Mom visits LA + Shake Shack

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This past weekend my mom flew in from Florida, giving me and Drew a chance to try and cram in all that makes California such a gem. Along with a trip to the Getty Villa, a jaunt to the Hollywood Sign and a day in Venice (photo with gorillas below), we set off on a coastal road trip, showing mom the abundance of breathtaking views from the beaches of Santa Monica all the way down to hills of Laguna.

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As the PCH curved along the sparkling Pacific waters, underneath a perfect blue sky, we started to notice a bright yellow shack hanging off the cliffs of the Newport Beach Coast. Cars were lined up to park and people were lined up to order at the counter. As we got closer, a sign above the sunny yellow hut read, “Ruby’s Shake Shack,” we were sold.

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We scored the private bench overlooking the beach, where there was an incredible wedding taking place. And to think we exchanged this view for the price of two vanilla cones! The view alone is worth the trip.

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This adorable little sunny-yellow shack has been around for years and we learned that it's famous for the Monkey-Flip shake, an incredible one-of-a-kind concoction made of vanilla ice cream, dates, honey, bananas, chocolate and peanut butter...! As tempting as that may have sounded, mom and Drew opted for classic vanilla cones. Though, these weren't your average vanilla cones. One giant twirl of this creamy, rich, vanilla soft serve could have probably fed a small village! If you could get someone to share that is...

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Shake Shack opens at 7am and closes at 9pm daily, except Fridays and Saturdays, when they keep shakin' till 10pm!

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After all that sweet goodness, we hopped (or maybe I should say flopped) back into the car to make it to Laguna Beach just in time for an epic California sunset, complete with surfers and all. I think it's safe to say mom was in heaven :)