East Coast | West Coast

Our most recent family vacation adventures took us across the country to San Diego, California. Having never been to the west coast before, I was expecting blue skies, sunny days, and warm weather. We happened to have flown out during the most unseasonable cold of the year; even the locals were surprised at the 30- and 40- degree morning temperatures. The cold didn't faze us! We met each morning in the hotel lounge for breakfast, and braved the chill to go to the "touristy" places of Carlsbad and San Diego.

We started at LEGOLAND where everything is awesome. It really was! As a kid, I played with LEGO sets, and my brother had one of those road map carpets on which we would play with LEGO and Playmobil cars and matchbox cars and trucks. 

At the theme park, EVERYTHING was made of LEGOs: the lampposts, exhibits, building exteriors, display animals, etc.

 

 And then we found Star Wars Miniland...

Next was Miniland (of the World). In it were to-scale models of the world's landmarks, complete with sunbathing people, motorized boats, moving cars, and lights and sound.

Underneath the waffle bridge:

What the inside of the bathroom stalls looked like (so many primary colors!):

Then we went on an adventure into Egypt:

^ This is also ENTIRELY made of LEGOs.

...and then the Arctic:

The park had the entire basement from the LEGO Movie in a special room for people to experience:

Finally, leaving the park, we passed by some more life-size LEGO people and the SeaLife Aquarium.

all photos © Amy Hefter Photography shot with a Canon Elph 300 HS (one version before this)

Stay tuned for photos from SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, and Hollywood!