Hello Emerald City Monday, May 26, 2025 Travel Day
We LOVE Seattle!
Morning We have a DAILY alarm wake us up at 4:45AM and this morning was no different. We had an early morning flight and despite it being Memorial Day, we knew there would be traffic and we were right. We were up and out the door by 5:15AM and parked at The Parking Spot 2 at Hobby Airport shortly after 6AM. We got loaded on the shuttle bus and made our way to the terminal to find out it was already CRAZY busy and we were not the only ones who thought an early morning holiday flight was a good idea.
5AM departure on school day- NOPE
5AM departure on vacation- ALL SMILES!
We did notice a few new things for the Hobby Airport security that was not there prior to the "Real ID" push that began on May 7th. There were drug dogs who sniffed people and bags prior to the security check. Then once at the security counter there was a facial recognition aspect for Chris and I and passport scans for the kids. Once in the metal detector line, we were NOT required to take off our shoes or pull electronics from our bags, which has been standard for many trips for us! We were in and out of these security lines within 25 minutes and in line for what would be one of the most expensive meal of the day, breakfast at Chick-fil-A in the Hobby Airport. (I know I say this every trip but GOOD GRIEF- I need a 2nd job just to pay for the food we eat in the airport). However, the line to order and then get our food at CFA actually took longer than the Hobby security lines!
Southwest Airlines Info- We booked these flights back in December and were still able to have 2 bags checked for free and a carryon plus personal item. We did notice a lot more carry on bags than usual since this was near the May 28th deadline of "no free bags" for Southwest. We have been LOYAL to SW for years but we will see where they land when it is time to book another flight! They may not be the economical choice anymore- only time will tell!
Unfortunately, our Southwest Airlines flight was delayed by 35 minutes and did not begin boarding until 8:30AM for a 9:05AM departure time. The flight was completely full but we had EARLY BIRD check in and were able to board in Group A (A 34-37). TIP- Early Bird is offered by Southwest Airlines for $15-30 each way and allows AI to check you in prior to the general public checking in. This means an earlier boarding time and since SW is an "Open Seating" airline, this means we choose our seats and more likely to have seats together. This allowed us to get a row all to ourselves for the kids and I as well as Chris sitting in an aisle seat. The flight itself was forgettable which always means it was a good one. We arrived at Sacramento for our connecting flight at 11AM and our 2nd flight to Seattle didn't board until 1:25PM.
Flight #1 (3.5 hours) to Sacramento= Success! (There was a little brother and sisterly love- to say the least)
Afternoon Once in Sacramento, we were able to get lunch in the main food court area- another $100+ meal for basic lunch food. We ate lunch and then tried to get some "rest" for the 2nd leg of our flight to The Emerald City. This flight was also "full" yet somehow, Chris managed to have the only empty seat on the plane! (#winning) Natalie had researched and knew to sit on the RIGHT SIDE OF THE PLANE for our flight to Seattle and that REALLY paid off as the approach to Sea-Tac Airport allowed for some GORGEOUS pictures!
Flight #2 (1.5 hours)= Success! Look out Seattle, the Davis Family is headed your way!
Mt. Rainer from the air!
Seattle from our plane!
The Space Needle- Isn't she gorgeous!
Once on the ground in Seattle we made our way to the baggage claim to find all of our 4 suitcases that we checked with SW. We made our way out of the airport to the Light Rail to get us to our Airbnb in Beacon Hill. This proved to be a great choice as the train was not at all full and it only cost $6 total for a one-way adult ticket (kids 0-18 ride for free in Seattle). TIP- The Light Rail in Seattle offers one way ($3) and round trip tickets ($6) as well as all day passes for only $6 per person. This is a GREAT way to get around the city and SAVE MONEY, especially since kids 0-18 ride for FREE!
Evening Once in Beacon Hill we walked approximately 2.5 blocks to our updated condo Airbnb. This location was INCREDIBLE and I would book this Airbnb again solely for that.TIP- This Airbnb was newly updated and had 2 bedrooms and 3 beds which worked well for us with 2 teenagers. It also had 2 bathrooms which we have recently realized is a near necessity with a teenager girl. However, it was a FOUR story condo. Each bedroom had it's own floor- which was great, but it meant a lot of stair climbing. It even had a patio giving EXCEPTIONAL views of Puget Sound, Downtown Seattle and even Mt. Rainer but we were tired within the 1st day. I read reviews explaining this and I pretty much let that info go in one ear and out the other. I should have re-thought this as Chris really struggled the next morning with knee pain from climbing so many stairs. But again- I WOULD BOOK this Airbnb again, just know it will require people who are in "tip top shape" as one review mentioned! And we are NOT!
"Updated Seattle Condo Near Light Rail" Airbnb
The 4th floor balcony with exceptional view of Downtown Seattle!
Check out our tour of this Airbnb.
We unpacked our suitcases and then went to the Hilltop Apple Grocery store just down the block for some breakfast items, water bottles and other necessities for the trip. This store being within a 3 minute walk proved to also be VERY HELPFUL as we ventured into this store nightly!Then it was dinner time and we chose to go to the local Mexican Restaurant near the Light Rail- Baja Bistro. This was "Baja" style Mexican food and while it was different than our usual Tex-Mex, we all LOVED it!
Baja Bistro- Just outside the Beacon Hill Light Rail station. The food, drinks and prices were great!
The Baja Bistro Menu- Decently priced for Seattle. Our tab was $123 with tip.
The Cheese Enchiladas plate- 3.5 (How I judge EVERY Mexican restaurant)
First dinner of the trip with my girl- LOVE YOU NATTIE!
With the time change and the long travel day, we were all TIRED so we called it a night early and tried to go to sleep despite the sun being out until past 9PM.
This was 9:15PM from the balcony!
Day ONE WAS AWESOME!
It was a long tiring day but we were ready for a FULL DAY in Seattle coming up next!
What an EPIC trip it has been... But we're not done yet!
Morning
We didn't set an alarm in hopes we would get real rest but set a back up alarm for 8:30AM knowing Luke would be awake before then and sure enough, all four of us were awake before 8AM. We got ready and then enjoyed the delicious Embassy Suites breakfast in the main lobby. This breakfast was even better than most Embassy Suites. We loved the made to order omelets and the hot fresh pancakes. After breakfast, we loaded the SUV and then headed south towards Beverly Hills and Hollywood for our final tour of the trip.
One last look of Angels Stadium of Anaheim from our hotel! She's a beauty!
The traffic was not bad as we traveled 38 miles and it took us right at an hour. We went straight to Beverly Hills and drove down Rodeo Drive and tried to see all the sights of this area of Los Angeles. We didn't have time to get out and see it all but just driving down Rodeo Drive and then Hollywood Blvd. was pretty awesome. We made our way to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Blvd around 11:30AM for our 12(noon) tour time with Film Freak Tours. TIP- I found this tour on Groupon for $28/ person and then got a discount.It was a 2 hour tour of Hollywood and surrounding areas with a guided tour guide who knew all the spots and even showed scenes of the movie before you got to the stop. The tour showed us lots of movie scene locations and TV sets as well as other tourist areas. The tour guide was an old TV show star and "E TV" type of host. The tour was practically all about HIS interactions with these movies sets or scenes. It was kind of odd and he was a bit arrogant. This might have been cool if this was my uncle or I knew the guy but I had no idea whom he was and it was not the best tour.With the discount we paid $90 total and left a tip but it was not worth $40 in my opinion. It was a 2+ hour tour and had about 40 minutes worth of real material. The kids never complained and we got a tour of Hollywood so I guess it checked the box.
Hello Beverly Hills! This park was gorgeous! I really wish we would have had time to get out and explore!
Southern California at her finest!
We have arrived at Rodeo Drive!
Paramount Pictures on our Film Freak Tours!
The Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd was PACKED!
The Roosevelt Hotel- The starting point of our tour!
It's Tour Time!
We are ready to see it all! Let's go!
Afternoon Our flight home was at 6:55PM and that meant we had to be LAX at 3:55PM at the latest. TIP- LAX is known for having terribly long security lines and even for a domestic flight 3 hours is recommended.That means that Chris Davis thinks we need 4 hours. Our tour got done at 2:05PM and we grabbed a pretzel on Hollywood Blvd and got our parking validated (for FREE PARKING) and then hurried out of the area. We had some traffic but made it to the LAX rental car return by 3:15PM. Unfortunately, we forgot to refill the car with gas... That was an $80 mistake but it was too late. We got all our stuff, turned in the keys and got on the shuttle to the Southwest Terminal in LAX. We got into the security line around 3:45PM and were through the line by 3:48PM. No CAP... At LAX! We were shocked!
Evening We then made our way inside the terminal and got some food at Panda Express. This was another $95 lunch tab... We are officially broke now (JK)! We then made our way towards our gate to wait for our 6:55PM flight. The flight got delayed by about 15 minutes but by 7:12 we were on board and ready to get back to God's Country. This flight was full except 8 seats so we knew it was going to be a tight flight. We opted to have the kids and I sit in an entire row and then Chris on the opposite row. This turned out to be the WORST flight ever. It is almost as if we had a sign that said "Please bring your babies to our area". We had 7... literally SEVEN babies within 2-3 rows of us. They were crying and screaming pretty much the whole flight. Then a screaming toddler who kept throwing stuff at their parents and the parent did nothing. Another couple played their iPad for their baby without headphones and as loud as possible. About 2 hours into our 4 hour flight, the couple in front of us decided to change their baby's poopy diaper right there in the row. It was awful and then they didn't get up to throw it away. I ended up pushing the button to tell the stewardess. Then the baby just cried and cried. It was so bad and reminded me why I literally hate FLYING!
We touched down at Hobby Airport at 12:07AM and it seemed like the longest 4 hours of my life! This can drive a person to drinking or crazy or something! Hobby airport was PACKED at midnight on a Saturday and every single Luggage turnstile was loaded. We had to wait nearly 45 minutes for our luggage. Finally, around 12:50AM, we got our luggage and made our way to the shuttle to Parking Spot #2. We were in our car by 1:10AM and back at our house in The Woodlands around 2AM. We were all SO TIRED. We practically dumped all the luggage, took quick showers and were asleep by 2:20AM.
This was an INCREDIBLE trip and I am so grateful that after 20 years, I was finally able to check off Dodger Stadium and Angels Stadium of Anaheim off my Baseball Chaser Bucket List. We all really enjoyed Los Angeles and this trip! But we will be back to California... Oakland is in my sights! I really hope I can grab the Colosseum before the Athletics leave Oakland at the end of the 2024 season.
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Up Next... Royal Caribbean to the Bahamas! We are SO EXCITED to finally get BACK TO CoCo Cay! Perfect Day at CoCo Cay... Here we come!
Los Angeles- Day 1 Sometimes, There's Crying in Baseball Tuesday, April 2, 2024
It's happening... It's FINALLY Happening!
Backstory So my dad is the one who had this Bucket List Dream of completing all 30 MLB stadiums before he died and my mom, sister and I were just along for the ride... And what a GLORIOUS RIDE it has been! (THANK YOU DADDY)
I was able to get 23 of these stadiums checked off my "Chase" before "leaving home" in 2001 and getting married in 2006. But towards the end of my "chase", I began to feel the itch to go OUT WEST and get all of the California stadiums but it was so far and we couldn't make the trek. Then in college when I went to the Rose Bowl with the Pride of Oklahoma, we had a marching band rehearsal in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium. I remember a friend and I trying to sneak into the stadium at the end of rehearsal with no luck. I stood in the parking lot and cried thinking "One Day I'll be back". That was in 2003 and I have been dreaming of Dodger Stadium ever since.
That "One Day" was TODAY!
Morning Our alarms went off bright and early at 4:45AM and it seemed like a typical school day as this is how early we wake up for school each day. But this felt different as it was FOR FUN! Chris did not sleep well due to travel anxiety and said he finally fell asleep around 4AM, so he was very tired. We were out the door by 5:30AM and it is a good thing as traffic on I-45 was a hot-mess. The GPS said I-45 was the quickest route but I should have known better. We were at a stop-and-go traffic inside the loop and what should have been a 40 minutes drive from our home in The Woodlands to Hobby airport turned into over an hour and twenty minute trek. This was only the beginning of our traffic woes this week!
We got to the Parking Spot #2 at 6:45AM and on the shuttle fast, which was a good thing as it started to rain. TIP- Parking Spot #2 is SO MUCH EASIER and CLOSER than it's sister, Parking Spot #1, when traveling out of Hobby Airport! We were checked into our Southwest Flight by 7:05AM and through security within 15 minutes. We decided to go to Gate #1 to get Chick-fil-A as we thought it would be the best option for our family. And there went half our eating budget for the day... No kidding. The airport food is OUTRAGEOUSLY priced. This standard breakfast meal for our family of 4 was $52. After we finished, we hurried to our actual Gate 48 with a restroom stop before getting in line to board the flight. We paid for the Early Bird check-in and were able to get Group A #42-45. TIP- We almost always pay the extra $15-25 per person/ each way for Early Bird Check-In. It saves so much time and frustration and it really does secure a better boarding spot on Southwest Airlines.
Hello from our row... It feels so good to SPREAD OUT!
A view of the Rockies NEVER GETS OLD!
Hello Long Beach... Long time, no see! (It's been 5 weeks)
The flight was less than 75% full and we were able to spread out and sit only 2 per row, lacking a middle seat person. This is always such a huge blessing. The flight was not what I would call "an easy flight" as it had multiple babies crying and mom's shhh or singing to them. Plus a very old Asian man who was snoring louder than Chris and Dan combined. AND we were on an airplane so everything was muted, too. Which led us all to question the following:
Would you rather have a less crowded flight OR an adults ONLY (or less noisy) flight? I think in the past I may have had a preference for the space but now... SILENCE please!
We arrived at Long Beach airport just before 10AM, which was about 20 minutes earlier than expected. We got our luggage and then made our way across the street to the Rental Car building. TIP- Long Beach Airport is AMAZING. It is so small and incredibly easy to navigate and explore! I would HIGHLY recommend flying in and out of LGB instead of LAX, any day! Since our flight arrived early, we were able to get an upgrade from our standard size car to a mid-sized ELECTRIC SUV.
I Seriously LOVE the de-boarding of the plane OUTSIDE in Long Beach!
They've done a LOT of work on this old terminal in just 5 short weeks! (I really thought I had a comparison picture but I do not, you'll have to take my word for it!)
Hello Mitsubishi Outlander EV (I LOVED this car... I may need to explore buying options!)
We made the hour+ drive to Burbank where our Air BNB was located in North Hollywood. I loved getting to drive this stretch of Los Angeles AND without traffic. I was even able to drive on the 405! It was AWESOME!
Another "It's happening" moment for me!
Hello snow-capped mountains! This was unexpected as these didn't have snow on them (to our recall) when we were here in February 2024). This was GORGEOUS!
Hello downtown Los Angeles!
This Air BNB was a decent find. The location was PERFECT and I would stay there again SOLELY on this factor. If you are doing movie studio tours, Universal or anything north of Downtown LA, this is a PERFECT LOCATION. However, the Air BNB itself was nothing short of a single man's apartment. It was listed as a "cozy 1 bedroom apartment" and it was just that. The Bedroom had a QUEEN size bed and decent floor space. The living room had a MASSIVE sectional, which was nice but cumbersome at times. The kitchen was full sized and offered bar seating. My Biggest Complaint= The place was not "Monica Clean" and I was not happy about that. The bathroom was just standard clean and the bedspread had a questionable stain on it. We actually brought blankets since Luke was sleep on an air mattress and used those instead of the bedspread. I was a little disappointed in the Air BNB overall but again, the price was great and the location was PERFECT for our 3 night needs; plus the owner allowed early check-in AND late departure. This allowed us to keep our luggage in the apartment and not risk car break in and etc. Thank you to our host!
Our host Danelle had (CHEAP) wine waiting for us, which was a nice touch!
A view of the kitchen from the bedroom!
The standard bathroom.
A view of the spacious bedroom with a large smart TV.
A view of the living area from the kitchen! This couch was HUGE and very comfy. Natalie was able to sleep here each night with no issues!
We definitely had an OFFICE and Dwight Type moment with the bedspread.
"God, I hope it's Urine" This made us laugh way too much!
The bedspread stain upon arrival!
Afternoon We changed into our Dodger game apparel and then made our way to UCLA for lunch and an afternoon of strolling this gorgeous campus. We made at stop at FAT SALs near UCLA campus for our traditional Diner's Drive-Ins and Dive experience. We try to always experience a DDD at each city we visit and this one looked promising. TIP- Fat Sal's was a YOLO type of meal that feature sandwiches that included topping of everything but the kitchen sink type of mentality. The sandwiches were really only "decent" at best and overall they left much to be desired. It felt like just a bunch of ingredients thrown onto a sandwich. This meal cost $100 with tip and was hardly worth it. BUT... YOLO and that is always our mentality when traveling to a new city!
Hello Fat Sal's!
The Full Menu at Fat Sal's!
Chris, Luke and I ordered the Fat Jerry and Natalie ordered the Fat Sal.
A view of the inside of the Fat Jerry! This had too much stuff for my liking... Mozzarella sticks IN a sandwich! It was a fun experience but I wouldn't order it again!
This was a FUN experience!
After lunch we found a great parking spot thanks to a local whose son was on an "official visit" to UCLA to play football. This allowed us to park our car for a few hours and explore UCLA. We started by getting a glance at the State-of-the-Art football practice facility. We then walked all over campus exploring buildings. Of course, no college trip would be complete without a stop at the MUSIC BUILDING. In fact, UCLA had 2 music buildings. And this trip Luke was even excited for locating this building. Once inside, we looked all around and finally found the Saxophone, Horn and Bassoon studios. In fact, we were even able to talk to the Bassoon profession- Johnathan Davis. This was a really neat experience for Luke. We also found the Bio-Medical Building for future Dr. Natalie and the Math Building for Chris. We made a pit-stop at the Campus Store and got our souvenirs before going back to the car.
Hello UCLA Medical Center- Dr. Natalie may be here one day! (I hope in TEXAS not California... but still)
UCLA practice football facility!
We all loved this experience!
Dr. Natalie- Ready for college! (BE STILL MY HEART.. MAMA AIN'T READY!)
Our traditional Music Building picture! (STOP GROWING UP)
It's official... I AM RAISING BAND NERDS! AND I LOVE IT!
Natalie was not as thrilled taking this picture but I thought it was cool!
I found the Saxophone Studio!
The Horn (and Tuba) Studio!
And even Luke found the Double Reed Studio!
My little BAND NERDS!
Mr. Genius at the Math Building!
Hello from UCLA- We LOVED this campus!
Evening We realized during our walk back to the car that we were not going to make the planned stop at USC before the Dodger Game as the traffic said it was going to take an hour and a half to go 12 miles to Dodger Stadium. WOW... This traffic was a complete nightmare and everything I envisioned for Los Angeles traffic. The interstate was backed up and the GPS had us go the main streets these twelve miles and it was torture.
At least the drive to Dodger Stadium was pretty... There's that!
We finally arrived at Dodger Stadium around 5:45PM for our 7:05PM game. This had my anxiety sky high as this was THE stadium I have been looking forward to for years... DECADES.
WE HAVE ARRIVED!
We got parked and made our way up the hill to the ticket gate where I purchased a Dodger's shirt to complete the experience. Once ready to go inside, I stood at the gate and tried to take it all in. We made our way to the escalators that would lead to the top deck and got scanned in with our tickets. Once inside, the tears started flowing and they would not stop. I know there is "no crying in baseball" but this felt right. The massive amount of emotions just kept coming and the moment was absolutely prefect.
I only have TWO LEFT... I am almost done!
This moment was so special to me!
I loved the Upper Deck area!
It's OPENING WEEK and I AM IN DODGER STADIUM! Dreams do come true!
Hello Golden Glove!
Picture Prefect!
We went up to the upper deck and got a Dodger Dog for Chris and 4 Waters, which was another $50+ tab. Then we explored the upper decks before going to our seats in Section 430 right behind home plate. TIP- While Dodger Stadium is old and certainly showing it's age, I personally LOVED it and it lived up the "Classic Stadium" hype I had heard about all those years. The Upper Deck was laid out way better than other stadiums I loved the view of Downtown Los Angeles as seen from behind home plate. Not to mention the view of snow-capped mountains from our seats. We did not get to explore the Center Field area of the stadium, which was a little disappointing but time was not our friend due to the traffic.
The main menu of the concourse on the Upper Decks!
A view from our seats in Section 430!
It's happening... IT'S FINALLY happening! Just 2 left!
My heart is SO HAPPY!
The game itself was fun and exciting. We got to see Mookie Bets hit a homerun and his 1,500th Career Hit, which was awesome to see! We all enjoyed a traditional Dodger Dog for dinner and Luke got a Dole Whip for dessert. We left our seats in the 7th inning as it was very breezy and cold and the boys were tired. I enjoyed the singing of the 7th Inning Stretch before we all went back down to the valley and our parked car.
It's hard to believe this guy (and Natalie) are already on Stadium #20!
We made a pitstop at the Team Store to get our classic souvenirs including her FOAM FINGER to her collection!
Our first OFFICIAL view of the Hollywood sign!
This was a picture perfect evening!
My heart is SO HAPPY!
NOTHING makes me happier than getting to do this "CHASE" with my family! THANK YOU for chasing with me!
Good Night Dodger Stadium... It's been MAGICAL! I will ALWAYS LOVE YOU!
BEST. DAY. EVER!
I absolutely LOVED Dodger Stadium and it will probably land in the Top Ten of my list (or close to Top Ten). I realize it is old and does not offer much in comparison to other, more modern stadiums that my kids (and Chris) are used to, but it will always hold a special place in my heart! I now wish we would have gotten to experience 2 games in Dodger Stadium as well!
We left in the middle of the 8th inning and we had zero traffic getting out of the stadium and back to our North Hollywood Air BNB. We made a quick stop at the Ralph's Grocery store across the street from our Air BNB to get snacks and water bottles for the week. Once we got back to the apartment, we were all so tired. We took very quick showers and were all in bed, asleep by 11:30PM.
This was a very long but GREAT day spent in Southern California. Dodger Stadium was EVERYTHING I imagined it would be and I LOVED the experience!
Up Next- WB Studios, So-Fi Stadium and MORE! Stay Tuned for Day 2!!!!
