CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION

Don't miss the Golden Dragon parade this weekend. The Chinese New Year is upon us and the New Year Festival in Chinatown is gearing up for the annual celebration. The Golden Dragon Parade kicks off a two day festival including food, music, dancing, games and a car show. The highlight and main event is the Dragon which requires 25 men to maneuver it.

Its the Year of the Ox symbolizing prosperity through determination and hard work. So lets get to steppin' and start working hard at having some fun along with all those long hours at the office. Take the kids on a real cultural adventure.

"You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind." ~Author Unknown

Tips: You will find parking if you get there early, downtown parking is a bear. Parking will cost anywhere from $8 to $20 bucks. If you are willing to walk a bit you will save some money. To add to the adventure, leave your car behind. If you are anywhere near a Metro Link Station (most of us will have to drive to one), take the train to Union Station downtown Los Angeles, its just a few blocks from Chinatown. You can also take the subway if you are near an MTA transit stop. See More.

EMERGING FAMILY CULTURE - DOWNTOWN L.A.

Our memory of downtown LA is of a place where skid row was the main attraction, empty buildings were common place and the environment was dreary and, frankly, dirty. The only things that ever lead us downtown were the lure of a great deal on jewelry or fashions. One of the best things to come out of the last ten years for Los Angeles is an emerging downtown neighborhood. Downtown has emerged as a place where families looking for more urban life can feel comfortable living. While the economic boom of this decade left us with turmoil in the real estate market and other aspects of the economy, it seems that a lasting downtown culture is emerging. Mostly conducive to single living or young couples, a family culture is emerging. In a post by David Kennedy entitled Life Downtown with Three Kids (blogdowntown.com) he describes a much different LA family lifestyle than one usually would expect from a typical LA family. We are so used to suburban living whether in a single family home, apartment or condo; most of our neighborhoods are not considered “walkable” by the standards of other big American cities. Where urban life provides all the comforts, conveniences and necessities we need without having to get into the car, most of the things we need are only be retrievable by getting in the car.That being said, I enjoy our suburban life and the Valley community we live in. There are no plans to move. But a trip to downtown Los Angeles once in a while is fun for experiencing the transformation that is taking place. We recently ventured downtown on a Saturday afternoon and had lunch at Philippe, one of the oldest and best known restaurants in Los Angeles. It is said that the Philippe is the home of the original French Dip sandwich. Here are some links to other downtown discoveries. Urth Cafe The Pantry Library Bar

NEXT TIME, HOORAY FOR HIPPOS

It turned out to be a bronchitis weekend. So the outdoor adventure for the weekend turned into an indoor adventure. What we had planned was this…..

Critters n’ Kids is a program offered through the Los Angeles Zoo’s educational program for children. Here’s why we are looking forward to the class. It offers the kids some age appropriate hands on activities, games, story telling and exploration of the zoo grounds. The class we wanted to attend was “A Hoot for Chimps”. We were looking forward to exploring the life and world of a Chimp, deciphering how they communicate and what they eat.

There is an eighteen dollar registration fee for members and permits the child and one parent to attend. Otherwise the fee is $23.00. Registration begins one month prior to the class date. The classes are offered during the week and Saturday starting February 11 (Wednesday), 12 (Thursday), 13 (Friday), and 14 (Saturday) For more info call 323-644-4211.

One of the great things about this program is there are classes for kids of all ages. The classes offered include: “Toddler Totes: A one hour class for children two years old with an adult, which focuses on animal adaptations and body parts, Critters 'N Kids: A 90-minute class for children three and four years old with an adult, which focuses on specific animals, Zoo Kapers: A 2 ½ hour class for children 5 to 6 years old with an adult, which focuses on world habitats and Zoo Explorers: A 2 ½ hour class for children 7 to 10 years old, which focuses on specific animal groups.”

This is definitely a great way to spend a few hours on a Saturday. We are looking forward to catching the next class, “Hooray for Hippos”. Maybe we will see you there. For now we are in for the weekend.

GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY

We have heard so much about the renovated Griffith Park Observatory we decided to check it out. When the newly renovated facility was opened you needed reservations to get in, so we waited a few months before going. Since we had family visiting from out of town we put it on the list of things to do. The planetarium show was especially intriguing since this week was a period in the winter solstice when the moon appears the largest and brightest. My last visit to the observatory was as a child and I remember how exiting and fun it was. One very distinct memory is of the rooftop telescope, the view of Saturn. Pretty cool. Unfortunately the telescope was not working. But there were many other things to look at.

We elected to go in the early evening just at dusk. Normally we would have made this a day trip because the planetarium only allows young children under five to the first show of the day. Later we found out that there were plenty of kids in the later shows. It wasn't quite dark when we got there but dark enough for the view of the city lights to be spectacular, definitely a plus of an evening visit. But boy was it crowded. Despite the crowd, we enjoyed every aspect of the exhibits, the facility and the grounds. I'm not a science buff but there is something about the exploration of the solar system that is fascinating. There is a guided tour available but our daughter is a little too young to be patient enough to listen and observe. There were many things for her to explore and discover on her own. And her imagination was in full gear. In a few years I can see that the guided tour is a great way to go.

The facility is full of interactive exhibits and eye catching photos and visuals. This was enough to keep our little one very busy running from one fascinating thing to the next. We had a blast exploring the entire place from the entry rotunda, with its Foucault Pendulum and Hugo Ballin Murals, to the moon exhibit with a real piece of the moon. The Depths of Space Exhibit was especially fun. The exhibit is a huge subterranean room full of astronomical images, accurately scaled models of planets and cool exhibits illustrating details of each planet.

We ended the evening by walking the many terraces on the various levels of the Observatory. At every turn we enjoyed a sparkling view of the city lights. As we made our way back to the car we all agreed that it would be worthwhile coming back. When we got up the next morning we did just that. This time we headed straight for the Planetarium Theatre to take in the show. We saw the Water is Life show and traveled from beneath the ocean to as far as Saturn and beyond. The images of the night sky were amazing and when they illustrated how bright the starry sky would be without the brightness of the city lights, it made us feel how much we miss the outdoors. We moved through our solar system with crystal clear visual images of outerspace engulfing us as though we were actually in a spaceship. All three of us were amazed. As we turned to travel back to earth we couldn't believe how beautiful our planet looked. It really gives you a perspective of how small we are in comparison to the vastness of the universe. As we travelled toward the earth to return to the Observatory our daughter yelled, "We're going to crash!" She quickly covered her eyes and before she new it the show was over and the lights came back on.

A Sunday morning visit to the Griffith Observatory is well worth it. It was quiet with only a fraction of the number of visitors of the night before. While the nighttime skyline is fantastic, the mid morning view from up there on a clear day is just as breath taking. We relaxed on the front lawn to enjoy our snacks we had brought from home and just enjoyed the environment. It truly is a beautiful place. A must see.

For a few of our favorite astronomy book visit our Amazon store.