As a new mom with a toddler, finding time to spend with friends becomes few and far between. When it’s time to hang with your friends and kids are included, planning a playdate might seem daunting at first because inviting friends over means you have to clean your house beforehand. Going to a local park can be mundane (don’t get me wrong, I still do a lot of parks and talk about it often). Going anywhere else requires money, planning, and a commitment of time. Sometimes you want something easy breezy but different. I call this the “Elevated Playdate.”
What is an Elevated Playdate?
An elevated playdate is much like an elevated grilled cheese sandwich. Everyone loves a basic warm, gooey cheese sandwich on buttery toast however, sometimes you need to kick it up a notch. In comes the elevated Buttery Brioche Grilled Cheese sandwich with a simple, three-cheese blend, Dijon mustard, fresh parsley, and a few more ingredients you already have in your pantry.
The elevated playdate is much the same. It contains the basic ingredients: Moms, kids, outdoors, exploring, eating, time for adult interaction and kids to be occupied. It also requires a little out side of the box type thinking.
Setting up an Elevated Playdate
Let me set the stage here. Tiffany is one of my best friends who I don’t see enough of and wish I did. She has a 5 year old and I have a 3 year old. We are both boy moms. You know, the kind with kids who are super active, full of energy, get into everything, type of boy moms. Yes, those kind. So we need to keep the activity level high at the beginning, burn some energy, then slow it down with a meal to finish off the trip.
Tiffany and I texted each other on a Tuesday and planned to see each other that following Sunday. She was pretty up for anything so we tossed around a few ideas. The main idea is that we wanted it to be a special little than the norm, since we don’t get to see each other all that often. Life gets in the way – even for best friends. Sounds easy enough? Well it got to be stressful, with all the options, until I started thinking outside the box. A train ride to anywhere, possibly Oceanside.
Viewfinder
Making the Plan
Sunday rolled around and it was time to commit to a plan. The talk about Oceanside was lingering in my head. “Maybe we can make this happen” I thought to myself. So I downloaded the Metrolink App (again) and checked the schedules and pricing.
It just so happened, there was a train leaving at 8:57 AM, arriving in Oceanside at 9:55 AM (a wee bit under a full hour to get there) and a return trip back at 1:24 PM would get us back to our station at 2:07. The timing couldn’t be more perfect.
On top of that, Metrolink runs a $10 Weekend Day Pass promotion, where adults and children can ride anywhere, Saturday or Sunday, for only 10 bucks, valid on any system-wide railways. This means you can ride anywhere Metrolink takes you in Southern California and there are hundreds of free connections to city bus, shuttles, light rail and subway lines that help you get to where you need to go with a simple transfer. Bonus tip: Kids ages 5 and under ride free. (Yassss)
Metrolink runs a $10 Weekend Day Pass promotion, where adults and children can ride anywhere, Saturday or Sunday, for only 10 bucks, valid on any system-wide railways.
We purchased our tickets using the mobile app but there are many other ways to buy tickets. Self-service ticket vending machines located at the Metrolink stations, print at home (available for one-way tickets only), a variety of locations that sell Metrolink tickets, and by Mail. The mobile app is by far the best option.
Riding on the Metrolink
A train ride was more than just a transportation tool, it’s an entertainment ride for the littles. It’s a fast ride filled with friends, games, snacks and ocean views for days. Kids are totally entertained and confined. Parents get to finally have a complete conversation while we charge our mobile phones and catch up on each other’s lives. Even better, it was not a busy day so we got a coach cab all to ourselves and even got to meet the train engineer who gave us a little peek into his part of the train where he operates. Everyone is happy and everyone is getting along. Pro tip: Charge your phone on the Metrolink right away. (You’ll thank me later. )
Hello O’side: What to Do in Oceanside, California
Oceanside is known for a lot of things. Some describe it as a Military town as Camp Pendleton Marine Base is close by. It’s also known as one of the locations where they filmed the 1986 movie, Top Gun, the spot where Maverick (played by Tom Cruise) rode up to Charlie’s (played by actress Kelly McGinnis) house on his motorcycle after being late due to the infamous volleyball scene many young ladies at that time will never forget. *swoon* It’s still there, although it’s boarded up and a bit dilapidated. Nonetheless we were there for the pier. The walk to the beach from the train station was a short 10 minute walk. We bumped into two beachfront parks where the kids ran around and played for quite some time. There was also decent public bathroom facilities nearby. Pro tip: bring your own hand soap just in case.
The walk on the pier was also quite fun. It’s an older pier and you can tell right away but that is it’s charm. It’s picturesque. As you walk along, you pass a few viewfinders that accepts quarters. I think the kids had more fun climbing it than looking into the binocular-like device. Keep walking along the rugged planks and you find the edges laced with fisherman of all experience levels working their finest catch skills. We got to see one fisherman make a catch, pull the hook, and the kids just stared as the lady had the fish in her hands as it was wiggling back and forth. Fun.
Best Restaurant in Oceanside
After we took some fun pictures and watched the surfers going after the waves rolling in, we headed to the main drag in the downtown area. We headed to lunch at Jalicsco Cantina – a Mexican Restaurant and it’ was super cool. It had a nice, contemporary Mexican vibe with succulents adorned on wooden shelves on the walls. I highly recommend this restaurant. (Tip: They do not have kid cups so ask to use your own.) Since we were literally the first customers of the day, they took complete care of us. (We may or may not have even had a margarita)
After lunch, we started the trek back to the train station but it wasn’t that far. We stopped at Red Cup Yogurt (a literal stone’s throw away from the train station) and picked up Froyo for the trip back. The boys were in HEAVEN.
Summary of Our Local Day Trip with Minimal Planning
Local day trips are the next best thing in the mama arsenal when planning a playdate. It doesn’t even have to be something you plan for. It can be spontaneous. The goal is to get the date on the books (and in this case, iphone or Android calendar app) and then plan your date. Think outside the box and just get out there and have fun. Need more ideas? Please leave me a comment or DM me on IG or FB.
Happy Planning, Mamas!
View from the playground
