Funky Friday, and guess what. I have been traveling! (Yes, I did have surgery Monday and was traveling through a cloud of pain pill filled bliss, but that is another story for another day). All better today and ready to tell my tale.
My oldest turned 13 last Sunday and I decided it was time to cement our Mommy/Daughter relationship in all things good before she decided I was the enemy and wouldn’t tell me anything important. We took off last Wednesday and headed for LA. Thursday was spent at Disneyland, (nothing new to tell here, so will skip this part). That night we headed over to the beach to stay at Santa Monica. This is where the true adventure began. Checked in at beachfront hotel, and ventured out. We took a drive through historic Santa Monica to look at the beautiful homes.  There are some really, beautiful, historical homes in Santa Monica and I highly recommend the drive. Lucky for me, child number one is a fabulous traveling companion and loves to gaze at interesting homes and architecture as much as her mum.
Dinner: FABULOUS! After all, traveling for me is all about the food. After much research, ended up at counter service/divey place called “Cha Cha Chicken”.
http://www.chachachicken.com/
Amazing little “shack” off the beach. Decor is all Caribean and food transports you to an island locale. I had Jerk Chicken Quesadillas and Ali had Coconut Chicken. We both had the amazing black beans and rice, but the lucky 13 year old got a side of fried plaintains with her dish! We both had amazing “housemade” fruit drinks. Mine, Watermelon, Ali’s, Mango. Not too sweet, just right.
For dessert, we sashayed over to the chichi 3rd Street Promenade where we sampled “Pink Berry” Yogurt for the 1st time. I had only heard of this legendary chain, it didn’t disappoint.
Headed on into the “city” for a day of playing tourist. 1st stop: Breakfast. Hollywood dive and hotspot (aren’t they one in the same?) “The Griddle Cafe”
http://www.thegriddlecafe.com
This place is legendary. The lines are legendary. The food is ginormous. If there weren’t 30 people lined up to get into this dive at any given time, you would drive right past it. Lucky for us, we aren’t bad looking, which put us in good standing with the host (male) and seated us promptly at the kitchen counter (hey, it never hurts to be use one’s femininity to get a seat!)  If you like to people watch, The Griddle Cafe is prime. Everyone from movie stars to musicians to just plain moms like me flock to this place. The Pancakes, French Toast and Omelettes are each big enough to feed a family of four for a week. Here is mine. I ate 1/4 of it and held up the white flag.
Fun! I am going to start this tradition when Madisen is older. What a great mother/daughter bonding experience. Glad you had fun!
Sounds awesome!