Otters at the San Diego Zoo

We began our day along the Lost Forest, an area with shaded winding paths to see one of our favorite animals, the tiger, before following the Hippo Trail to visit another animal that always brings a smile to our faces – the otter.

Although the more traditional San Diego Zoo doesn’t have the wide-open spaces and natural landscapes like its sister zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, the San Diego Zoo does have one major edge over the Safari Park – Giant Pandas.

The line was already long for the Giant Panda Research Station when we arrived in the late morning, but it moved at a steady slow pace, giving everyone a chance to see these gentle giants.

Giant Pandas at the San Diego Zoo

The zookeepers don’t encourage dawdling after you’ve taken your pictures, so we moved onto the Northern Frontier to visit the hot and sleepy polar bear.

By now it was time for lunch and rather than hike uphill with hungry kids, we hopped on the Skyfari aerial tram, which deposited us back at the main entrance. The San Diego Zoo’s kids’ meals came in a fun souvenir bucket (perfect for playing at the beach) and with our bellies full, we headed to the Outback to catch a glimpse of an animal we hadn’t seen much in our previous zoo experiences – the koala bear.

A sleepy koala at San Diego Zoo

Apparently the Koala, which isn’t a “bear” but a rather cranky marsupial, spends most of its day asleep in its eucalyptus tree. We were lucky, however, and saw the little guy when he woke from his nap, stared at the onlookers for about 2 minutes, and then went back to sleep!

We wound our way back along Center Street to the Asian Passage, a neat one-way escalator that connects to the Elephant Odyssey. I really like this area and how it linked prehistoric animals to their modern counterparts with statues of prehistoric animals like the Columbian mammoth placed next to live exhibits of elephants, as well as the Fossil Portal, with its pit of fake animal bones that filled with gooey tar (or at least something that looked like tar) since we had plans to visit the La Brea Tar Pits later in our vacation. We finished the day in the gift shop with the purchase of yet another stuffed animal for my youngest – “Mick” Jaguar – before heading back to our hotel and the beach at Coronado.

77 Places visited, 423 to go.

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Behind the ropes at Stonehenge

When I last visited Stonehenge some 30 odd years ago, visitors could still get relatively close to the stones. I remember gathering some “magic” dirt in a plastic baggie to take back to a friend who was obsessed with Druids and King Arthur’s Merlin. The things we do when we’re young! (And yes, I know Stonehenge has nothing to do with Druids or Merlin . . . ).

Visiting Stonehenge today, however, means viewing the stones from 20 feet away along a carefully paved path. So although Stonehenge is listed in Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up, the actual experience of visiting the site would be a tad . . . hmm, what’s the word I’m looking for? . . . “disappointing” for my sons and not at all magical and mystical. And we won’t even go into the expectations of my hubby who is a fan of Spinal Tap (note: see the movie if you don’t get the joke!)

A little bit of research on Google, however, yielded an interesting factoid – you COULD see Stonehenge up close and personal if you were willing to visit before or after opening hours. If you fill out a booking form from English Heritage, go on certain days, and promise the soul of your first grandchild (okay, I’m kidding about that last one . . . ) you can get “Stone Circle Access” and see Stonehenge up close and personal.

But since I was a little wary of driving on the wrong side of the road and wanted the hard work done for me, I searched out tours with special access and found a perfect gem – Pat Shelley with Salisbury & Stonehenge Guided Tours. Small and intimate (there were only 6 of us), this tour was in a word – AMAZING!!!

Pat Shelley of Salisbury & Stonehenge Guided Tours

An amateur archaeologist who has participated in several digs in and around Stonehenge, Pat Shelley not only took us to Stonehenge with its special “Stone Circle Access,” but also spent about two hours before we visited Stonehenge taking us to various sites to give us what is now believed to be the accepted hypothesis for Stonehenge’s purpose. (BIG HINT:  It has NOTHING to do with the summer solstice and everything to do with the winter solstice).

We started our tour at Woodhenge, a series of rings made by wooden posts.

Woodhenge

The posts are long gone and the British government, in their wisdom, has indicated the diameter and location of the posts with stumpy concrete ones. It’s a little hard to imagine huge 25-foot tall wooden posts in place of the concrete ones, but it was a great beginning to explaining the ancient Britons’ fascination with circles and rings.

Using maps and a satellite view of the area around Salisbury, Pat then explained the current theory of how Stonehenge was probably NOT used during the summer months (although they probably did have some solstice stuff going on . . .), but during the winter.

Using maps to see the big picture

Tribes would gather about two miles away at a large henge known as Durrington Walls Henge, feast and celebrate, then make a day’s journey along the river Avon and a broad avenue to Stonehenge on the shortest day of the year to celebrate the journey between life and death and perhaps even visit their dead.

Why do archaeologists now believe this theory? Because they haven’t found any evidence of humans living in and around Stonehenge (like food scraps, tools, etc) but they HAVE found gravesites – a lot of them. And while Stonehenge is aligned with the rising sun on the summer solstice, it’s also aligned with the setting sun on the winter solstice – an ancient symbol of death.

Pat took us along the avenue these people probably took – a relatively flat approach – and all the better for their elders and children who might get tired from a harder journey. For a while you can’t see Stonehenge, and then WOW . . . there it is.

Walking along the avenue toward Stonehenge

As our family walked the avenue, I have to admit I got goosebumps for although I don’t have any English/Scottish/Irish ancestry, my children through my husband do. They were walking in the footsteps of their collective past . .  .

When we got to the top and it was finally time to go beyond the rope, Pat told us more about how the stones were erected and how they angled up toward the back in a gentle crescendo. We learned about the significance of the two rings, saw the carved out holes and grooves needed to create those table-top spans, and even felt the magnetic pull from a dowsing stick. Pat’s words flowed over and around me and I’m sorry that I can’t remember more . . . but I was walking amongst history. I was standing in Stonehenge.

Standing in the inner circle at Stonehenge

76 places visited, 424 to go.

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New Orleans at Legoland California

One of the most amazing parts of LEGOLAND California is their mini-version of the United States. In less than an hour, you can walk from the New England coast to Washington, DC, to San Francisco with a stop in New Orleans and Las Vegas on the way.

Rockefeller Center at Legoland California

The details of these scenes are amazing and we easily spent an hour discovering the small items that made each area unique – like a tug sailing near the Golden Gate Bridge . . .

Golden Gate Bridge at Legoland

. . . or the mini palm trees near the Las Vegas Luxor Hotel . . .

Las Vegas Luxor Hotel at Legoland

Everything was just like the original . . .

White House

just smaller . . .

White House Legoland

Seventy-five places down, 425 to go!

Visit more amazing photos at Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday

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LEGOLAND California

I always knew our visit to sunny San Diego was going to be spectacular, but what made it perfect to my guys (especially my 40+ boy, AKA my husband) was a visit to LEGOLAND California.

Located about an hour away from San Diego, we set off to visit the land of many small plastic bricks on our first full day in California. Although we arrived semi-early, the place was already packed with little ones. After a quick discussion debating the pros and cons, we made the decision NOT to purchase the $99/person Premium Play pass which got us to the front of the lines fast because frankly, most of the rides seemed to be geared toward kids 6 and under – a definite “yawn” for my thrill-seeking boys.

Pretty tame rides at Legoland California

Wait-times for the few rides we were interested in were insanely long – at least an hour – primarily because unlike Disney, most of LEGOLAND’s rides are the type where only one group can ride/fly/swirl at a time. Riders have to wait for the ride to be unloaded before you can get on. In contrast, Disney and other amusement parks of LEGOLAND’s size tend to have rides that are more of a conveyor belt, with multiple riders loading and unloading at the same time (which also explains why roller coasters tend to have such long lines – you’re not going to have two sets of carts on the tracks at the same time!)

So after a single ride, which ate up over an hour of waiting, we decided to focus on what LEGOLAND does best – encourage children of all ages to buy small plastic bricks – and paid a visit to Fun Town and its LEGO Factory tour.

Legoland Factory tour

It was here that we saw a mock-up of how they construct, assemble, and package LEGOs . . . leading straight into a store that was a LEGO builder’s dream . . . bins and bins of LEGO blocks that could be purchased by the pound. This section also encourages free-building of LEGOs, so while I waited outside with my new-found friend,

my boys created masterpieces made from those small plastic bricks.

Creating a masterpiece at Legoland California

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Hotel Del Coronado

The Hotel Del (as locals call it) occupies prime real estate on San Diego’s Coronado Beach and offers a variety of family-friendly room choices.

Coronado Beach San Diego

Our first night at the Del we stayed in one of its family suites in the historic main section of the hotel. And while the room was lovely and spacious, it overlooked the parking lot and employee entrance – a very noisy place at 4:30 in the morning. When I requested a different room, the management was gracious and immediately placed us in connecting rooms in a significantly quieter, but less charming section of the Hotel Del Coronado – their Ocean Towers. The room was luxurious and large and most importantly – quiet. I’d also suggest their California Cabanas, which are close to the Main Pool.

We enjoyed dining at two of their restaurants – 1500 Ocean (which had a kid’s menu – not always an easy find in upper-end hotels) and Sheerwater, their more casual grill and breakfast area. And their breakfasts?? One word – amazing.

View from Sheerwater Grill

There are plenty of shops contained in the Hotel del Coronado and I had a fun time finding Easter candy for my guys at Spreckels Sweets & Treats, while the boys enjoyed The Blue Octopus, a toy store.

Everything at the Hotel Del, alas, was not perfect . . .

I had arranged for a facial and massage at their spa as a “treat” for me, and while the massage was fine (though nothing special), the woman who gave me the facial was annoying. She kept trying to sell me on their “products” and suggested that the makeup/cleanser/etc I regularly used was inferior and filled with chemicals that were going to ruin my skin! I get that this is how they make extra commissions – but don’t tsk-tsk at me when I tell you that I’m not interested. Just. Move. On.

Would I go back? A definite YES!

Oh and did I mention that while we were there I was treated to some yummy eye-candy in the form of shirtless Navy Seals on a training run along the beach? Definitely a plus in my book!

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Old Town San Diego

While it’s true that San Diego has tons of kid-friendly activities like SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, and nearby LegoLand, our first stop when we arrived in California was Old Town San Diego - a historic area filled with restaurants, shops, and historic sites which just also happened to be in Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up. 

I’ve always been a big fan of these kind of historical areas because they’re an easy way to learn about the past without spending a ton of cash.

Driving the wagon at Old Town San Diego

At Old Town San Diego there was no entrance fee and visits to the historic sites were self-guided, so we were able to peek into the old jail, courthouse, and bank before spending the majority of our time at the Seeley Stables Museum and La Casa de Estudillo, a restored hacienda.

My kids like places like Old Town San Diego because they feel less like a stuffy museum and more like stepping back in time to a different era.

Inside the Seeley Stable Museum

Seventy-four places visited, 426 to go.

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Hollywood's Real Red Carpet

It may be hard to believe, but each year the Kodak Hollywood and Highland Theater, located within a high-end mall, is transformed into the entrance to the Academy Awards. Lined with columns listing the names of the Best Picture winners,

Best Picture-Slumdog Millionaire

Hollywood magic is performed and the names of shops are artfully hidden while the red carpet is installed over the permanent red carpeted grand staircase leading up into the theater. According to our guide, the red tile lining the risers of the staircase came from the Wizard of Oz’s yellow brick road (which in the movie has two spirals – one yellow and one red).

Tiles in the red carpet

Somehow it seems fitting that the tiles leading to the wonderful land of Oz was used to create this ultimate “red carpet.”

Congrats to all this year’s nominees!

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The San Diego Zoo:

Disney Land:

Character Breakfast at Disney Land

And Hollywood:

But the memory I won’t soon forget is how quickly my youngest son decided he no longer wanted to live in California and be a movie star after he experienced his first earthquake.

Ah yes, I said “earthquake” – not a tremor, a jostle, or a brief rumble – but an honest-to-goodness 7.2 magnitude earthquake that became known as the 2010 Easter earthquake. 

My day hadn’t been going all that great on that Easter Sunday morning – we’d had a frantic early morning wake-up call from our cat sitter back home to tell us our single-kidney cat needed to go to the emergency room because he was lethargic and not eating. We’d arrived late to Easter mass and had to stand outside the church barely able to hear the priest. And my expensive “spa” day at the Hotel del Coronado with a facial and massage intended to relax me had been one long merchandising pitch to get me to buy their over-priced products (which I didn’t want or need). Add in my general grumpiness because my sons were hanging out in the room overloading on chocolate and jelly beans because it was too chilly to swim and I was not a happy camper. All I wanted to do was relax in bed and read The Help.

And then the bed’s headboard began to shake.

My first thought was %#*&!!! Just my luck to get a hyped-up over-sexed couple in the next room!

But then I looked across the room at the television set and it was swaying crazily front to back. I jumped out of bed and ran to the door between our connecting rooms shouting “Earthquake! Get to the doors!”

Amazingly, my sons didn’t ask questions, they just ran. One to my husband standing in the bathroom door and the other to me in the connecting door. We held on to each other for what was the longest 90 seconds of my life. The horrific Haiti earthquake was still fresh in my mind and while I knew that buildings in California were meant to withstand severe shakes, I was still terrified.

Finally, everything stopped . . . and as my husband and I stared at each other, we heard pounding footsteps outside our door as people raced to the stairs. Needless to say, we soon joined them and went outside to wait in the hotel’s parking lot.

Was there a crowd in the parking lot? Frantic people? Injured people?

No, there wasn’t. It was just the cleaning staff and another family from New York. It seems it takes a lot more than a “little rumble” to scare Californians.

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Near Glacier Basin RMNP

With its amazing jaw-dropping scenery, it’s not surprising that Rocky Mountain National Park made it onto Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up. What was a little unique was the WAY they recommended seeing it – on horseback.

We’d already spent the morning driving the Old Fall River Road to what felt like the top of the world (at least for height-phobic me) and for our afternoon at Rocky Mountain National Park, I’d planned a two-hour trail ride with Glacier Creek Stables at 1pm, leaving us plenty of time to drive into our hotel near the Denver Airport before it got too dark.

Sigh . . . you know what they always say about the best-laid plans . . .

As you might have noticed from the pictures, when we reached the Alpine Visitor Center at Rocky Mountain National Park we were at a seriously high elevation – as in 11,799 feet high.

Alpine Visitor Center

To get to the Glacier Stables we needed to descend about 3000 feet over a very short distance, and somehow, going DOWN the mountain was more terrifying than going up. I crept down the mountain, my hands gripping the steering wheel so hard I was white-knuckled – because in my mind the next gust of wind was going to send us right over the edge of road.

How bad was it? So bad I refused to let my son open a bag of chips because the noise was distracting. Needless to say, we didn’t make the 1pm trail ride.

Thank goodness for cell phones. When it became obvious we weren’t going to make the ride, I pulled over, let them know we would be late and could we please get on their next ride at 3 pm?

The rest, as they say, is history . . .

We had our trail ride in Rocky Mountain National Park later than expected (which the boys claimed wasn’t as exciting as their ride in Wyoming) and checked another item off our “500 List.”

Happy Trails

Seventy-three places visited, 427 to go!

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Bighorn Sheep in Rocky Mountain NP

One of the amazing parts of our US Western trip was the variety of animals we saw – which for my zoologist-in-training was a slice of heaven. By the time we got to Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park, we’d seen bison, moose, eagles, prairie dogs, and even a rattlesnake. Only one animal had eluded us – a bighorn sheep.

As I drove the last few miles in the late afternoon to our hotel in Estes Park, I told the guys that “wouldn’t it be nice if we could see a bighorn sheep?”

Ever the tween pessimist, my oldest said,”Yeah, but we probably won’t. Remember what the guy said? It’s too hot for them.” (The guy in question being Kurt, our naturalist guide at Grand Teton National Park).

He was probably right, but as we turned a corner, a car ahead had pulled over onto a turnout and the driver was waving frantically at us from beside his car. I pulled over, killed the engine, and looked to where he was pointing . . .

. . . that’s right, folks . . . not one, but TWO bighorn sheep. They lazily posed for pictures and then scampered off when a car passed by but didn’t stop.

We drove slowly to the hotel, a smile on my face as my zoologist now proclaimed that his favorite animal was the bighorn sheep (with his previous favorite, the bison a now distant second) – I’d seen my bighorn.

And just as a FYI – the ones we saw were teenagers out where they shouldn’t be (just like teenagers everywhere) because their horns, which grow their entire lives were small and hadn’t begun to curl.

Check out other photos at

Photo Friday

and

R We There Yet, Mom?

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