We really do have seasons in southern California. Here we are near the Eaton Canyon Falls trail in Altadena this week. This is a great trail for kids — mostly flat, though if you show up during rainy season, you’ll have to scramble over rocks or get your shoes wet at the stream crossing.
It’s the county fair, L.A. style. Lots of sunshine and fried foods, plus Jessica Simpson on the stage. We had fun just wandering around, looking at the oversized farm animals, eating barbecue, and checking out landscaping and green-home displays. Jack loved the miniature John Deere tractors, though he still doesn’t seem to get the concept of pedaling. The best time to go with kids is right when it opens at 10; by the time we left at 3, the place was packed and it would have been hard to let him run free.
It really is the Happiest Place on Earth in early September. Most kids are back in school and you can practically walk on most of the rides without waiting. Jack’s getting bossier and more opinionated now about where we go. He wanted to go on the “boat ride” (Storybookland), Casey Jr., and Peter Pan when we first got there, in that order. We also hit Autopia (a very bumpy ride, with him at the wheel) and Buzz Lightyear, then zoomed over to California Adventure to try out Toy Story Mania, the park’s newest ride. That was hands down his favorite – it’s interactive so he could try to knock down ducks and other targets by pulling a string attached to our car.
I got him a pair of Mickey ears and he insisted on wearing them everywhere for the next few days, around the house, to bed, at Trader Joe’s. All in all, an A-plus trip.
Dolphins, cool sea breezes, Julia Child-blessed tacos, and no car keys to misplace. Those were a few of the highlights of our 3-day jaunt to Santa Barbara this month. I thought Jack’s best memory would be the ride on the 2nd level of the Pacific Surfliner, but he seemed to delight in everything. Not having a car turned out to be easier than I thought. We stayed at the Fess Parker Doubletree, which is directly across the street from the beach and a half-mile from the action of State Street. Whenever we wanted to go into town, we walked or took the 25 cent trolley that runs up and down Cabrillo Blvd. Our one splurge was renting a stroller for $45 from the Santa Barbara Baby Co. (they deliver), which turned out to be a great idea.
Here are some highlights from our child-centric weekend:
–Visited the Santa Barbara Zoo, a small but adequate zoo a block from Fess Parker. There’s a small train ride for the kids that’s an extra $2 or so.
–Stopped by Kid Zone, an old-fashioned playground (think lots of wood) near State Street. It was packed but a nice change from the usual plastic offerings.
–Ate on the patio at Super-Rica Taqueria, which was well worth the 20-30 minute wait. Best pozole I’ve ever had, plus handmade tortillas that are made to order. Jack ate every crumb of his chicken and cheese taco, then demanded some of our pork adobado and guacamole. Fun fact: Julia Child used to eat here when she lived in SB.
–Took a small boat called Lil’ Toot from the pier through the harbor. They let the kids take a turn steering for a few minutes. It’s a short ride, but good for small children. Cost: $4 adults, $1 kids.
–Had brunch on the beach at the East Beach Grill. Service was lousy (it was Sun. morning though), but the blueberry pancakes and oatmeal were better than average.
Tips for the train: Buy tickets at least 3 days early and you’ll be able to get a AAA discount. We intended to leave from Union Station, then found out you can park for free for 72 hours at Glendale station (which is closer to us anyway), so we just caught the train there. The only catch is you’ll have fewer seating choices (we ended up sitting across from the bathroom). Also, bring LOTS of snacks. There’s a cafe but the selection is mediocre.
For once, Jack spent the day talking about boats instead of trucks. We drove to Newport Beach and took the small ferry over to Balboa Island. It was much easier than I thought it would be, though karma was definitely on our side. The long freeway (605 to 405) drive was practically traffic-free and we lucked upon a parking spot within a block of the ferry. The ferry is a sweet step back in time amid the condos and boutiques of Newport Beach (think “The O.C.”). We waited less than 10 minutes, hopped on with a handful of humans and 3 cars, and paid our $1 to the 2-person crew. It took no more than 6 minutes to cross the channel, but Jack loved it. There were lots of other boats sailing by us and we even saw a few seals bobbing about.
From the dock, you can walk to the pier and the beach, which is a good (though crowded) stretch of sand with nary a power plant or airport in sight.
Tip: The Ruby Tuesday’s at the end of the pier has rooftop seating with stellar ocean views. It was $10 very well spent.
We’re fine.
In fact, we were oblivious to the fact that there was an earthquake until two hours later, when I logged on the Internet. We felt something alright – we just didn’t know what it was. We were hiking at El Dorado Nature Center and I thought I heard or felt a distant explosion, followed by the sound of shattering of glass. Then we passed a woman who was somewhat desperately trying to get cell phone coverage, which seemed odd since we were in the middle of the woods. When we got back to the nature center after our 1.7-mile hike (thanks, GPS) all seemed normal so I didn’t think much of it until we got home and saw the headlines. The house was fine, too, though all this makes me realize it is far from earthquake-proof.
All in all, we had a great morning communing with nature. The El Dorado trails are flat and shady and surround two large ponds. Lots of benches for picknicking and resting, plus plenty of resident turtles, butterflies and ducks. Perfect for the 3-to-5-year-old set.
Cost: $4 to park on weekdays, $7 weekends.
A rite of passage for all L.A. moms of 3-5 year-olds is attending the annual Summer Sounds program at the Hollywood Bowl. It’s akin (I’d guess) to going to the White House Easter Egg Roll if you live in D.C. Each week or 2 in July and August, a specific type of music is showcased in a concert, then paired with a related art project. This week’s focus was Zimbabwe, and the show (at least the part we saw) was awesome spectacle of drums, dancing, and giant marimbas (like xylophones). A definite A. The art segment (for which you buy tickets separately) was disappointing, with projects that aren’t much different from the kind you find in preschools. It also could have something to do with the fact that Jack isn’t all that interested in crafts and was happy to let me glue beads on a piece of cardboard while he munched on a Clif bar. The highlight for him was by far getting to talk in the microphone about his creation. He told the lead person that he made it all by himself and was going to hang it on the wall of his room. 
TIPS: If you only have time for one program, choose the music one. If you do both music and art, try to go to the 10 am concert, followed by the art project. If you choose the 11:15 concert, you end up waiting a good half hour between events. By the time the music started Jack (who slept a measly 8 hours last night) was good and tired and ready to go home.
COST: $6 per person for the concert, $4 (kid only) for the craft.
I really wanted to hate Americana at Brand, a new outdoor mall in Glendale created by the same guy who built the Grove on Fairfax. But the truth is, it’s a pleasant, easy way to spend a morning. The $3 and up parking fee annoyed me at first, but the free perks make up for it. We rode the glass elevators to the roof and looked out over the city, followed the trolley tracks to nowhere, and watched the twice-hourly dancing fountain show. There’s a small playground, but Jack got bored with that fast. The whole place is more compact than I thought and must be elbow to elbow on weekends, but I’d definitely spend another morning here, if only to ride the trolley (for Jack) and buy cream puffs from Beard Papa (me). I’ll also bring a camera next time!
One of the perks of our odd little corner of Altadena: a tree that produces some of the sweetest juiciest plums on the planet every summer. Jack enjoyed them last year, but this season he is taking full ownership of the tree. He will eat as many per day as I let him, and he now views the local deer as his rival plum eaters, jumping up and down and yelling when he sees them outside.
Too bad they all come at once. We are making quantities of plum pie and plum bread, and giving them away like crazy, but we still can’t keep up with the bounty.
p.s. Happy Fourth of July!
Jack & I, along with 8 trillion LA school students, visited the Natural History Museum a couple of weeks ago. The buses lined up outside could have filled a football stadium. My pre-mom self would have turned around and gone home or at least to a Starbucks to wait it out. But I had talked up the dinosaur museum to Jack that morning, in part to get him put his clothes on without a fight. So we had to go.
He didn’t mind all the kids at all. And we found one sanctuary – the Discover Center in the basement, where groups have to have a reservation and regular paying folks can sashay right in. So we spent a good hour there looking at fossils, snakes, spiders, and turtles, and reading books about fossils, snakes, spiders, and turtles. We didn’t even try to see the Dinosaur show since the entryway to it was packed. But we did take a quick tour of the “salt marsh” and the “rain forest”, which were pretty cool.
What did Jack talk most about after our visit? The turtle eating lettuce, and the wagons and stagecoaches on display in the California history section. Wheels still trump giant prehistoric creatures for this kid.
