According to AAA, 2.5 million Angelenos are expected to get away from it all on Labor Day weekend.  That means there’s a 2.5 million-person hole left behind for visitors to fill!  So if you’re in LA for Labor Day and looking for something special to do, here’s a short list.

Malibu Chili Cook-Off

Carnival, celebrities, chili.  Tickets are $10 (cheaper for kids) and the chili vendors sell their wares, although they do give out 2 oz. samples for judging.  This event has grown from a small community gathering into a major undertaking, mostly by word of mouth, like the best ones do.

Long Beach Jazz Festival’s KJazz Blues Bash

A scaled down event that will take the place of the traditional weekend-long festival.  (It’s the economy.)  However, the organizers have planned what looks to be a lovely family-friendly celebration of music and food on the Cal State Long Beach Campus.  A free street festival beginning at noon welcomes you to bring blankets, low beach chairs, and even shade umbrellas for the perimeter.  You can also bring food and beverages, but there will be plenty for sale on site.  The evening ends with a performance by Keb Mo, for which ticketed seats cost $55.  Parking is $10.

Kidspace Farmer Day

For the little ones:  it’s Farmer Day at Kidspace in Pasadena.  If you don’t have the energy (or the patience, or a big enough diaper bag) to make it to one of the bigger events, why not venture out for a special day of animal petting for your preschooler?  The kids will get up close and personal with farm animals, and they’ll help bring in crops.  City folk are sure to love it.

KCRW’s 2nd Annual Pie Contest

What’s more American than a pie-eating contest?  Nothing!  Right!  Also, it’s free!  The second annual KCRW Good Food Pie contest takes place on Sunday, September 5 from 4 to 6 pm on the grounds of the Taste of Beverly Hills event (tickets vary in price but are mostly $$$).

Happy Birthday, LA

LA’s 229th birthday is celebrated by residents in a nine-mile walk from the original mission to Olvera Street downtown.

Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival

The 2nd Annual Leimert Park Village African Art & Music Festival is a celebration of art, music and food, with a schedule of performances, events, and activities for all ages.  It’s free.  Leimert Park Village is a thriving African American community right in downtown Los Angeles.

[photo by Mike Munchel via sxc.hu]

Back in the BK (before kids) days, my husband and I roadtripped to Baja California every winter.  That was also back in the days before rampant rumors of activity by dangerous drug cartels at the Mexican-American border, but mostly it’s the kids that keep us from continuing the tradition.  One of our favorite things to do was scout for gray whales.  Every winter these beautiful animals migrate along the Pacific Coast en route to the salty lagoons of Baja California where they give birth to their calves.  If you ever have the occasion to visit Guerrero Negro in Mexico, it is the number one thing you must do before you leave – hop on a panga, or small boat, and go out into the waters where some days the waters are so thick with whales that you can actually touch them.

Gray whale in Mexico, courtesy of Wikimedia.

For the toddler-laden landlubber, however, there are other opportunities to view the gray whales on their past Southern California.  The most popular way to do it is to take a whale watching cruise and there are several companies that operate out of the various SoCal harbors.  Don’t be fooled by our lovely sunny weather:  out on the water it can get chilly and wet so bring the proper gear.  And if you’ve never been out on a boat, remember your sea legs.  If you or your children feel seasick, there is no shame in it.  You are out there to have a good time.  If watercraft are not for you, there are places to see the whales from shore, like at Point Dume beach in Malibu.  You have to scan the horizon and look for the telltale signs: spouting water or glistening black skin.  If you see those things you have most likely happened upon a pod.  They will probably be swimming south.

If you are okay with being out on the water, here are some places to go:

Newport Beach Harbor:  Newport Landing Sportfishing runs excursions Monday through Friday and they also have trips to Catalina.

Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach:  a 2.5 hour cruise on a double decker boat, hosted by Cruise Long Beach Harbor.  Tickets are $25 for adults, $18 for children under 12, and free for children under 2.

Marina del Rey Sportfishing runs a grittier tour on a smaller boat, that much better to get closer to the whales without being obnoxious?

Whale Watching in Los Angeles is a great site that aggregates and reviews many of the whale watching tours available in the area.  Now is a great time to look into this kind of activity if you are visiting the area with your family.  A whale sighting feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience if you are lucky enough to spot one up close.

Whether you see a whale or several or none, you can also see other ocean life, like the dolphins and sea lions below who joined us on a sailing trip from Marina del Rey to Redondo Beach one day.  (Photos by Tim Clark.)

Dolphins say hello!

What are you looking at?

Pacific Park photo by Carrie Tracy

1.  Indulge your playful side and go on some rides at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier.  Open until midnight on Valentine’s Day.

2.  Take a gondola ride in Huntington Harbor.

Queen Mary by Sfoskett, Wikimedia

3.  Enjoy a special Valentine dinner at one of the restaurants on the Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor.

4.  On a budget?  Grab a blanket, a bottle of Two Buck Chuck, and sit on the beach staring up at the stars with your beloved.  Loaf of bread not required.

5.  If you’re really lucky, have someone watch the kids overnight and make a weekend escape to a luxurious downtown Los Angeles hotel like the Biltmore, which is running two “specials” right now.  (Babysitter bribe might cost as much as the hotel, so this one is not for the budget conscious.)

Standard Hotel Rooftop Bar courtesy of standardhotels.com

6.  Don’t have enough time for that?  Skip out for the evening and have a drink at the rooftop poolside bar at the Standard Hotel in Hollywood.  Breathtaking views, beautiful people, crappy parking options.

7.  Do something different.  See a show at the Pasadena Playhouse .  “Stormy Weather” based on a biography of Lena Horne is now playing.  Tickets cost $63-$78 each.

8.  Get kinky.  Go shopping together at Frederick’s of Hollywood (locations all over Los Angeles) or The Pleasure Chest on Santa Monica Blvd.

9.  Or you can do what we will probably do.  Visit the local Blockbuster and just watch a regular movie before passing out on the couch after we wrestle the children into bed.  Happy Valentine’s Day.

10.  This list originally had only nine items but then I saw this post and figured I’d better include Disneyland.  Duh, happiest place on earth.

I want to go to France.  I want to spend time exploring the museums, parks and squares of Paris and sip wine in the countryside.  It’s not happening in 2008 though, despite my plans.  The exchange rate with the Euro has sufficiently squashed my Paris dreams for at least one more year.  If you’re like me and stuck in the good ‘ole US for the time being, here are 5 ways you can feel a little bit French right here at home.

1.  Picnic in the Park – Grab a bottle of wine and a baguette from Vons and head out to your local park with your honey to beat the heat this summer.  There’s nothing more French than a good French kiss in the park with a shared bottle of wine.  In Southern California, check out the Long Beach Parks for great places to picnic under trees.

2.  Attend a festival – Paris always has something going on.  Chances are your local big city does as well.  Throw on your sailor striped shirt and artist pants and head out to whatever local festival is going on.  The city of Orange, like many cities, has a ‘taste of’ festival where you can even grab some French food!

3.  Go Topless, Legally – If the topless French Mediterranean beaches are what is calling you across the Atlantic, find your local nudist colony or beach.  Many have ‘open house’ days when non-members can experience the freedom of going commando for a day.

4.  Drink Some Wine – thanks to growth in vineyard sciences many regions of the country now have local vineyards in previous under developed places, such as Temecula.  Find one close to you and go for a tour and a tasting.  Some even will let you stomp the grapes in the fall!

5.  See the Masters – Find your local art museum and go see some of the French masters.  If you’re in So Cal, splurge and go to the Getty Museum and have a cup of espresso and a croissant while you’re there to complete the French experience.  Close your eyes (or rather your ears to the English being spoken) and it’s just like Paris!

Whatever you do, make sure to do it with style – that’s what will make it truly French.  Bon Voyage!

*Thanks to La Belle Province