With temperate weather and year-round activities, Los Angeles is a perfect vacation destination. Families should know that the LA area is sprawling and the best way to approach sightseeing is to divide and conquer. Rent a car, figure out what you want to do, and plan accordingly. Do you want beach, museums, or nature?

The beauty of Los Angeles is that …

Now that I have children, I’m becoming a bit of a Disney freak. Last year my family bought annual passes and visited Disneyland at least once every other month. We live in San Diego, about an hour and a half hour away, so it’s a pretty easy day trip for us. However, it’s more fun and relaxing to sleep in Anaheim so we can spend the whole day at the park.

I have stayed in all three Disneyland-owned hotels.

I was just reading about The Q Family Adventures Legoland experience and it reminded me of our trip to check out the best kid-friendly San Diego hotels last August. For us, the stand out feature at Legoland vs. other amusement parks is that there are so many age-appropriate activities for toddlers and young children.

Although I wasn’t wowed by many of the lego sculptures (I thought this would be the highlight), the lego cities were amazingly intricate replicas of my USA favorites—New York and San Francisco.

Philadelphia is a natural fit for families with excellent activities from the National Constitution Center to baseball. Last Spring Break, my kids and I took a road trip to Philly—I wrote about our trip and activities in Philadelphia for kids on our blog.

This all-American city did not disappoint. It’s educational and entertaining for all ages. Dana Rebmann, one of Ciao Bambino’s travel writers, is from Philadelphia and wrote an article on her favorite Philadelphia attractions with kids.

Growing up on the East Coast, I was lucky enough to go on more than one field trip to the Statue of Liberty. But I hadn’t made taking my kids a priority. On trips back East to visit family, we’d done Philadelphia and all its landmarks, but we never ventured into New York.

The Statue of Liberty didn’t seem like enough of a draw. There was too much you couldn’t do.

When visiting a city like New York, deciding what to do can be overwhelming. With almost 500 square miles of city, the Big Apple is intimidating, and it can be easy to stick to the tried and true favorite kid-friendly activities, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Children’s Museum and Zoo, etc.

Granted, those places must experienced—but NYC offers a plethora of kid-friendly activities in addition to these usual suspects.

The holiday season in New York City is by far one of the most beautiful times for a visit. It is a moment when the streets are filled with symbols of holiday traditions and songs, and the city is bursting with festivities and activities for the whole family.

However, there are some popular activities that can be a bit difficult to enjoy with younger children, be it due to the cold weather or the crowds, and families tend to forgo many of the various celebrations.

New York City is what made me fall in love with the East Coast. I still remember my first visit to the city as a young girl from San Diego. Everything seemed so foreign and exciting! The theatre, Little Italy, the skyscrapers, the NY accent, the sophisticated shops of 5th Avenue, and the unique smells. It was all seared in my memory forever.

As parents, my husband and I love to bring our children to the city.

Last weekend we took a post-Halloween excursion to Mount Diablo State Park in San Francisco’s East Bay. At 3,864 feet (1,178 m), this mountain is one of the area’s main geographic landmarks and can be seen from around the bay.

If you are visiting the Bay Area during the fall or spring months, experiencing the views from the summit is a worthwhile activity. You can see for miles in every direction and get a unique panoramic view of this part of Northern California.

I was born and raised less than half an hour outside of Philadelphia. I grew up going to Phillies games, watching “Rocky” movies and eating cheese steaks and soft pretzels. It’s easy to see why I loved Philly as a kid. Now, as an adult, I love taking my kids.

As a parent, if you want to take your kids on a city vacation, it’s easy to forget about Philadelphia. Think about the competition. There’s New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, just to name a few.