a few of my favorite (west coast) things

favorite park:
irvine regional park over any other. it's beautiful, it has the best light, it has peacocks and ponies and snakes and ducks and battered wooden fences and stone steps and a perfectly reflective lake and a boathouse and the best bokeh ever. oh and even a zoo and a train to pay back good children who can look right through you for pretty pictures :)

favorite beach:
pearl street, laguna. gorgeous, quiet, sheltered, shaded, dolphin friendly and free parking - all boxes checked :)

favorite kid restaurant with good natural light:
rubys (exception mall ruby's) great milkshakes too :)

favorite "pretty" place:
fullerton arboretum. free to get in, free parking, no gift shop to get dragged into kicking and screaming, you can take a picnic in and no-one tells you off and you can even eat it at the perfect little cottage with perfect light with a porch that kids love to hang out on. chicken soup for the mamarazzi's soul :)

favorite mall:
mission viejo. great natural light and lots of kid friendly places to shop/eat - and they're getting a FARRELLS!!! it gets better and better and better!

favorite cupcakery:
Susiecakes in newport beach. least favorite: Sprinkles, their cupcakes are muffins in drag and they don't let you take pictures (i do anyways but they give frosty looks - get it, frosting... no...?)

favorite pizza joint:
brooklyn pizza works. so so so so so good despite having no natural light! kid friendly, cheap and yummy :) and you'd never get your car towed away in Placentia - bad things just don't happen in Placentia

best frozen yogurt:
cherry on top - good light and yummy create-your-own desserts. gummibears, tons of sprinkles, chocolate yogurt is the boys' favorite. cheesecake yogurt, strawberries, blackberries and caramel is mine :) least favorite: pinkberry. tastes like it's scorched (how, i have no idea) and they don't allow cameras in either - enough said:)

favorite play place:
foothill ranch mcdonalds - by walmart and target and michaels and the cute library and the cute boardwalk place and the big joann's! so you can bargain in your share of shopping/picture taking with a reward at the indoorest, cleanest, funnest, hugest playplace in OC with great light and an easy drive home on the toll road :)

favorite toy store:
US Toy. you can get armfuls of toys and it rarely comes to more than $25 - AND you get $5 off IF you get to $25!

favorite playground:
Atlantis. totally cool, totally gated, no childless adults allowed and very 70s/Sesame Street/Central Park looking

favorite fast food that adults can eat too:
In-N-Out. animal fries absolutely essential :)