Category Archives: travel

Go to the Getty!

activities for kids, travel
Spending a week in LA is a tough assignment, but someone’s got to do it.  Between walking around the lovely grounds at the hotel and sunning by the pool, I managed to fit it time for lunch at the Ivy and dinner with a friend I haven’t seen for 19 years!
My friend, who has lived in LA all of this time, suggested a trip to the Getty.  I was already thinking about heading over to Santa Monica for a day, so I decided to take his advice and hit the Getty first.
Wow!
I should’ve just planned to spend the entire day at the Getty.  If you don’t have time, make some:  the Getty is worth it.  Kids will love it just for the tram ride!  After you park your car ($15 to park, but admission to the museum is free), a tram takes you to the tip top of the hill where the Getty is perched.  There’s so much to see, inside and out, that you should plan to spend as much time as you can here.  The architecture is stunning, the gardens are beautiful, and the art..the art!  My favorite, if I had to choose, was probably the Photography section, which had photographs from Cuba so poignant, so beautiful, it was hard to pull away.  I’m also a sucker for Impressionists, so imagine my joy with the Monets and Renoirs!  How about this beautiful Sisley?
The Road from Versailles to Saint-Germain (1875)
They have old books so intricate that I was at once amazed by the intricacy of the work and the perseverance of the people who created them, the people who kept stories alive through the written word.  At the same time, as I looked at those treasures and wondered if I would have ever owned a book in those days, I felt immensely grateful for the Guttenberg Press and the far-reaching impact it had on literature and the people of the world and my life in particular.  
In addition to the paintings, photographs, and books, they have furniture and clothing on display that is so ornate that it’s hard to believe people lived like that, real people, not just characters in a scene on a stage.  Incredible. 
Keep going and you’ll see pottery so embellished and adorned it will humble you to gaze upon it.
It’s worth the traffic, it’s worth any hassle, it’s worth the $15 parking fee.  If you’re near LA, go to the Getty!
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5 Summer Getaways Every Kid Should Experience

activities for kids, summer, travel

Summer beckons with its fresh, warm air and the heady lure of long days filled with nothing but fun.  As our kids grow up, though, their summer lives get busier and busier.  One day in the not-to-distant-future we’ll wake up to find our summer filled with road trips to visit colleges!

In the meantime, we can spend our summers creating lasting bonds and memories.   Although the days can seem long, every parent knows that the years fly by too fast.  Why not slow time down a bit this summer and watch your kids enjoy their youth at one (or more!) of these fun getaways?
1.     A day at the beach.  Who doesn’t treasure their childhood memory of digging for sand crabs, body surfing the waves, and enjoying that deliciously cold ice cream cone at the end of the day?  In these iPod and Xbox days, this is a great way for families to disconnect and reconnect.  No gadgets: just kids and waves and fun!
2.     Camping in a tent.  Am I really recommending camping?  For the record, I don’t count among my personal favorites things like sleeping near the dirt or using showers that require flip flops.  But kids?  Kids love this stuff!  They get to run through the woods, stay up late, and sit around the campfire gorging themselves on s’mores.   What could be better?
3.     Visit a National Park.  Pick one, any one.  We chose Yellowstone and three years later our kids are still talking about the bears and the beauty.  With so many parks to choose from, you can tailor your trip to your family’s style.  Hiking, canoeing, swimming and rafting—there are fun activities for everyone.   Trust me:  the memories your kids bring home will last much longer than their souvenir trinkets!
4.     Hit the zoo.  If you can splurge for a trip to San Diego, the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park are worth your dollars.  But even if California isn’t in your plans this year, you can take your kids to a nearby zoo and reap some of the same benefits.  I love visiting the zoos that make an effort to provide more of a natural habitat for their animals, and my kids love petting the giraffes!  Many zoo memberships have reciprocal programs that offer free or discounted admission to others.  Be sure to check and see if this is available in your area.
5.     Cousins Camp.  Or Grandparents Camp.  Or whatever you’d like to call it—let them experience an overnight without you with the other people they like best!   Every summer my kids are excited beyond words to go spend time with their grandparents.  Is it the ice cream?  Visits to the Smithsonian?  The fact that I’m not there?  I’m not sure, but whatever it is, I know that my kids cherish these memories as much as their grandparents do, and that’s a getaway worth its weight in gold.
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