Vacations Blog

You'll Cut Your Finger Off, Kid!

My son wants a pocket knife for Christmas.  He’s seven.  And while I certainly can’t recall how old I was when I received my first pocket knife I can assure you that I wasn’t seven.  “You’ll cut your finger off, kid!”  My words hung in the air over the forlorn look of absolute dejection that filled his little face.  He’s upset but he’s young.  He’ll get over it.

Our exchange reminded me of one of my all time favorite Christmas movies, A Christmas Story.  Thank  God my kid has yet to reveal the dogged persistence of little Ralphie Parker.  Remember?  All Ralphie wants for Christmas is an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle  with a compass in the stock and a sundial to tell time.  And all he keeps hearing is, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”

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Once a year several spots around the Southland are transformed into scenes from a Canadian hockey film, if you squint really hard and just let someone slam you into the glass.  Otherwise, you’ll simply find yourself skating along on temporary ice skating rinks while the sun beats down on you and palm trees sway in the background.  Also?  Most likely nobody else can ice skate, either, so you don’t have to worry about making a fool out of yourself.  Everyone else is doing it.

The only way I'll ever ice skate.

Most famously and traditionally, Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles plays winter this year until January 18.  The location is home to the Winter Holiday Festival on December 12 and 13.

No need to leave the Valley (San Fernando) if that’s where you’re staying.  This is the first year that Woodland Hills Ice operates at the Westfield Topanga Mall until February 2010.  Special events, birthday parties, and open until midnight on Christmas Day.

Over yonder on the West Side, there’ll be no swimming in the pool at the W Hotel for a while.  That’s because they ingeniously turned it into a skating rink!  The outdoor restaurant/bar will serve up wintry goodies, too.  Frozen until January 24.  In Santa Monica, meet your friends at 5th and Arizona for some ice skating by the ocean until January 31.

If you’re in more southern areas of Southern Cal, there are opportunities to trip the ice fantastic down there, too.  Seaside Ice Rink Redondo Beach boasts a large parking lot and proximity to the fabulous Portofino Hotel.

Photo:  Pershing Square website

Chicago Style Pizza

When the weather turns cold, which counts for about eight months of a Chicago year, it’s not only time to pull out the heavy coats and layers, its time to fortify yourself with a frost-busting meal.  In Chicago, that can only mean deep-dish pizza. Lots of tourists dabble at sampling Chicago style pizza during the summer months but this hearty fare is best experienced during cold, blustery weather.   Noted for its  thick crust and gut-busting  piles of cheese and toppings,  Chicago style pizza reflects  the city’s brash attitude and heavy Midwestern palate. This calorie dense treat is easier to digest over a couple of days  so schedule a leisurely weekend and dive into my recommendations for the best Chicago style pizza. Read More »

Sunset over Hilton Head Island

You might know Hilton Head, South Carolina for its rolling golf greens and pristine beaches  but there’s more to this balmy paradise.  Hilton Head is also home to the centuries-old Gullah culture and the land was owned by Gullah people until 40 years ago.  The Gullah trace their roots to Sierra Leone, West Africa and have managed to preserve  their language, food and culture due to the Barrier Island’s isolation. To learn the fascinating history of  Hilton Head, grab a trip on the Gullah Heritage Trail Tours. Led by  Gullah historian and Hilton Head native Emory Campbell, the two-hour tour involves a 100-mile bus tour through  scenic  salt marsh waterways. Read More »

The 45-foot rotunda tree in the Christmas Around the World exhibit

Experience the holiday traditions of over 50 different countries at the annual “Christmas Around The World and Holidays of Light” exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. A Chicago tradition for 68 years, the glittering exhibit showcases trees decorated to reflect the holiday traditions from around the world through January 3.  Anchored by a towering 45-foot tree in the Rotunda, the display also features intermittent snow showers. This year’s theme focuses on the holiday history of the White House, with White House-themed ornaments adorning the Rotunda tree and holiday cards signed by presidents and first ladies. Read More »

Chicago's Christkindl Market in Daley Plaza

Gliding down the Magnificent Mile and piling up credit card charges might signal  the start of the  Chicago  holiday season for some but for me, the official launch comes with  the fresh stollen, gingerbread and hot spiced wine of  the Christkindl Market. Considered one of the best German Christmas markets in the world, this open air, month-long event offers a more authentic (and cheaper)  holiday shopping experience.  Inspired by the famous Nuremburg  Christmas Market that started in 1545, the Chicago Christkindl features an official  November 25 launch by Nuremberg’s past Christkindl, a fairy-like character who wears a  shimmering, golden robe with a crown perched atop golden locks. Read More »

Iron Maiden torture chamber at Ripley's Believe It or Not!

I loved the Ripley’s Believe  It or Not! cartoon as a kid.  Learning about  Robert Ripley’s weird and wacky discoveries around the world was always intriguing.  So there was no way I’d pass up the strip of Ripley’s attractions on Ocean Blvd in Myrtle Beach.  I grabbed my reluctant 12-year-old and headed to the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. I wouldn’t recommend it for children under 10 because the museum is filled with creepy and eerie artifacts. Once you walk past the  photos of the 8″11 tallest man of all time and the Egyptian barge made from toothpicks, the offerings grow scarier. There’s a whole wall devoted to medieval torture  devices and a gruesome “Iron Maiden”, a wooden, female -shaped, cabinet equipped with 13 spikes to pierce the eyes, throat and heart of religious heretics.  Read More »

Local Wild Life at the Fair

While amusement parks and beaches provide great entertainment for your kids, entertainment is only one of the reasons to travel with children.  Travel is also a great way to introduce your kids to other parts of the world and how other people live.  My mother used to call it exposure.

As fun as Disney World may be, you don’t get a great sense of how different people live from an encounter with Mickey Mouse.

The next time you plan a family vacation, search for a local fair for a great opportunity to teach your children about local culture.

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