Tide Pools & More at Leo Carrillo State Park

Leo Carrillo State Park Malibu California

I’m perched on a rock peering into the water, did something move? The sun shines brightly overhead, and the water is still for the moment, but it won’t be for long, the next wave will arrive soon. What is it? A crab, a fish, an anemone? My son calls out from his nearby rock, “I see something!” It’s so exciting! We hop from rock to rock exploring the magical world under the sea. Occasionally we reach in to touch, “OUCH!” what was that thing?

This is how we spent most of a glorious summer day out at Leo Carrillo State Park, located on the Pacific Coast Highway (HWY 1) in beautiful Malibu, California. Even my teen loved our visit here, and that’s saying something these days.

Named for Leo Carrillo, an actor, preservationist and conservationist, activities at the park are many and include, tide pools, swimming, surfing, windsurfing, surf fishing, and beach combing. There are also caves and reefs for exploring, hiking trails, picnic tables and camping.

Leo Carrillo Tide Pools Malibu California

There are rocks and caves waiting to be explored at Leo Carrillo State park

Tide Pooling

The Leo Carrillo tide pools were teeming with sea life and we spent the majority of our time peering into the water. Among the many creatures we saw were striped shore crabs, a baby sea star, sunburst anemone, a black sea hare (slug), mossy chiton, blue banded hermit crabs, and black tegula sea snails.

Striped Shore Crab

Black Tegula Sea Snail

The black sea hare, a type of sea slug, was a creature unlike any we’d ever seen in the wild. Its texture was hard to describe, squishy comes to mind. The woman holding this one was kind enough to let me take a photo before she released it back into the water. Unsure exactly what it was, we later learned, that these are gilled creatures and need water to breath. Amazingly they can grow as large as 33 pounds. Thats one big slug!

Sunburst Anemone

Black Sea Hare

A bucket is the perfect way to safely examine the sea creatures you find before gently returning them back to the sea where they belong. Remember Nemo…

Bring a bucket, so you can take time to safely examine the sea life

You never know what you might find inside the shells.

While I don’t think there is a perfect shoe for tide pooling, I can say with some certainty it’s not flip flops. A few cuts and scrapes later we wished we’d at least worn our wellies, or a shoe with more stability. An old pair of athletic shoes maybe?

Tide Pools at Leo Carrillo State Park

Surfing

Leo Carrillo appears to be a fabulous spot for surfing, though on the more advanced side. Watching others brave the waves was enough for us, as we explored closer to the shore.

Surfing at Leo Carrillo State Park

The North beach with its smoother shoreline will appeal to those looking to go for a swim.

Neptune’s Net

I love the beach, but I don’t love eating in the sand, which makes Neptune’s Net, located just a few miles north of Leo Carrillo State Park, a great place to grab a bite to eat prior to hitting the beach. Since 1956 it’s been a favorite of motorcyclists, surfers, locals and anyone else looking for a delicious basket of golden fish and chips. Expect a crowd, especially on weekends.

Neptunes Net Fried Shrimp

Neptune’s Net on HWY 1

Neptune’s Net is located at 42505 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu.

Summer Hours: (May-Sept) Monday – Thursday 10:30 am – 8:00 pm (8:30 pm in July & August) Friday 10:30 am – 9:00 pm, and Saturday – Sunday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm.

Winter Hours (November – May Monday – Thursday 10:30 am – 7:00 pm, Friday 10:30 am – 8:00 pm, and Saturday – Sunday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm.

Alternatively, if you do like picnicking, Vintage Grocers, located in the Trancas Country Market, is a great place to pick up some delicious supplies.

Vintage Grocers is located at 30745 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. They are open 6:30 am – 10:00 pm 7 days a week.

Leo Carrillo State Park Information

Leo Carrillo is located at 35000 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu and is open from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm, after which the gate is locked. The entrance to the park is on the East side of the Pacific Coast Highway. There are bathroom and pay showers on site. Camping is available via the Park’s online reservation system.

Parking Fees: All day – $12.00 per car, per day, 3 hours – $9.00 per car, 2 hours – $6.00 per car, 1 hour – $3.00 per car.

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April 3, 2018March 30, 2018

25 Zoos Around the World

Is there one thing you always do when visiting a new place? For our family it’s the zoo. We always said that having children wouldn’t stop us from seeing and doing all the things that interest us in a given place, but that doesn’t mean we can’t allow time for child friendly activities as well.

Finding a balance is key and the zoo with animals and beautiful gardens has often been the perfect place to achieve that balance. Though as my children are getting older I’ve recently started finding my own balance…

Over the years we’ve visited as many as 25 different zoological gardens around the world, so we consider ourselves something of zoo connoisseurs! Traveling with kids, and considering a zoo, take a look and see if your destination is on our list:

Audubon Zoo

Mexican Wolf

The Living Desert Palm Desert California

I don’t have photos from every one, but for the purposes of this post I dug out some old photos. I admit in advance that some of them aren’t the highest quality.

Woodland Park Zoo
Seattle, Washington

The Woodland Park Zoo has to be one of my favorites, probably because I grew up going there. However, the zoo is laid out really well and has a wide variety of animals. The Children’s Zoo has a lovely farm and a petting zoo.

Seattle with kids #woodlandparkzoo — The Petting Zoo at Woodland Park Zoo

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Tacoma, Washington

A zoo and an aquarium, Point Defiance does a great job with both. We loved visiting the beluga whales and the zoo’s playground is quite good. I once rode a camel here, and really regretted it for a number of reasons, not the least of which is this awful photo.

Oregon Zoo
Portland, Oregon

We really enjoyed the Portland Zoo, which has a very Pacific northwest feel about it. The forested areas, natural habitats, and lots of interactive exhibits made the entire experience fun and immersive for the entire family.

Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens
Hilo, Hawaii

I really enjoyed this zoo, that is until I decided that the white tiger exhibit wasn’t quite secure enough for my liking. That might have been because the zoo keeper told me that enclosures are really more to keep the people out than to keep the animals in… Yikes!

San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco, California

I admit San Francisco Zoo isn’t my favorite. The layout isn’t easy to follow, and the enclosures are spaced far from one another. They did have these fun interactive posters though…

Oakland Zoo
Oakland, California

Sadly, I don’t have any photos of our visit to the Oakland Zoo, but we really enjoyed our visit here. A pretty standard zoo, there are also rides and an overhead tram.

The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
Palo Alto, California

This was my neighborhood zoo for many years! I know, a neighborhood zoo, how cool is that?! So, why don’t I have ANY photos? Too busy enjoying ourselves I guess… This zoo may be small, but it has a lot to offer including a wonderful indoor area with science exhibits and play areas made just for the little ones.

Happy Hollow Park and Zoo
San Jose, California

A bit off the beaten path, this zoo is perfect for the younger set. It’s not terribly large, but there are interactive exhibits, and an amusement park with rides perfect for toddlers through age 8.

Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Los Angeles, California

We always get lost in this zoo, but there is a really nice selection of animals and interactive exhibits, so we don’t mind. I especially loved watching these Chinese Cranes. Keep in mind the zoo is located in Griffith park, which is a giant hill.

Santa Barbara Zoo
Santa Barbara, California

The Santa Barbara Zoo is a family favorite. It’s an absolutely lovely little zoo with a fabulous ocean view! The gardens are beautiful and finding your way around is relatively easy. There are many unique animals and if you’re interested you can even feed the giraffe! We loved the playgrounds, and if you fancy it there is a little train around the zoo as well.

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
Palm Desert, California

If you’re visiting the Palm Springs area with younger children consider a visit to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. We loved the Giraffe exhibit, and if you’re interested you can feed them for an additional fee. The animals featured here are from North America and Africa, and there are some unique and endangered species. Did you know the giraffe is endangered?

The desert gardens are beautiful and unique. A first at any zoo I’ve ever visited there were hiking trails and even the opportunity for camping overnight. It was a lovely afternoon out, though I don’t recommend a summer visit, as it was blazing hot even in March.

The San Diego Zoo
San Diego, California

I know the San Diego Zoo is world famous zoo, but I admit it wasn’t my favorite. This was mainly due to a confusing layout and the many hills, which weren’t easy to navigate with a stroller. We did see pandas though, so thats something!

Things to do in San Diego with kids — Waiting to see the pandas

Shark Reef Mandalay Bay
Las Vegas, Nevada

The Shark Reef Aquarium, located in Mandalay Bay, is a fully accredited aquarium, and is home to not only sharks, but many other fascinating creatures as well. I know this isn’t a zoo, but my sons insisted I include it here, as there were animals as well as fish.

Things to do in Las Vegas with Kids — Enter a caption

Lincoln Park Zoo
Chicago, Illinois

Another favorite and well worth your time is the Lincoln Park Zoo, which is open and free 365 days a year. My parents grew up going to this zoo, and it’s been such a treat visiting with them and my own children. The enclosures are beautifully done and the play areas are wonderful. There are sea creatures here as well. A perfect zoo if you have limited time.

Things to do with kids in Chicago — Four generations of Lincoln Park Zoo goers

Brookfield Zoo
Chicago, Illinois

The Brookfield Zoo is a very large zoo, so you’ll want to allow the better part of an entire day if you decide to visit. A fairly standard zoo I prefer Lincoln Park zoo.

Zoo Miami
Miami, Florida

Although there wasn’t a lot of shade at Zoo Miami, and it was hot hot hot, we all enjoyed our visit. Beware the animal statues they’re scalding!

The Audubon Zoo
New Orleans, Louisiana

I feel pretty confident when I say the Audubon Zoo in Uptown New Orleans is pretty great! We’ve been three times! The zoo has a wide variety of animals from around the world, but my favorite part of any zoo is the exhibit showcasing the local area and the Audubon Zoo does a great job of this with their Louisiana swamp section, which features local animals and foliage. You can even get alligator jambalaya at the zoo cafe! We loved seeing the white alligators, and they have a white tiger too!

Brooklyn Zoo
Brooklyn, New York

We visited the Brooklyn Zoo, when my older son was only 4 years old, and I admit to having only a vague recollection, so I can’t really tell you how it measures up.

Central Park Zoo
New York, New York

Even though you won’t see all the animals from the Madagascar movies, The Central Park Zoo is a wonderful little zoo right in the heart of the city. A perfect place to give the kids a New York Minute before carrying on with the rest of your New York day.

Turtle Back Zoo
Essex County, New Jersey

We visited this zoo on a preschool field trip ages ago, and I don’t recall much, only that we really enjoyed our day here.

The London Zoo
London, England

The London Zoo, located in Regent’s Park is not only the worlds oldest scientific zoo, but it was also the home of Winnie the bear. A.A. Milne changed the name of his famous storybook character Pooh Bear to Winnie-The-Pooh after he and his son Christopher Robin visited the London Zoo. We’ve been to the London Zoo twice, 12 years ago, and again just this past Christmas Eve.

Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh, Scotland

We had a really nice visit at the Edinburgh Zoo, even with the rain, because… Pandas and Penguins! I wouldn’t say this about every zoo we’ve seen, but if the littles are growing tired of yet another historic site or museum and just need a break this is a very nice place to visit.

Zoo Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain

The Barcelona Zoo was the perfect place to give our littles a break from all that sightseeing. On the smaller side, we were able to see it in just a few hours!

Bioparco di Roma
Rome, Italy

Bioparco di Roma, is one of the oldest zoos in Europe, and is located near the Villa Borghese Gardens. We wandered through the gardens and then around the zoo on Christmas Eve. It was a nice break, especially for the little guy.

Ueno Zoo
Tokyo, Japan

The oldest zoo in Japan, the Ueno Zoo is located in Ueno Park in Taitō, Tokyo. We really enjoyed our afternoon here and saw animals that we’ve never seen in any western zoos.

The Tower of London
London, England

Things to do in London with Kids — Did you know The Tower of London was once a zoo?

My husband says The Tower of London Doesn’t count, but did you know that it was at one time a zoo. Yes, for 600 years the Tower of London was a zoo?! This is where Kings and queens kept the exotic animals gifted to them from other monarchs around the world. There is a great exhibit showcasing the different types of animals that lived here including a polar bear who once lived in the moat and fished in the River Thames! The wire replicas of animals throughout the grounds are pretty cool, even if they aren’t real…

Bonus Zoo:

La Menagerie
Paris, France

Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the Paris Zoo, but the Jardin des Plantes is a fabulous place to visit with children, and I hope to find my way back.

Things to do in Paris with kids — That time we almost went to the Paris Zoo

Have you been to any of these zoos? What is your favorite go to family activity when traveling? How many times can one person say zoo?

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March 13, 2018September 20, 2018

Day Trippers: Bath England

Two full weeks in England meant that not only would we have ample time to explore London (our home base and my favorite city), but we would also have time to venture further afield on day trips. There are so many great cities within driving distance of London, so how would we decide which ones to visit? I had a very long wish list…

Pulteney Bridge Bath England — Pulteney Bridge

Realistically we only had time for three day trips, and our visit to Stonehenge, which was non negotiable, would be one of them, so based on their proximity to one another, it made sense to choose Bath. That meant our visit to Bath was actually by default, but pair ancient history, both Roman and British, with beautiful architecture, and our only complaint was that we wished for more time in such a gorgeous city!

Related: 25 Things to do in London

Related: Bucket List Item: Stonehenge

The City of Bath

Bath, a world heritage site, is located in Somerset about 97 miles west of London. The special distinction was given to the entire city in 1987, but when you consider that people have been coming to this amazing city for thousands of years, you have to wonder, what took them so long? What’s so special about Bath? Well, for starters the Baths themselves.

Roman Baths Bath England — Entrance to the Roman Baths

Aquae Sulis

The Romans came to Britain around 43 AD, and to this area shortly after. The first Roman people who came to Bath were soldiers, and it was their craftsmen who built the temple and bath complex that the city is so famous for. Archeological evidence tells us that the baths were built and complete by 76 AD.

The Roman name for Bath was Aquae Sulis, which means The Waters of Sulis, The name comes from the Celtic Goddess Sulis, who they identified with based on her similarities to their own Goddess Minerva.

Roman Baths Minerva Bath England — The Roman Goddess Minerva

During your tour you’ll see a combination of ruins and modern displays depicting what the complex would have looked like almost 2000 years ago.

I was fascinated to learn that the flow of water is 250,000 gallons per day at a temperature of 115°F.

The combination of history, architecture and science meant that our entire family enjoyed visiting the Roman Baths.

A word of advice: Don’t touch the water during your visit, because while at one time the waters here were considered healing this is not the case today. In fact several types of disease causing bacteria can be found in the water.

Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey is only the third church to occupy this site in the past 1200 years. Talk about history! The current Abbey was started in 1499, but was surrendered to the crown, during Henry VIII’s time, before it could be completed. It was left in ruin for more than 70 years before it was restored and became a parish church. It was another 200 years before it became the church we see today.

Edgar, the first king of England was crowned at Bath Abbey over 1000 years ago, and you’ll find a plaque commemorating the occasion on the floor of the abbey.

While I wandered around marveling at the history and architecture, the boys explored via a scavenger hunt provided by the Abbey.

Bath Abbey England United Kingdom — The Abbey’s Famous Fan Ceiling

Sally Lunn’s Buns

One of the hardest things about traveling to a place for only one afternoon is working out just what to see and eat, and hoping you don’t choose wrong. Especially if you know you might not return. Thankfully we had a few insider tips, which led us to Sally Lunn’s!

Who was Sally Lunn, and what is a Sally Lunn Bun?

Legend has it that Sally Lunn, a French Huguenot, came to Bath in 1680 in order to escape persecution. She found work in a bakery, and started baking what is now known as the Bath Bun.

According to the official website a Sally Lunn Bun is part bread, part bun, and part cake, and can be enjoyed with either sweet or savory accompaniments,

The buns are so large we bought two and shared them. Unable to decide which topping to try, we chose two: Cinnamon butter and lemon curd.

The Royal Crescent

Sadly our day in the wonderful city of Bath was coming to an end, but not before we made one final stop to see The Royal Crescent.

Built between 1767 and 1774 the Royal Crescent is considered to be one of the greatest examples of Georgian Architecture in the United Kingdom. Due to it’s historical and architectural importance the building is protected and for the most part the exterior remains unchanged from when it was built.

The Crescent is 500 feet long and consists of 30 terraced houses, which include a hotel and a museum. 10 of the original townhouses are still full-sized, while 18 have been split into flats.

Royal Crescent Bath England — The inside of No. 1 Royal Crescent is a museum

Unfortunately for us, the museum located in No. 1 Royal Crescent was closed for the Christmas holidays, but we did arrive at golden hour, so the shutterbug in me was pleased about that.

Castle Combe

Our final stop of the day, was the adorable and quaint Village of Castle Combe, located in the Cotswolds in north west Wiltshire. The village looks just as one might imagine an English village should look, and according to the official website its often referred to as the “prettiest village in England.” Even with the fading light on a cold winter afternoon we could see the charm this little village possessed.

Hopefully we’ll find our way back to this part of the world one day, and if we do further exploration of Castle Combe is a definite.

Tips & Advice:

While we did purchase our tickets to the Roman Baths in advance we mistakenly thought showing them on our mobile device would be sufficient. It wasn’t. Be sure to print them out prior to your arrival.
We used the audio guide during our tour of the Baths, and it was very sufficient, but I think a tour might have been a nice supplement.
If you want to taste the spa water at the Baths you can safely do so in the Pump Room.
Bath Abbey is located just next to the Roman Baths.
If you’re traveling with younger children, be sure to ask in the Abbey gift shop for the children’s activities.
There is a full service restaurant at Sally Lunn’s, and had time permitted we would have loved to eat there.
Royal Crescent No. 1 is open to the public depending on the time of year. Check the official website for operating hours.

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February 20, 2018September 20, 2018

Biking & Art on the Atlanta BeltLine

With just three days in which to explore Atlanta I knew I wouldn’t even scratch the surface, but I had to try, and what better place to get an overview than the Atlanta Beltline. The addition of this mixed use redevelopment project, which takes advantage of the City’s existing railway corridors, is transforming and revitalizing the city of Atlanta in the best possible way. When complete The BeltLine’s 22 mile path will encircle and connect the city of Atlanta and its many diverse neighborhoods.

The multi-use pedestrian friendly pathways are perfect for cycling, running, and walking, but the BeltLine is much more then just an exercise path getting you from point A to point B. With a skate park, shopping, restaurants and the South’s largest temporary public art installation the BeltLine is a destination!

This fun mural can be found at Paris on Ponce

Did someone say the South’s largest temporary public art installation?

As soon as I knew I would be visiting Atlanta I immediately started researching what the city had to offer in the way of public art, and boy did I hit the jackpot!

#BigTeeff Atlanta Beltline Georgia — Guess what kind of business this is?

Essentially The BeltLine is an outdoor art gallery featuring a revolving display of both local and international artists. Additionally, Atlanta is host to multiple mural and art festivals each year, including the Outer space Project, and Living Walls. What all this means, is that you’ll find murals, sculpture, and performance art just about everywhere, much of it located along the BeltLine, or nearby!

#historicfourthwardpark BeltLine Atlanta Georgia — Time Star by Charlie Smith in Historic Fourth Ward Park

Because the BeltLine is so big, and we had limited time, we chose one area, the Eastside Trail, and focused on that. In hindsight I might have walked the trail as we got on and off our bikes countless times to explore all the amazing art we saw. Starting at Park Street and ending at Edgewood Road, here is just some of what we found as we rode the Eastside Trail.

Piedmont Park

We rode through and along the edge of Piedmont Park with lovely views of Midtown Atlanta before connecting to the BeltLine at 10th & Monroe.

#piedmontpark The BeltLine Atlanta Georgia — Piedmont Park is beautiful even in the winter months

Title: The Service Station
Artist: Wesley Forlines
Location: 10th and Monroe Area

#wesleyforlines The BeltLine Atlanta Georgia — Fuel Station

Park Street Underpass

We found on-street parking and a Relay Bike rental station just off Park Street. This gravel path connected with the BeltLine’s paved path at 10th & Monroe.

Title: Purple Rain
Artists: Karl Addison & Jarus
Location: Piedmont Park at the Park Street Underpass

Virgina Parkway

Artist: Hense
Location: Virgina Parkway Underpass

Artist: Rising Red Lotus
Location: Virgina Parkway Underpass

#risingredsun The BeltLine Atlanta Georgia — Rising Red Lotus

Along the Trail

We loved these pinwheels, which were spinning in the breeze, and we stopped to explore some of the businesses along the trail, including Paris on Ponce a quirky collection of shops within a shop selling vintage and locally made items.

Title: Swirling Colors
Artist: Alex Rodriguez
Location: BeltLine at Dreary Street NE

#pinwheels sculpture on the Atlanta BeltLine — Alex Rodriguez

Artist: OUIZI
Location: Paris on Ponce BeltLine side

#ouizi street art on the BeltLine Atlanta Georgia — Ouizi

Artist: James Bullough
Location: Paris on Ponce Street Side

#jamesbullough Street art on The BeltLine Atlanta Georgia — James Bullough

Artist: Nate Frost
Location: Alley off of Paris on Ponce

#natefrost street art on The BeltLine Atlanta Georgia — Nate Frost

Artist: Thomas Turner
Location: Alley off of Paris on Ponce

#thomasturner Street art on the Atlanta Beltline Georgia — Thomas Turner

Title: 10:28
Artist: Chris Veal
Location: BeltLine between Spot for Dogs and Paris on Ponce

#chrisveal Street Art on The BeltLine Atlanta Georgia — Chris Veal

Artists: Big Teeff & Greg Mike
Location: Spot For Dogs

#gregmike #bigTeeff Street Art on the Atlanta BeltLine — Greg Mike & Big Teeff

Artist: Olive 47
Location: Iceboxcoolstuff.com Irwin Street

Old Fourth Ward

While I wasn’t traveling with my kids I know they would love a visit to the Historic Fourth Ward park. The 17 acre park intersects with the BeltLine and includes Atlanta’s first public skatepark, a playground and athletic fields.

#skatepark Atlanta Georgia — Old Fourth Ward Park Skatepark

Just next to the park is the Freedom Parkway Underpass and, much like the Venice Art Walls in my hometown of Los Angeles, people come here to express themselves via spray paint art. If you’re wondering I didn’t have time to make any of my own… this time…

#freedomparkway the Atlanta BeltLine — Freedom Parkway Underpass

Artists:Unknown
Location: Freedom Parkway Underpass Old Fourth Ward

Ladybird Restaurant

While I admit I didn’t eat at Ladybird, if time had permitted I would have! Stopping here for a much needed drink, we encountered true Southern Hospitality either that, or I looked like I was desperate, because they wouldn’t let me pay for the soda I ordered. Located right on the BeltLine!

Edgewood

Towards the end of the day my desire to see a particular mural led us off the BeltLine and through the Sweet Auburn Historic District, the location of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birth Home. Unfortunately daylight was running out, and we didn’t have time to visit. its on my list for next time…

Artist: Nychos
Location: Corner of Edgewood Avenue and Boulevard SE

#outerspaceproject #nychos street art Atlanta Georgia — Nychos

Artist: Tommy Bronx
Location: Corner of Edgewood Avenue and Krog Street

Street art #tommybronx Atlanta Georgia — Tommy Bronx

Artist: Ricky Watts
Location: Edgewood Avenue & Krog Street

#Rickywatts Street art in Atlanta Georgia — Ricky Watts

Tiny Doors ATL

We were delighted to discover #tinydoorsatl (what is it about tiny things?) during our visit. Turns out there are a number of these adorable lilt doors throughout the city, but with limited time we only found the three located along the BeltLine. Adorable!

Location: Eastside Trail at Virginia Avenue

Location: Paris on Ponce

#tinydoorsatl The Beltline Atlanta Georgia — It’s polite to wipe your feet!

Location: Freedom Parkway Underpass Old Fourth Ward

Tips & Advice

There are multiple access points to the BeltLine.
Keep in mind that the BeltLine is a work in progress, and that you can complete as little or as much of the trail as you’d like. We chose the Eastside Trail and our route was 7. 25 miles roundtrip.
We parked on the street just outside Piedmont Park, but parking is also available at the northern end of the trail in the paid lot beside Park Tavern and at the Piedmont Park. You can also find on street parking at the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark.
The Eastside Trail hours are 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
If you don’t have access to a bicycle you can rent the city’s public Relay Bikes. You’ll need to download the app first.
Bring water!

Outer Space Project

If you’re interested in finding more of Atlanta’s amazing art, this map from the Outer Space Project should be helpful.

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January 23, 2018January 23, 2018

WB Studios London: The Making of Harry Potter

WB Studios Harry Potter Tour London with Kids

Habitually early to everything I admit I was late to the Harry Potter party. Not just fashionably late, but disgracefully late… I wouldn’t even consider reading the books until Book 4, The Goblet of Fire, was published.

Harry Potter Tour WB Studios London with Kids — I didn’t start reading the series until book 4!

I’m not sure what was holding me back? Maybe I just didn’t like the idea of jumping on the bandwagon? However, once I jumped on I quickly plowed through the first four books and then like everyone else anxiously waited for books 5,6, & 7 to arrive. I wish I could say it went differently with my older son, but following in my footsteps he resisted reading the books until I literally bribed him… he then read all seven in 14 days!

Our entire family loves the Harry Potter movies, so you would think that after our experience with the books we might have learned our lesson. Not so! Apparently, we’re slow learners. We thought that having already visited Harry Potter worlds in both Orlando and Los Angeles as well as a traveling exhibition in Seattle we’d pretty much seen all there was to see, so why bother trekking to the Studios where they were made? Six visits to London later, we finally decided to visit the WB Studios Exhibition: The Making of Harry Potter.

WE HAD THE BEST TIME!

This was so much more than we expected! Even having visited those other Harry Potter related places we realized this was something else altogether, and it’s no wonder, as there really is nothing like the original!

Exploring the Magic of Harry Potter

After you’ve taken care of the basics, coat check, audio guide, etc, see below for some tips, you’ll want to jump in the queue and get right to exploring. The line moves quickly, and while you wait you’ll get a chance to see Harry’s cupboard under the stairs.

Once you’ve made it through the queue, a guide will give you a brief introduction to the studios and you’ll watch a short film about the worldwide phenomena that the books and movies became. It’s almost time to set about exploring the Magical World of Harry Potter and how it came to life, but first you’ll hear a few words from Harry, Ron and Hermione.

There were many moments during our day at WB Studios London that felt magical, and while I want to share them all, I don’t want to give away all the secrets!

Our visit took place during the festive season, and everything within the Studios was decorated beautifully. From the holiday feast and Christmas puddings upon the tables in the Great Hall to the magical Christmas trees and snow throughout.

Harry Potter Tour London England United Kingdom

Harry Potter Tour WB Studio Tour London with Kids

Your guide will stay with you while you explore the Great Hall and then you’ll be set free to explore at your own pace for the remainder of the day. You’ll have a chance to see and learn about the making of just about everything involved with all 8 films. Take your time and keep your eyes open because magic is happening everywhere!

There are many interactive activities throughout the Studio, including flying a broomstick, Hagrid’s motorbike or the weasly’s car. Maybe you just need a bit of practice with your spells? You’re in luck!

Wondering what it would be like to go inside Dumbledore’s Office, ride the Hogwarts Express, or explore The Ministry of Magic, maybe you fancy a walk through the Dark Forest? Guess what? You can, and many surprises await along the way…

Harry Potter WB Studio Tour London with Kids — Learn what Dumbledore’s books are made out of!

Choosing a favorite exhibition would be tough as there were so many, but we all loved exploring the Hogwarts Express and the many activities on the platform and aboard the train. The Ministry of Magic sets were, like everything within the Studio, incredibly detailed, but the sheer size of them was also very impressive!

The Back Lot

Halfway through our day we took a break for a meal and some butterbeer, and were surprised to see it was snowing outside. Was it that cold out? Whoops! We’d forgotten… we were at a movie studio.

Butterbeer for lunch!

After lunch we had a chance to explore some of the Studio’s outdoor sets, which included: The Knight Bus, the Weasly’s flying car, and Hagrid’s motorcycle.

You can peek inside the Knight Bus

We also had a chance to walk though 4 Privet Drive, the Dursely’s home, and to see The Potter’s Cottage in Godric’s Hollow.

Other outdoor exhibits included the chess pieces from The Sorcerers Stone, and the bridge to Hogwarts.

You’ll see and learn how many of the books magical creatures came to life for the movies when you walk through the model, creature, and hair and make up shops!

Next up a stroll through Diagon Alley where you’ll learn about how those magical footprints happen in the snow.

SAMSUNG CSC

Our first sight of the Hogwarts model literally made our mouths fall open! I think it must be the most amazing model I have ever seen! It was absolutely stunning! This exhibit is near the end, so make sure you allow time to really take it all in.

Of course we visited the gift shop before heading home and lucky me visiting during the festive season meant lots of holiday baubles to bring home!

Tips & Advice:

If you don’t have a car getting to the WB Studios outside of London can be challenging. After weighing all our transportation options we discovered that prices between the different options varied only slightly, so we went with convenience. We hired a private car through the Golden Tours website.
Upon arrival to the Studios you’ll redeem your ticket voucher at the outdoor ticket window before entering the security line.
The tickets are timed, but if like us you arrive early you won’t have to wait, just queue up!
Once inside you’ll find a place to pick up an audio guide and check your coat. You’ll also find a coffee shop and restrooms. I highly suggest hitting the loo as once inside the exhibition the restrooms are quite far from one another.
The food at the cafe is on the upside of cafeteria food and we had no complaints. The line for just Butterbeer was much longer than the food line, however you can also order Butterbeer in the food line. We topped it all off with Butterbeer ice cream!
Butterbeer awaiting it’s delicious foam topping.
Allow yourself plenty of time. We spent 5 hours exploring and still felt like we could of used more time. Lesson definitely learned as we all had an amazing time at the Warner Brothers Studios London. Believe it or not these are just a few of the many photos we took during our visit.
Hagrid’s Hut.

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January 16, 2018January 16, 2018

Shoreditch Street Art Tour & Masterclass

I’ve been collecting Street Art for quite a few years now, so I was excited to finally explore some of what London has to offer. Graffiti writers and street artists come from around the world to leave their mark on the streets of Shoreditch, a trendy neighborhood in London’s East End.

Shoreditch Street Art Wings #DiarmuidByronOconnor — Redemption Wings Old Street

The walls of this always up and coming, but (thankfully) not fully gentrified neighborhood are a veritable who’s who of the street art world including Banksy, Dface, Eine, Shepard Fairey, Shok-1 and so many more.

#banksy Shoreditch Street Art London — This Banksy piece on the wall at Cargo has been covered with protective plastic.

A guided walking tour was a great way to see and learn about the street art scene in Shoreditch, and it was an absolute highlight of our London trip. Our guide, Karim of Street Art Tours London, is also an artist and has been painting on and off the street for the past 16 years.

You might also be interested in: 25 Things to do in London

Shoreditch Street art tour London #shoreditch — One of Karim’s aka Freedom Kult’s pieces.

Wherever possible I’ve shared the artist and location of the piece, but as the Street Art scene is always evolving there are no guarantees that these pieces will still be available from one day to the next. However, their replacements are almost sure to be something equally special!

Shoreditch High Street #einegraffiti — Shoreditch High Street

Like the street art covering it’s walls the neighborhood of Shoreditch is also in a state of evolution. There are mixed emotions about the state of change and you’ll see that a lot of the art represents this.

Brexit Paste Up

Gentrification Zone Paste up

Shoreditch Street Art Walking Tour Highlights:

X-Ray Hand with Soda Can
Artist: Shok-1
Location: Whitby Road

#shok1 Shoreditch Street Art London — Shok-1 Whitby

Various Stik Pieces
Artist: Stik
Locations: Great Eastern & Rivington Streets

Stik 81 Rivington Street

Stik – Great Eastern Road

Merry Christmas Mural
Artist: Graffiti Life
Location: Wheler Street

Shoreditch Street Art Tour #graffitilife — Graffiti Life Christmas Mural

Graffiti Writing
Artist: Ghost Writers Crew
Location: Shoreditch High Street

Shoreditch Graffiti #ghostwritters — Ghost Writers Crew

The Angel of Sclater Street
Artist: Jonesy
Location: Sclater Street

Shoreditch Street Art Tour #shoreditchgraffiti — Angel of Sclater Street Jonesy

Giant Cat
Artist: Himbad
Location: Sclater Street

Shoreditch Street Art Tour #himbad — Himbad Sclater Street

Graphic Letter Signs
Artist: Ben Eine
Location: Rivington & Luke Streets & Club Row

Eine Rivington Street

Jealous Gallery – Eine Luke Street

#einegraffiti Shoreditch Street Art London

Eine Rivington Street

Eine Club Row

My Masters Voice
Artist: Banksy
Location: Cargo Bar on Rivington Street

#banksy street art Shoreditch London — Banksy Cargo Bar on Rivington Street

Hooded Boy
Artist: Jimmy C
Location: Whitby Street

Shoreditch Street Art #Jimmy — Jimmy C Whitby Street

Woman’s Face
Artist: Cenz
Location: Great Eastern Street

Shoreditch Street art London #cenz — Cenz Great Eastern Street

Multiple Pieces
Artist: Otto Schade
Location: Rivington & Shoreditch High Streets

Shoreditch Street Art London #ottoschade

Looks like a map! Shoreditch High Street

Osch Car Rivington Street

Cheetah
Artist: Dal East
Location: Dereham Place

Shoreditch Street Art London #daleast — DAL East Dereham Place

Woman
Artist: Benjamin Murphy
Location: Amnesty International New Inn Yard Street

These unique installations are made of electrical tape on glass.

Ben Murphy Electrical Tape Art

Ben Murphy Electrical Tape Art

It Takes The Sedition of…
Artist: Shepard Fairey
Location: Bateman’s Row

#shepardfairey #Obey Shoreditch Street Art London

These murals are side by side

Balloon Clowns
Artist: Fanakapan
Location: Hoxton Square

#fanakapan Shoreditch Street Art London — Fanakapan Hoxton Square

Heffalump!
Artist: Unknown
Location: Sclater Street

#shoreditch Street Art London — Winnie the Pooh & Friends

Motorcycle Mural
Artist: Ryan Roadkill
Location: Sclater Street

Shoreditch Street Art #ryanroadkill — Ryan Roadkill Sclater Street

Although not a piece of street art I thought it worth noting that the Rebel Alliance Motorcycle shop located on Sclater Street is owned by Dface.

Dface motorcycle shop Shoreditch — Dface owns this little motorcycle shop on Sclater Street.

MasterClass

I really enjoy collecting street art, but it was only a matter of time before I gave in to the urge to create my own masterpiece. Having done a bit of painting at home in LA, we were pretty exited about repeating this experience in London.

Things to do in London with Kids #graffiti — Practicing our technique.

Street Art Tours London offers what they call a MasterClass, so after the walking portion of our tour was over we set off for a local art studio in nearby Hackney where after a brief lesson on technique we set about making our own masterpiece. We’re pretty pleased with the way our piece came out, and you can bet that we’ll be doing more of this in the near future!

Here are the steps we took when creating our “street” art mural:

Find A Blank Wall

Draw your Construction Lines

Things to do in London with Kids #graffiticlass — Lay down your construction lines.

Fill In The Design

Add Background Elements

Outline Your Design

Add The Small Details

Add The Halo

Sign and Date Your Piece

Tips & Advice:

Our tour and Masterclass were through Street Art Tours London
You’ll want to pay in advance or bring cash on the day of. Email for Masterclass rates.
Wear your “paint” clothes.
All the supplies and painting location were provided and organized by our guide.
Due to studio rental fees the Masterclass was on the expensive side, but we had a wonderful time and I highly recommend this.
Spray painting is incredibly difficult, so don’t expect perfection on the first try. Street art requires practice practice practice.
Our guide helped us a lot! A lot!
We ran out of certain paint colors midway, but I think we made it work!
After class was over the boys and I went back to Shoreditch to explore the streets at a more leisurely pace, and discovered a ton more art!
We discovered so many amazing pieces of art I couldn’t fit them all into this one post…. stay tuned for more Street Art from Shoreditch and our finds on Brick Lane!

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January 9, 2018July 18, 2018

25 Things to do in London

Underground Tube Station London #thingstodoinlondon

You would think with two full weeks to explore London we’d have at least scratched the surface, but even having checked off what I consider an impressive list of Things To Do* we still left with a long list of Hopefully Next Time….

Photography in London #londonreflections — I still haven’t ridden the iconic red bus.

Previous trips across the pond have found us traveling from place to place never even unpacking before moving to the next destination. I’m not complaining, as I’ve never been one to sit still for too long, but the goal of this trip was to dig deeper into a place we felt we already knew and loved. We included a few old favorites, but did our best to see and experience many new things too!

I’ll be posting in a lot more detail about many of these places, but first I’ll need to sort through all the photos!

Things to do in London:

The Little Venice Canals

Arriving in London in the early afternoon we were delighted to see the sun was shining brightly! Wanting to take advantage of what could, and did, turn out to be the only sunny day of the entire trip, we enjoyed a stroll along the canals in Little Venice. We were excited to find out that during the warmer months you can take a waterbus ride to Regents Park and through the London Zoo.

London walks with kids #littlevenice — Little Venice London

The British Library London

Our trip to the British Library was prompted by our desire to see the temporary exhibit: Harry Potter A History of Magic, which is on display through February 2018, but with 150 million items in their collection the Library has a lot to offer!

Things to do in London with Kids #britishlibrary — The British Library hold over 150 million items!

Leadenhall Market

The Leadenhall Market, located in the heart of the City of London, is a popular destination and has been since it was established in 1321. You might recognize it as the entrance to Diagon Alley in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It’s glowing halls are a photographer’s dream, but you’ll have to go after hours or on a holiday to get a people free photo.

The Tower of London – Ice Skating

For me no visit to London would be complete without a trip to the Tower of London. We didn’t make it inside the Tower this time, but we did go ice skating in the moat, which we all agreed was a magical experience. The Tower offers special events throughout the year, so check the website to see what’s on.

Christmas in London with Kids #toweroflondon — Ice Skating in the moat.

South Bank

No matter the time of year a walk along South Bank includes something for everyone. Festive holiday markets, delicious treats, lovely views of the London Eye, art installations, and even a skate park.

Things to do in London with Kids #skatepark — The South Bank Skate Park has been in use for 4 decades!

Shoreditch Street Art Tour

Touring Shoreditch and the amazing art which can be found there was a highlight of our trip. We wanted an interactive experience, so only spent 90 minutes exploring the local art scene, and then it was time for us to try our hand at creating our own masterpiece!

Things to do in London with Kids #streetart #shoreditch — Our “masterpiece!” What do you think?

Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve visited the V&A before, but as it’s the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design it makes sense that repeat visits would be in order! This visit found us at the special exhibition: Winnie the Pooh: Exploring A Classic, which is on through April 8, 2018. Not only is Pooh Bear a favorite in our home, but this exhibit tied in perfectly with our plans to visit Ashdown Forest aka The 100 Akre Wood later in the trip.

Things to do with Kids in London #victoriaandalbert #winniethepooh — Winnie-The-Pooh!

WB Studios The Making of Harry Potter

Harry Potter fans will want to find their way to The Warner Brothers Studios outside London. Once the filming location for all 8 Harry Potter films, they are now home to a permanent tour and exhibition: The Making of Harry Potter. We spent an entire magical day here and loved every minute of it.

#hogwarts Things to do in London with Kids — This model of Hogwarts took up an entire room.

The London Zoo

London with kids London Zoo #winniethepooh — Statue of Winnie the bear.

Brick Lane

We always enjoy wandering around Brick Lane, which has changed greatly over the years. Along with its many curry restaurants you’ll also find a large amount of fabulous street art.

Afternoon Tea

If, like us, you’re coming from a place where afternoon tea isn’t the norm, then you’ll want to partake in this lovely tradition at least once. We enjoyed a festive afternoon tea on Christmas Day at the Corinthia, one of our favorite hotels, where we indulged in tea, delicious sandwiches, and desserts almost too pretty to eat.

English Breakfast Tea

Things to do with kids in London #festivetea

Festive Treats

Christmas Lights

London is incredibly beautiful during the festive season with almost no street left undressed. There are displays of holiday lights and Christmas trees everywhere and we made it our mission to see as many as we could.

Christmas in London Regent Street #christmasinlondon — Regent Street Christmas Lights 2017

Eat At A Pub

I’ve always been a fan of pub food, which is a good thing as there are many to choose from in London. We found ourselves enjoying fish & Chips and mushy peas at The Sherlock Holmes Pub, which is a traditional English style pub featuring Sherlock Holmes memorabilia.

Places to eat in London #SherlockHolmespub — Traditional pub fare can be found at the Sherlock Holmes.

Leicester Square

Leicester Square is the heart of British Cinema, much like Hollywood in California, and many European movie premiers take place here. We didn’t take in a movie this visit, but I did enjoy a visit to the Lego Store, which has amazing interactive displays representing many of London’s iconic landmarks.

Things to do with kids in London #legostorelondon — My first photo in the iconic red phone box!

Shopping

The shopping opportunities in London are too numerous to list in this post, but I managed to find treasures along Regent Street, at the iconic Liberty of London, and Selfridges, which also has an amazing Food Hall where you can pick up delicious treats and artisan foods to take home, or if you prefer there are various dine in options as well.

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is home to The National Gallery, Nelson’s Column, and other iconic London landmarks. Every year the people of Norway donate a giant Christmas Tree which stands in the center of the Square. The tree is gifted in recognition of Britain’s support during WWII. I was delighted to discover that the pedestrian traffic signals around Trafalgar Square were changed during Pride 2016 and rotate between a series of symbols.

The National Gallery

After numerous visits to London I’ve finally checked The National Gallery off my list! With a few hours to myself I blissfully wandered the halls of this lovely museum. Entrance is free of charge and personal highlights were Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, works by Hans Holbein and the architecture.

National Gallery London — The National Gallery and Norway’s annually gifted Christmas Tree.

Photo Tour The City of London

Aspiring photographers will love this four hour lesson and photo tour around London. I chose The City of London, but choose the area that appeals most to you. You’ll get private instruction along with a walking tour which includes a nice amount of history.

Photo Spots in London — The Ruins of St. Dunstan-in-the-East with the Shard in the background.

The Monument

Having walked by The Monument a number of times, we finally made our way 311 steps to the top. The Monument was built in 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of London and although many modern buildings have sprouted up around it there are still lovely views to be had from the top. You’ll receive a certificate upon completing the climb. The entrance fee is cash only.

The Monument to the Great Fire of London

View of the Shard from the top of The Monument

The River Thames Path

As I mentioned above it’s become our tradition to walk the along the River Thames and this visit found us meandering along both sides on multiple occasions. Crossing the river at London Bridge we wandered through the extremely popular and (crowded) Borough Market before discovering a wonderful little restaurant in Flat Iron Square. I always stop to admire the Globe Theater, even if I’m the only one in my group who’s interested, and as has become our custom we took a “break” inside the Tate Modern, before proceeding along until we came to the Houses of Parliament.

Where to eat in South Bank #wherethepancakesare — Where the Pancakes Are Flat Iron Square

The Tate Modern

We love the Tate Modern! This is not only a fabulous museum with ever changing exhibits, but it’s also free! Making it easy to pop in for a quick look around! The Turbine Hall’s One Two Three Swing installation was a big hit with our group, and is on until April 2018. Finally able to visit the new wing I was delighted to discover the 10th floor viewing platform, which provides sweeping views of the river and city!

Things to do in London with Kids #tatemodern — Temporary exhibition in the Tate Modern’s new wing.

Millennium Bridge

For iconic city views you’ll want to cross the Millennium Bridge! We love to purchase a cup of warm roasted nuts before strolling across in both directions taking in the views of St. Paul’s and The Tate Modern as well as the Thames. Harry Potter fans will recognize The Millennium Bridge from Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince.

Peggy Porschen Cakes

Touted by multiple sources as having the “best cupcakes in the world” we decided a visit to Peggy Porschen Cakes, would make our list. We sampled cupcakes and cocoa, and both were delicious. The pretty pink building with its candy colored decor and beautifully decorated deserts has made it a very popular Instagram photo location.

Instagrammers are crazy for Peggy Porschen Cakes

Festive cocoa

Holiday Cakes

The Design Museum

The Design Museum features both revolving and permanent exhibitions related to contemporary, graphic, architecture, industrial and product design. We really enjoyed the museum’s permanent exhibit: Designer, Maker, User, which has a lot of interactive components. The two temporary exhibitions we saw were, Ferrari: Under the Skin, and Beazley Designs of the Year where we got to vote on our favorite design. If you’re wondering our family’s favorite design was a wheelchair that navigates stairs.

Things to do with kids in London #designmuseum — Designer Maker User Exhibit

New Years Eve Fireworks

Our last hurrah on this trip, and one I highly recommend, was the spectacular London New Year’s Eve Fireworks show! The fireworks are set off from the London eye, so our assigned viewing area, the Waterloo Bridge, wasn’t too shabby. Advice: advance purchase tickets, at £10 per person, are required. The event sells out, so plan ahead. Dress extra warm and bring cash for the food vendors on the bridge.

Hopefully Next Time:

The Shard
The sky Garden
Greenwich
Boat Ride on the River Thames
Nottinghill
Portabello Road
Charles Dickens House
The Churchill War Rooms
Richmond Park
Whitehall Banquetting Rooms
The Horse Guards Museum
House of Vans
Gods Own Junkyard
Ride the iconic red bus

*Having visited London many times previously this list only includes activities we participated in during our most recent trip.

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November 14, 2017July 18, 2018

11 Places To Get Your Culture Fix In Los Angeles

Urban LIghts at LACMA Los Angeles California

What do you do in Los Angeles after you’ve spotted the stars, seen THE Sign, and brushed off the sand? How about a museum! With over 100 museums to choose from, you’ll get a dose of culture while giving yourself a break from all that sun.

The Broad Museum Los Angeles California — The Broad Museum

Whatever your interests, art, architecture, entertainment, libraries, gardens, automobiles, or history I guarantee there is a museum in LA for you. I’m nowhere near making a dent, but I’ve checked off a few…

You might also be interested in: 50 Things to do In Los Angeles

Peterson Automotive Museum Los Angeles California — The Peterson Automotive Museum

Museum Mile

LA is a large city and many of it’s museums are spread out, but the area known as Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard’s Miracle Mile has five wonderful museums all within steps of one another. If you were motivated it would be entirely possible to get a taste of all of them within one day.

They are: The LA County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Craft & Folk Art Museum (CAFAM), The Labrea Tar Pits, The Peterson Automotive Museum, and the Wende Museum exhibition of the Berlin Wall.

LACMA

It would take multiple visits to see everything the largest art museum on the West Coast has to offer, but if you’re short on time you can enjoy some of LACMA’s outdoor exhibits, like Chris Burden’s Urban Lights, Levitating Mass, or choose just one of the Museum’s many buildings and focus on that.

There is definitely something magical about Urban lights. The solar powered installation is made from 202 restored cast iron street lamps from 1920s and 30s Los Angeles. This is an incredibly popular place to take photos and hang out, so expect crowds.

LACMA on Museum Row

The boys loved Penetrable by artist Jesús Rafael Soto, an interactive art installation just outside the entrance to the Ahmanson Building. Made of simple yellow tubing hanging from a steel grid, this installation was meant to be touched!

LACMA Los Angeles California #levitatingmass

Getting a people free photo is virually impossible

My older son and I visited the temporary Guillermo del Toro exhibition last year and loved it. You’ll want to check the Museum’s website for information on current and upcoming exhibitions.

We loved the Guillermo del Toro exhibition.

The Peterson Automotive Museum

Los Angeles is famous for many things, but one of them is not waking! In fact, “Nobody walks in LA”, or at least that’s how the song goes, so it makes perfect sense that there would be an automotive museum in the heart of Museum Row!

At the Peterson Automotive Museum, you’ll find cars and motorcycles representing the history of the automobile, including racecars, concept cars, movie cars and custom built cars. My favorite part was viewing the movie cars including, the bat cycle, Stephen King’s Christine, lightening McQueen and Herbie the Love Bug!

Christine Peterson Automotive Museum Los Angeles California

Bat Cycle Peterson Automotive Museum Los Angeles California

La Brea Tar Pits

Can you believe that at one time the bustling area that is now Museum Row was once the home of dire wolves, saber-tooth cats, and mammoths? It’s true! Of course that was 50,000 years ago, give or take a few thousand years…

The La Brea Tar Pits and the George C. Page Museum offer a glimpse into what life was like in the LA basin long before people came along. A few things to keep in mind: There is an entrance fee to the museum, but viewing the outside exhibits is free. You won’t see dinosaurs here, as they’d already been extinct for 65 million years when animals started becoming entrapped in the tar pits.

You might also be interested in: One Amazing Day in LA

Craft & Folk Art Museum (CAFAM)

The Craft and Folk Art Museum is housed in an adorable little building just opposite the Labrea Tar Pits. You can’t miss its cheerful black and yellow design. The exhibitions are revolving and feature current day artists with a unique twist or smaller exposure.

The museum offers crafting opportunities and we had the good fortune to visit during a Japanese paper making demonstration.

CAFAM is special because it is a place to both see art and make art.

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The Berlin Wall

Did you know you can view part of the Berlin Wall in LA? The largest remaining stretch of the original Berlin Wall is located just across from LACMA on Wilshire Blvd.

The Wall is part of the Wende Museum collection. Street artists from around the world were invited to paint blank segments of the Wall to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Wall coming down.

Berlin Wall Los Angeles California #wendemuseum

Berlin Wall Los Angeles California #dface

Berlin Wall Los Angeles California #behindthewall

Paley Center for Media

Located in the heart of Beverly Hills, just one block off of Rodeo Drive, the Paley Center for Media exhibits explore the connections between media and society.

During our visit we saw the Cartoon Network exhibition: 25 Years of Drawing On Creativity. We loved learning about the creation of some of our favorite cartoons! A visit to the Paley Center will give you access to their collection of over 160,000 programs covering almost 100 years of television and radio from around the world. The museum’s exhibits are revolving, so you’ll want to check the website to see what’s on.

Paley Center for Media Los Angeles California

The Broad

The Broad Museum located in DTLA is easily one of my favorite museums. Entry to the museum is free, and the collection of contemporary art is top notch! Not only that, the building itself is a work of art.

Advance reservations are required, however if you don’t have them there is a stand by line. Check the website for instructions on how best to visit and for information on current exhibitions.

The Getty Villa

Located on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, the Getty Villa is dedicated to the antiquities, and features 7000 years of ancient art. Even if antiquities aren’t your thing, The Villa itself is a site to see.

Built in the early 1970s it was modeled after the Villa dei Papiri, a roman country home that was located in Herculaneum, Italy. Herculaneum, along with Pompeii, was buried in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The Getty Center

If you’ve been to LA you might have noticed the Getty Center, a large white building perched on the hillside above the 405.

While the Getty Villa features antiquities through the fall of the Roman Empire, the Getty Center features American and European art from medieval times to the present. Not only is it considered an architectural masterpiece, but it’s surrounded by beautiful gardens and on a clear day the view of Downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean are spectacular.

You might also be interested in: The J. Paul Getty Museums

Huntington Gardens

The Huntington Botanical Gardens has something for everyone! Museums, a library and acres of beautiful and unique gardens, including a fabulous children’s garden!

Entrance tickets are all inclusive, but because the Huntington has so much to offer it would be tough to see everything in one visit.

You might also be interested in: Tourist In My Own Town

The Neutra VDL House

Architecture lovers won’t want to miss a visit to the Neutra VDL House located on Silver Lake Boulevard.

Built by the famed Modernist architect Richard Neutra 75 years ago, the VDL house was named a National Historic Landmark in 2017. Tours of the home and garden are available, and are given by architecture students.

View from the Neutra roof

You might also be interested in: The Hidden Staircases of Silver Lake

Tips & Advice:

Try to time your visit to LACMA for sundown and you’ll see Urban Lights in action.
The Peterson Automotive Museum has a dedicated children’s area and parking lot.
If you’re short on time skip the George C. Page Museum at the Tar Pits and just view the outdoor exhibitions.
Be sure to check out CFAM’S calendar of crafting events for both children and adults.
Walk all the way around the Berlin Wall, so you don’t miss the fabulous art painted on the backside.
Entrance to The Paley Center for Media is free, as is parking in the building below.
Visiting the Broad? Consider eating lunch at Otium. Easily one of the best lunches I’ve had in LA.
Entry to both the Getty Villa and the Getty Center is free, but both charge a $15 parking fee. Entry to the Villa requires an advance reservation.
The Huntington Gardens aren’t technically in LA, but it’s worth the trek!
Admission to the Neutra House is $15 and tours are available on Saturdays from 11 am -3 pm.

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October 17, 2017July 14, 2019

Travel Mishaps When Life Gives you Lemons…

I’ve been happily planning our family’s next big trip and I’m pretty excited about it! After a year of dreaming, pinning, reading blogs, and saving some instagood ideas I’ve finally booked my flights and accommodations! We’ll be heading to London for two weeks over the Christmas holidays, a dream come true!

Now that our flights are booked, its time to narrow down, prioritize and finalize some of those fun ideas I’ve been thinking about all year. I’ve been booking tickets and tours, researching day trips, and making plans… secure in the knowledge that even with the most careful and organized planning I won’t get to do all of it… something will go wrong.

Yes, you read that right. Something will go wrong, something always does! The key is knowing that even though I don’t know what that something is or when it will present itself we make the best of it when it does.

As the saying goes:

“When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.”

The boys and I put together this list of travel mishaps, most of which we now laugh about. Have you ever had a travel mishap? Were you able to make lemonade, or were the lemons just too sour?

Lost In Tempura

Life’s given you lemons when you think your dinner check will be on the very reasonable side but actually ends up costing as much as all the other meals on the entire trip combined! Whoops, we made a mistake with the conversion from yen to dollars…

That said…

Our meal was fantastic, in fact it was hands down the best meal we had the entire trip! Tempura in Japan was incredible and nothing like anything we’d in the States. The batter was light as air, the house made sauce was divine, and we learned a new way to enjoy tempura, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. It had been the perfect way to end what we all considered the vacation of a lifetime!

Want to read more about that incredible dinner or about our other Japanese adventures? Check out these related posts:

Japan! Adventures in Cuisine!

Japan! Tokyo… No Wasabi Kudasai!

Japan! Planes, Trains & Automobiles!

Last Chance for Gas

Life’s given you lemons when you’re driving a diesel car, but you put gas in the tank. Whoops! Having never driven a diesel it was news to us that American diesel cars and pump nozzles have different shapes preventing such a mistake from happening,

That said…

Not having a car meant cancelling our trip to the Dingle Peninsula, which although disappointing, turned out to be more than okay as we spent a lovely day wandering in the Killarney National Park. Located just across the road from downtown Killarney and about one block from our hotel it was just steps away. No car needed! The weather was somewhat unpredictable, but the boys loved walking into the wind and rain! The park path twisted and turned through forest and meadow and at the end a castle!

Want to read more about our adventures in Killarney National Park or about our other Irish adventures? Check out these related posts:

Ireland! 50 Shades of Green!

Ireland! Along the way… Cork!

Ireland! Three Days in Dublin!

High Wind Advisory

Life’s given you lemons when you’ve traveled half way around the world to see the famous Benagil Sea Cave (listed as one of the world’s most beautiful places), and high winds, during the entire visit, prevent you from ever reaching the cave, which is only accessible by boat.

That said…

We ended up at the Praia da Marinha, listed by the Michelin Guide as one of the ten most beautiful beaches in Europe and as one of the one hundred most beautiful beaches in the world! The entire time we were there I kept thinking how amazing it was and that this couldn’t be real! The high winds and surf prevented swimming, but we relaxed on the sand, dipped our toes in the water and took many photos.

To read more about our visit to the Praia da Marinha or about our other Portuguese adventures check out these related posts:

The Algarve! Pinch Me! Is This real?

Portugal! DETOUR… To The End Of The World!

Portugal! Beautiful Lisbon!

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining

Life’s given you lemons when your night sky photo tour of Monument Valley is foiled when an unexpected storm complete with rain, wind, thunder and lightening suddenly blows in.

That said…

Even with the heavy rain keeping us indoors, we spent an enjoyable evening in our little cabin and got some great sunrise photos instead.

To read more about our visit to Monument Valley or the successful night sky photo tour in Bryce Canyon check out these related blog post:

Soaring Over Monument Valley

Exploring Bryce Canyon National Park Day & Night

Just Be Nice

Life’s given you lemons when fellow tourists behave badly. Our visit to the Las Vegas Neon Museum would have been perfect, but for the rude behavior of another guest. His strange and threatening attitude put everyone on edge, including the guide.

That said…

We loved seeing the signs, and learning about the history of Sin City. The museum staff were kind and even refunded our admission.

To read more about our visit to The Neon Museum, and our other adventures in Las Vegas check out these related blog posts:

Las Vegas The Neon Museum

Las Vegas: Beyond the Strip

8 Things to do in Las Vegas… with Kids

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Life’s given you lemons when your kid throws up before during, or after a plane flight. My little one has thrown up in just about every airport, plane, or taxi from Paris to Rome, and everywhere in between. If there’s anywhere he hasn’t thrown up my older one took his place. Whoops, there went the retainer!

That said…

There’s nothing like a little throw up to speed up the check in process.

To read more about… ha ha! Okay, maybe you don’t want to read more about that, but here are some fun and thankfully unrelated posts:

Much Ado about Paris!

Roma! La Città Eterna!

Sour Lemons

Sometimes it’s just not possible to make lemonade no matter how much sugar you add to those sour lemons…

Ants

Life’s given you sour lemons when you go to load up the car after a fun weekend in Santa Barbara, and find it crawling with thousands of ants! I’m not sure anything could have prepared us for that! Four hours and a through cleaning later, we set off for home. Needless to say the ride wasn’t our most relaxing.

Food Poisoning

Life’s given you sour lemons when your toddler falls ill with salmonella on the flight home from Hawaii and instead of heading to your house from the airport you head to the doctor.

What’s The Matter?

Life’s given you sour lemons when one day after you arrive for your vacation you fall ill with a rare and difficult to diagnose virus. Spending your vacation in the hotel room instead of out exploring, now that’s just rotten!

New Orleans! Lets Eat Lunch & Talk About Dinner!

Even though things don’t always turn out as planned, I’ll still take the occasional lemons if it means we get to have lemonade in the end!

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October 10, 2017October 10, 2017

The Grand Canyon & other Stops Along the way in the American Southwest

Grand Canyon National Park Arizona #grandcanyonwithkids — A California Condor flies over the Grand Canyon

I’ve been a road tripper my entire life. I have fond childhood memories of summers our family spent touring the Western half of the United States in a VW bus. In recent years we’ve found ourselves exploring further afield. Last year we spent three weeks driving around Ireland, Scotland and England, the summer before that we toured Portugal with stops in Lisbon, Sintra and Carvoeiro before we set off for further adventures in Spain. Along the way we’ve discovered many wonderful surprises!

Portugal: Detour to the End of the World

England: Along the Way: Hadrian’s Wall

Glen Canyon Dam Page Arizona #lakemead — We met this gorgous view at an unplanned stop along the way…

No matter our destination one thing has always been the same: I’ve been the passenger for thousands of miles. Preferring to let others take on the driving duty, I was content to sit back taking photos out the window, and reading my guidebooks in between periodic naps. But that changed this past summer when the boys and I joined my parents for a 2000 + mile road trip throughout the American Southwest.

The One Behind the Wheel

This time I would be the main driver and I was somewhat aprehensive. I knew I could do it, but everyday for two straight weeks? Would I get bored? Would it be too much driving? Would I hear a never ending chorus of “Are we there yet?” from the back seat…

Route 66 Kingman Arizona #route66 — Historic Route 66 is definitely worth a stop! Did you know it ends in Santa Monica, California?

Deciding to take my chances and do it my way, we took our time and stopped when and where we felt like it, which really helped to break up the monotony of the miles. Success! I don’t recall hearing anyone ask “are we there yet?” and we discovered many wonderful places along the way! Here are just a few*…

THE SEVEN MAGIC MOUNTAINS

Along the way from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
Henderson, Nevada
20 miles from The Delano Hotel Las Vegas

Seven Magic Mountains Las Vegas #sevenmagicmountains — It was impossible to snap a people free photo

Our first “along the way” stop was The Seven Magic Mountains, a temporary art installation, in the desert just outside Las Vegas. An instagrammers dream, this grouping of brightly colored boulders stacked 30 feet high was created by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone. Installed in May 2016 the exhibit will be in place for two years.

Seven Magic Mountains Las Vegas Nevada #sevenmagicmountains

GLEN CANYON DAM

Along the way from Monument Valley to Antelope Canyon
Page, Arizona
125 Miles from Monument Valley

The famous Antelope Canyon brought us to Page, but our visit wasn’t until the following day, so we decided upon a visit to the Glen Canyon Dam. The Visitor Center provides fabulous views, of the Dam, beautiful Lake Powell, and has an exhibition worth exploring. We took the Dam tour where we not only learned about the construction of the dam, but had the chance to walk across the top, and to go inside, which was around 638 feet down…

Glen Canyon Dam Page Arizona #glencanyon

HORSESHOE BEND

Along the way from Antelope Canyon to The Grand Canyon
Page, Arizona
110 Miles from The Grand Canyon

Located just outside Page, Arizona, Horseshoe Bend is one of the most photographed spots on the Colorado River. That said, walking to the edge of a 1000 foot drop with no safety guards isn’t high on my list (pun intended!) Go? Don’t go? How could I skip this natural wonder? Go? Don’t go?! I went, but I had to crawl to get to this point. I admit I didn’t heed the signs, but you should. What have you done to get that photo? Would you have leaned over to get the perfect pic?

THE GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

Along the way from Horseshoe Bend to Las Vegas, Nevada
253 Miles from Las Vegas

Grand Canyon National Park Arizona #grandcanyon — The Desert View

I know what you’re thinking! How is the Grand Canyon National Park just a stop along the way? Well… after two weeks of soaring temperatures, visitor centers, and redish colored rocks we were simply canyoned out. We felt a bit like National Lampoon’s Vacation. Arriving just before the rain, we had time to visit the Desert View overlook and the Grand Canyon Visitor Center before we called it a day.

The next morning we had a family meeting and gave ourselves permission to continue on our journey without another visit to the Park. I can’t say for sure if I would have felt this way had The Grand Canyon been our first stop, but we visited many beautiful places on this adventure and felt no remorse about the nature of our visit.

Grand Canyon National Park with kids Arizona #grandcanyonwithkids

HISTORIC ROUTE 66

Along the way from The Grand Canyon to Las Vegas
Kingman & Seligman, Arizona
104 Miles from Las Vegas

At one time stretching from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California Historic Route 66 is one of the most famous roads in the United States. No longer an official highway it is still possible to drive on stretches of what was once known as America’s Main Street, or The Mother Road. We took the time to stop in Seligman for some kitschy Americana photos and again in Kingman at an old school diner for some lunch.

THE HOOVER DAM

Along the way from Route 66 to Las Vegas
33 Miles from Las Vegas

Our final along the way stop was the Hoover Dam. Walking across Glen Canyon was pretty neat, but driving across Hoover Dam was really cool, at the same time I couldn’t help but think about all the action movies I’ve seen where they detroy the dam… Let’s get out of here!

*If you’d like to read more about our adventures through the American Southwest, and other fun places we stopped along the way check out these related blog posts:

Tide Pooling

Surfing

Neptune’s Net

Leo Carrillo State Park Information

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Bonus Zoo:

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Related: 25 Things to do in London

Related: Bucket List Item: Stonehenge

The City of Bath

Aquae Sulis

Bath Abbey

Sally Lunn’s Buns

Who was Sally Lunn, and what is a Sally Lunn Bun?

The Royal Crescent

Castle Combe

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Take Me With You!

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Did someone say the South’s largest temporary public art installation?

Piedmont Park

Title: The Service Station Artist: Wesley Forlines Location: 10th and Monroe Area

Park Street Underpass

Title: Purple Rain Artists: Karl Addison & Jarus Location: Piedmont Park at the Park Street Underpass

Virgina Parkway

Artist: Hense Location: Virgina Parkway Underpass

Along the Trail

Title: Swirling Colors Artist: Alex Rodriguez Location: BeltLine at Dreary Street NE

Artist: OUIZI Location: Paris on Ponce BeltLine side

Artist: James Bullough Location: Paris on Ponce Street Side

Artist: Nate Frost Location: Alley off of Paris on Ponce

Artist: Thomas Turner Location: Alley off of Paris on Ponce

Title: 10:28 Artist: Chris Veal Location: BeltLine between Spot for Dogs and Paris on Ponce

Artists: Big Teeff & Greg Mike Location: Spot For Dogs

Artist: Olive 47 Location: Iceboxcoolstuff.com Irwin Street

Old Fourth Ward

Artists:Unknown Location: Freedom Parkway Underpass Old Fourth Ward

Ladybird Restaurant

Edgewood

Artist: Nychos Location: Corner of Edgewood Avenue and Boulevard SE

Artist: Tommy Bronx Location: Corner of Edgewood Avenue and Krog Street

Artist: Ricky Watts Location: Edgewood Avenue & Krog Street

Location: Eastside Trail at Virginia Avenue

Location: Paris on Ponce

Location: Freedom Parkway Underpass Old Fourth Ward

Tips & Advice

Outer Space Project

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Take Me With You!

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WE HAD THE BEST TIME!

Exploring the Magic of Harry Potter

The Back Lot

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You might also be interested in: 25 Things to do in London

Shoreditch Street Art Walking Tour Highlights:

X-Ray Hand with Soda Can Artist: Shok-1 Location: Whitby Road

Various Stik Pieces Artist: Stik Locations: Great Eastern & Rivington Streets

Merry Christmas Mural Artist: Graffiti Life Location: Wheler Street

Graffiti Writing Artist: Ghost Writers Crew Location: Shoreditch High Street

The Angel of Sclater Street Artist: Jonesy Location: Sclater Street

Giant Cat Artist: Himbad Location: Sclater Street

Graphic Letter Signs Artist: Ben Eine Location: Rivington & Luke Streets & Club Row

My Masters Voice Artist: Banksy Location: Cargo Bar on Rivington Street

Hooded Boy Artist: Jimmy C Location: Whitby Street

Woman’s Face Artist: Cenz Location: Great Eastern Street

Multiple Pieces Artist: Otto Schade Location: Rivington & Shoreditch High Streets

Cheetah Artist: Dal East Location: Dereham Place

Woman Artist: Benjamin Murphy Location: Amnesty International New Inn Yard Street

It Takes The Sedition of… Artist: Shepard Fairey Location: Bateman’s Row

Balloon Clowns Artist: Fanakapan Location: Hoxton Square

Title: The Service Station
Artist: Wesley Forlines
Location: 10th and Monroe Area

Title: Purple Rain
Artists: Karl Addison & Jarus
Location: Piedmont Park at the Park Street Underpass

Artist: Hense
Location: Virgina Parkway Underpass

Title: Swirling Colors
Artist: Alex Rodriguez
Location: BeltLine at Dreary Street NE

Artist: OUIZI
Location: Paris on Ponce BeltLine side

Artist: James Bullough
Location: Paris on Ponce Street Side

Artist: Nate Frost
Location: Alley off of Paris on Ponce

Artist: Thomas Turner
Location: Alley off of Paris on Ponce

Title: 10:28
Artist: Chris Veal
Location: BeltLine between Spot for Dogs and Paris on Ponce

Artists: Big Teeff & Greg Mike
Location: Spot For Dogs

Artist: Olive 47
Location: Iceboxcoolstuff.com Irwin Street

Artists:Unknown
Location: Freedom Parkway Underpass Old Fourth Ward

Artist: Nychos
Location: Corner of Edgewood Avenue and Boulevard SE

Artist: Tommy Bronx
Location: Corner of Edgewood Avenue and Krog Street

Artist: Ricky Watts
Location: Edgewood Avenue & Krog Street

X-Ray Hand with Soda Can
Artist: Shok-1
Location: Whitby Road

Various Stik Pieces
Artist: Stik
Locations: Great Eastern & Rivington Streets

Merry Christmas Mural
Artist: Graffiti Life
Location: Wheler Street

Graffiti Writing
Artist: Ghost Writers Crew
Location: Shoreditch High Street

The Angel of Sclater Street
Artist: Jonesy
Location: Sclater Street

Giant Cat
Artist: Himbad
Location: Sclater Street

Graphic Letter Signs
Artist: Ben Eine
Location: Rivington & Luke Streets & Club Row

My Masters Voice
Artist: Banksy
Location: Cargo Bar on Rivington Street

Hooded Boy
Artist: Jimmy C
Location: Whitby Street

Woman’s Face
Artist: Cenz
Location: Great Eastern Street

Multiple Pieces
Artist: Otto Schade
Location: Rivington & Shoreditch High Streets

Cheetah
Artist: Dal East
Location: Dereham Place

Woman
Artist: Benjamin Murphy
Location: Amnesty International New Inn Yard Street

It Takes The Sedition of…
Artist: Shepard Fairey
Location: Bateman’s Row

Balloon Clowns
Artist: Fanakapan
Location: Hoxton Square

Heffalump!
Artist: Unknown
Location: Sclater Street

Motorcycle Mural
Artist: Ryan Roadkill
Location: Sclater Street