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Last Thursday Matt announced that he had to drive into LA for a meeting downtown and I was like… take us, take us please! I still have to pinch myself that LA is even a day trip away but I still am not a fan of driving into the city.  I am getting better but the freeway is not my happy place.  So, we hitched a ride into town excited to explore!

Now, I have never been into downtown LA just to roam around so it was all new to us.  I know that I have a number of readers who are in Southern California so I will add in our stops throughout the blog post!

But first… I have to tell you about our new Ciao Bimba Dolls.  These dolls are each their own magnificent work of art — handmade with love! The very talented Maria Asenova designs all of the Ciao Bimba handmade dolls and each model is produced in limited numbers.  When the package arrived from Bulgaria the kids were so excited to look it up on our globe and we talked a lot about European dolls, the Waldorf inspiration and just what goes into making them! You can read more about the process here.  So interesting!

They create dolls in a variety of sizes and colors.  Click here to explore the collection.  Abby quickly picked Liza and a matching party dress for herself.  She is 8 and could wear that size 7.  Ciao Bimba uses Liberty Art Fabrics on the dresses and they are divine!

And guess who else got a doll?  Jake! Because boys can play with dolls too!  He picked out Nico (a 40cm mini doll) because he thinks that it looks the most like him! Watching Jake make believe with Nico at the park made me smile.   He loved having his “buddy” to play with!

You can click here to browse and shop at Ciao Bimbo.  You can also follow along on social media.

Ciao Bimba Facebook            Ciao Bimba Instagram 

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// Abby’s matching red shoes are by Livie and Luca.  Jake’s shoes are the Mimo by Plae, top is ToobyDoo, shorts are Mini Boden and backpack is The Little Design Company.

What did we do?

First Stop:

Matt’s meeting was at the Jonathon Club so we parked there and hugged him goodbye.   I wished we could have gone in.  The place looked amazing!  So we started to roam down the street and found some coffee and cupcakes!

Second Stop:

We walked down the block to the LA Central Library.  It was built in 1926 and has the most amazing Rotunda!   We popped into the Children’s Library and the friendly librarian told us all about the history of that room.  You guys! It was the most gorgeous library that I had set foot in complete with Dean Cornwell murals depicting the history of California.  We also saw the Colette Miller Angel Wings exhibit and stood in front of the wings ourselves.  It was a great lesson for the kids and you can read more about her project here.

Third Stop:

We found Pershing Square! The name was familiar to me and I read a lot about the history of that city block that dates back to the 1850s. Read about it here.  The kids cared more about the playground and had a great time playing with their Ciao Bimba dolls!  When Matt’s meetings wrapped up he met us there.

Fourth Stop:

We had planned to eat at Clifton’s Cafeteria.  You guys… doesn’t it look amazing?  But sadly they were closed during lunch that week for some renovations so kept on walking.  A few doors down was the Los Angeles Theater.   Abby noticed it first and pointed out that it looks like the theater in SING.  It totally does!  We ended up grabbing a bite at the Millennium Biltmore which boasts a gorgeous interior and history.

Fifth Stop:

We have been reading a great book – 111 Places In Los Angeles That You Must Not Miss.  It is easy to read and had lead us to a few interesting places already.  We checked the Los Angeles Original Subway station off our list.   I think they do tours of the old underground tunnels and there are so many articles to read about it if you are interested in learning more!   PS: Grand Central Market is a block away and I was so sad that we had just ate because it was bursting with amazing food and drink.  It is a must stop for our next visit (and should be on your list too).

Sixth Stop:

We rode the subway!  Jake was in hog heaven! We only went a stop but it was  fun experience for everyone.  I have to share the funniest story.  We were walking on the sidewalk and the vents were blowing up Abby’s dress all Marilyn Monroe style and she was freaking out and half giggling while yelling “Mom, help.  What’s happening!?!  There were all kind of men and women out on their lunch hour who got the biggest kick out of it!

Seventh Stop:

So, we got in the car to go home and totally didn’t think about traffic!  Our typical 80 minute drive home was looking more like 3 hours so we stopped by Chinatown.  Most of the shops close around 5pm but we found some rides and checked out another item from our 111 Places In Los Angeles That You Must Not Miss book.  We ate a great dinner and headed home!

Follow our adventures on Instagram at @ourlittlelifestyleblog!