Los Angeles Trip - Day 3 - Santa Monica Pier & Beach

First, I have to point out that we picked a hotel sure to make D happy. The hotel atrium had an exposed elevator bank. He loved it! It was a great way to spend time in the morning and naptime while the others slept.



We visited the Santa Monica Pier located very close to our hotel. The views of the coastline from the pier were really great.







Just in case you were wondering ... there is an elevator on the pier. D found it, of course.


Playing a wack-it game:


Daddy won this plush turtle for H at a pier game. H loved it and carried it all over. He called it "my baby". Very sweet.



We took a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway north to Malibu. We then headed up into Malibu Canyon. The views were breathtaking. We were amazed by the different topography just on the coast -- beach, canyons, mountain, and a bit of desert all so close together. Really beautiful.


In order to keep H interested we convinced him we were chasing Lightning McQueen through the canyon. Ha!





After lunchtime the clouds disappeared and we finally saw the beautiful California sun. We headed to the beach!







H was a natural on the beach: Link to You Tube.



H tried to follow these girls into the water. He thought he was pretty sneaky ...






Stealing a snack from his little brother ...



More shots of my favorite Santa Monica beachhouse. I fell in love with this community center on the beach!




Yes, there is an elevator!