It'll Be Alright: December 2021

Day 1

Got up really early - 4:15 - Like all trips, we started early. We got up at 4:15am. Yikes. Surprisingly, Ellie got up not long after we were up. We got everything ready and left before 5:30. It was dark and cold when we left.
Ellie got up on her own to get ready - As we were getting ready, Ellie showed up in our room and was awake and starting to get ready to go. She was very excited.
Parking spot was quick - Parked my truck in the Parking Spot (they are the best), and the bus was there to pick us up.
Security and skycap were very easy. No one in the airport yet - The Parking Spot bus dropped us off across from the Sky Cap so it was easy to check in. There were very few people in the airport because it was so early. We went to TSA Pre-Check (greatest thing ever), and got through security with no problem. We walked to our gate, which was a little way to go, and then had to wait a little bit to board. We did get to see the sun come up and some of the construction for the new airport. When we traveled in February, they had just cleared the ground. Now there were buildings and parking garages. It looked really nice and can't wait until it opens.
Flight went well-kids and Lisa played a game (I Spy); arrived 45 min early; really foggy when we landed - Since it was just the 4 of us, Lisa and the kids sat on one side of the aisle and I sat by myself across from them. It was a nice flight. Everyone was mostly well behaved and stayed occupied during the entire flight. Lisa brought a couple card games and they played the Disney I Spy game together. When we got close to landing we couldn't see the ground from the airplane because it was so foggy and we didn't see the ground until very close to landing. It was crazy.
Grady when landing “Ellie, this is cool!” - Grady did great on the flight. He was interested in what was going on and when we landed he was not completely ready. Right after we landed he said, "Ellie, this is cool!". It was cute.
Got car, no problem; RAV4 - We got our luggage and made our way to the rental car bus. I was worried we were going to have too much luggage, but everyone helped and we had not trouble. We got to the Alamo rental office and had no trouble checking in (the lady helping us was not the most helpful or professional though). We walked out to find a car and I though I had booked a larger SUV, but it was a small/midsize SUV. We picked a RAV4 because we really like Lisa's new 4Runner. These are not the same. This car had been USED. It also had the feature where the engine turns off when you stop. This drove us nuts. The car was fine and the kids were able to have some rest time while we drove around.
Drove through LA by Tar Pits and Hollywood Blvd - We didn't really have anything planned so we drove toward Griffith Park. We drove by the La Brea Tar Pits and the Oscars Museum. We drove down Hollywood Blvd, which we were unable to do last time. Then we drove to Universal. I thought it would be fun to see CityWalk and find lunch there.
Went to Citywalk for lunch - Mexican - ok, no veggie options - We got to Universal and since we were only going to CityWalk we could park valet and get validated for cheaper parking. We walked around for a while and found a place to eat. We ate at Antojitos, it was a Mexican restaurant. Since February, Lisa and I have started a Plant-based/vegetarian diet. At home, Mexican is a great option for vegetarians, but not hear. They had a veggie quesadilla and guacamole, that was it for veggie only options. We got both and they were quite good. The service was ok, and we were a little chilly. The restaurant was open and we did not bring jackets. We went to a couple stores after lunch, but nothing was very exciting at CityWalk. We were underwhelmed. After CityWalk, we drove by Warner Bros and Disney studios on our way to the LA Zoo.
LA Zoo - fun but not all animals out - We went to the LA Zoo in 2017 and loved it. This time it was ok. Before we left, we became members of the Kansas City Zoo, which got us a discount at the LA Zoo. We were thankful of this because there were a lot of exhibit empty when we were at the LA Zoo. We also had to show our vaccination cards before entering, which was new to us. I was surprised at how crowded it was (it was a Sunday), and I bet there were at least 1/3 of the exhibits empty compared to last time. Several places we saw signs that said the animal was at risk due to COVID and they were not available to see. We still had a good time, but we didn't spend as much time there as before. The kids enjoyed it.
Merry Go Round - made pilgrimage to Walt’s inspiration - After the zoo, we went to the Griffith Park merry go round. This has become a pilgrimage of ours. Over the past couple of years, we have a couple of books that we read to Ellie about Disneyland, Walt Disney and even Mary Blair. She has learned a lot about the history and this time she understood and appreciated the meaning behind going to the merry go round. I really loved seeing her understand and appreciate it. We all rode it and man does that thing go fast. We also met a lady with an Australian Shepherd puppy (we have 2). It was really cute.
Checked in to hotel - both kids fell asleep on the way - Ellie and I checked in and got the stroller - After the merry go round, we headed to Anaheim to check in at our hotel. We had dinner reservations and didn't want to miss them. There was some traffic, but it wasn't bad and it didn't take too long to get from Griffith Park to Anaheim. Both kids fell asleep, which they needed it. When we got to the hotel, Ellie and I checked in and Lisa stayed with Grady in the car since he was still asleep. We got checked in, put the luggage in the room and picked up our stroller rental. The service at the Courtyard is fantastic. The bellmen were all friendly and helpful getting the stroller and helping us with the luggage.
Returned car to Alamo and left my phone in the car; need to go back in the morning - We then drove to drop the rental car off. They were closed, but we could put it in the after hours box. We had everything out of the car, Ellie and I double-checked the car so I put the key in the drop box. I then went to check my phone and it was still in the car. Dang it!! Not only was all of my stuff I use everyday on it, but the park tickets were on it. I was stressed and annoyed at myself the rest of the evening.
Walked to downtown Disney - ate at Naples - it was DELICIOUS! (Mushroom pizza, mushroom ravioli and salad); Grady and Ellie ate all of the pasta, but not the pizza - We walked to Downtown Disney from Alamo, which was a bit of a walk. We walked in through the Disneyland Hotel entrance and Downtown Disney was packed. I couldn't believe how busy it was. We were eating at Naples so we had to go a ways to get there. We got checked in and seated easily. We got a mushroom pizza and mushroom ravioli. The ravioli was SO good. The sauce was amazing and we dipped the crust from the pizza in it. Grady got a pizza and Ellie got spaghetti. The spaghetti was a hit. Both kids liked it and it was gone by the end of dinner.
Walked through some shops and Grand Californian - saw gingerbread house and carolers - We walked through a couple shops and then went into the Grand Californian to see the gingerbread house. It was awesome. It also made us miss that hotel because we loved it so much the last time we stayed there.
We walked back to the hotel because we were tired. it was a full day. We got back around 8:30 and started getting unpacked and ready for bed. I was in the bathroom and heard a "BOOM". I asked what that noise was and then realized it was fireworks. We looked out the window and the Disneyland fireworks had started. We were able to watch the fireworks not only from our room, but we laid in bed and watched them. It was great and a wonderful way to end our first day. More to come on the rest of our trip.