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Last month, my family and I decided to get away in Los Angeles after I received my second Covid-19 vaccination.

We see a lot of visitors from Los Angeles coming to visit San Luis Obispo County, and I know Los Angeles is a popular destination for San Luis Obispo residents. However, it has been a really long time since our family has really spent some time in Los Angeles. I'm a native San Diegan so usually I am just passing through LA to get to San Diego from San Luis Obispo. I always dread the LA traffic and how everyone seems to be in a hurry. But if my destination is Los Angeles county, it really didn't seem all that bad and long!

Our main points of interest were Santa Monica Pier, eating some seafood and then a last minute visit to the Mattel Store located at the Mattel headquarters.

They also have a Sanrio store in Los Angeles, but you'll have to go to the downtown area in Little Tokyo to find it. It's worth a visit if you love Hello Kitty, Kerropi and other Sanrio collections!

Santa Monica Pier


The picture above was taken while we were buying cotton candy for the kids. As you can see, the Santa Monica Pier was still very busy for a pandemic, judging by the number of cars. Most people wore masks so that was comforting. We stopped by the arcade there and as always, we'd win something and then I would have to be the one holding everything.

The kids had a lot of fun and I was very surprised by how long and large the pier is! Before we even reached the end of the pier, my kids were tired!


Eating Seafood
I didn't care which restaurant I was going to have my seafood fix, as long as it was at a restaurant on the Santa Monica Pier. The most interesting place seemed to be Seaside on the Pier, even though Bubba Gump is usually more well known. The Seaside on the Pier had a second story and a lot of seating in the front, back and upstairs. Usually at a place this huge, there's a high chance that there's room for us without a long wait. We were right. There was no wait when we asked the hostess! I ordered the fried calamari from their starters/appetizer section as my meal. 

The food was fresh and tasted great! They also serve California beers on tap!

Hyatt Hotel Stay at in LA

I had some points that I had accumulated as a Hyatt member so we used them to redeem a free night at the Hyatt Place/Los Angeles/El Segundo. It was only a 20 minute drive from Santa Monica Pier and I had just the right amount of points to redeem for a one night stay at this very hotel. The hotel is located right by the LAX airport so traffic could be very congested as you get closer to the hotel location. However, I still enjoyed my stay even with all the bad traffic. I liked that the hotel is located in the middle of it all, close to so many stores and restaurants. Our hotel room was very clean and my view from the window was awesome! (See picture below.)

The check in process was easy and I discovered from my room that I could surprisingly see the Mattel sign and building! Mattel is the company that builds famous toys like Ken, Barbie and Mega Bloks. I did some research about it and it just so happens that Mattel is headquartered in El Segundo and they had a store that is open to the public on the ground level! So, we decided to make an impromptu trip to their store the next morning!

Mattel Headquarters

When we decided to come 15 minutes before the Mattel Toy Store opens at their headquarters, I thought we were going to be too early. To my surprise, there were already 20 - 30 people there waiting in line already! I didn't know it was a popular place to visit! It's such a unique experience to buy toys straight from the headquarters and there are only 2 Mattel Toy Stores in all of U.S., even though Mattel toys are sold is many major stores all over the country. I even saw two guys brought their Ken Dolls while they were waiting in line. I can see how this place could be an excellent photo op and destination for collectors!

I'm a Game of Thrones fan so when I saw that there were Mega Construx dragon eggs I could buy, I snatched one of these Drogon ones. This is the very one that I bought at the Mattel Toy Store at their headquarter store. See the video clip of my Drogon egg. I highly recommend visiting this Mattel Toy Store at the El Segundo headquarters if you have the time and are already planning to visit Los Angeles county or El Segundo anyway!

Miyako Hotel, a Little Tokyo Hotel
Several months later after our initial Los Angeles trip, we decided to come back to explore more of LA because there's so much to see. We stayed at the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo this time. The unique hotel is smack in the middle of all the wonderful Asian restaurants and shopping. Notably, it's a short walking distance to the Sanrio Store. It was very cool stay here at the Miyako Hotel. We had a large window from our hotel room that allowed us to see all the busy action at night and people getting in line to order their ramen. 

Reading Suggestion:
Read about our Spring Break Trip to Universal Studios Hollywood after Super Nintendo World opened and our first ride experience on the Mario Kart.

AJ Spurs is located right off Highway 101 so it's a quick exit in Grover Beach. It's pricey, quirky and great for a special occasion.

We've actually dined at the AJ Spurs in Buellton (part of Santa Barbara County) before we got the change to dine at this Grover Beach location (in San Luis Obispo County). The decor is similar but I feel like this place feels much bigger! The parking situation is much easier as well.

We're in a pandemic when we came here for the first time and it was very easy to get seated. After the pandemic, business here seemed to have picked up a lot. The place feels dark inside as it should as it's meant to have an old western vibe with a lot of taxidermy!

The portions were very big! The kids seemed to enjoy looking around in their seats. There's a whole lot to take in. Desserts came with the entrees that we ordered and you could pick from a float or a sweet alcoholic shot of the day. This place is definitely different. Be ready to spend 30 - 40 dollars for a nice steak entree but you will definitely not leave hungry!

Here's how the inside looks:

See other restaurants that I've dined at with my family in San Luis Obispo County under the Restaurants page.

AJ Spurs Address: 1760 El Camino Real, Grover Beach, CA 93433

Reading Suggestions:

To see other pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

See 16 restaurants that I've visited in Paso Robles.

Read about my date night in Pismo Beach.

We did a staycation at La Quinta in Downtown San Luis Obispo about a year after the pandemic started.

It was a short 18 hour staycation. Our main motivated was we wanted to be able to use our 1865 Craft House & Kitchen gift card that we've been hoarding and since it's located right next door from the La Quinta Inn in Downtown San Luis Obispo, we decided to have a relaxing tourist experience as locals as well. Since traveling far was not advised during the pandemic, we opted for staycations instead and my family really enjoyed this nice relaxing Sunday dinner and relaxation afterwards. 

Dinner at 1865 Craft House, Next to La Quinta Inn San Luis Obispo Downtown

Here are pictures of the food that we ordered from the 1865 Craft House & Kitchen Restaurant below. They seated us outside and our table had a fire pit. We had dined at 1865 Craft House before so we knew to expect creative drinks and delicious food with excellent service. They have a lot of patio space and indoor space. I ordered the salmon, shared the wings and enjoyed one of their pretty cocktails. My kids enjoyed the mac and cheese and a side of sweet potato fries.






The service was great and the food came out fast. The food quality was top notch and the kids enjoyed their selection from the kid's menu!

One Night Stay at La Quinta Inn San Luis Obispo

After we had a nice dinner at 1865 Craft House & Kitchen, we walked back to our hotel.

It was too cold to dip into the pool but my sons and I still took the elevator up to the 4th floor to check it out and look at the view. It's so awesome. I really didn't expect a rooftop like this at a La Quinta. 


In the morning, they had grab and go breakfast bags for free for guests so we grabbed a couple and enjoyed some local Edna pastries, breakfast bars, orange juice and water. They charged me $10 for parking, which is fair and I didn't need to put any ticket on the dashboard so that saved me a trip back-and-forth because normally, I'd do this after checking in at a hotel to make sure no one would tow it.

One thing I want to note is that every room has a mini-fridge but the mini-fridge is located inside of the closest, not the cabinet. I thought that was strange but maybe it's for sanitary reasons! I had a hard time finding it at first.

One complaint: Even though check-in time was 3pm, when we arrived there at 3pm, our room was still not ready and we had to wait another hour. We booked a deluxe double queen, which has a balcony so there were only certain rooms with that feature. I thought that was a real bummer to have to wait but they said they were so busy the night before. In retrospect, I think they should have just upgraded me to an available suite so I didn't have to wait. Anyway, they gave me a coupon for 2 free cocktails or appetizer for the restaurant next door, which we had planned on dining at anyway. I'm not sure if they gave every guest this 1865 Craft House & Kitchen coupon or only if they are trying to step up their customer service when needed.

All and all, I would definitely return here and recommend my friends.

Note: This staycation was not sponsored in anyway and they did not know that I am a blogger. Therefore, like 95% of my content here my website, this review is not biased.

Staycations at other hotels around San Luis Obispo County:

• Read about my staycation at the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.
• Read about my staycation at Granada Hotel & Bistro in Downtown San Luis Obispo.
• Read about my staycation at The Carlton in Atascadero.

To see other pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

Here's a list of summer camp options for kids that are usually available in the summer throughout San Luis Obispo (SLO) County below. Most places don't post information until a couple of months before summer break begins.

2025 Summer Camps for Kids in San Luis Obispo County Availability

1. Summer Experience at multiple schools in San Luis Obispo County for grades: 1st through 12th. Times and schedule vary by grade groups.


2. Summer School Camp from City of San Luis Obispo Youth Services is planned for local kids.They have weekly themes for ages 5 - 12 years old, separated by 3 groups. They usually don't post information until a couple of months before summer break. Full Day Camp is Monday - Friday between times: 7:30AM - 5:30PM


3. Summer Blast Program by Lucia Mar Unified School District for TK - high school kids under the Lucia Mar Unified School District. Student would attend from 8AM to 2PM for free. Registration and more information will be available on March 2025. They will also have After Summer Blast Care as an option. More details and registration info from Lucia Mar Unified School District.


4. Avila Bay Athletic Club & Spa in Avila Beach is having a weekly Summer Camp from 9AM - 3PM, Mon - Fri,  for members and non-members (rates are different). Each week includes tennis instruction, water activites, art projects, instructional gardening, soccer, kids fitness, kempo, obstacle courses, science experiments, and much more! This year each Friday will have a fun, special theme! Kids must complete a swim test.


5. Oceano Dunes Junior Lifeguards Program in the summer offers two sessions. Each session is $275 and the dates are: Session I 2025: June 9 - June 27, Session II 2025: July 7 - July 25. The program runs Monday through Friday 10:00AM to 2:00PM. The kids need to try out for this in order to be be admitted. Registration will open in April 2025 and you would have to go to the registration information tab for more information on ReserveCalifornia.com to register. Once registered, you would meet at 25 W. Grand Ave, Oceano 93433


6. Estero Bay Art + Craft is having a weekly summer camp for $150 a week from 1:30PM - 3:30PM in Morro Bay. All materials included. This is for 2nd graders and up. The first week starts on June 16th. 


7. Monarch Hills in San Luis Obispo is offering 4 sessions of summer camp in 2025 for kids who are between kindergarten and 6th grade. Kids area learning the Waldorf way, which is a farm based education program. The capacity is 15 children for each week. 


8. Boys and Girls Club South County SLO They have summer camps for elementary aged kids with pods by age groups for a really affordable rate per week. This is in South County area of San Luis Obispo. Full Day Camp is Monday - Friday between times: 7AM - 6PM. 


9. Pacific Flips Gymnastics Summer Camps in (Grover Beach) are for for kids ages 4 - 14 years old. You can choose between half day or full day. Half Day is 9AM - Noon and Full Day is 9AM - 3PM. You can pay by the week or by the day, with discounts if you book more days out of the week. They would occasionally host a Pajamanastics which is fun play for kids in the evening in their pajamas. Many parents have enrolled their kids at a Pajamanastics event at Pacific Flips so the kids can have fun while the parents go on date night or run errands.


10. Summer Camps at Playtime Discoveries in Atascadero Summer Camp here has different weekly activities and varies by age groups. 


11. Youth Summer Program by City of Arroyo Grande has Summer weekly programs for different types of youth activities.Some are sports focused, while others are art focused.


12. Youth Evolution Basketball Summer Camp has four different locations to pick from: Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. They are from Monday - Friday for 3 hours a day by age group.


13. Summer Camp at Centennial Park in Paso Robles by YMCA is for kids in grades K - 6th for ages 4 - 12 years old. It is a weekly cost. Full Day Camp is Monday - Friday between the times: 7:30AM - 5:30PM.


14. Summer Camp at Baywood Elementary by YMCA (San Luis Obispo) are for kids in grades K - 6th grade for ages 4 - 12 years old. It is a weekly cost. Full Day Camp is Monday - Friday between 7:30AM - 5:30PM.


15. Summer Camp at Los Ranchos by YMCA for ages 4 - 12 years old. You sign up online by weekly registration. Address: 5785 Los Ranchos Road. San Luis Obispo CA 93401


16. Summer Camp at Ocean View Elementary by YMCA for ages 4 - 12 years old. You sign up by weekly registration. Address: 1208 Linda Drive., Arroyo Grande CA 93420


17. Central Coast Gymnastics Summer Camp in San Luis Obispo are for kids ages 4 - 13.5 years old with weekly themes. Half Days are from 9AM - Noon and Full Days are from 9AM - 3PM (depending on how many days a week the child is attending, rates for the week varies).
    
    My kids have attended their camps before and I'm always impressed by how organized they are. (Update: As a mom, I want to caution you about this place so I recommend googling "Central Coast Gymnastics" under the News section as something happened in 2023. Please do some research, then make your decision.)


18. Performance Athletics Gymnastics in San Luis Obispo has Summer Camp with a different theme every week. You can pick from 8:30AM - 5:30PM Mon - Fri or 9:30AM - 2:30PM Mon - Fri. This is for ages from 4 - 13 years old.


19. Legacy Training Center in San Luis Obispo has Summer Camp for half days or full days and you pay by the week or by the day. They offer a sibling discount. This camp is for ages 4 years old and up. Half day hours are from 9AM - noon or 12:30PM - 3PM. Full day hours are 9AM - 3PM. 


20. Camp Natoma is a screen-free program under the stars and making new friends from June - August. This is a true camp where they sleep in sleeping bags. Location is West of Paso Robles.


21. Keshet Lavoux Childrens Art Studio is offering 5 weeks of Summer Camp with weekly themes in South Atascadero. Camp is for ages 6 - 12 years old.


22. Central Coast Aquarium offers Summer Camp from June - August for half day (9AM - noon) and full day (9AM - 3PM). Sessions are broken down by age/grade groups. They are located in Avila Beach. They usually focus on Spring Camp first and then they would publish the summer info after.
    
    See more pictures that I've taken during a past visit at Central Coast Aquarium. I've volunteered to chaperone for a field trip here and it was a very fun experience.
    


23. SLO Classical Academy is located in San Luis Obispo, California for preschoolers through 8th grade kids. There are 3 different sessions. Preschoolers and kindergartener are put in a group together while the older kids get grouped together.
    


24. Summer Camp at Central Coast New Tech in Nipomo by Nipomo Rec Office. More details are on their Facebook page. Summer Camp is for 1st - 6th graders from 7AM - 6PM Mon-Fri and includes: games, arts & crafts, swim days at the NHS pool, field trips and more. Rates are affordable for half day and full day. Register at the Nipomo Rec Office or call 805-929-5437.


25. Cuesta College For Kids & JR Camps are two summer programs that are run by Cuesta College. The College for Kids Program is for ages 10 - 15 years old and the Cuesta College JR Camp is for ages 5 - 9 years old. Their programs are from Monday - Thursday. You can register online or call their office at 805-546-3132. 


26. Morro Bay Little Guards is a daily 3 hour program during the summer (Mon - Fri) for ages 6 - 9 years old in Morro Bay. You can choose from the morning session or afternoon session. Morro Bay is a beautiful and iconic location in San Luis Obispo County. See pictures that I've taken in Morro Bay.


27. Summer Camp at Camp Ocean Pines (cabin stay for 6 days or 13 days) in Cambria. Activities include target sports, arts & crafts, performance, science & nature, social, food and other outdoor activities. 


28. Creative Kids Performing Arts Musical Theater Camp at Pismo Beach Vets Hall from 9AM - 1PM for kids ages between 8 years old - 14 years old. There are 4 summer sessions.


29. Summer Camp at The Pad in San Luis Obispo is for kids between the ages of 6 - 14 years old. You pay the week. Every day is packed full of topics such as climbing techniques, route setting, belaying, knot tying, yoga, and more. Of course, there’s all the good stuff of a day camp, too: fun games, crafts, new friends, but with the bonus of developing a love for climbing.

(Note: This is a growing list so come back to check for updates.)

Reading Suggestions on Things to Do For Kids in San Luis Obispo County:

• Find Suggested Things To Do for Teens in SLO County
• Find a List of Kids Night Out or Parents Night Out Events throughout San Luis Obispo County
• Read About My Experience with the Lucia Mar Summer Swim Program at Arroyo Grande High School for the Kid's Swim Lessons During Summer Break
• Read About my Cabana Experience at Mustang Waterpark in Arroyo Grande (Only Open Between Late May - Early Sept Every Year)
• Read About my Ravine Waterpark Experiences in Paso Robles (Also Only Open Between Late May - Early Sept Every Year)
  

Read About My Chaperoning Tips and My Experiences with Chaperoning on Field Trips

Being outdoors in the summer can be so fun but it comes with a risk. Even if the sun seems mild, it's good to have sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat to protect your skin. Staying active improves your mood and you'll get exercise that'll help you stay healthy.

Suggested Activites for the Summer:

• You can go to the two local waterparks, Mustang Waterpark or Ravine Waterpark, or get your own small waterpark at home for the kids. It can get really hot in the summer time. Even a splish splash slide should help the kids cool down and have some fun for hours.
• Take them to free events throughout the summer at the public library. See upcoming free events in San Luis Obispo County.
• Take them to our local beaches like Pismo Beach, Grover Beach/Oceano Dunes, Avila Beach and Morro Bay where that kids can enjoy some time in the ocean and look at the nearby shops. See all of my beach pictures and blog entries of the beaches in our county.
• If you don't mind driving an hour away, you can take the kids to the Lompoc Aquatic Center for recreational swimming. It's an indoor pool facility with waterslides located in Lompoc, California (Santa Barbara County).

A couple of my friends had both shots of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine and they told me that besides a sore arm, they didn't have any other symptoms. I wasn't so lucky.

Yesterday morning, I went to my appointment to get my second Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. I felt great until maybe 8 hours later, my left arm (where they gave me the shot) started getting sore. No big deal. I felt like that was very bearable. I went to bed and then, the next morning, I felt more than just a sore arm. I got the chills! 

This morning, I decided to shower to see if I would feel better. I started getting kind of tired and a couple of hours after that, I started getting a splitting headache as well. I've never had a migraine before but this splitting headache was something I've never experienced before so maybe I had begun an onset of migraines! I'm in my late 30s and haven't gotten sick in probably 4 years. My body has been going baloney all day long.

After doing some googling, a few sites mentioned that women typically get more side effects than men after getting the second shot for Pfizer. The bright side is, if I'm getting symptoms, then my body is fighting like it should and creating anti-bodies that will protect me against future infections.

In the afternoon was when I was feeling my worst. My husband offered me 2 ibuprofen pills, which I hesitated at first but since my headache was bothering me, I took 1. I think that was not a good idea. Maybe it would've been better to let my symptoms run its course.

Update: Thankfully, I felt much better 2 days after.