Summer 2018: Day 53; Vacation, Day 3
We definitely are not taking this vacation lying down!
Today we did all the tourist-type things in Los Angeles proper. We started by riding the funicular in downtown LA (featured in "La La Land" and admiring the above-average view from the top. It was a short ride and just $2 round trip, but it was definitely an experience -- a "Guess what we did?" moment. And it also was a neat start to a busy day.
Our next destination was the Farmer's Market, one of Lori's favorite spots in Los Angeles. We didn't wander it too much, but we did eat lunch (boys got sushi, Lori ate Thai, I ordered fried clam strips). I bought a puzzle magazine and a lottery ticket (we didn't win). As we were leaving, we saw a huge line emanating from a nearby pizza restaurant -- LeBron James was rumored to be visiting there that day and Laker fans went crazy (he never showed).
From the Farmer's Market we headed down Sunset Boulevard and back down Hollywood Boulevard. We could see a massive fire break out in Griffith Park by the Observatory, and we stopped so Michael could take pictures. After parking near the Hollywood Walk of Fame, we walked a few blocks up to Grauman's Chinese Theater, looking at stars along the way and footprints and handprints outside the theater. The sidewalks were crowded, so we didn't stay too long, though we did make a stop at Ghiradelli's for ice cream.
We unintentionally took the long way to get to Griffith Park, as the fire was now out. Michael had read about how remains of the old Los Angeles Zoo were still standing, and he wanted to take pictures. After avoiding a slumbering skunk, we walked up to the ruins -- the site was pretty cool but probably wasn't fun for the animals kept there (the remaining abandoned enclosures weren't exactly big ...). We then tried driving up to the Observatory but the road was closed as firefighters were putting the final touches on suppressing the fire.
For dinner, we went to Golden Road in Glendale, recommended by my friend Tim. The food was delicious, as was the craft beer. We made good time getting home, and Ben and I played a few games of Ticket to Ride and worked on a math puzzle. I could not think of a better ending to a great vacation day.
Today we did all the tourist-type things in Los Angeles proper. We started by riding the funicular in downtown LA (featured in "La La Land" and admiring the above-average view from the top. It was a short ride and just $2 round trip, but it was definitely an experience -- a "Guess what we did?" moment. And it also was a neat start to a busy day.
Our next destination was the Farmer's Market, one of Lori's favorite spots in Los Angeles. We didn't wander it too much, but we did eat lunch (boys got sushi, Lori ate Thai, I ordered fried clam strips). I bought a puzzle magazine and a lottery ticket (we didn't win). As we were leaving, we saw a huge line emanating from a nearby pizza restaurant -- LeBron James was rumored to be visiting there that day and Laker fans went crazy (he never showed).
From the Farmer's Market we headed down Sunset Boulevard and back down Hollywood Boulevard. We could see a massive fire break out in Griffith Park by the Observatory, and we stopped so Michael could take pictures. After parking near the Hollywood Walk of Fame, we walked a few blocks up to Grauman's Chinese Theater, looking at stars along the way and footprints and handprints outside the theater. The sidewalks were crowded, so we didn't stay too long, though we did make a stop at Ghiradelli's for ice cream.
We unintentionally took the long way to get to Griffith Park, as the fire was now out. Michael had read about how remains of the old Los Angeles Zoo were still standing, and he wanted to take pictures. After avoiding a slumbering skunk, we walked up to the ruins -- the site was pretty cool but probably wasn't fun for the animals kept there (the remaining abandoned enclosures weren't exactly big ...). We then tried driving up to the Observatory but the road was closed as firefighters were putting the final touches on suppressing the fire.
For dinner, we went to Golden Road in Glendale, recommended by my friend Tim. The food was delicious, as was the craft beer. We made good time getting home, and Ben and I played a few games of Ticket to Ride and worked on a math puzzle. I could not think of a better ending to a great vacation day.
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