Alvera or Olvera Street

On Tuesday of this past week I went with my mom, Johanna Phelan, and her four beautiful daughters to Olvera Street, which I always want to spell with an A (Alvera). The Phelans used to be in our ward and now live in Glendora and my mom used to work for John Phelan with his landscaping business, so she keeps in touch with them and serves as a surrogate grandma for the girls because they don't have grandparents in CA.

Johanna and the girls had never been to Olvera Street or on the train that goes into LA so it was a fun experience to go down with them. My mom has taken me and my sister since we were little (well, not on the train because it wasn't there) and I think my mom even went when she was little, too.

We got on in Pasadena and you get off at Union Station which is awesome and so pretty. It looks like early Hollywood style. It's so cool!

Then you walk across the street and Olvera Street is right there. My mom said it's the first street in Los Angeles. There are vendor carts, shops you can go inside, restaurants, music, churros, snow cones. It's fun to go down for a couple hours and check it out. Even if you've been tons of times like I have, I still love going down because it's fun to go and do something different.

Carly Jo with one of the umbrellas we bought to shield from the sun.

The greenery above the walk are grapes!

Carly Jo with a Mexican statue and her beloved churro.

Britney, Brooke, Claire, and Carly Jo in front of a fountain on the street.
(I gave Carly Jo a penny to make a wish in the fountain and she said she wished to get a toy.)

You basically feel like you've been on a trip to Mexico without actually having to go South of the border. I think the girls had fun. Carly Jo is so adorable and wanted everything she saw, but settled on a stuffed cat...or dog...I'm not sure what it was, haha! I think she named it Lucy and it slept in the pocket of her dress. Britney and Claire got some bracelets. Brooke decided on this cool looking owl purse that was purple with some pink, made out of real leather. Another success for Olvera Street!