Vacations Blog

And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?

With all apologies to the Talking Heads we know where said highway goes – wherever we want.  Eat that train tracks!

I put out a call to our Vacations staff for photos of summer and all that it entails.  The following are their contributions.

Don’t worry, if your favorite writer didn’t submit a photo as they’ve probably got their own story brewing, or they’re just lazy, but probably the story thing.

Ed:

Hatteras, NC

What I did on my summer vacation (in 53 words or less). Read More »

It’s time for another rousing edition of Travel Around the Internet! It’s like exciting.

Here are just a few of the items that have shuffled across our inbox lately:

LAST CHANCE! If you have a kid, a camera and access to water you could win a $500 Best Western gift card at Babble Playground. The contest ends tomorrow so get that kid wet, stat!

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Leaving our mark on Disneyland.

At the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, there is a large square of open area between the gates of the original Disneyland park and Disney’s California Adventure.  The square is filled with families waiting for loved ones and teenagers trying to look cool in mouse ears and all of the randomness that one might associate with the downtime of a Disney vacation. Read More »

Sunset at Pismo Beach State Park

Bears are the least of your worries.  In fact, they might distract the children long enough to allow you to set up the tent.  So in fact, bears can be helpful!

My husband and I took our two little boys, the textbook Crazy Little Boys that you think of when you see one of those haggard mothers in the supermarket pushing a cart that one boy is using to surf on while the other one is throwing random objects into her hair, to a campground in Pismo Beach last weekend.  I would not have suggested the trip with our children at the dangerous ages of 2 and 4, but my friend was turning 50 and it was her birthday wish to have all of her favorite people around her on this camping trip.  Plus, we bought a new tent, oh, about 2 years ago, and it’s been sitting in the garage waiting for us to test it out for all this time.

I really do want my children to have a love of camping, because I actually do enjoy it.  Before we had them, my husband and I went camping at least twice a year.  When I was growing up I went camping with my family every year.  As I recall, my brother and sister and I had a fabulous time while my mother hated it.  Once we got older and camping was no longer cool, she gave up altogether and we rarely went.  I couldn’t imagine why…until now.

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Imagine running into President Barack Obama in Hollywood.  Or for that matter, Wolverine.  Both encounters are just as unlikely in real life, but if you go down the rabbit hole into a very special place, these weird fantasies of yours just might come true.

Smack dab in the middle of all the touristy action, Madame Tussauds Hollywood Wax Museum opens August 1, 2009.  With an updated cast of wax figure characters, (thank goodness) the museum offers an experience you cannot have elsewhere, that’s for sure.  Photo ops galore, and the whole family can go.  The comprehensive website helps you plan your visit, and you never know what celebrity you might bump into…for real.  Tussauds works the Hollywood connection so well that the real-life models drop in to unveil their lookalikes.

Madame Tussauds Hollywood is at 6933 Hollywood Boulevard, right next to the famous Graumans Chinese Theater.

Get up close and personal

Legoland front entrace

My husband and I have amusement park-phobia.  (There must be a scientific name for that.  For now, I’ll go with the clunky made-up version.)  When we travel, we prefer to head to destinations in the middle of nature, with as few other people around as possible.  Now that we have two young children, however, entertainment and conveniences are much more necessary.  Stick a ton of both of those things in one place, jack up the price, and poof!  You have an amusement park. Read More »

Tomorrow marks the arrival of my friend and her family from the east coast to our home in Los Angeles.  Two adults, two children.  That means there will be four adults and four children in my house during the hot summer heat that is hot in the San Fernando Valley.  We may not stay inside with the air conditioner on full blast, eating ice cream and watching “Wall-E” on repeat.  No, we have to do some stuff.  I’ve been planning and stressing out and researching and making lists about how to entertain and pacify all these kids without taking the fun out of our visit.  Here is the list of survival tactics activities I’ve planned and supplies I’ve stocked up.

1.  We’ll enjoy at least one relaxed meal at home.  I’ve gathered fresh fruits and vegetables and some indulgent treats from the farmer’s market and a discount produce store to keep costs down and freshness up.  We’ll grill some meat and sit in our backyard with some cocktails while we watch the children play in the wading pool or run under the sprinklers.  It’s four on four – we’re still in a man-to-man defense, so this should be do-able.

2.  We’ll expect less and/or interrupted sleep.  The kids will sleep on air mattresses.  Even my kids will do this, if it makes them go to sleep easier knowing they are mimicking their guests.  We are lucky enough to have a guest bed in the 2-year-old’s room, so my husband and I will sleep in there with him while the friends all sleep in our room.  As such, I expect much havoc with bedtimes and have low expectations for the morning routine.
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Jackson memorial closure area

“Only” 17,500 tickets were issued for the mammoth memorial planned for Tuesday, July 7, at 10AM at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.  Many of those lucky ticketholders promptly offered up their wares on eBay, but that’s beside the point.
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