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!
