Exploring L.A. :: Travel Town

This morning, despite the rain, we were all having a bout of cabin fever and needed to get out of the house. We opted to head down to Travel Town in Griffith Park. Its free and its also near the zoo just in case it ended up being a bust. Basically, Travel Town is a museum with lots of trains: engines, cars, and cabooses. Full size trains. Its actually pretty cool, but the fact that none of us are major train enthusiasts made for a relatively quick visit. I could definitely see how if you or a kid were majorly into trains, this place would be the best ever.

Ellie asked quite a few questions and seemed particularly interested in how all the cars of the trains stayed together. Nick and I didn't know all the exact terminology for all the parts, but think we did a good enough explanation. She also was a bit excited at how big the trains were in real life. I think I was a little surprised to see how big some of the engines and wheels really were.

Some of the train engines and cars you could climb into, which was pretty exciting. Some were currently being restored and not open, others people had rented for birthday parties. But getting up close to the exterior and the interior of the trains was actually pretty neat. I mean, its not everyday you get to climb into the engine of a train.

Ellie noticed that these trains looked different than the trains in Boston. She now knows what a steam engine looks like and how it runs...kinda...we did our best to explain it. However, I think the puddles were almost as exciting as the trains for her today.






They also have small train that you can ride in. Its a short train ride that goes around Travel Town so you have a good view of all the trains. Ellie had a blast on the little train ride and liked waving to all the people who were waving at her. However, we had to sit in the back because she thought the engine and the horn were too loud and didn't want to be close to them.

We had fun. And it'll be something to keep on the list of things to do on a weekend. Its nearby, free, and educational...the trifecta of weekend activities.

Happy New Year!!!

What a New Year's morning we had! My parents came down for a couple days and we had a fun NEw Year's Eve (although I don't think anyone made it up till midnight, but we did let Ellie stay up till 9pm to see the ball drop in NYC). Our new home is close to the end of the Rose Bowl parade. After breakfast and watching the Rose Parade for about 90 minutes on TV, we headed out to the streets to see if there was ANY chance that we could see anything without having to camp on the street like so many others had done.

And we were super lucky! We found a spot on a side street where we could see the floats, bands, and even the Grand Marshall Jane Goodall. We ended up getting to a spot towards the end of the parade, just as the very first band went by. It was pretty interesting watching the parade on TV, and then again in real life.

Jane Goodall!!

As I'm sure most of you know, the theme was "Oh, the Places You'll Go" (the Dr. Seuss book title). There were amazing floats, great bands, and a lot of fun to be had, as usual. Ellie was happy to see the princesses, but interestingly decided that she wanted to be a cheerleader, not a princess, when she grows up.

We had a great time this morning. We can't wait till next year now that we have figured this parade thing out! Pasadena is a great town and it is as amazing as it looks on TV during the Rose Parade.

Happy New Year everyone!