Visit Catalina Island: Golf Gardens

We had zero planned for the Catalina Island port, and as we roamed around, we saw that mini golf was nearby.  

Golf Gardens turned out to be a lot of fun!

There were all sorts of tricky holes, and as the kids gave the trick shots their best efforts, lots of laughter ensued!

It was a fun way to spend a couple of hours on Catalina Island!

Golf Gardens
10 Island Plz

Avalon, CA 90704

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Visit San Diego: Mr. Moto Pizza

Mr. Moto Pizza is a Cali chain that serves up all sorts of pizzas, as well as stuffed knots.

I decided to grab a Pepperoni Jalapeno Ranch stuffed knot.  

At just $4, it was huge, and it was a meal in itself.

It was essentially like a pizza, but stuffed in a garlic knot.

Definitely hope to try the pizzas one day!

Mr. Moto Pizza
879 W Harbor Dr
San Diego, CA 92101

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Visit San Diego: Extraordinary Desserts

A Google Map search of "desserts near me" resulted in a visit to Extraordinary Desserts.  

It's the cutest dessert cafe and the vibe is just so whimsical.

They have so many desserts to choose from, but my kids all ended up with the Frozen Hot Dark Chocolate a la Mode

Frozen Hot Dark Chocolate a la Mode

They were the fanciest Frozen Hot Dark Chocolates I've ever seen!  

Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookie

I got the Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookie, which was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It was enormous, and they even plated it so prettily!

Definitely visit Extraordinary Desserts for a sweet, sublime experience. 

Extraordinary Desserts
1430 Union Street

San Diego, CA 92101

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Visit Catalina Island: Lloyd's of Avalon

Of course we stopped to get some ice cream while on Catalina Island.  We ended up at Lloyd's of Avalon, where one of the employees told us they source the ice cream from various vendors (so it's not housemade).

Cookie Monster

Mocha Almond Fudge

Bubble Gum

Honey Churro

I had the Honey Churro, which was a little too sweet for my liking.

Everyone else loved the ice cream flavors they chose, however.

The ice cream definitely helped to beat the Catalina Island heat!

Lloyd's of Avalon
315 Crescent Ave

Avalon, CA 90704

 

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Visit Pasadena: Lucky Boy

We had an appointment in Pasadena, and just so happened Lucky Boy was right next door, so we grabbed some lunch.

While waiting in line to order, I overheard many people order breakfast burritos (even though it was lunch time), so naturally, I decided to get one too. 

Famous Breakfast Burrito

It's hard to tell just how huge the breakfast burrito was by this pic, but it was nearly as big as my face.

There was enough bacon, eggs, and cheese in the burrito to feed a small family!  

Turns out all the portions are huge!

Hamburger

Onion Rings

The Onion Rings were not the greatest - they had a nice batter, but it was not seasoned.

Avocado Burger

Fries

SoCal was experiencing a heat wave, so the shakes were a welcome treat!

If you go to Lucky Boy, bring your appetite!

Lucky Boy

640 S Arroyo Pkwy

Pasadena, CA 91105

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Visit Catalina Island: Coney Island West

We grabbed a quick bite at Coney Island West while on Catalina Island because one of my kids wanted Fish & Chips. 

Fish & Chips

Onion Rings

The food was satisfying and hit the spot.  There is limited seating in the restaurant area, but you can find places to sit along the main street to eat your food while gazing out into the ocean. 


Coney Island West
205 Crescent Ave
Avalon, CA 90704

 

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Visit San Diego: Ketch Grill & Taps

We were famished after arriving into SAN, having flown on an airline that doesn't serve any food besides packaged snacks, so after checking into our hotel, we walked to Ketch Grill & Taps.

Salmon Melt

Spicy Chicken Sandwich

I had the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, and it was pretty disappointing because there was very little meat - it was mostly skin!

I did really like the Fried Pickle Spears, however.  

Fried Pickle Spears

Spicy Wings

Double Cheeseburger

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower

The cauliflower was not too crispy, but the buffalo flavor was very bold.

Seafood Combo

The food was overall fine (with the exception of the chicken sandwich), and the views were great!

Ketch Grill & Taps
1360 N Harbor Dr

San Diego, CA 92101

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Visit San Diego: The Best Donuts

While strolling along the harbor, we stopped at The Best Donuts for some sweets and drinks.

Strawberry Matcha Boba

Brown Sugar Boba

Bavarian Cream Donut

The drinks hit the spot on a warm morning, and my oldest loved the donut!

The Best Donuts
879 W Harbor Dr

San Diego, CA 92101

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Visit Anaheim: Disneyland & Disney's California Adventure

During Spring Break, we made a quick visit to Disneyland Resort.  We had just two days, so we bought Park Hopper tickets, Lightning Lane Multi Pass, and also stayed at Pixar Place Hotel to get Early Entry to make the most out of just two days.

I've been to Disneyland Resort during Spring Break before, and the crowds were as expected.  

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass proved most beneficial, and I also liked that we had Park Hopper tickets.  

There were a few rides that opened up since our last visit that we made sure to get on: Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railroad Adventure.  

Last chance warning at Tiana's

Everything you read about getting drenched at Tiana's is true - especially if you're sitting in the front, like I was.  Even though we were prepared with ponchos and waterproof shoe booties, I got soaked, and my son, who was sitting behind me, got his shoes soaked even with the booties on.  As we were getting off, guests who were getting on asked for our ponchos, but the Cast Member had to keep the line moving, so we didn't have time to take them off.  We did, however, see some people in line outside who were incredibly thankful for getting the ponchos. 

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway was another ride that had opened up since our last visit.  This ride, along with Guardians of the Galaxy, Space Mountain, and Radiator Springs, were the most popular rides in terms of standby times and how quickly the Lightning Lane Passes became unavailable..  The latter was only available via Lightning Lane Single Pass purchase, but standby lines were consistently over 2 hours long.  

Tiana's & Mickey's Lightning Lane Passes would run out by mid afternoon, Guardian's would run out by mid morning!

I don't know if that's typical or just reflective of the Spring Break Crowds.  

Single Rider lines, where available, would run about 20-30 minutes long.  

We were able to watch the fireworks from the viewing floor at Pixar Place, at Disneyland, and even from our room at Pixar Place!

The weather was nice and chilly in the mornings and evenings, but got really hot during the day.  

We ate a lot of great food, got in a heck of a lot of steps, and made a lot of new Disney memories! 

Get up to 8% off on Disneyland tickets via Klook through 11/15/25.  Use code DLTCAL8 at check out! (affiliate link)
 

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Visit Anaheim: Craft by Smoke and Fire

We wanted to go out of the Disney Bubble to eat lunch, so we ended up at Craft by Smoke and Fire.

We went around 2pm, and there was only one other table occupied.

Chef's Asparagus Fries

We all loved the Asparagus Fries,  They were tempura-style, and so light and crisp!

Prime BBQ Quesadilla

We didn't order the Quesadilla, but ended up getting it complimentary (have no idea why - the server just said it was complimentary).  It turned out to be one of my favorite things I ate at Craft.  The brisket was really tender, and the "Comeback Sauce" had a nice kick to it.  

3 Cheese Mac & Cheese Side

Wagyu Baldwin Burger

Shrimp Tacos

Brisket Tacos

Texas Style Smoked Brisket Half Pound + Side of Garlic & Herb Mash Potatoes

Smoked Meat platters come with cornbread and pickled onions.  

Loaded Buffalo Chicken Flautas

I had the Flautas for my entree.  They were fried nice and golden, but the chicken filling was quite dry.

Despite that, everything else I tried was great, and the service was great too!

Craft by Smoke and Fire
195 W Center Street Promenade

Anaheim, CA 92805

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