Walking With Dinosaurs

Image from www.la.com

If you like dinosaurs and want to experience something that seems to take you into the Jurassic Park movie when it comes to life size, moving dinosaurs, look into buying tickets to Walking With Dinosaurs at the Staples Center September 25-28, 2008. Tickets range from $26.00 to $89.00 depending on day, time and seat section. I can't tell you about the show or whether or not it will be worth the price of the ticket but I'll be going. I think that if nothing else, it will be worth it to see these life size dinosaurs walking around and moving.

African Marketplace & Cultural Affair

The African Marketplace & Cultural Affair is a three week-end event that began the weekend of August 16th, is currently happening this weekend, and will end the weekend of August 30 and 31st plus September 1, 2008. I wish I could cut and paste the information regarding the wide variety of different music from Nigeria, Fiji, Senegal, Ethiopia and more that will take place on seven stages. There is plenty to see, plenty to shop for, beautiful hand-crafted and hand-carved items, and plenty to eat.

I only made a pit stop on my way somewhere else but I wish I could have stayed to hear the music. I did purchase a couple of things and my eyes feasted on all of the wonderful items for sale.

Looking for something to do? Check it out!!

Location: Rancho Cienega Park at Rodeo Dr. just west of La Brea in Los Angeles, California.

Hosted by: African Marketplace, Inc..

Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

I found out that there was an aquarium at the Santa Monica Pier. On my last visit to the pier I didn't even now it was there so I thought, great! I love aquariums so I make a special trip, some 60 miles or so, lug my camera along and finally make it in after waiting for it to open. I paid $10.00 to park and $5.00 to get in. There was one room with two large tanks and three flat ones where you could touch some star fish. I was SOOOO disappointed. I wasn't in there five minutes so I don't even have any pictures to post with this.

Now, I understand that this is an organization dedicated to helping keep our oceans and shores clean and that maybe my $5.00 went towards a very good cause. Heck, I would have given them $10.00 if they'd said it a donation toward keeping our oceans clean. But I don't know what that $5.00 was for, at least not when they took it. The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium only suggests a $3.00 donation.

Don't get me wrong. I understand that it's non-profit and I'm not telling you not to go. What I'm saying is, don't go unless you're also going to enjoy the pier and you've already spent enough money that another $5.00 is no sweat off your nose. The kids might get a kick out of it and I understand they have events or things that they do for the kids. What I'm saying is don't drive 60 miles to visit, waste all that gas plus $10.00 for parking. You won't be happy.

At one point I nicely asked one of the people if that room was all there was. I wasn't mad and I'm still not mad now, just disappointed. My point in asking was that I just didn't want to miss another room because I didn't see it. I was told that was all there was and though it wasn't the Long Beach aquarium it was local and featured only fish off the local coast. My thought was, "It wasn't local for me."

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

I headed out thinking I was going to the same little museum at Cabrillo Beach that I went to as a kid on a field trip. Wrong! The building is still there but it's an office. What is now there in another building is the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and I actually enjoyed it and would recommend it not just for something to do but for the kids.

The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is hardly as big or as pretty as the Long Beach Aquarium but to me it was a more personal experience and not as crowded. You could literally put your nose to the glass and enjoy the different fish and sea life as if they were in a huge aquarium in your house. The plus to visiting this museum is the beach is right there to enjoy so you can really just make a day of it. Another plus is it is there is only a $5.00 donation and parking for the few hours I was there was only about $3.00. For me, someone who enjoys taking pictures, I didn't have to fight or wait to see anything then I got to go outside and take pictures of the beach and birds.




There may not be as many fish as the Long Beach Aquarium but they definitely have a few things the Long Beach Aquarium doesn't have like these beautifully colored sea slugs. Again, the kids there were having a ball and I've never seen so many star fish in my life of all varied colors and sizes.

At scheduled times they open up a section of the aquarium where you and/or the kids can pet the many star fish and anemone. From what I saw, the kids love it. There is also an exploration center.