Free And For Me

What To Do In Marina Del Rey

For my daughter’s 25th birthday I tried to plan as many fun activities to celebrate this milestone.  With so many fun things to do in Marina Del Rey, I decided to plan a family daycation.

We got up early on a beautiful, Saturday morning and went paddle boarding in Marina “Mother’s” Beach.   We were looking forward to experiencing Marina Del Rey water activities. Before we arrived at PRO Sup Shop my daughter and I were confident that we were going to paddle board and my son was excited to kayak alone.  This would be his first time kayaking by himself.  In the years past he had to double with me.  now that he is older he can kayak on his own.  As the PRO Sup shop staff began to give us board options my daughter said she was not going to do it, she was going to kayak because that was what she was most familiar with.   I was able to convince her that we had to, we were in this together.   My tune drastically changed when I got on the water and the instructor told us to stand on the paddle board.   He calmly told me he would stay by my side until I felt confident enough to stand on and paddle board.  My confidence increased within about five to ten minutes and I was on my way.  I could have stayed on the paddle board for hours.  I was addicted.  My daughter felt the same.  We both agree that we need to invest in paddle boards or visit PRO Sup Shop often.

While we were excited about paddle boarding my son was kayaking with very little instruction.  He was glad I was not with him going in different directions.   He had the freedom to do as he pleased with his Marina Del Rey kayak rental.  He was all over Marina “Mother’s Beach.”   When we returned to PRO Sup Shop he was drenched.   He is convinced that happens when he has kayaked in the past.  I do not recall that ever happening.  I think he splashing water into the kayak with his paddle.    All that matters is that he had a great time.

After an hour of Marina Del Rey kayaking and paddle boarding, we walked across the street to Killer Shrimp, one of the best restaurants in Marina Del Rey for lunch.   They offer outdoor seating that has the best view of the water.

Killer Shrimp has been one of our favorite seafood restaurants in Marina Del Rey for about 25 years.  I remember dining at the original location and the Studio City location (now closed).  I have watched them grow and have followed them for years.

When we arrived we were greeted by Brett Doherty, COO.   At some point, he came to our table and began to share the Killer Shrimp story with us.  We were more than honored.

After he shared the Killer Shrimp story with us, I told him we were celebrating my daughter’s 25th birthday.   I told him how I introduced her to Killer Shrimp “Original” when she was a baby.  She developed an early liking for spicy foods at an early age.   As I told my story, the manager happened to be standing at our table as well.  She referred to my daughter as, “A Killer Shrimp baby.”  We were happy to hear that.  She told us about people like us that come in with many stories as well.

Killer Shrimp Restaurant is known for its delicious food.  Over the years the Killer Shrimp menu has expanded tremendously.   Of course, we had intentions of ordering the original Killer Shrimp “Original”, that is where it all began.

For starters, we had Mini Crab Cakes, Ahi Tuna Poke Tacos, Lobster Mac n’ Cheese, and Killer Crab.  Oh my goodness, when the food began to arrive at our table we were thinking, “How are we going to consume all of this?”  It was fine because after about an hour of paddleboarding and kayaking we were hungry.  All of the appetizers we ordered were pretty light, except for the Lobster Mac n’ Cheese.  My son and devoured that.

It did not end there.  Instead of ordering the Killer Shrimp “Original”, we ordered the Killer Shrimp, Crab & Lobster.  It has the same seasonings.  We were not disappointed.  It was so delicious!

Since everyone liked something different we ordered something to suit each of our taste buds.  My son is not much of a seafood eater so we ordered Roasted Chicken just in case we could not get him to eat any of the other foods.  He loves rice so we ordered Killer Paella.  My daughter and I love salmon so, we ordered the Blackened Salmon Filet.  We did not go wrong with any of these dishes.

I typically shy away from dessert, but this was a cheat week or two and I was going all-in by celebrating my daughter’s birthday.  Of course, Killer Shrimp had her favorite dessert, Fresh Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie.  She and my son said it was delicious.  I am not much of a sweets eater, but I recently discovered that I love pecan pie.  I ordered a slice of Sweet Potato Pecan Pie.  It was so good I promise you I can taste it right now.

Killer Shrimp and Sup Pro Shop made our daycation enjoyable and memorable.  Our day could not have gone any better.  A daycation in Marina Del Rey was the perfect way to celebrate my daughter’s birthday.

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