Hey, it was President's Day weekend so of course it was time for another weekend getaway.
Since we headed northeast to St George last time we decided to go southwest to southern California this time and hit Legoland.
We stayed in Oceanside, CA which worked out perfectly for Legoland, only a ten minute drive down I-5.
Our first night in Oceanside we headed to Oceanside Harbor on the north side of town since it was walking distance from our condo.
However, even if you drive, there was a large parking lot just to the east of the tracks that you could then walk to the harbor.
This was a great place to get that "living on the coast" feel, especially after living in the desert for several years.
There were multiple restaurants to choose from including fresh seafood, Italian, fried seafood, Baja California, etc.
We decided to go for Dominics, the Italian restaurant only because it was the shortest wait and we were all hungry.
Now, we are very picky Italian eaters since we lived in Italy for 3 years but we were pleasantly surprised.
The pizza wasn't what I would call authentic but it was very good.
I had the Penne al'arrabiatta which had the perfect amount of spice.
This is the first place I've even seen this served since leaving Italy.
My wife enjoyed a very nice grilled chicken Panini.
Not to mention they seemed to have a nice wine selection and several Italian beers on tap.
It was very comfortable with the kids, not fancy...
more like a quaint café than a restaurant.
And we were able to eat for less than $60 (before tip).
If you have a craving for Italian while on the coast, I'd recommend it.
The next day it was time for Legoland! Try to find some discounts to the park, we were able to find buy-on-get-one-free tickets which helped immensely.
Tickets are $72 for adults and $62 for children (not to mention $12 to park) so it helps to have a discount.
I've seen mixed reviews for Legoland, but we did enjoy it.
It is a place for smaller children, so you won't find the mega-rollercoasters or adrenaline pumping rides but it was great for the kids.
As long as your children are 40 inches or taller they can ride most of the rides, if they're 42 inches they can ride everything that I saw (some with an adult).
Our son is going through his "Lego-stage" so it was perfect for him.
As you know, eating is not cheap at amusement parks but we were able to eat at the Funtown Market for just under $50 which included 2 kids meals, a pretty good steak sandwich for me and a salad bar for my wife.
They also had the option of stir fry which looked tasty.
This seemed to be one of the "healthier" options in the park so we were happy.
As you get near the end of the day here's a tip that may help, the park closed at 5:00PM but that's not when they kick you out, it's when they stop letting you get in line at the rides...
if you're already in line you're good to go.
Also, around 4:30 the gift shops, especially the big ones near the front gate, got VERY crowded.
Everyone makes their way to the front gate to purchase their stuff right before leaving so they don't have to carry it around, but all the shops advertise that you can buy earlier and just pickup on your way out, seems like a better option.
Besides, while everyone was in the gift shops we were able to get on 3-4 more rides between 4:30 and 5:00, then make a leisurely walk to the front gate with less crowds.
One more tip for those of you do that do not live in SoCal, it gets cool when the sun starts to go down so bring a jacket or sweatshirt.
You'll wonder why you're carrying it all day but then be glad you did for the last hour or two, otherwise you'll be buying a $50 sweatshirt in the gift shop! After a long day at the park we decided have a leisurely dinner at the condo, so we grilled up some steaks, had grilled zucchini and potatoes and relaxed.
Again, one of the benefits to condo vacations.
We did, however, get up the energy for some hand-dipped ice cream back down at the harbor.
There is a small place called Nana & Pops Sweet Shop in an inside passageway on the south side of the harbor restaurants, we almost missed it but glad we found it.
The ice cream was delicious and very reasonable priced.
The condo gave us BOGO coupons so four of us had a treat for $6.
The next day it was time to go home but we had to go see the main attraction in Oceanside, the Oceanside Pier, the longest wooden pier on the western US coastline (1954 ft).
Originally built in 1988 but has gone through several updates including most recently in 1988.
You can pay to park right across the street from the pier or park for free just to the east of the railroad tracks, there's even an underground walkway under the tracks that is handicapped accessible.
If you haven't eaten, there's a Ruby's Diner at the end, however we had a big breakfast so a nice walk while watching the surfers and fishermen while breathing some fresh sea air was just perfect for us.
On the drive back to Vegas, we realized something, we are lucky to live in Vegas and go against all the traffic returning to California after a long weekend.
We actually felt sorry for all the folks in dead stopped traffic going for miles and miles while we cruised along...
hope they had a good time in Sin City! Before we finish up I have one more recommendation.
We always split up our trip back to Vegas with a stop in Baker, CA for a wonderful Greek meal at The Mad Greek.
They're gyros are excellent, salads are fresh, and the baklava is some of the best we've had since leaving Greece.
A gyro dinner comes with gyro meat, pita, rice, and a separate greek salad...
more than enough food.
Another great tip, ask for a Truckers Rewards Card.
I'm not a trucker but they gave me one anyway which gives you FREE drinks and 20% off your bill...
an excellent value! Sorry I was bit long this time, I just get carried away talking about the great times we have traveling.
Remember you can travel too, with weekend getaways, condo rentals and travel packages all at wholesale! Create Gr8 memories today!
Since we headed northeast to St George last time we decided to go southwest to southern California this time and hit Legoland.
We stayed in Oceanside, CA which worked out perfectly for Legoland, only a ten minute drive down I-5.
Our first night in Oceanside we headed to Oceanside Harbor on the north side of town since it was walking distance from our condo.
However, even if you drive, there was a large parking lot just to the east of the tracks that you could then walk to the harbor.
This was a great place to get that "living on the coast" feel, especially after living in the desert for several years.
There were multiple restaurants to choose from including fresh seafood, Italian, fried seafood, Baja California, etc.
We decided to go for Dominics, the Italian restaurant only because it was the shortest wait and we were all hungry.
Now, we are very picky Italian eaters since we lived in Italy for 3 years but we were pleasantly surprised.
The pizza wasn't what I would call authentic but it was very good.
I had the Penne al'arrabiatta which had the perfect amount of spice.
This is the first place I've even seen this served since leaving Italy.
My wife enjoyed a very nice grilled chicken Panini.
Not to mention they seemed to have a nice wine selection and several Italian beers on tap.
It was very comfortable with the kids, not fancy...
more like a quaint café than a restaurant.
And we were able to eat for less than $60 (before tip).
If you have a craving for Italian while on the coast, I'd recommend it.
The next day it was time for Legoland! Try to find some discounts to the park, we were able to find buy-on-get-one-free tickets which helped immensely.
Tickets are $72 for adults and $62 for children (not to mention $12 to park) so it helps to have a discount.
I've seen mixed reviews for Legoland, but we did enjoy it.
It is a place for smaller children, so you won't find the mega-rollercoasters or adrenaline pumping rides but it was great for the kids.
As long as your children are 40 inches or taller they can ride most of the rides, if they're 42 inches they can ride everything that I saw (some with an adult).
Our son is going through his "Lego-stage" so it was perfect for him.
As you know, eating is not cheap at amusement parks but we were able to eat at the Funtown Market for just under $50 which included 2 kids meals, a pretty good steak sandwich for me and a salad bar for my wife.
They also had the option of stir fry which looked tasty.
This seemed to be one of the "healthier" options in the park so we were happy.
As you get near the end of the day here's a tip that may help, the park closed at 5:00PM but that's not when they kick you out, it's when they stop letting you get in line at the rides...
if you're already in line you're good to go.
Also, around 4:30 the gift shops, especially the big ones near the front gate, got VERY crowded.
Everyone makes their way to the front gate to purchase their stuff right before leaving so they don't have to carry it around, but all the shops advertise that you can buy earlier and just pickup on your way out, seems like a better option.
Besides, while everyone was in the gift shops we were able to get on 3-4 more rides between 4:30 and 5:00, then make a leisurely walk to the front gate with less crowds.
One more tip for those of you do that do not live in SoCal, it gets cool when the sun starts to go down so bring a jacket or sweatshirt.
You'll wonder why you're carrying it all day but then be glad you did for the last hour or two, otherwise you'll be buying a $50 sweatshirt in the gift shop! After a long day at the park we decided have a leisurely dinner at the condo, so we grilled up some steaks, had grilled zucchini and potatoes and relaxed.
Again, one of the benefits to condo vacations.
We did, however, get up the energy for some hand-dipped ice cream back down at the harbor.
There is a small place called Nana & Pops Sweet Shop in an inside passageway on the south side of the harbor restaurants, we almost missed it but glad we found it.
The ice cream was delicious and very reasonable priced.
The condo gave us BOGO coupons so four of us had a treat for $6.
The next day it was time to go home but we had to go see the main attraction in Oceanside, the Oceanside Pier, the longest wooden pier on the western US coastline (1954 ft).
Originally built in 1988 but has gone through several updates including most recently in 1988.
You can pay to park right across the street from the pier or park for free just to the east of the railroad tracks, there's even an underground walkway under the tracks that is handicapped accessible.
If you haven't eaten, there's a Ruby's Diner at the end, however we had a big breakfast so a nice walk while watching the surfers and fishermen while breathing some fresh sea air was just perfect for us.
On the drive back to Vegas, we realized something, we are lucky to live in Vegas and go against all the traffic returning to California after a long weekend.
We actually felt sorry for all the folks in dead stopped traffic going for miles and miles while we cruised along...
hope they had a good time in Sin City! Before we finish up I have one more recommendation.
We always split up our trip back to Vegas with a stop in Baker, CA for a wonderful Greek meal at The Mad Greek.
They're gyros are excellent, salads are fresh, and the baklava is some of the best we've had since leaving Greece.
A gyro dinner comes with gyro meat, pita, rice, and a separate greek salad...
more than enough food.
Another great tip, ask for a Truckers Rewards Card.
I'm not a trucker but they gave me one anyway which gives you FREE drinks and 20% off your bill...
an excellent value! Sorry I was bit long this time, I just get carried away talking about the great times we have traveling.
Remember you can travel too, with weekend getaways, condo rentals and travel packages all at wholesale! Create Gr8 memories today!