Surf, Sand and Stars

Our last day in L.A., to our surprise, turned out to be one of the most fun!

Our first activity of the day was to take Samuel to Griffith Park to ride the miniature train. We talked about the "choo choo" the whole way there, so by the time we arrived he was really excited.





As soon as they let us through the gate he climbed aboard. Then he waited patiently, with his hands in his lap, for the ride to begin.









Since it was still pretty early we were the only passengers.







Along the way there were lots of little buildings and lawn ornaments to point out. We even saw a garden gnome! Samuel kept looking back as we passed different landmarks and even waved to the ponies. He got to take a closer look at the ponies as we left.





Afterwards, we headed further into the park to visit Griffith Observatory where we also met up with our friend Katie.



To my delight the Hollywood sign was in clear few from parking lot and we got some great photos.







In the entry, Samuel enjoyed watching the giant pendulum swing back and forth.



He was also pretty happy when Miss Katie gave him a boost so he could turn the knobs and push buttons in the exhibits.



After a while, Allen took Samuel outside to burn off some energy while Katie and I took in the beautiful views of Los Angeles from the balcony. Later, Katie engaged him in a game of chase.









I'm so glad we got to see another historical landmark. The Art Deco architecture of the building is stunning alone, but when combined with the revolutionary astronomical technology it is more than just another attraction.







In the afternoon we headed down the coast to Katie's area of town. She lives in Redondo Beach, but took us to visit Manhattan Beach. We had lunch and then walked out on the pier. There was a great little free aquarium where we were all able to observe some fish and "pet" a stingray.

Afterwards, we walked down to the beach. The water was still chilly, but we thought Samuel would enjoy the sand. I guess I should have known that toddlers can not be contained! Before I knew it he was running into the surf and rolling around in the sand. He was so excited and loved the endless supply of "wa-wa."



I took him out into the surf to get his feet wet and he was thrilled when the waves came crashing over our feet. A few times they even came up fairly high, enough to get our bottoms wet.











Eventually, he plopped right down in the wet sand and started playing.







By then it was time to just strip him down to the diaper. His clothes were a mess!







We gave him a quick rinse and diaper change before leaving. He got to wear Dad's undershirt on the way back to the hotel.



For dinner we decided to go back to our new favorite restaurant, Fat Fish, where we gorged ourselves on more sushi off the conveyor belt. For dessert we went next door to our new favorite snack shop, Pinkberry.









I can't say that I'm ready to go home, but it's been a wonderful trip. I definitely miss the lifestyle of the big city and Los Angeles is one of the best!

The Walk of Fame is Lame

Once upon a time Hollywood Blvd. was synonymous with glitz and glamour. Celebrities could be spotted attending movie premieres at the Grauman Chinese and Egyptian theaters or having their hair done by Max Factor at his salon on Highland. Today, the glamour has been replaced by sleazy movie star impersonators and tacky souvenir shops. Regardless, no trip to Los Angeles would be complete without a trip to Hollywood.

We started our day at the Hollywood & Highland Center, also home of the Kodak Theater where the Academy Awards are held.



Since I didn't have an actual piece of cake on my birthday we decided to indulge in an enormous cupcake at the Crumbs Bake Shop. All of the flavors looked amazing and after some debate we decided on the Bryant Park. It's a chocolate cupcake filled with chocolate mousse and topped with vanilla butter cream frosting, white chocolate shavings and chocolate sprinkles. Amazing! Of course, Samuel wanted them all which he demonstrated by holding his mouth wide open the entire time we were in the shop. I call it his "insert cupcake here" face.







Finally, it was time to taste; which actually translated to burying his face in the frosting!



Next, we walked down the street to the Grauman Chinese Theatre to see the footprints and hand prints of Hollywood legends. Thankfully, we got there before most of the international tourist buses arrived so we could actually put our hands in the cement.















Samuel mostly just enjoyed the waterfall and statues!





We had lunch at In-N-Out Burger and then went for a drive through the Hollywood Hills so Samuel could have a nap. We cruised down Mulholland Drive and stopped at the Mulholland Scenic Overlook which has one of the best views of the Hollywood sign.





Back at the Hollywood & Highland Center we stopped for yet another Crumbs cupcake, this time the Milkshake flavor, and let Samuel tempt fate at the fountains.



We walked down the street again to The Egyptian Theatre, Grauman's lesser-known movie palace, that was home of the very first Hollywood premiere of Robin Hood in 1922. It was once more popular than the Chinese Theatre, but since it lacks the renowned celebrity hand prints of its rival, it fell into disrepair until it was deemed a Los Angeles landmark and restored to its former glory in the late 90s.









The future home of Samuel Graham's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.



We planned to meet my friend Lori for dinner, so we spent the time in between touring a couple of museums. The first was the Hollywood Museum in the historic Max Factor Building. My favorite part was the bottom floor which has been restored to reflect how the Max Factor Make-up studio looked. It is an Art Deco masterpiece and I loved seeing all the old make-up and hair coloring paraphernalia displays. We also got to see costumes and props from many T.V. shows and movies, past and present.



















Next, per Allen's request, we visited the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum where we also met up with Lori. Most of the exhibits were hands-on which was great for Samuel (and Allen). The both had fun pushing buttons, turning wheels and touching some very bizarre oddities.















For dinner we chased down the Nom Nom Food Truck which competed in The Great Food Truck Race on The Food Network. As we watched the show we thought the sandwiches looked amazing and really wanted to try one. We couldn't let the opportunity pass us by when we finally got to Los Angeles! While we waited in line Samuel and Lori got acquainted.









The sandwiches were even better than we anticipated and the perfect end to a busy day!