After our great jaunt to Imanta in Mexico, it was a short hop to Los Angeles (plane and packing tips for little ones to follow in another post). Before we had a baby my husband and I mostly used to stay in Hollywood but nowadays we prefer Santa Monica for all of the beachside entertainment and people watching, not to mention its proximity to Venice, where most of close friends in town live.
We set up camp at the Shangri-la hotel, an Art Deco landmark on Ocean and Arizona that we fell in love with last year for its location, friendly service and boutique, without being too slick, feel. (I am not its only fan; check out this review in The New York Times). This year they had opened Suite 700, a rooftop bar (half enclosed and half outdoors with great views over the city) and gas fire pits to keep you warm on the wraparound terrace. It was the perfect spot for an impromptu get together and was baby-friendly enough for Jacopo to hang out for a while (with French fries and pretty girls as the main distraction) before he headed off to our room with the great babysitter my friend Sarah Robarts set me up with. One of the keys of traveling with an infant is to ask your local friends for childcare recommendations in their town well in advance. It is always nice to know they work for a family you know and often are more reasonable than the services hotels set up.
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