Larsons in Los Angeles

So first let me say that after now being home for a few days, my initial feelings about LA still stand. I wish I was still there. I loved everything about California. Ok, well not everything. I mean, the traffic... But lord! The sunshine. The palm trees. The weather. The food. The culture. Was I crazy or did Californians even seem happier than the blizzard burned people of my homeland? Maybe it was having five uninterrupted days of freedom with my family. Maybe it was the sun soaked, joy inducing feeling of experiencing something vastly different from our regular day-to-day. All I know is that I liked it. And I want more. We all did.So, for these three Minnesotans, here's what was awesome about our trip to LA:

• SUNSHINE!! I think it goes without saying but, still needs to be said, that California may not have four distinctly different and beautiful seasons like MN. But what it lacks in seasonal variety it makes up for in spades in pure, unadulterated vitamin D. And let me tell ya, Californians are getting a whole lotta D (double entendre totally intended). Maybe that's why they are all so dang happy, despite the constant state of rush hour that they seem to be in.
• Culture. Yeah, Minnesota is getting better and we really do have a pretty decent representation of a variety of ethnicities, particularly where we live, in the Twin Cities area. I'm extremely proud of the way that our beloved, progressive Minneapolis celebrates diversity and values different walks of life. But, the further away from Minneapolis/St. Paul that you venture out, the paler the complexions get, and (in my opinion) the blander the food. We all really loved how diverse Los Angeles is. We heard every language, smelled the mouthwatering smells of cuisines from innumerable countries and enjoyed not being one of the only multiracial families walking the street for a change. It was.....well, refreshing. And I loved that Jonah got to see so many other families that are like his, as well as many that aren't.
• The ocean. There really isn't any other place where I can stand and just be with my thoughts in quite the same way as I do when I'm near the ocean. The energy and power that can be siphoned from the sheer magnitude of the vast sea, coupled with the rhythmic crashing of the waves against the shore, both empowers and grounds me. I am reminded that I am equal parts immense and small. That I have so much more to give and so much more to learn. That I have a purpose and am powerful beyond my own comprehension. And that I'm also but a tiny part of this earth and incredibly lucky to be a part of it and share it with the others who also journey upon it.

• The FOOD! We ate So. Freakin'. Well. From crepes and coffee and a stroll along the 3rd Street Promenade, to plates upon plates of marinated meat grilled over an open flame at Man Soo Korean BBQ, to my favorite spicy tuna over crispy rice from Katsuya, to the freshest lobster cobb salad I've ever salivated over. Even our Disneyland food was fantastic. You guys!!! The food out there is unbelievable and the options are endless. You want a burger? Ok! You want amazing Korean food? They got that too. You want a bowl of creamy, delicious chowder? No problem! I can honestly say there wasn't anything that I ate in LA that I didn't thoroughly enjoy. In fact, I was so wrapped up in a blissed out food coma that I did not take but maybe one or two pictures of anything we ate. And if you know me, this is highly unusual behavior. (Check out our Instagram or should we say Foodgram/Jonahgram.)
• Disneyland. Ok, so if you know our family, then you probably know that we have a very strong affinity for all things Disney and we tend to plan a trip to one of the parks at least once per year. (Yeah, I'm a progressive, feminist yada yada yada. And, yes, I still love Disney. The two are not, in my opinion, mutually exclusive.) This was such a massive day that it probably will deserve to have its own post eventually. But I will just say this; Disneyland was awesome. Having been to Disney World many many many times, I had some serious questions about how well Disneyland Resort would stack up to it's Floridian counterpart, and my takeaway is that these two resorts are vastly different, both having their distinct advantages and disadvantages. We loved that Disneyland is more of a one stop shop with everything on one property including Disneyland Park and the newer, California Adventure Park. Both parks were easy to access in one day, with one being literally steps away from the other. So, not having to take transportation from one park to the other was a huge plus for us with a toddler in tow. Best part of the day? Hands down, watching my child meet his Frozen heroes in real life. I was so impressed with how much time they took with him, allowing him to ask questions like: Where is Sven? Where is Kristoff? Where is Hans? He was so enthralled, it actually made me want to cry a little bit. As we were walking out of our meeting with Anna and Elsa, Jonah looked at us with a worried look on his face and said, "I have to go back. I forgot to bow." Heart. Melt.

Was there anything we didn't like you ask? Well, yes, there was. But that list is significantly shorter:

• Traffic. It is no joke out there folks. LA is a big city and there are a lot of people living and commuting there on a daily basis. Getting from point A to point B may take you over an hour, even if you are only traveling about 10 miles. After only a day or so we began to really notice when traffic was at it's heaviest and when it was easier to get across town. Having a driving a like Waze (which uses other users data and any traffic issues that they report in) really helped. It was annoying, yes, but after a while, it just was what it was and we learned to work around it like everyone else.
• Earthquakes?? Yep. Sometime after midnight on our third night in Santa Monica, I was awoken with a start when Chris smacked me, yelling, "Jessica wake up!" I could tell by the sound if his voice immediately that something was wrong. I was sort of groggy from sleep but I noticed that a few of Jonah's electronic toys were going off. That was when I noticed that the bed was shaking. The vibration from the earthquake must have set off the musical toys. But just as quickly as it has started, the shaking stopped. Having never been through an earthquake before, we were both totally confused about whether or not that was what we had just experienced. My creepy mind, of course, also brought up pictures of old Poltergeist movies I had seen as a kid (shut up, stupid brain). I lay in bed for a couple of hour after that until I was finally able to fall asleep again. The next morning, my California friend was able to confirm for me via her earthquake app (yep, that's a thing) that there was, in fact a 3.06 earthquake in Santa Monica. Wowza! I won't forget that unsettling feeling anytime soon.

 All in all, this was another great trip to add to the books. Experiencing LA with my husband and making travel memories with our little bug was the best way to spend five days that I can think of. My favorite part of the trip? Being able to unplug from the day to day so that I could plug into myself and my family and what is really important to me. Every time I hop a plane to anywhere, I'm reminded of why I NEED to travel. It allows me to feel free, to feel refreshed, to feel ready to come home and hit the ground running again.