A cutesy drive-thru experience at a mall parking structure

The boys and I were invited to check out Happy Place - The Drive Thru at the Westfield Century City Mall Parking Structure. We had been sick with a cold the week prior and hadn’t left the house (we tested NEGATIVE for Covid, thank God). Needless to say, we were sick and tired of feeling sick and tired so driving to a Happy Place seemed like the perfect opportunity to get out again.

We entered the parking garage through the entrance on Avenue of the Stars and followed the signs to the third floor. Once there, we were greeted, our tickets scanned and led to enter Happy Place - The Drive Thru.

The experience was fun. For those of us who visited The Happy Place pop-up museum a couple of years ago in Downtown L.A. when we were still able to do things in-person, many of the colorful installations and props looked familiar and driving by them felt a little off— like we wish we could have exited the car for a photo op.

Given that the drive thru stretched for quite a ways, there were areas that looked like, well, parking spaces. Still, we loved driving through musical piano keys, we enjoyed the disco ball dance stop (the kids chose the Baby Shark song out of the ten different song options) and we liked the giant cookie on the wall.

Happy Place - the Drive-Thru is going to be around through the new year (January 3). Tickets start at $50 per vehicle (regardless of the number of people inside) and if you’re interested, you can purchase lemonade for $5 or Happy Place-branded items like t-shirts and knick-knacks on your way out.

Benny gave it an “8 out of 10” LOL. Toby kept saying he wished he could get out of the car to play with the props. I was happy to feel good enough to drive and take the kids to a place that stimulated their senses, gave them something to look at and motivated them to offer their brutally honest feedback (they said the Happy Place unicorns looked grumpy and sad. LOL).

Overall, a nice distraction for folks who live in the L.A. area and want to give their kids a chance to see a giant rubber duck, an over-sized gumball machine or a yellow bubble bathtub. Stay happy.

Ticket information here.

Thanks for reading, friends!

Xo,

-Anabel M.

Nintendo provided us with a copy of the game. All opinions are my own

An encounter with Luigi & Gooigi

My six-year-old son is adamant that he’s a gamer (even though he’s not allowed to play too many video games) so when we got invited to preview a new Nintendo Switch game launching on October 31, Benny jumped for joy!

Friends, we visited the Carondelet House near DTLA on Friday

It was entirely decked out to promote the upcoming release of Luigi’s Mansion 3, a Nintendo Switch game whose objective is to help Luigi beat 17 levels within a haunted hotel to save his famous Italian brother, Mario.

Upon arriving at the super awesome Luigi’s Mansion-themed venue,

we were welcomed with official Luigi costumes. Toby gladly accepted to wear his right away. Benny was hesitant, citing a need to feel lightweight and costume-free for game playing purposes. Still, he wanted to be a good sport (and feel cool like the older kids in attendance) so he asked for the hat and mustache only.

As mentioned previously, the premise of the game is for Luigi to defeat numerous obstacles with the help of his mega vacuum weapon, the Poltergust G-00 and his double, Gooigi, who has special powers and does things that Luigi can’t do.

Meanwhile, Toby was an extremely satisfied Luigi

He finished a couple of servings of Mac n Cheese and other themed finger foods that were available to all game-loving guests. The best part of watching Toby was realizing he had a love-hate relationship with his mustache (he kept taking it on and off…lol).

Outside of Luigi’s Haunted Mansion,

We were able to pose for photos, including one where a life-size Poltergust G-00 was available as a prop. Who do you think rushed to hold it and pose? Yup, Mr. gamer himself…Benny, who was in full Luigi costume by the end of the night!

We are incredibly grateful to have been invited!

This was a fabulous way to spend a Friday afternoon. Nintendo doesn’t play when it comes to throwing parties!

You can pre-order Luigi’s Mansion 3 and learn more about this spooky fun game at the Nintento website by clicking here.

Thanks for reading friends!

Xo,

-Anabel M.

#BeMoreSpoontaneous

 If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to experience a federal holiday at the Santa Monica Pier, I tell ya— Labor Day would have been the day to visit.

Yes, there were large crowds on Labor Day.

But not only did we enjoy the many sights and sounds of one of L.A.’s most iconic landmarks, we had the chance to hang out with our friends from LUIGI’s Italian Ice who were giving away the delicious and refreshing frozen treats (plus tons of other swag)!

This year, LUIGI’S Italian Ice released two new flavors—

Cherry & Lemon Swirl and Blue Raspberry & Lemon Swirl. In celebration of these yummy new taste experiences, LUIGI’s Italian Ice set up activations on both coasts. In New York, the LUIGI’s team recreated the Statue of Liberty using empty LUIGI’s Italian Ice cups.

With these red, white and blue swirl ice cups, Luigi’s saluting our beloved stars and stripes!

Click here to find LUIGI’S Real Italian Ice in a grocery store near you!

Here in Santa Monica,

They recreated the Liberty Bell which was the backdrop for many fun photo ops!

BTW, the Liberty Bell is one of history’s most famous symbols of freedom and justice. Tradition says the Liberty Bell was heard ringing on July 8, 1776 calling out for people to gather and listen to the first public reading of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in Philly!

Along with Luigi’s Italian Ice cup samples,

T-shirts, cup holders and other goodies were handed out to passers-by. My little Toby was so happy with his Blue Raspberry & Lemon Swirl cup that he enjoyed every last drop and even got a blue mustache as a result!

It’s the perfect summer treat!

By the way, did you know LUIGI’S produces 15 tractor-trailer loads of Italian ice daily during summer months!? That’s a lot of Italian Ice but only 120 - 130 calories per cup (made with real fruit juice) Definitely a guilt-free treat that gives us all a chance to #BeMoreSpoontaneous.

Thanks for reading, friends!

Xo,

-Anabel M.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.