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Uplifters Kitchen
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Our Afternoon in Marina del Rey

Sometimes it's the little things that matter...Like enjoying a picnic after taking a nice tour around the Marina.

So on a recent weekend, my hubby and I picked-up a packed lunch from Uplifters Kitchen with the plan to spend the afternoon in Marina del Rey and take a tour of the Marina on the Marina del Rey Water Bus.


Honestly, I had never heard about the Water Bus until a friend told me about her experience riding the Water Bus. For $1 per person each way, it totally sounded like something we could do even if we ended-up hating it.

Which we didn't. We LOVED it.

The Water Bus was a super casual way to enjoy the Marina by riding a boat without having a boat. Passengers ranged in ages and backgrounds, but the vast majority were locals that parked a bit too far to walk back to their cars. While some were going to the concert being held later that day at the Burton Chace Park, others just planned to ride along for the day and stop wherever the mood struck them.


To start on our afternoon Marina adventure, we picked-up the Marina del Rey Water Bus at the Dolphin Marina stop and got off at Fisherman's Village.

We had a nice stroll, window shopped and even saw a few sea lions at the Village!

Later in the day, we took the Water Bus to Mother's Beach where we walked around the beach and found a nice place to eat our yummy lunch from Uplifters Kitchen. I didn't notice until that day, but Mother's Beach has several BBQ areas and covered picnic tables. Summer music and parties filled the air, while we connected with a few new friends.

It was such a beautiful day in the Marina.

Perfectly breezy, not too hot, and with the absolutely yummy lunch we had in tow, it was hard not to smile and just be.


It's hard to leave the Marina after such a beautiful afternoon, but eventually we had to get back to our Princess Maya, and took the Water Bus to the Burton Chace Park stop.

Once we got off the Water Bus, we noticed families and couples carrying lawn chairs and setting up their picnic spots around a stage. Turns out that the Marina schedules weekend concerts, and that day was no different.

Had we known about the concert scheduled for later that day, we would have stayed a little longer to enjoy the evenings festivities.


The Marina del Rey Water Bus is scheduled from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but activities -ranging from free concerts and movies - are scheduled  throughout the year.

We plan on going back to enjoy a movie outside - and of course take our Princess Maaya - we hope that you join us too!

To learn more about the Water Bus and the various activities planned for this Labor Day Weekend, visit: Marinadelrey.lacounty.gov

Ana Lydia

Uplifters Kitchen & Cafe Perfection


There's nothing that tastes more like summer than a cool ocean breeze kissing your face while dining al fresco on freshly-made foods that use all the beautiful colors of the season.

It was that charming image in mind, that my hubby and I ventured to Santa Monica to pick-up our morning coffee and a lunch basket on our way to Marina del Rey to spend our Saturday afternoon.


Uplifters Kitchen & Cafe had kindly invited us to try-out their food to-go, but instead turned our wrapped breakfast into a leisurely morning savoring artisan scones, enjoying each bite of the breakfast biscuits, and indulging in the delight of finding something so uniquely Uplifters, that we still revel in the flavor explosions that the breakfast porridge was.


To those unfamiliar with Uplifters Kitchen & Cafe, a Hispanic woman-owned restaurant in the Ocean Park district of Santa Monica, it's a year old restaurant and coffee house, that prides itself in making everything using only the finest local ingredients.

Their lunch and breakfast menu has a range of baked goods, sandwiches, salads, frittatas, flat breads and daily specials.

Chef and Owner Elisabet Spaulding

True to form, as most Ocean Park restaurants tend to be, this is a small establishment with only a few seats overlooking the window and a couple of tables outside. But insiders shared with me, that Uplifters will be growing soon (stayed tuned!).


While everything is made in house, fresh bottled juices and drinks are sourced from local (Los Angeles-based) indie producers and brands.

Coffee lovers can rejoice! Stumpton Coffee is offered on TAP (Uplifters happens to be one of a handful of restaurants in the Westside that sells this coffee fan favorite - on TAP).


Uplifters also has a full coffee bar that creates your favorite espresso drinks and most menu items are vegetarian or vegan friendly, and everything can be prepared to-go or delivered to local businesses. In addition, coffee beans are sold to take home and brew yourself, while many of the art pieces displayed can also be purchased.


For now, you can enjoy breakfast and lunch every day (except for Sunday) at the restaurant or order to-go.

View Uplifters Kitchen menu and hours here: (http://www.uplifterskitchen.com/)

Ana Lydia
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