If you’ve been bitten (or at least nibbled on) by the travel bug, you’re probably already daydreaming about where you and your family would like to go on your next vacation. The idea of traveling to Europe sounds pretty chic to most Americans. But maybe it seems like London, Paris and Rome are a little too “been there, done that.” I mean, if I had a dime for every Facebook friend who’s posted a selfie standing in front of the Eiffel Tower…well, you get the picture.

May I suggest a fresh, new destination for your next European adventure? Think north. Way north. I’m talking about the beautiful city of Helsinki. Yep, Finland. Land of the Midnight Sun.

Scandinavia doesn’t usually pop up on the radar of most Americans as a vacation destination. But I’ve spent the past two summers traveling and eating my way through Helsinki, thanks to the gracious hospitality of a Finnish friend I happened to met on Facebook. (That’s another story for another time.) It is one of the most stunningly beautiful, clean and spacious countries I have ever been to, and I’ve fallen in love with it. Let me count the ways!

Because Finnish winters are so long, cold, and dark, (and no self-respecting Southern Californian could possibly endure the frigid temperatures), you and your family will probably want to go in the summer. Finns take maximum advantage of their short summers and outdoor activities abound. Your family is sure to enjoy a visit a beautiful Finnish beach (yes, beach!) like I did. Complete with cute blonde lifeguards, a beach volleyball game, and Helsinki’s own answer to the fabled “Muscle Beach” in Venice.

The beach was on a lake. One of Finland’s nicknames is “Land of a Thousand Lakes,” but that’s a pretty modest moniker, considering there are more than 188,000 lakes in the country. They’re gorgeous and pristine, and most city residents have a tiny lakeside cottage for summer use. I think it’s pretty funny that this California girl first learned how to do stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) on a Finnish lake last summer! Surprisingly, SUPping is extremely popular in Finland in the summer, and a great family activity as well as relatively inexpensive.

Outdoor music festivals are everywhere–and who knew that Finland has the world’s highest concentration of heavy metal bands?? I didn’t–until two summers ago. And because in the summer the Finnish sun only barely dips below the horizon before rising again, (hence its other nickname, “Land of the Midnight Sun,”) you have nearly 24 hours of daylight, so these festivals go on well into the wee hours!

The Finnish language is one of the most complex and beautiful languages I’ve ever encountered. I’ve been studying it for the past two years and have acquired roughly enough vocabulary to have a conversation with a Finnish toddler. Almost. But that shouldn’t stop you from going there! Finns speak excellent English, and even though they’re pretty shy and reserved at first, they warm up very quickly and I have found them exceptionally gracious and welcoming. I’ve been invited to people’s homes to pick strawberries, and I’ve been invited for Lettu, a scrumptious Finnish pancake served with berries, whipped cream and ice cream. The Finns have a huge thing for berries, by the way. Berry stands are everywhere in the city, and the berries are huge, delicious and cheap!

Speaking of food, an American can find some pretty exotic cuisine in and around Helsinki. My friend insisted on taking me to a Lappish restaurant downtown. In Lapland, the northernmost part of the country, reindeer is standard fare. So, yeah…I ate Rudolph. And actually enjoyed it immensely! The reindeer meat is tender, juicy, and was served on a heaping bed of mashed potatoes with gravy, and garnished with a side of bright red lingonberries. Appealing to my eyeballs and my tastebuds! Plus they gave us such big servings we got doggie bags and enjoyed it again the next day.

Of course, you can also find pizza and hamburgers, which may be more palate-pleasing to younger and pickier family members–but why go to Helsinki for that? You can try a plate of reindeer meatballs at the outdoor market place, or a crispy basket of muikku–tiny fish fried whole, kind of like French fries, served with a yummy garlic aioli sauce.

But, for the true Finnish experience, you have to go all the way. Without clothes.

I meant you have to take a Finnish sauna. What were you thinking? ;)

Finnish sauna is a tradition–heck,  it’s an institution. There’s even a sauna in the Finnish Parliament. You can find them in nearly every household and hotel, and they are seen as a necessity for relaxation, not a luxury. They are often co-ed, but sauna is a strictly non-sexual place and even sort of sacred. No swearing is allowed, and arguments and controversial topics are avoided. While you will find people wearing bathing suits in some co-ed or family saunas, usually clothing is considered a faux pas, even though it’s OK to sit on a small towel. After a few sauna sessions I began to relax and enjoy myself when I realized that no one cares that you’re not wearing clothes. Hey, when in Rome!! (or Helsinki).

There’s much more to Finland that an American ought to experience–the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), the clean and efficient public transportation, the beautiful pre-war architecture and the contrasting Scandinavian minimalist design–I loved how my friend’s apartment looked precisely as if it came out of an IKEA catalog!

I hope you’ll get the chance to visit someday…and people can say “WTF” (Welcome to Finland) to you too!

P.S. Wanna know what to do next?? Check out SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) for some good deals on flights to Helsinki. I’ve traveled with them twice and I highly recommend them!!

One of more than 60 food trucks at the Santa Anita Food Truck Festival

The City of Angels has become synonymous with the food truck. Spend any amount of time in our fair city and you’re sure to spot them rolling down the street, restaurants-on-wheels catering to as many different types and taste-buds as there are people in our city of 12 million.

No longer simply humble “taco trucks” hawking their wares on street corners, the modern, 21st-century food truck can be found dishing up everything from gourmet grilled cheese and burgers to seafood and sushi, and everything in between. The entrepreneurial spirit that drives millions to make Los Angeles their adopted home has given birth to proprietors who have found the food truck more economical and flexible than a traditional restaurant location. These restaurateurs are able to bring exotic food from their homelands (and a taste of home, for many) to businesses all over the city.

My three boys chow down on pizza and Asian food

With their ability to move all over L.A., many of these trucks have developed a following of pretty obsessive types (myself included), who will stalk them via social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to find out where in the city they will pop up next. I have to be honest, it’s an exhausting and time-consuming task for a foodie like myself.

Well, luckily for me there is an L.A. event that takes all the legwork out of tracking down my favorite food trucks. My family and I recently combined a gastronomic delight with a family fun day when we attended the Santa Anita Food Truck Festival at the Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, California. More than 60 different food trucks congregated at the park to hawk more varieties of food than my taste-buds could possibly handle at once. But I fully intended to try my best.

Delicious shrimp ceviche lettuce wraps from the Shrimp Pimp truck

No matter where you hail from in the world, you were sure to find something to please your palate from the infinite variety of foods available–from Indian to Cajun, from German to Greek, from vegan to meat-and-potatoes only. When we first arrived, we were so overwhelmed by the diversity of menus that we had to take a couple of laps around the park to take it all in (which was no small feat!). This whetted our appetites even more, but made it possibly even more difficult to choose. I’m one of those people who even finds it impossible to choose from a diner menu.

Ultimately, my husband and I opted to start at the Shrimp Pimp, where we sampled some delicious (if rather pricey) shrimp tacos and lettuce wraps. These were merely the appetizer for us. We moved on to one of my personal favorite trucks around Burbank, the Grilled Cheese Truck, but found the line so incredibly long at this VERY popular truck that we got discouraged and decided to move on. A couple of our boys found the fare at Valentino’s Pizza and the Meet N’ Potatoes trucks to their liking. We also devoured delicious chicken tikka masala from the Bollywood Bites truck, and would have liked to try the Lobsta Truck as well–but alas, the long queue struck again, and deterred us from eating more seafood (which, in hindsight, was probably a good thing).

We finished our international culinary journey the Italian way–at Palazzolo’s Gelato Truck, where we were delighted by the chocolate and hazelnut gelatos–absolutely perfect on this very hot day. Our three boys opted for more “American” ice cream, buying cones from Longboard’s Ice Cream.

View from the grandstand at Santa Anita Racetrack, where we played the horses

I also simply got a big kick out of walking around and looking at all the great creative names people have come up with for their trucks: the Nom Nom Truck, Baby’s Badass Burgers, The Munch Box, and perhaps my favorite of all, Truck Norris (the truck is black with a large fist painted on each side of the truck. Pretty intimidating).

Once we had eaten waaaay more than our fill, we checked out the other activities. In addition to the food truck fiesta, the day featured live music from The Polyester Players and The M-80′s, and kids’ amusements including an inflatable giant slide, carnival games, pony rides, a bounce house, and face painting.

Since we were at a race track, and also since neither I nor my boys had ever seen a “live” horse race before, we decided to head up into the grandstands and check out a few of the races for fun. It was also getting almost unbearably hot and we thought a few seats in the shade with a cool drink might be just the thing. Never a betting person by nature, I thought it might be fun to wager just a small amount of money on one of the horses to make it more exciting. My husband agreed, and the family was all soon cheering on a beautiful black thoroughbred named “Ruler of Dubai.” Amazingly enough, our horse pulled out in front for the majority of the race, but he ultimately disappointed us by coming in fourth. Still, it was an exciting experience, and one I’d definitely like to try again.

The Food Truck Fest is held periodically throughout the year at Santa Anita Park (normally spring and fall). For more information go to: www.santaanitalive.com.

Boating on Pyramid Lake Angeles National Forest

Our family was recently invited by our friends Elvia and Sean Shepherd and their young son to drive up to Pyramid Lake for a day of picnicking and boating. Sean had the use of his boss’ speedboat, and our three sons and we were looking forward to spending the afternoon tooling about on the huge and picturesque lake, which is located about an hour’s drive north of Los Angeles in the Angeles and Los Padres National Forest on Piru Creek.

The last time Sean had taken the boat out for a spin, he had been a little concerned that it seemed to be running a bit rough and mentioned it to his employer, who assured him that the vessel had recently had a complete overhaul and was operating perfectly now.

Our not-quite-seaworthy vessel

The drive up the 5 freeway was mostly uneventful, save for a few obligatory “are we there yets?” from the boys, and in a little over an hour’s time we were parked and headed down to the boat launch and dock area.

Once we had all donned life vests and were aboard our little vessel, Sean started up the engine. It sputtered to life and he opened up the throttle. I expected to take off at a high rate of speed across the crystal-blue lake, but that was not the case. The motor was sounding pretty rough, and Sean couldn’t seem to get the boat to travel faster than maybe 20 miles per hour. He did not look happy at all.

I slathered on some sunscreen, adjusted my hat, and settled back in the boat to catch some rays while chatting with Sean’s wife, Elvia. The boys were a little bit disappointed that the boat wasn’t moving faster but still they were happy to be out on the open water.

We trolled about for a while, admiring the beautiful pyramidal rock formations around the lake, and gradually headed towards the barbeque/picnic/beach area on the far side of the lake. I had made and packed hamburgers and potato salad and Elvia had brought fruit salad. It took quite a while to reach the shore, and I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination or if the boat sounded even worse and seemed to be traveling ever more slowly through the water.

The boys rafting on Pyramid Lake

LAND HO!! We finally reached the dock and the boys assisted Sean with lashing the boat to the moorings. Elvia and I unloaded our picnic supplies and managed to find an unoccupied picnic table and barbeque grill in the tree-shaded picnic area close to the shore. We unpacked the food and got the grill going while the boys waded and played in the water with inflatable canoes and paddles.

There was a bit of a commotion coming from the general vicinity of the restroom area a few hundred feet to our left. The boys went over to investigate and discovered that the source of the excitement was a dead (thankfully!) rattlesnake curled up next to the path leading to the restrooms. A couple of kids were poking it with a stick and attempting to pick it up and scare each other with it. I shuddered and made a mental note to not stray too far away from our HOPEFULLY snake-free picnic area.

After tossing the burgers on the grill, it dawned on me: I hadn’t brought a spatula. Hmm. That was going to make things quite a bit more difficult. I looked around and noticed another picnic table and grill a few hundred feet away that definitely looked as if someone were using it. There were coolers, Tupperware containers and other supplies, but not a soul in sight. Maybe the picnicking family was out on the water somewhere? I looked around again, and slowly made my way over to their table. If they had a spatula, I thought, I’d simply borrow it, flip the burgers and bring it right back. No harm done. But I didn’t see one in plain sight. Feeling slightly like a thief, I began to poke around, looking in their containers and coolers until I finally uncovered a spatula. Glancing over my shoulder and seeing no one, I removed it and scurried back to our grill. Hopefully I’d be able to return it before the family returned.

My husband grills lunch with our "borrowed" spatula

With the help of our borrowed spatula, we were able to enjoy a delicious lunch and relaxed in the shade of the picnic area while the boys rafted and played in the water for a while longer. Shortly afterward, Sean decided we should pack up and offered to drive us around to the other side of the lake to take in more of the fantastic scenery.

That was the worst decision of the day.

With considerable difficulty since the boat absolutely refused to budge above about 10 m.p.h., we oh-so-slowly wended our way back out onto the open water and towards the far side of the lake. Judging by the expression on Sean’s face, I could tell he was doing a slow burn and wondered whether this was the best idea. But I kept my mouth shut.

Our little vessel began to sputter and cough louder and louder, while moving more and more slowly. Finally the motor stalled completely. Sean moved to the back of the boat and attempted to bring it back to life, to no avail.

We were now drifting, moving slowly towards the rocky shore of the far side of the lake, furthest from the rangers’ station. There were no other boats, jet skis, or any people in sight. Suppressing a slightly panicked feeling, I pulled out my cell phone as Sean continued to try to start the motor again. No cell phone reception. My husband and Elvia also checked their cell phones. Again, no phone service. Uh-oh. What to do now?

They boys enjoying their lunch at the beach

I supposed all we could do was wait for another boat to come along and try to hail it. We tried to keep the boys calm and kept hoping that cell phone service would suddenly kick back in for one of us. But we were simply in too remote of an area.

After what I supposed was about 45 minutes of drifting and seeing no one who could possibly help us, Sean began to rummage around in the storage areas of the boat. And just like the spatula that so conveniently appeared–lo and behold!–he triumphantly held up an air horn that he’d discovered in the back.

Sean signaled a distress call with a few short and very LOUD blasts from the air horn, which echoed all the way across the lake. And thankfully, shortly thereafter, we spotted an L.A. County Sheriff’s patrol boat on the horizon headed towards us. We were saved!!

We and our boat get towed back to shore by the park ranger

The boat pulled up alongside us and Sean explained our situation to the ranger, who quickly produced a tow rope and handed it to Sean, who tied it to the front of our boat. Then all we had to do was sit back and relax as the patrol boat towed us slowly back to the dock. The kids all thought this was great fun, and we adults were just relieved that we didn’t get stranded for hours.

Pyramid Lake offers year-round recreation including boating, fishing, jet-skiing, water-skiing and camping in addition to its beaches and picnic facilities. If you have the opportunity, you should really enjoy this gorgeous spot. But please–make sure your boat is shipshape first before taking it out on the water.

Travel Town Museum

What little kid (especially boys, of which I am a mother of three) doesn’t love a train? And what parent doesn’t love an easy, enjoyable and free family outing?

In the nearly two years since our family moved from suburban New Jersey to Burbank, California, we have still not exhausted a wealth of day trips with the family to places that are close by and inexpensive or free to visit. If your family, like ours, is trying to minimize expense and maximize fun family time, a visit to the Travel Town Museum might just be the perfect thing.

Will enjoying the trains on exhibit at Travel Town Museum

Located fifteen minutes from Burbank in that Los Angeles oasis known as Griffith Park, the Travel Town Museum pays homage to railroads and other forms of transportation that have played a major part in shaping our country, primarily the west. It’s all outdoors except for one building, so unlike other museums, little ones can run about and make as much noise as they want without parents needing to worry about their child using an “indoor voice” or possibly damaging a priceless artifact!

Dedicated to the City of Los Angeles in 1952, Travel Town Museum was the brainchild of Parks and Recreation employee Charley Atkins, who in the late 1940′s organized a group of dedicated railway enthusiasts to secure donations of equipment from major railroads in California. As the era of steam locomotives was dying out, Atkins and his colleagues received a good response and many donations. Though Atkins died in 1959, Travel Town continues to be one of L.A.’s most popular family attractions.

Travel Town Museum - Charley Atkins

Little ones are sure to adore the Travel Town Railroad, a miniature train that travels around the entire perimeter of the museum two times. And the entire family can enjoy a ride aboard the Griffith Park & Southern Railroad, a mile-long train ride that takes passengers through the forest, across a 50-year-old bridge, and through an “Old West” town.

After the train rides, kids and adults alike will have fun exploring dozens of vintage railroad locomotives and cars, ranging from an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe “iron horse” built in 1899 to a bright red “Charley Atkins” built in the relatively modern time of 1941 by the ElectroMotive Corporation.

You can also clamber up into elegant dining cars, sleeper cars, box and freight cars, and my personal favorite–cabooses. I’m not sure why, but seeing that little red car (or whatever color it happens to be) at the end of a long line of trains always brings a smile to my face. Perhaps it’s because I still have a copy of the children’s book “The Little Red Caboose” that my mother bought me when I was a toddler, and that I read to my own children!

Clowning around on the tracks

We took lots of photos, and, being me, I simply couldn’t resist having a bit of fun and decided to lie down across the railroad tracks in front of a huge locomotive ‘a la “The “Perils of Pauline” just because I thought it would make for a funny photo “op.” My two older boys rolled their eyes at me and pretended not to know the crazy woman lying across the tracks. It’s so much fun to be able to embarrass your kids when they get older…

Once you and the kids have had your fill of checking out the locomotives and their cars, you will want to explore the indoor exhibit on-site, which features other forms of rail transportation including a hand trolley and an actual circus train car from the 1800′s that had been an exotic jaguar’s mode of transport once upon a time. Other exhibits include dairy and other business trucks, wagons, trolleys, and even a small play area for kids with a Thomas the Tank Engine play table, tracks and toys.

Older children and adults (only those who do not suffer from motion sickness) can even enjoy a roller-coaster simulator ride that has recently been completely refurbished. In addition to the diesel locomotives and cars, a Los Angeles Railway trolley circa 1890 and a horse-drawn car built in 1880 are also on exhibit.

A vintage vehicle on display

Of course, no museum would be complete without a gift shop, and Travel Town is no exception, offering a shop stocked with railroad-related toys, clothing items and books, as well as snacks and drinks if your kids or you feel a bit peckish.

The Museum is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Christmas Day. Parking and admission are free.

Travel Town Museum, 5200 Zoo Drive (Griffith Park), Los Angeles, CA: 323-662-5874

Vasquez Rock, California

It lies only 40 minutes north of Los Angeles, but one trip to Vasquez Rocks in the canyon country of Agua Dulce and you will literally feel as if you are on a different planet. One of L.A.’s best free natural attractions, Vasquez Rocks is a county park just outside Santa Clarita that feels more like a national monument. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, it’s a good destination for a day trip when you feel like escaping the grind, traffic and smog of L.A. proper and getting back to nature a little. It also just happens to be hallowed ground for Trekkies, and film and TV buffs in general.

My parents recently visited us from the East coast, and we were looking to get out of the city (but not too far) and show them some sights. So Vasquez Rocks seemed a logical choice. Plus we had never been there, and that’s way more than I can say for Universal Studios, Disneyland, and all the other major attractions that people want to see when they visit you in Southern California.

My dad and my son climbed all over Vasquez Rocks!

As mentioned previously, Vasquez Rocks is an absolute mecca for geeks. Sci-fi geeks, that is. You may feel a strange sense of familiarity when you enter the park, and with good reason. With its gigantic otherwordly rock formations jutting upwards out of the ground at 45-degree angles, the park has been the shooting location for countless westerns, sci-fi films and TV shows, including the classic Star Trek episode “Arena” where Captain James T. Kirk battles the Gorn (a lizardlike creature in a really bad costume). Other shows that have shot scenes here include Planet of the Apes, Power Rangers, Battlestar Galactica, and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. In more recent years, the area has been used in shows like CSI and Bones as a convenient location for murderers to dispose of their victims.

Formed by the action of the San Andreas fault, the site was named after Tiburcio Vasquez, a wily bandit who was known as “The Scourge of California.” He used these rocks as his hideout until he was finally captured by law enforcement in 1874. The area was also an ancient Native American village, and in certain caves one may view the petroglyphs (cave drawings) made by members of the Shoshone and Tataviam people in prehistoric times.

Mom enjoyed the views and the desert wildflowers

There are short nature trails around the park, but most of our party was more interested in clambering up as many large rocks as we could find. It was incredibly fun and really brought out the child in all of us–even my 67-year-old father, who insisted on climbing up to the top of the highest peaks with my daredevil 12-year-old son! The nice thing about the park is that the rock formations slope upwards gradually, so you need not have any special rock-climbing equipment or even walking sticks. Of course you will want to exercise caution when climbing, especially with the smallest hikers.

My husband followed my 9-year-old son around as he explored the peaks, overhangs and cool caves. My oldest son and his girlfriend took off down another trail, and my mother and I were contented primarily with hiking around the smaller rocks and observing the fauna, including pretty wildflowers and other native plants. Because it is so large, the park did not feel at all crowded, and free parking was plentiful. In fact, we even lost touch with each other at certain points (cell phone service can be very spotty in the area). I did have some mild concerns about rattlesnakes, which inhabit the area especially during the warmer months, but I am happy to say we managed to avoid any critter encounters. A mountain lion is also said to roam the area, but apparently he isn’t seen very much.

My husband and son on the site where Captain Kirk battled the Gorn!

You can pack a picnic lunch to eat at one of the available picnic tables, but note that no barbeque grills or fires are permitted. There is also no running water at the park; the decidedly un-luxurious restroom accommodations consist of port-a-potties.

It was a very warm day and there really isn’t much shade to be had in the park, so on hot days I highly recommend bringing LOTS of extra water, sunscreen, and some sort of hat. I assume it gets breezy and cold up there in certain seasons, so in cooler weather it would make sense to bring a sweater or jacket. Oh–and DEFINITELY bring your camera!

Downtown Agua Dulce, only about a quarter mile away, has a grocery store for food and sundries as well as a couple of restaurants if you forgot to bring food, which we had. All that hiking about gave us serious appetites, so following our hiking expedition, we stopped to check out Sweetwater Cafe for lunch. (The other restaurant is a pizza parlor.)

Will and my mother at Sweetwater Cafe where we stopped for lunch

I literally thought I stepped into the middle of a western movie when we walked through the (swinging, natch) doors. Men in straw “ten-gallon” hats, overalls, flannel shirts and beat-up cowboy boots eyed us from various tables. This is serious horse country, I realized. It’s amazing to find how different the people and the community are just minutes from hip, pierced, tattoed downtown L.A.

The waitress was not the friendliest soul on the planet, and we waited quite a long time for food for our party of eight. The food was fine, more or less standard diner fare, and the kids seemed happy with their burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches and fries. I don’t know that I would rush back there; however, there unfortunately, aren’t a lot of dining options available.

Vasquez Rocks is located at 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce: http://parks.lacounty.gov/Parkinfo.asp?URL=cms1_033383.asp.

Aquarium of the Pacific

Let me say right up front: I am a seasoned veteran of the elementary school field trip. Since I am the mom of three, and I have been going on approximately three to four field trips a year since my 15-year-old was in preschool…well, you do the math.

Some of these school excursions have been educational, pleasant, and even fun. Plays and museum trips rank up there among my favorite memories. Others–like the time I chaperoned fifteen hyper second-grade boys on a three-hour hike around a hot, humid, mosquito-ridden swamp–not so much.

Fortunately, my son Will’s recent field trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific, located in beautiful coastal Long Beach, falls into the former category. With the exception of a little glitch at the tail end of the trip involving one broken-down school bus (we’ll get to that a little later), the experience was definitely enjoyable, certainly educational, and–I can’t believe I’m actually writing this–even RELAXING. How often can you say THAT about a trip anywhere with nearly 100 eight-year-olds??

Will’s 3rd grade class at the Aquarium of the Pacific

Long Beach is less than an hour’s drive from my son’s school in Burbank. But, let’s face it, an hour can seem an awful lot longer when you’re bouncing around inside an uncomfortable school bus with hordes of screaming school children and you can barely hear yourself think. Which is why my friend Elvia and I had the GENIUS idea to follow the school bus to its destination in the relative quiet and luxury of my own SUV (since we weren’t “official” chaperones, we were able to do this). Elvia’s son Chandler and my son, who are buddies, sat together in the back of the bus and kept turning around and waving to us during the drive down. So, we could keep an eye on them without having to deal with all the stress and madness of actually being on the bus itself–the perfect solution!

We arrived at the aquarium shortly after 10 a.m. on a sunny, mild, perfect Southern California day. There were many busloads of students from other schools waiting to get in, so we ended up milling about outside for about half an hour, which was a great opportunity to take group class photos and burn off a little extra energy running around on the well-manicured lawns.

Once we were finally ushered inside, we were directed straight into the Honda Theater, where we were treated to an educational presentation in the form of a bingo game/mystery adventure which taught Will and his classmates how to identify different fish. It was led by a perky and enthusiastic young woman who definitely knew how to keep the kids entertained!

Following the presentation, we were free to roam about the aquarium as we wished. Will and I decided to take off on our own, and we headed straight for the shark lagoon, where we marveled at the size and power of these intimidating creatures of the deep. And we were more than a bit relieved at the thick wall of glass which separated us from them!

Tropical Pacific Gallery

The Tropical Pacific Gallery houses an enormous 350,000-gallon tank that is home to amazingly colorful fish and a coral reef. We were able to watch divers feeding the animals and cleaning the tank, and the kids got a big kick out of the divers swimming right up to the glass and waving to them!

One of Will’s favorite exhibits was the sea otter habitat, where we laughed at the antics of these furry aquatic clowns, as they floated about on their backs, grooming their thick fur, and shelling food with their amazingly humanlike hands while using their bellies for tray tables! We were astounded to find out that an adult male sea otter eats as much as fifteen pounds of food in a single day. (That’s nearly as much as my fifteen-year-old son.)

I personally enjoyed most the incredible sea jelly and seahorse exhibits located in the Tropical Pacific Gallery. The jellyfish tanks were full of a nearly infinite variety of species, from huge Man O’ Wars to tiny luminous jellys barely the size of a quarter. Their unearthly, translucent beauty absolutely captivated Will and me as we watched them slowly floating up and down in ephemeral masses. The tanks are backlit so that the groups of sea jellies actually seem to be giving off their own glowing, pulsing light. The fragile, exotic Sea Dragons fascinated us with their leafy, weedy-looking appendages that allow them to camouflage themselves in seaweed.

West Coast Nettles, a species of sea jelly

Children will get a big thrill out of actually getting to touch sea creatures at the Stingray Touchpool, located outside in the Southern California/Baja Gallery. The exhibit contains Bat Rays, Shovelnose Guitarfish, and California Halibut. We were instructed to touch the creatures very gently with only two fingers and not to grab or scratch them. We learned that the rays’ diet consists of shrimp, squid, sardines and clams, and that they are only fed one percent of their body weights each day. Though they look scary, the rays are actually docile creatures and pose little danger to humans. Following this close-up encounter, we were made to scrub our hands thoroughly at the outdoor washing station.

They are not ocean-dwellers like the rest of the amazing creatures we were able to observe, but the brightly-colored birds of the Aquarium’s Lorikeet Forest were another big highlight to this fun and informative day. This aviary is home to approximately 140 beautiful lorikeets sporting vivid gold, red, yellow, orange, purple and green feathers. Will and I learned that lorikeets do not eat solid food and drink only nectar, and that if we purchased a cup of their favorite drink upon entry, the birds would come and perch on our arms to enjoy a little sip. This is a huge hit with the kids and also makes for a terrific photo opportunity!

A brightly-colored Lorikeet waiting for its cup of nectar

Following an outdoor lunch and some more running about on the lawn (it’s tough to tire out a bunch of third-graders), we had a little extra time to revisit any parts of the Aquarium that we had missed or wished to see again. Then it was time to load the rugrats back up onto the three schoolbuses and head home.

Except there was just one little problem.

One of the school buses decided it wasn’t going to start. The “Wheels On The Bus” were definitely NOT going round and round.

That left two operating buses for three buses worth of students, teachers and chaperones. After much chaos and shuffling around, somehow the teachers managed to cram the extra students into the two buses left. However, that left a lot of displaced chaperones. Suffice it to say that it was a good idea that my friend and I had driven ourselves, since I ended up taking four other parents besides ourselves home. Some other parents also volunteered their cars, and between the lot of us, everyone managed to make it home to Burbank safely.

And we didn’t even have to listen to endless rounds of “Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall…”

Aquarium of the Pacific is located at 100 Aquarium Way in Long Beach, CA and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily: www.aquariumofpacific.org.

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The boys and I pose by a statue of Western icon Gene Autry, "The Singing Cowboy"

A clear but chilly New Year’s Day and a fairly severe case of cabin fever left my husband and our three boys looking for something fun to do that was both inexpensive, and a within a short driving distance. An afternoon trip to the Gene Autry National Center and the Museum of the American West, located in Griffith Park, just a 15-minute drive from our house in Burbank, proved to be just the ticket.

Named for Gene Autry, the “Singing Cowboy” of radio, TV and movie fame, the Center is a veritable treasure trove of important western artifacts and memorabilia, formed in 2003 by the merger of the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage with the Southwest Museum of the American Indian and the Women of the West Museum. Admission is $10 adults; $6 for kids 3-12; free for children under three; and there is also an abundance of free parking.

A gun once owned by a member of the notorious James Gang

Upon arrival, the boys (being boys) wanted to head DIRECTLY to the collections of guns and firearms, naturally. So we headed downstairs to the “Spirit of the American Cowboy” hall, where we were fascinated to see such historical pieces as a rifle that had belonged to “Billy the Kid,” a Colt “Peacemaker” revolver formerly owned by the infamous Wyatt Earp, and Smith and Wesson pistols carried by the notorious James Gang brothers, Jesse and Frank. They were also very impressed by a couple of early and very rare Colt Gatling guns, manufactured in the 1890′s. In addition to the real things, there were many prop guns used on television shows and in movies like 1994′s Wyatt Earp, starring Kevin Costner. An impressive collection of swords, knives, and bows and arrows rounded out the vast weapons collection.

One of the most interesting areas of the museum, in my opinion, had to be the section housing the artifacts from Old West saloons–the rough, rowdy, drinking/dancing/gambling institutions of the Old West. The collection featured a huge and ornately-carved cherrywood bar with vintage liquor and beer bottles, an elaborate gold turn-of-the-century cash register, a player piano, and a tall carved metal and wooden musical device that I can only describe as the great-grandfather of today’s modern jukebox.

Will and his Dad belly up to the ornately-carved bar at the saloon exhibit

There was also an extensive collection of gambling memorabilia, including antique roulette wheels, craps tables, dice, poker chips…and even a strange-looking contraption that a card player would strap to his arm underneath a shirt sleeve to allow for cheating while playing cards. Fascinating stuff.

Will, our eight-year-old son, particularly enjoyed looking at the huge taxidermied bison and longhorn steer specimens, and was very interested in an authentic chuck wagon that was on display. He described it as an “old-fashioned station wagon that you could cook food in.” We all were very impressed by an intricately-painted and extremely well-preserved stage coach. In fact, I got in trouble with one of the museum’s docents when she caught me taking a picture of it…(oops, I hadn’t realized flash photography wasn’t permitted).

The most personal part of museums for me has always been the clothing and costume exhibits. I have always been amazed by the mere fact that such a seemingly fragile thing as fabric textiles can survive for hundreds and, in some cases, even thousands of years. I really feel a connection to the past, and I like to imagine what kind of person might have worn a particular dress, suit, or pair of shoes. I am especially fascinated by children’s clothing. In this department, the Autry did not disappoint, featuring hundreds of articles of clothing from turn-of-the-century rancher’s shirts, jeans, chaps and worn-out boots, to elaborately beaded Native American moccasins and clothing constructed of buffalo and bear hides, pelts and sinew.

The family in front of an authentic California Stage Coach

Hands down, the single most popular display in the costume department had to be the one featuring a couple of Western-inspired outfits worn by the late, legendary “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson. One outfit consisted of a plaid western shirt and fringed suede pants that Jackson wore in concert as a youngster in the 1970s. The other ensemble, from the 1990s featured a red-and-black shirt, black leather pants, and an amazing pair of bright silver metal cowboy boots. And naturally, there was a single, sequined glove to complete the display.

Particularly enjoyable for my husband and me were the exhibits featuring the glitzy Western costumes, records, guitars, and assorted other memorabilia of the Hollywood “cowboys” of stage and screen–not only Gene Autry, but Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Tom Mix, and Tex Ritter. The boys were enthralled by an exhibit set up to resemble how a young boy’s bedroom might have looked in the 1950′s–the room featured a twin bed with a vintage “Davy Crockett” bedspread, a coonskin cap, toy rifles, and many Wild West-themed books, toys, board games, and action figures (and not a single video or computer game in sight!).

A Western costume and sequined glove worn by Michael Jackson

Youngsters have the opportunity to “pan for gold” and dig for other clues to our nation’s past at an outdoor area within the museum featuring a small waterfall and a stream crisscrossed by bridges; however, this particular attraction was closed when we visited–probably due to it being New Year’s Day. It is definitely something that I’d advise parents of the younger set (ages 12 and under) to check out with their kids. Children under 3 are free; $5 for kids ages 3-12.

There’s also a small children’s play area featuring an interactive “horse ride” and a life-sized state of a horse that kids of all ages are welcome to climb on, plus a variety of costumes and hats for playing dress-up. I think my twelve-year-old enjoyed it every bit as much as my eight-year-old did (and the 15-year-old probably did as well; however, he was much too cool to say so).

The Autry National Center is located at 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA: (323) 667-2000.

L.A. Auto Show

As anyone who has ever spent any amount of time living in the City of Angels can tell you, Los Angeles residents are probably so passionate about their vehicles because they truly are our homes-away-from-home. Many of us spend more time in them, sitting in traffic on the freeways, winding up canyon roads, or cruising along the coast, than we do at our actual places of residence. We talk, text, eat, put on makeup, shave, and read in our autos–and of course we always want the place where we “live” to look its best, so we drop big bucks on car washes, accessories, and detailing.

Will checks out the interior of a new Kia model

It’s little wonder, then, that the L.A. Auto Show, which ran from Nov. 20-28 at the Los Angeles Convention Center (1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles), packed in car enthusiasts in record numbers. Since my three boys have all been absolutely crazy about anything with four wheels since they were old enough to push a toy car (in fact, “car” was the first word for all of them), it was a no-brainer that we would make the trip downtown to check out not only the newest and the latest models, but lots of classics and interactive displays as well.

The youngest car enthusiasts (ages 12 and under), including my son Will, had a blast in the Kids’ Fun Zone, sponsored by the Nissan Quest. There were three bounce houses (one an obstacle course) to play on, face painting, arts and crafts, games, and other educational activities. There was also a Dodge Kids’ Race Course, a scaled-down racetrack featuring electric Power Wheels vehicles that traveled at a very low rate of speed (the better to calm nervous parents).

Where Will wanted to spend the bulk of his time, however, was inside the Game Truck, a towable trailer chock-full of video games. Featuring multiple video screens and dozens of game controllers, the truck could accommodate approximately a dozen young gamers at a time, and quite simply, was THE hit of the show for my young man.

The Nissan Quest Kids Fun Zone featured bounce houses and video games

Fun for the younger set was strictly NOT limited to the Fun Zone, as opportunities for kids to have a good time abounded in every hall of the cavernous Convention Center. At the sprawling Ford exhibit, kids were given a “passport” with directions to various interactive activities both inside and outside; when they received a minimum of four stamps on their passport, they were instructed to go back up to the desk and claim a prize (a drawstring backpack with, of course, the Ford logo on it).

The activities indoors included slot-car racing, watching short 3-D movies, and video-game type exhibits where kids could use their bodies as “controllers” to drive cars. Once we had tried all of these out, we headed outside to see what was there. Since it was a cold and windy day (by L.A. standards, anyhow), there weren’t too many people braving the outdoor activities–so no lines!

Outdoors Will tried his hand at a rock-climbing wall, and was harnessed to a Ford truck exhibit to see how much weight he could “tow.” There was also a demonstration track with a see-saw like bridge and a dirt “rough road” area. My husband, Will and I were invited to take a test drive on the track to see how the new Ford SUV handled itself. It was a brief, but fun ride.

Will clings to the rock-climbing wall at the Ford outdoor exhibit

We headed back indoors to get warm and to check out the ultra-cool Mini Cooper exhibit area (given a “veddy British” feel by the inclusion of several of those bright-red unmistakably English telephone booths). Then it was on to the Kia exhibit, where we checked out some very stylish new models–I particularly liked the white Kia Soul with a snazzy red-and-black leather interior, which of course would have been completely impractical for our family of five.

Speaking of our family of five, I have spent so many years driving a totally unsexy Pontiac minivan that I gave ALL minivans on display a very wide berth. Instead, I gravitated toward the sleek and shiny SUVs including the GMC Acadia, the Ford Explorer, and the Toyota Highlander.

My favorite area of all, however, had to be Petree Hall, which housed the Porsche exhibit. I absolutely fell in love with the first display on the way into the hall–the first Porsche ever sold in the United States, a 1957 robin’s-egg blue convertible with whitewall tires so skinny they looked almost as if they belonged on a bicycle.

The first Porsche ever sold in the United States

Once inside, my 12-year-old son Ben and I had great fun hopping behind the wheel of numerous Porsches, each more sleek, fast and sexy than the next. These lovely Italian numbers included the debuts of the 911 Carrera GTS, the 911 Speedster, the Cayman R, and two hybrid vehicles–the 911 GT3 Hybrid and the Cayenne S hybrid. I felt quite at home mugging for photos with one hand on the leather-wrapped steering wheel and my forearm resting on the open window of the Carrera, and imagined the wind whipping through my hair as I piloted my hot new ride down the freeways of L.A.

Unfortunately, there was a line of people outside with the same idea, so I had to come back to reality–and reluctantly give up the driver’s seat. Sheepishly, I emerged from the car’s luxe interior, hoping that a few of the pictures had come out well.

After a quick lunch at one of the vendors sellling pizza, burgers and sandwiches, we headed on to Concourse Hall. This was where the uber-luxury vehicles produced by the likes of Lotus, Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce were on display, which had us all oooohing and aaaahing.

Ben in front of NASCAR driver Sam Hornish Jr.’s car

My two older sons, both big NASCAR racing fans, were completely enthralled when they got the opportunity to take photos in front of NASCAR driver Sam Hornish Jr.’s racing vehicle, the #77 AAA car. They also got a big kick out of seeing “Black Beauty,” the machine-gun-turreted armored auto recently featured in the superhero movie “The Green Hornet.”

We ended our day with some coffee, ice cream, and of course, one more trip to the Kid’s Fun Zone, while the boys chattered excitedly about all the cars they’d seen, sat in and taken pictures of. I don’t know if it’s in the DNA, but I would have to say that boys and cars are definitely a good match, and our day at the Auto Show was money well spent. We will absolutely come back next year.

Sunny Venice Beach California

At Venice Beach with our best friends from New Jersey

Needless to say, Disneyland is a no-brainer for a family with two young boys–but what about Venice Beach as a kids’ destination? The land of hippies, freaks, skaters, muscleheads, and assorted other fruits and nuts? The town that gave birth to The Doors, and was a hub for the Beat generation in the ’50s and ’60s? My answer is ABSOLUTELY YES! 

Liz and Alex and their two young boys (ages 12 and 8) piled into the car with us and we headed down to the coast on one typically perfect Southern California day–85 and sunny, hard to beat. Surprisingly enough, the traffic wasn’t bad at all on either the 5 or the 405 freeways, and it only took us about 45 minutes to make it there from Burbank. Quite an auspicious start, I thought. 

When we arrived we took a cruise down Abbot Kinney Boulevard, named for the developer who founded “Venice-of-America” in 1905. Undoubtedly one of the best-known streets in Venice, it is a collection of hip boutiques, funky bookstores, and New Age shops and restaurants. We didn’t park and wander around, but I felt it set the tone for the bohemian, free-spirited nature of the town and what we were about to experience. 

Things became a bit more stressful when we tried to find parking on Venice’s infamously narrow streets. Parking is problematic–there’s no sugar-coating it. We ended up on the very top level of a parking structure on Washington Street and maneuvered into an extremely tight spot. Luke, our friends’ youngest son, has a serious fear of heights and had a mini-panic attack when we attempted to get him out of the car–it was a hairy situation for a while but we finally coaxed him out and down the stairs. 

Will models the Spiderman shades he got on Ocean Front Walk

Ocean Front Walk, more commonly known as the Boardwalk (a misnomer, really, since it is made of paved asphalt) is a veritable sensory overload of people, sight and sound. It’s this circus-like atmosphere that draws millions of people over the summer and on weekends especially. Street performers of every imaginable type are entertaining the crowds and getting them to shell out for it–dancers, acrobats, hip-hop dance troupes, mimes, musicians, jugglers, guitar-playing Rastafarians wearing inline skates–you name it, you will find it on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. The boys’ heads were swiveling so fast I feared they might snap off their necks–they literally did not know where to look first. 

Of course, there is a beach at Venice Beach; a rather lovely three-mile strip of sandy white, to be precise. But everyone knows you don’t go to Venice to go to the beach–or rather, not specifically to go to the beach. You go to people-watch, gawk, and shop. 

We walked slowly, taking in the show unfolding in front of our eyes. A jewelry-encrusted fortune teller here, a tattooed lady in a bikini walking her parrot there…and then Alex asked where Muscle Beach was, as he’d always wanted to see it. I grinned, remembering my first time seeing Muscle Beach, and knew it wouldn’t be quite what he had expected. I told him we would be approaching it shortly. And soon enough, “Muscle Beach” appeared on our left–not a beach, per se, but a rather small outdoor area containing a collection of free weights, barbells, benches and a chin-up bar, enclosed by a chain-link fence. A handful of hulking shirtless men were there, grunting and groaning as they showed off their muscle-bound prowess to the passers-by. I waited for Alex’s reaction. 

“That’s it? That’s Muscle Beach?” he exclaimed in astonishment, clearly disappointed. That’s what I knew he’d say, since that had been my own reaction when I first laid eyes on the world-famous place 20 years ago. “I know, you thought it was an actual beach, didn’t you?” I responded. “I did too!” We watched the brawny dudes perform their bench-presses and bicep curls for a few more minutes before moving on. 

Rollerbladers and skaters dancing on the beach

I don’t think we had been on the Boardwalk for more than ten minutes before we were already spending money. It was such a brilliantly sunny day that we hit the first shop we saw and spent a good twenty minutes or more trying cool and crazy sunglasses on the kids. Will, my youngest, was torn between the Spongebob and Spiderman sunglasses but ultimately opted to go with Spidey. I was tempted to buy some as well, but since I already had two pairs of rather expensive shades I resisted the temptation. 

We moved on, passing shops selling everything from typical beach gear like swimwear and sunblock to jewelry stores and art galleries. I couldn’t resist the deals on handmade jewelry and ended up dropping five bucks on a multicolored beaded handmade bracelet that just happened to match my outfit! 

A few blocks later, we saw a large crowd gathered around on the Boardwalk and had to go find out what all the fuss was about. Pushing our way through, we found a hip-hop dance and acrobatics group of young men that was breakdancing, tumbling, telling jokes and gathering tips from the crowd. They were working so hard and were so obviously talented that we had the boys tuck a ten-dollar tip into one of their cups. 

All this people-watching and shopping had us working up a pretty good appetite, and we soon had to decide where to stop for lunch. Once again, the seemingly infinite variety of restaurants made it hard to choose. Pizza, Thai, Mexican, sushi, vegetarian, even vegan restaurants are available to satisfy all tastes. Jody Maroni’s (2011 Ocean Front Walk) is a very famous spot for sausages and hot dogs since opening in 1972. However, since we wanted more of a “sit-down” experience, we were steered towards Hal’s Bar and Grill (1349 Abbott Kinney Blvd.), a neighborhood restaurant/bar that is extremely popular with the locals. It was quite crowded inside, so we opted for an outdoor table for our party of nine. Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of foot traffic as people were using the sidewalk (which is, to be fair, a public thoroughfare) as a cut-through. So it wasn’t exactly relaxing–but hey, that’s Venice for ya. 

Ben and Luke on the Boardwalk

Fortunately, the food more than made up for this minor inconvenience, and we adults enjoyed very good Mexican and seafood dishes while the kids noshed on burgers, chicken nuggets and fries–standard kid fare with which they all seemed to be happy. 

We did make one serious mistake on this trip. My two older boys had begged me to be allowed to bring their skateboards on this trip. I said no, that there would be too many people on the boardwalk and that skating would be dangerous and just a bad idea. What I didn’t realize is the existence of the Venice Beach Skatepark, a 16,000 square-foot skatepark that happens to be one of the only such parks located on a beach. What had I been thinking? Venice Beach is the town that actually gave birth to modern skateboarding! I thought the boys would never let me live it down. After they had gotten over their initial upset, we sat and watched for quite a long time as dozens of skaters of all ages showed off their “ollies,” “pop shuvits,” “grinds,” “heel flips” and dozens of other skills in this nicely-kept venue, which features two bowls, a snake run, and a street section with stairs, rails and platforms. Let’s just say we will definitely be bringing the skateboards with us next time. 

Will, my 8-year-old and never the biggest sports fan to begin with, tired of watching the skaters after a time and wanted to walk back a couple of blocks to the playground, which also is conveniently located right on the beach. He spent a happy half-hour or more climbing, sliding, crawling through tunnels and making friends with other kids. 

On top of the graffiti walls at the beach

While making our way up the beach, Will and I couldn’t help but stop and admire the walls painted by the Venice Beach graffiti artists, and I just had to take some pictures of them, since the prevailing theme that week just happened to be Will’s favorite superhero of all time, “the Hulk.” On any given day you can see the artists at work on the walls–they actually have licenses to paint the walls, and their work is quite a spectacular, ever-changing sight. 

Of course, no trip to Venice would be complete without actually getting some sand in between one’s toes, and then dipping them into the Pacific Ocean. We did have to dodge the many bikers, skaters, and joggers while crossing the bike path which winds its way down the beach–use extreme caution here! As usual it was all I could do to convince the kids not to wade completely into the ocean, as they didn’t have their swim trunks or a change of clothes–and I certainly didn’t want five soaking wet kids in the back of my car! (Second mental note: bring swimwear next time.) 

Local artists are licensed to paint the graffiti walls

By late afternoon we were about ready to wrap it up and head home. First, though, we enjoyed some ice cream at Venice Beach Ice Cream (517 Ocean Front Walk). On the leisurely stroll back to the car we caught a few minutes of a mime’s act, listened to a little jazz guitar, and saw some pretty intense one-on-one basketball (handball and paddleball courts are also available on the beach). 

I don’t think there’s any other place on earth that combines sun, sand, surf, shopping, dining, culture, and most of all–entertainment, quite like Venice Beach does. Our New Jersey friends left thoroughly satisfied that they’d had an experience unlike any other. So yes, definitely, bring the kids to Venice! (But don’t forget the skateboards. Or the swimsuits!)

Descanso Gardens La Canada Flintridge

Beauty blooms in the Camellia Forest at Descanso Gardens

My Mom has a major green thumb, and has spent the vast majority of her retirement years turning her run-of-the-mill suburban backyard into a blooming, lush garden oasis, complete with walkways, pergolas, butterfly houses and birdbaths. She and my Dad (who jokes that Mom makes him do all the backbreaking labor) have pretty much made their garden a full-time job. Knowing how much they appreciate a lovely and well-tended garden, we opted to take Nonni and Bucky (as they are called by my sons) to Descanso Gardens in nearby La Canada-Flintridge, CA.  

The 150 acres that comprise Descanso Gardens today were undeveloped land when E. Manchester Boddy, former publisher of the Los Angeles Daily News, purchased them in 1937. Nestled in a secluded section of the San Rafael Hills, the land had formerly belonged to the Verdugo family, who were deeded the site by a former governor of California.  

Boddy had the land cleared, and built a stately two-story, 22-room mansion on the site. The mansion, which Boddy named Rancho del Descanso (“ranch of rest” in Spanish) overlooks 25 acres of protected California live oak forest, and a camellia-lined driveway. He also bought an additional 440 acres north of the original property, with mountain streams that provide fresh spring water for the Gardens today. The lower level of the mansion is open to the public.  

Fragrant blossoms in the Lilac Garden

The modern-day Descanso Gardens is 150 acres of individual gardens and forests, including native and non-native flowers, trees, and shrubs. There is a 5-acre rose garden that boasts more than 3,000 roses from all around the world. The fragrant Lilac Garden puts on a spectacular showcase of purple, blue, pink, violet and white blossoms from mid-March through the end of April, and features more than 400 plants from 250 different types.  

While I originally had my doubts about how interesting a huge garden would appear to my three boys, I needn’t have worried at all. They seemed to see it as an adventure, and they were quite happy to wander the pathways, cross over the bridges, and look for the many turtles and fish residing in the gardens’ ponds and waterways. They even picked a flower here and there, which they proudly presented to me. (Even though they weren’t supposed to pick the flowers, when one of my boys gives a flower to his Mom, I still kind of melt…).  

When we meandered into my personal favorite, the Iris Garden, I was immediately transported by a riot of color and fragrance. Blue, yellow, peach, white, pink, burgundy, purple and even black irises bloomed all around, and it made me just a tiny bit homesick for a very similar (albeit much smaller) iris garden I had planted at our house back in New Jersey.  

He's not supposed to pick the flowers, but how could he resist?

The native California garden was designed and dedicated in 1959 by a small group of California plant lovers who felt it was important to educate school children in native California flora, and wanted to create a demonstration landscape for homeowners. Many of the original plantings are still there, and many more have been added over the years. Spring to early summer is the best time to view native plants like the bright yellow flannel bush, mountain lilac, monkey flower, sage and Matilija poppies. We wandered around happily, familiarizing ourselves with the plants and musing over what we could plant in our own western garden.  

Somewhere in between the Rose Garden and the California Garden, we turned around and realized that the youngest member of our party, 7-year-old Will, was nowhere to be found. The adult members (me, my husband, mom and dad) immediately began combing the immediate area, calling Will’s name and trying not to panic. I started running aimlessly, at the same time eyeing the koi-filled ponds around us and desperately hoping that my son hadn’t decided to go swimming.  

Of course, when your child gets lost, every second is an eternity, so it’s difficult to judge exactly how much time had passed between the moment we realized Will had gone missing and the moment we were reunited. I only know that somewhere in the midst of my own panicked dashing about the gardens, out of the clear blue, a soft-spoken older gentleman who was a docent at the Gardens walked up and asked me if I was William’s mother. I think I stopped and stared at him for a full minute in wonder, as if he were some kind of angel, and gasped “YES!! YES, I AM!!” In no time at all, this wonderful man calmly led me back to the office at the entrance gate, where my errant young son was sitting teary-eyed on a chair. In a matter of seconds he was locked firmly in my embrace, while I gushed out my gratitude to the docent and the rest of the office staff for finding him. Only a few minutes later I was wagging my finger and giving the harsh “don’t you ever leave my SIGHT!!!” lecture to my boy, who looked abashed, but relieved. He clung to my hand throughout the rest of our visit, while his grandparents hovered close by.  

Sometimes you've just got to stop and smell the roses...

We relaxed a bit when we reached the tranquil Japanese-style garden, which blends design elements of classic tea, strolling and Zen gardens. We crossed an arched bridge and strolled on shaded paths along a koi-filled stream to the Full Moon Tea House, designed by Whitney Smith and built in 1966. The blue tile roofing, imported from Japan, is especially striking in the spring when nearby pink cherry and plum trees are in bloom. Nearby, the Minka (traditional farmhouse) was designed and donated by Robert H. Kawashima in 1969. The plant collection features Japanese maples, azaleas, bamboo, and other Asian plants. You can sit on the porch of the tea house and enjoy your beverage of choice or a small snack while overlooking the koi pond.  

When you breathe the words “gift shop,” most kids’ ears immediately prick up. Immediately upon entering the gardens, to your right, is exactly that–a very charming gift shop that you cannot miss.  We decided to save it for the end of  our visit, and we were not disappointed. It is chock-full of garden furnishings like benches, bird baths and statuary; gardening tools; botanical books, art and cards; glassware and ceramics; t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and gloves. There is also a terrific collection of live plants and flowers for sale, as well as seeds. My mother bought several different varieties of annual wildflower seeds, though she wondered aloud if the seeds would grow in New Jersey’s decidedly harsher climate. The kids clamored to buy everything from garden-themed chocolates to stuffed animals in the shapes of birds, squirrels, and other critters. Surprisingly enough, my son Ben wanted to buy some seeds to plant at our house. Since our visit, they have actually sprouted, so we shall see if they make it to maturity!  

The boys enjoying themselves at the Gardens

A major attraction for kids (not to mention kids-at-heart) is the Descanso Gardens Enchanted Railroad. The entire family can climb aboard this 1/8 replica of a diesel train and take a leisurely ride around a section of the gardens. The train costs $3 to ride and tickets can be purchased at the train station near the gardens’ Center Circle. Of course, if your kids are anything like mine, they will want to just ride the train all day long, which can run you a pretty penny. I had to cut them off after a couple of rides or all my money would have been spent right there.  

Several events are coming up at the Gardens especially for the younger set: On Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 11 and 12 at 9:30 and 11 a.m., kids will get to enjoy a brunch with their favorite man in red, Santa Claus. Following a gourmet breakfast, youngsters get to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what they want for Christmas (bring a camera!). Afterwards, they can decorate holiday cookies, and each child will go home with a goodie bag. There is a $50 fee; $42 for members; $19 for children 4-12; children under 3 are free. Reservations are required; call (818) 790-3663.  

Then, on Saturday, Dec. 18 at 11 a.m., kids and parents alike will be entertained by imaginative, train-themed stories told live by actor and storyteller Bill Ratner. Families can enjoy sipping on free hot cocoa from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the train station, then go for a ride on the Enchanted Railroad.  

Other than the little Will-getting-lost incident, we had a relaxing, enjoyable and leisurely afternoon in a beautiful setting. If you are a Los Angeles resident and need to get away from it all, with or without children, Descanso Gardens is an idyllic and peaceful little oasis and a perfect respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.  

Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada-Flintridge, near the intersection of the 210 and 2 freeways. It is a 20-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles.