians of the Galaxy). One cool addition that my mom and I loved this trip was the Festival of Holidays at California adventure. There were booths set up across the park serving holiday themed food and beverages and we absolutely loved trying the mimosa flights and the craft beer they had to offer! We ended our trip with a meal at Blue Bayou: the restaurant that is inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We’ve been eating at this restaurant for years but they always update their menu so it’s different each time.
I’m so thankful that I was able to spend time and relax with my family before going back to school. We absolutely love visiting California and we hope to go back soon! Where should we travel to next?!
Slap on some lipstick and smile
Channing
sweater | jeans | belt | sunglasses | bag