Sunday—which is forever sneaking up on us—has always been family day in the Hamlin household and our favorite day of the week. We never make plans that don’t involve the kids. In fact, we rarely make any plans at all, which leaves us trying to figure out what to do on the fly.
We usually start with breakfast at the Beverly Glen Deli, high above the LA metropolis in the Glen Centre. As we’re paying the check, the question inevitably comes up: What are we going to do today? When the kids were little, it didn’t much matter what we did as long as we were together, and for years they loved to go to the Studio City Farmers’ Market for snow cones and pony rides. Unfortunately they’ve outgrown that, so we needed to broaden our horizons.
LA has a million things to keep us occupied, but how do we reach a consensus while giving everyone an equal voice? We always try the democratic approach at first and invariably end up with a dictatorship. Last week was no exception. After 30 minutes of useless back and forth, we put our foot down and proclaimed we’d be driving to Santa Monica to Rollerblade on the boardwalk (technically not a boardwalk, but rather a cement bike path). At first the kids squawked, but once we got to the beach and strapped on our in-line skates, they were in heaven.
We parked along the Pacific Coast Highway at a public lot just south of the California Incline and found bikes and Rollerblades for all ages available to rent from a beachfront business called Perry’s, which
has several locations in Santa Monica and Venice Beach. There were skateboarders, Rollerbladers, bikers, and little kids riding with training wheels.
After working up a sweat, we stopped for a cold drink at Perry’s café. Perry’s has quite a presence on the boardwalk, as does one of our favorite LA eateries Back on the Beach, which is a great place for Sunday brunch with the kids. It’s scheduled to reopen this spring after an extensive renovation.
Rollerblading in Santa Monica turned out to be a perfect way to spend our family day, full of great people-watching and loads of fresh air. The bike path stretches for miles, and an intrepid family can even explore the strange goings-on in Venice Beach with its odd characters and eclectic shops. We highly recommend a Sunday skate or ride to stay connected with your kids, and of course, you’ll have a wonderful time while you’re at it.
