Wordless Wednesday: Discover the Dinosaurs

Grand Park Los Angeles

A couple weeks ago when summer finally arrived to Southern California we needed to find a place to beat the heat, and hubby had a great place in mind!  We headed to Downtown LA, and after a quick stop at Wurstküche in the Arts District for lunch, we made our way to Grand Park.  The park opened about a year ago, but this was our first time visiting it.  It really is a beautiful park and the fountain and wading pool will keep any child (or adult) cool and happy for hours.  Although the park is free and open to the public, the parking can be a little pricey in DTLA, but we are happy to report that parking is available at the Cathedral for $5 all day on Saturdays and Sundays (the park is about two blocks away), or you can take the Metro Red Line! 

About Grand Park

A city’s urban heart is an expression of its people, its diversity, its interests, and its passions.  The new Grand Park, with its majestic views extending from the Music Center to City Hall, provides Angelenos of all walks of life a place where they can come together to celebrate, reflect, and shape the future, in one central gathering place.  Throughout Grand Park, open spaces are available not only for casual sitting and leisurely strolling, but also for civic gatherings.  Grand Park has four distinct areas featuring amenities ranging from a restored historic Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain with a new wade-able membrane pool, a small intimate performance lawn, a community terrace planted with drought tolerant specimen plants representing the diverse cultural make-up of Los Angeles itself, and a grand event lawn.  The new Grand Park allows for a strong visual and physical connection from Grand Avenue via a series of stairs, accessible ramps and sloped walks as well as a new elevator to invite more pedestrians into a vibrant garden environment, a place to come together in a welcoming and distinctly urban oasis.

200 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles, California

Wordless Wednesday

El Dia De Los Muertos 2012

On Saturday we visited the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for their annual El Dia De Los Muertos celebration.  JD doesn’t scare easily and he's recently begun to understand the difference between real and fake, so we decided to take him along.  The event is very kid friendly and even provides arts and crafts stations for kiddos. I'm glad we were able to share this cultural experience with him.  To learn more about El Dia De Los Muertos click here!

Wordless Wednesday

California Science Center & a Ride on the Metro

Last Saturday we took a little trip to the California Science Center. JD had never been, so he was pretty excited.  There is so much to see and do at the Science Center, and visiting the center is free!  After walking around for about an hour we hopped on the Metro (it's walking distance from the Science Center and The Natural History Museum), arrived at Union Station about 15 minutes later, and headed to Placita Olvera for lunch. So now we've officially begun crossing things off of our Summer Bucket List...only 20 something more to go!

Garcia Family Summer Bucket List

Lately I've come across so many wonderful summer bucket lists on some of my favorite blogs, including a really cool one over at Our Precious Jas.  It seems like such a fun idea, so I decided I would create one for our little family too! I started with 25 must do summer activities, but I'm pretty sure we will add more before summer ends. Does your family have a summer bucket list?!

Julian's Dinosaur Party at the Natural History Museum

Like most boys his age, JD loves dinosaurs but we can honestly only credit this love for dinosaurs to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles! We began visiting the museum with him in 2010 and became members soon after; we haven’t stopped visiting it since. When the Dinosaur Hall opened last year JD became completely fascinated with dinosaurs and fossils. There isn't a week that goes by that he doesn't ask to go to the “Dino Museum.” So, when the time came to plan his 3rd birthday party we knew dinosaurs would be the theme. When we found out the NHM of Los Angeles had a birthday party program, we didn’t have to think twice about the location.

The Natural History Museum's birthday party program is really great! They provide everything you need to throw an amazing dinosaur party, everything but the food and cake! The program even provides event assistants (really awesome assistants) to help you run your party and direct all the activities and games. All your party guests also get admission to the museum for the day!

Julian had no idea his 3^rd birthday party was going to be at his favorite museum, when he arrived and saw the balloons and decorations, the expression on his face was priceless! JD and his friends had such a great time. They played "Tyrannosaurus Says", Pin the Horn on the Triceratops, they made dinosaur masks and their very own fossils.  I have to admit that this party was amazingly stress free thanks to the help of our very supportive family, the wonderful staff at the Natural History Museum, and especially Kersti Kooiman.  Kersti not only helped me decorate, but she is also the incredible photographer behind these amazing pictures of JD and his dinosaur party!

Photography: Kersti Kooiman
Kraft Bags: Little Horse Bakery
Kraft tags & birthday banner supplies: Retro Rox Vintage
Muslin bags: Urban Homesteaders
Julian's Carnivore Shirt: Vicarious Clothing
Invitations, cupcake stand, cupcake decorations, cake decorations, plant arrangements, gift bags, dinosaur egg bags, fossil cookies &  chocolate dinosaurs: Quaintly Garcia