Los Angeles – Page 2

Kidspace Children’s Museum, Pasadena

March 1, 2016/2 Comments/in Los Angeles /by Mila

The Kidspace Children’s Museum is the best museum in LA for children 1 to 8 years old. It is a small museum with an incredible amount of hand-on activities for kids. This place is so much fun that every time we go there we spend the whole day easily.

The beauty of this museum is its simplicity. There are no large exhibitions, no huge spaces, just simple, fun exhibitions where children can explore at their leisure with no fear of being messy, or getting dirty and wet. Each little activity is so well thought out, it is amazing.

In this museum you will find story times, music playing, experiments, water games, outdoor installations, insects, bicycles to ride, a beehive and a lot of other simple activities that can engage small children for hours. That is what I love about it! For example, in a corner of the museum they have this small water situation where children fill small buckets with water and fill up tubes with it so the water flows through this small structure. It is nothing special, just a simple water game, but Max played in there for 2 hours all by himself. Score!

TIPS: If you want to spend the day here, there is a restaurant with healthy options, so no need to bring food. Also, bring a change of cloths for your kids because they will be filthy and wet by the end (or middle) of the day.

The entrance to the museum is in itself a wonderful exhibition full of colors, and interactive activities: In the big pavilion there are a lot of hand-on activities like this paint water canvas where kids are free to paint and be messy without an adult freaking out about their white couches getting stained with red paint… And this beehive. Mesmerizing!And this kid (my nephew), so darn cute! Here is Víctor and Agustín experimenting with electricity. The idea was to move a little engine by transporting energy from the batteries, through the cables and play doh, to the engine. They loved doing this, and learned so much in the process. Here is my beautiful dad helping to take care of the rascal, or at least limiting his escaping possibilities.The museum has a new outdoor area with lots of games for children that make learning very fun. Also, they are doing new installations that will open in April or May this year. This place to ride bicycles is always a big hit. How happy and proud is Max of getting a ride from his big brother? I love how these two are best friends. My daddy spending the day with grandkids. He is 83: In the garden, the museum has this little green huts with a lot of books. It is a magic place for children to sit down and read a little. Also, as you can see, by the end of the day Max was in diapers and mismatched shoes because I run out of clothes. For me, this is a sign of epic fun.
At the end of the day, we spent 10 hours at the museum, and the kids still wanted more. If you are in LA, take your children to the Kidspace Children’s Museum. You won’t regret it. Just remember, this is not a museum for older kids. It doesn’t have big exhibitions, just small fun, hands-on fun.

Kidspace Children’s Museum

480 North Arroyo Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91103
Telephone: (626) 449-9144
Fax: (626) 449-9985
Email: [email protected]

Operating Hours

Weekdays
Tuesday – Friday, 9:30a.m. to 5:00p.m. (Open Mondays March 14 – September 5, 2016)

Weekends
Saturday & Sunday, 10:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.

*Closed Mondays during Fall & Winter after Labor Day unless otherwise promoted for special events

Admission

Adults & Children: $11.00
Infants (under age 1): FREE

Olvera Street

January 25, 2016/4 Comments/in Los Angeles, Others /by Mila

LA has many neighborhoods that make you feel like you are in a different country when you visit them. One of them is Olvera Street.

Before the Holidays, we took our kids here to immerse ourselves into some Latin flavor, and to get the children out of the house, because having your kids inside a 900 sq. feet dwelling all day can be a nightmare, literally.

Ideally, you will take the train to Union Station to get to Olvera Street, but, for us, the train is not the most convenient way of transportation because it takes so long, more than 45 minutes.

We went on a Saturday for the Virgen Guadalupe Celebration. There was dancing and a vigil, but the most fun part of going to Olvera Street is just walking around and having dinner in one of the many restaurants. The Street has old houses and tries to recreate a romantic idea of “Old Los Angeles”.

It also has a one-block market of handcrafted items vendors that have been there for generations. Our children loved all the little shops and wanted to get into everything. There were so many colors and noises to spark their imagination, so it was very fun for them.

After walking around and buying some children’s guitars for $10, we had dinner at one of the restaurants. There are plenty of places to choose from. We ordered some guacamole, a couple of beers, some burritos, and we were set.

After a two-hour outing, we were ready to go back home, and felt very happy to have had this little adventure. Going to Olvera Street is a nice option for a short weekend family activity in Los Angeles.

Here is a calendar with the different community events they have at Olvera Street. As of today, they haven’t updated it with the events for 2016, but I am sure they will soon.

Here are some pictures, if you want to see:

Central Library, DTLA

December 16, 2015/2 Comments/in Los Angeles, Ramble the world /by Mila

The Central Library in DTLA is a treasure. The building was constructed in 1926 and renovated from 1988 to 1993. It has 538,000 square feet (HUGE!) and capacity for 1,400 people. It is a wonderful landmark in downtown, LA. A couple of weeks ago, I didn’t send Víctor to school so we could have a little adventure and we went there instead. Read more

The Huntington Library and Gardens

November 16, 2015/8 Comments/in Los Angeles, Ramble the world /by Mila

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, near Pasadena, is one of the most beautiful places in LA. If you live here and haven’t been, you need to go. If you don’t live here but will visit soon, you need to go. If you don’t live here and won’t visit LA soon, well, you can look at these pictures to enjoy the place from afar, because it is magic.

LA is a metropolis, and, like all metropolis, the motion of people and energy is constant. It is also true that LA is more laidback than other big urban areas. I think the cause of this casual motion is the weather and proximity to the beach, which demands the use of flip-flops and shorts at least once a week, no matter the month of the year.

In the middle of this chaos, The Huntington is a sanctuary. The moment you step in, you are transported to peace (because peace is a physical place, people!). So, after you pay your pricey $23 ticket (children are free) you can start your trip into art, nature, and fun. By the way, the first Thursday of the month is free, so take advantage of it! You can get your free tickets here, and here is a map of the grounds.

The Huntington has 14 different gardens, the lily pond and Conservatory. To start, I always go down the Desert Garden. This is my (and my dad’s) favorite place at the Huntington because of the big variety of shapes and flowers that are so unusual and pretty. I would recommend visiting this specific garden around February, when a lot of cactuses are blooming. Here are some pictures.

Where is Wally?

My sister and I took all the kids to the Huntington back in September for a little adventure, and we all had a very nice time. The lily pond is always a hit for the children, with its koi fishes and ducks. I am sorry Max missed it this time, as you can see, but that was a nap needed by all.

After that, we made our way through the Japanese Garden and the Garden of Flowing Fragrance (Chinese Garden), which have gorgeous details and “secret” corners. It is impressive how much care has been placed into building these gardens; there are so many subtleties that you really need to stop and observe to not miss anything.

I would also recommend visiting the rose garden, that will enchant you with its fragrance and colors, or eating at the tea room if you need a break. The Huntington has 6 cafes scattered throughout the gardens (and entrance), but the tea room is my favorite. Also, bringing a picnic to share is a great idea for the kids.

Finally, we went to the Conservatory and, most importantly, to the Children’s Garden, the best place for kids at The Huntington. This smaller (and beautiful) garden introduces children to the natural world through “interactive sculptural elements based on the themes of the earth, air, fire and water.” I would recommend bringing extra clothes (and towels) so your kids can explore freely. Be warned, if you don’t like your children to get dirty or wet, steer them away from this garden, though I would encourage you to not do so.

Be careful during summer days, it can get hot out there.

Also, you won’t be able to take advantage all the things this place has to offer in one visit, as it is pretty massive. I still haven’t been able to go to all the galleries and garden areas, but that gives me a great excuse to go back again soon. I love this place, and you will too!

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens

1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108

(626) 405-2100

Craft & Folk Art Museum – Shop

September 24, 2015/0 Comments/in Clothes, Gift Ideas, Interior Design, Los Angeles /by Mila

One of my favorite things about a museum is the gift store. There, I said it. Consider me shallow, or just honest, but I love browsing through the beautiful things they carry, almost as much as I like looking at the art or bones. In these stores I find things that are different, beautiful, and interesting. Also, I enjoy buying books about the exhibitions I just saw, this helps me remember the exhibition like a hoola girl souvenir helps me remember Hawaii and enjoy it again later on.

Short detour: After two kids my memory has taken a turn for the worst, and I am afraid I will soon lose my mind. It seems that just forgetting my keys and cell phones is not enough nowadays; my brain now wants to punish me by making me forget names and stories I used to know and that made me feel smart. I blame the sleep deprivation. Is there anybody else out there losing his or her neurons? Or is it just me? Is my brain going to come back? Or, am I going to have dulled thinking abilities for the rest of my life? Please, let me know if you have the same issues. –End of the detour

In any case, buying books or beautiful things that remind me later of that particular visit to the museum, which otherwise blends and disappears into all the other visits to the museums, helping me stay engaged and connected with the art – or bones, I suppose, long after the visit.

A month ago, I went to the Craft & Folk Art Museum to see the Chris Francis shoe exhibition, which was amazing. Sadly, it has ended already so, if you didn’t make it, you missed your window of opportunity. In any case, after seeing the exhibition, I made my way to the shop, my happy place, and discovered one of the most beautifully curated museum shops in LA, and believe me, I know, as I have been in almost all of them several times.

It is a small shop, but it has handpicked items that go hand-in-hand with its mission of showcasing hand-made designs. They are beautiful, simple and a pleasure to look at.

Here are some of them, and, as you can see, they are not terribly expensive. What do you think? Do you have a favorite item?

Mt. Washington Blue Bell – $110 Mt. Washington Pottery White Bell – $110 Brass Salad Servers – $45 Iringa Basket – $58 Telephone Wire Woven Basket – $190 Dani Ban Lotus Earrings – $76 WV Craftworks Indigo Stripe Coffee Mug – $30 Chan Natural Dyed Scarf – $58 Fait La Force Whale – $25 Wooldbuddy Neddle Felting Kit – $20 Tagua Nut Necklace – $80