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KID FRIENDLY FUN IN LA!

09.24.11

Review by Terra Flores

If you have a family and are looking for something to do this weekend that encourages children and pre-teens to learn and still have loads of fun, look no further than the downtown Los Angeles area for an easy escape.

Two child-friendly places to visit are the newly revamped California Science Center and the completely renovated Griffith Observatory. Both offer hands-on exhibits, encourage kids to explore and don’t leave parents bored either.

Stay Downtown to Unwind

After having a fun-filled day with the kids, don’t fight the traffic to get home. Instead, stay the night downtown. Order room service, jump in the pool, and watch a movie.

Recommended nearby L.A. accommodations include the JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles at L.A. Live, which has an adjoining movie theater, Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown, and the Wilshire Grand Los Angeles.

Leave on a leisurely drive up to the Science Center on a Saturday morning, stay in a downtown hotel overnight to relax, and then explore the Griffith Observatory the next day before heading home.

California Science Center Rocks for Busy Kids

Recently, the California Science Center underwent a near-doubling of its size to accommodate a permanent, new hands-on exhibit called Ecosystems.

We thoroughly enjoyed this Ecosystems exhibit. Its entrance throws you into a huge, immersive media experience that projects 11 visual environments onto giant blacked-out walls with surround sound. From there, our favorite stopping points were the Kelp Forest, Extreme Zone and the Rot Room.

In the Kelp Forest, we eagerly watched scuba divers feed leopard sharks, moray eels, and bat rays in a 188,000-gallon tank. We got to carefully touch live starfish (did you know starfish are really slimy?) and anemone in a learning tank, just after playing a dizzily enjoyable sea-bottom-science, ball-catching game.

The simulated polar research station in the Extreme Zone begs you to touch its expansive ice wall. And the Zone’s desert section has a simulated flash flood every 10 minutes. Yes, our active pre-teens just loved the splash section.

We also loved the Rot Room for its imagination. Here, an imitation rotting forest floor awaits your first step for immediate tactile amusement. Touch, play and visually explore!

We also attended the 1001 Inventions exhibit, which can still be seen at the Center until December 31, 2011. It is a grand, award-winning hands-on tribute to the golden age of Muslim civilizations with an entertaining film with Sir Ben Kingsley.

The Center also has a traditional, seven-story IMAX theater. We saw the excellent “Arabia 3D.” Upcoming is the sure-to-please “Flying Monsters 3D.”

Best news of all for families? All exhibits, except for the IMAX movies, are currently free at the Center. And there’s a food court with several fast food, salads and hot entrée options so you don’t have to leave the center for lunch. Parking is a flat fee of $10.

Great Views Await at the Griffith Observatory

With a leisurely wake up, get an in-room breakfast and then head to the famed Griffith Observatory overlooking the L.A. basin.

Drive down Los Feliz Boulevard and then wind up curving L.A. hillsides to Griffith Observatory, which has an almost unbelievable view overlooking the L.A. basin. Yes, once you get to the observatory, it’s hard to believe you are minutes away from downtown L.A.!

Make sure you bring walking shoes as parking up top can be limited and a hike may be necessary.

We were excited the “new” Griffith Observatory really shines! We loved the Ahmanson “Hall of the Sky” where you and the kids watch engrossing solar flare videos.

In fact, the observatory’s roof is one of the best places to get a clear-view picture of the Hollywood sign and one-of-a-kind views of the L.A. basin.

Our most favorite part, however, was watching “Centered in the Universe,” which is a live-narrated, Zeiss star projector show in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium. Lying back in comfy theater chairs for sensorial soaking, this extraordinary show feels like watching an IMAX experience on your back.

After Griffith Observatory, top off your family get-together weekend by catching a lovely lunch at the Alcove Café and Bakery just down the hill (1929 Hillhurst Ave.). Choose from prepared-on-the-spot salads, paninis, melts, burgers, and wraps, along with many healthy options for both parents and kids.

With the kids fed, happy and well educated, mom and dad can smile, relax and feel good about a relaxing family weekend.

HOUSEWIVES WITH REAL PERSONALITY!

09.19.11

By Sheryll Alexander

Indulge your real housewives fantasy of parties, diamonds, too-short dresses, too-large lips and sometimes too much to drink at San Francisco’s three Personality Hotels. After all, money might not buy class, but it does buy two gals a much needed-trip to San Francisco.

The “Real Housewives with Personality” package includes:

Overnight accommodations at a choice of three Personality Hotels: Hotel Diva , Hotel Union Square or Kensington Park Hotel (your San Francisco pied-à-terre)

A bottle of Pinot Grigio (turtle time)

Two-for-one margaritas at Colibri Mexican Bistro (get the skinny)

Two lip plumpers (the bigger, the better)

Two sets of false eyelashes (all the better to see you, darling)

A 10 percent discount on town car service (don’t be tardy for the party)

Two “evil eye” bracelets (ward off the evil bishes)

The “Housewives with Real Personality” package is valid through December 31, 2011. Rates start at $249 and are based upon double occupancy. Rates exclude tax and based upon availability. For reservations, call 800.553.1900 or visit www.personalityhotels.com.

Sheryll Alexander runs a news media agency based in Costa Mesa, California. Follow her! @sheryllalexande or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheryll-Alexander/252517508109644.

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