disney day date with the old lady

i'd been dying to ride the new incredicoaster that was part of the newly re-themed pixar pier at california adventure.  it was also an existing ride that had been given a face lift to incorporate an "incredibles" storyline, so it's not like i hadn't ever been on it.  but i also hadn't ridden the old "california screamin'" in a really long time - the bean, while having ridden it once, is still a little skittish about being turned upside down during a rollercoaster.  and i'll admit it...i really hate rides that start off by launching you at a high speed.  it's so sad that i've become such a wuss in my old age.

so on the monday after returning from vacation, the old lady and i dropped the bean off at camp and headed off for a mommy & me disney day trip.

since we'd arrived fairly early, it wasn't hard to secure a fastpass for the ride.  about an hour after we entered the park, our window opened and we headed on into the queue.

the old lady said that it was a little bit of a bummer to go through the fastpass line because most of the storyline for the ride is told during the regular waiting area for the standby line.  the wait at that point was already 45 minutes, so i figured i'd get the story another time, like maybe during one of our rope drop sundays.  the launch at the start of the ride wasn't as scary as i'd built it up in my head (or they slowed it down, who knows), and because it'd been so long since i'd ridden it it seemed like the first time all over again for me.  it was really fun, and we both giggled our way through it between screaming our heads off.

as we started heading from the pier in search of something to have for lunch, we noticed that the line for the new lamplight lounge wasn't too long.  this is the restaurant that used to be "ariel's grotto," with a outdoor bar in the back that's popular with all the guests who love the adult beverages.  we decided to put our names in and found that if we were willing to sit in the bar and not go downstairs where a full lunch menu was available, we could be seated right away.  and with plenty of time to have a drink and burn it off before leaving to pick up the bean from camp, we went for it.

the new menu was bright and colorful, with lots of fun cocktails to pick from.

i went with the "teaser," while she ordered "the last word."  both were refreshing and delicious.

and my fun fact for the day:  if you don't finish your drink before you have to leave (like to run to a ride for a fastpass window or something), they'll give you a clear plastic cup and you can walk around the park with it.  yay!

at the lucky fortune cookery in the wharf area, the old lady finally got to try "harryhausen's chilled noodle salad," which featured these fun iridescent noodles that changed color when she poured the sauce over them.

i opted for the chicken rice bowl on the kids' menu because i wasn't super hungry.  it was really good, healthy and just the right amount of food.

after browsing a bit through the shops, it was time to go.

as much as i miss the old california theming in the park, i have to admit that it's really fun to check out all of the colorful pixar decorations throughout the redesigned pier.  and now i can't wait to go back and ride the incredicoaster again.  yay for new disney stuff!

one hell of a sugar rush

a couple of months ago, i saw a facebook post about some sort of fantastical-sounding event that centered around all things sweet, and it was called "dessert goals."  i remembered hearing about last year's event and it sounded like a good time, so after confirming the old lady's availability i snagged tickets before they sold out.

the event was in downtown l.a. at the cooper building, and getting there on a sunday morning was nice and easy.  when we arrived there was already a good-sized line to get in.  we checked in with the girl at the end of the line and received our swag bags and wristbands.

 the line moved quickly, and we were shown into one of the elevators that took us up to the 11th floor.

there was a lot to look at, and while we were a little overwhelmed we decided to start here, for a little cold brew coffee.

and then we stopped for a quick group selfie.

as we took a quick scan around the room, we decided to save the ice cream stations for last and started in the far right corner.  none of us had had any real breakfast that morning, so we thought maybe it would be a good idea to kick things off with a couple of delicious-looking waffles.

of course, we had to take some silly pictures first.

the old lady and i both recognized the vendor next to the waffles, having seen pictures of their adorable macarons on instagram.

i mean...look how cute!

and of course we had to scoop up some to take home. from left to right:  nutella, french toast, fruity pebbles, nutella s'mores, some sort of super cute bunny, milk & honey, and cookies & cream.

over on the other side of the room, we decided to try some flavored sparkling water.  i don't typically like this stuff, but i was thirsty and figured i'd give it a try.

i still hate it, in case you were wondering.

the bean has always wanted to try the water in a box, so she was stoked to swap a tab from her wristband for one of these.

next up was something that had caught the old lady's eye when she checked out the event's website.  piñata cakes sounded really fun, and we decided to take two flavors home: the chocolate cake with vanilla flan and the piña colada carrot cake.

here's what they looked like later on at home, when we had the chance to crack the glittery chocolate balls open and enjoy the cakes.  both were super delicious, by the way.  i desperately want another one of those chocolate/vanilla flan things.

we couldn't resist stopping at a booth called "the dirty cookie."  we've seen them at the night market before, but never actually stopped to check it out.  it turns out that they're shot glasses made out of cookies or cereal treats, lined with chocolate and filled with some sort of beverage.  fun edible decorations were an option, and the bean decided to add one to hers.

 this was the chocolate chip cookie filled with coconut cold brew.

cocoa krispy cookie, also filled with cold brew.

and this one was fruity pebbles, filled with vanilla almond milk.

after all that sugar, it was time to stop at the salt bar and counteract all that sweet with some savory.

underneath the cluster of celestial-themed balloons (inexplicably, there was a "moon + stars theme to the event) we found something interesting...frosted rice cakes.

we passed on those, because duh.

but we did get ourselves roped into picking out some of these giant cookies, which we tucked away into our bags to take home.

i rarely turn down a good s'more.

also super random...a tarot card reader.

we redeemed another tab from our wristbands for a treat from the star candy bar.

and then we stopped for some "twisted" gourmet cotton candy from this cute little booth.  we decided to share one that was half mango, half bubble gum and decorated with candy sprinkles.

while the bean and i headed off to the macy's photo op, the old lady and her special friend picked up a couple of fun drinks from the little fluffy head cafe booth.  the old lady was excited to try the cheese foam-topped jasmine green tea:

and this was the dirty mess - black milk tea with creme brûlée cream and oreo crumbs.

posting this on instagram earned the bean a shiny macy's shopping bag that contained a cute little lip balm.

photo ops!

did you notice our galaxy-themed skirts?  i'd had this fabric in my stash for awhile and was pretty excited to finally have a good reason to sew something up with it.

we were pretty over it by then and decided to head on outta there.  i was a little bummed that we never did stop at the photo booth with the "sprinkles" background, but that's okay.

the last tab on our wristbands got us a delicious treat courtesy of my/mo mochi.  we each got different flavors:  mango, salted caramel, strawberry and cookies & cream.

after all that junk we just really wanted to have something good for lunch.  and since we were already all the way out there we decided it wouldn't be too bad to drive a few more miles west and head to versailles for some tasty cuban food.  plus, the old lady's special friend had never been there and we decided that he needed to try it.

while we (very predictably) went with the super delicious garlic chicken:

he decided to try something different and ordered their bbq chicken.

while we were a little agog at him going rogue with his order, the old lady had a few bites and grudgingly admitted that it really was very good.  still not as good as the garlic chicken, but she did say it was pretty yummy.  i'd say that maybe i'll give it a shot next time, but i'd be lying because i can't stray from what i know.  heh.