Theme Parks

Being a child of the 80's, the only thing I've ever known about LA is that the Crips and the Bloods will kill you if you wear the wrong color. So, I was a little anxious to visit. However, it far exceeded my expectations and, thankfully, I lived to tell about it. The main attractions for the {three} children in the Lashley family were Disneyland, Universal Studios and Magic Mountain. 

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Disneyland. One time, when we were on a Disney bus in Florida the driver told us that all of Disneyland could fit in the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. That was it for me. I was never going to waste my time visiting the "lesser" Disney park. 

I know this will come as a shock, but I was so wrong. We loved Disneyland. It's so much easier to get around and it doesn't feel small at all (except the sad, little castle). 

Mia was all over the pin trading. Disney is so genius for coming up with this little scheme game.

Apparently, I couldn't keep my mouth shut the entire day.

If you have little kids that love the Cars movie this place will blow their minds. 

I might go so far as to say the food options in the park are better than Magic Kingdom in Florida. And by food options, I mean chocolate options.

This is how I look every time I ride It's A Small World. I also tear up. Every. Single. Time.  Bode, on the other hand, was less than impressed:

Universal Studios was a step down from Disney, in my opinion, but they have some really cool shows and the kids loved the thrill rides. Also, they have a Starbucks, in case you need a place to chill while your family rides insane and terrifying roller coasters.

Huge plus to Universal - Harry Potter World. I bet we will be back for this:

And then there was Magic Mountain. It's like the trashy, filthy step-child of Disneyland. I hated it. The kids LOVED IT. It's still all they can talk about. They have some of the fastest roller coasters in the world. Also, the roller coaster with the longest drop in the entire world. If you like to see your life flash before your eyes every ten minutes, this is the place for you. 

We did get to ride a roller coaster with Phil Mickelson, which made it almost bearable. Almost. I didn't take many pics in this park because we were all either hanging upside down or being thrown from side-to-side on some death trap of a ride.

Bode thought the food at Magic Mountain was awesome. He made that declaration while dipping a corn dog in nacho cheese. I spent the entire day looking for coffee. I never found it.

The next time we are in LA, I will happily drop the kids and Andy off at this park and drive myself straight to Beverly Hills for the day. Period. End of discussion.

The kids will definitely tell you that LA was their favorite stop on the trip and that is because of theme parks. I'm raising two thrill seeking junkies. It's their Dad's fault.