Local Fun
Arts Along the Arroyo
The six Museums of the Arroyo are hosting MOTA Day from noon-4 p.m. May 19, which means free admission to The Gamble House, Pasadena Museum of History, Heritage Square, Los Angeles Police Museum, Lummis Home and the Autry’s Historic Southwest Museum, Mt. Washington Campus. At the Southwest Museum, you can stroll through the scenic community […]
Visions of the Pacific at the Aquarium
The Aquarium of the Pacific doesn’t often do major expansions. This month marks the first big addition since it opened in 1998, but it is well worth the wait! The aquarium’s impressive new 9,000-square-foot, two-story wing, Pacific Visions, debuts May 24 and includes the immersive 300-seat Honda Pacific Visions Theater, the 2,800-square-foot Pacific Visions Art Gallery […]
Pop-Ups are Popping Up all Over This Spring
Southern California will be populated with a plethora of pop-up experiences this spring, with at least five scheduled to be open during May alone. Zentopia (zentopia.showclix.com), over on the Westside, is the creation of Debi Cable, whose work has appeared at Burning Man and Electric Daisy Carnival. It has been described as a “visual carnival” […]
Leo del desierto: Toddlers in the Desert
Some kids don’t mind the heat. But mine, when the sun beats down just right on their porcelain little foreheads (we’re the descendants of peoples that dealt mainly with dark Brittonic clouds that nay bent to the sun’s relenting power), melt into cranky, lifeless puddles. This is what keeps us on the Westside. So why […]
Our 7 Favorite May Family Events
You’ll find YA books, beach parties, bugs, berries, groovy games, real heroes and a swam romp among our top events for May.
Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle
With the castle as the projection screen, the World of Harry Potter comes alive in a way that is even more multidimensional than watching one of the Harry Potter movies on a theater screen.
Our 5 Fave Los Angeles Weekend Freebies (May 18-19)
This weekend’s free events include fun at the beach, car-free fun, mindful art and free museums.
8 Great L.A. Toy Stores
If you’ve been fretting about where to do your toy shopping since the closure of Toys R Us, we have good news: L.A. County has an incredible selection of independent toy stores. No matter where you live – the Westside, Hollywood, the Valley or points beyond – there is at least one can’t-miss store that […]
Stay Strong: How to Make Parenting and Fitness Work Out
On a recent Sunday, as I was lying in bed (still half asleep), a light drizzle showered the orange tree outside my window. I stared at the ceiling, feeling awfully lazy. Suddenly, I heard the thundering footsteps of my 4-year-old, Hank, rushing toward my door. The door burst open. “Dad! Wake up!” he yelled, yanking […]
Sensory-Friendly Story Times at L.A. Libraries
Librarians have special powers. With the use of dramatic recitation, song and dance, interactive Q&A sessions and art – and a good story, of course – librarians can captivate any gaggle of children scattered about their feet. They make reading fascinating and make the library a central location for early learning. Story time is a […]
A Parent’s Ode to Kidspace
L.A. isn’t often described as a “beautiful city,” which is to say that no writer would rank it among towns such as San Francisco or Paris. OK, sure, there’s the Riviera of Malibu, the exquisite beaches of the South Bay, the golden oak-laden hills of the Verdugos and the lush residential canyons that make up […]
Journeying Through L.A.’s Art Scene With Kids
My 4-year-old, Hank, and I watched a local news story the other day about award-winning class paintings rendered by kindergarteners. “I guess that’s not bad for 5-year-olds,” I said. “Why is this on TV, Dada?” asked Hank. He loves to draw, and I proudly cherish all of his renderings (to be saved in perpetuity like […]
The Great Ice-scape, or How I Learned to Let My Kids Love the Snow
My boys loathe the cold. My boys loathe the heat, too, but since it’s January and about as chilly as it’s going to get here in L.A., I’ll focus on the cold. Hank, who’s 4, has always been more curious about the weather than willing to be out in it. “Tell me more about these […]
The Parks Project Eases a New Big Sister’s Transition
In March of 2014, just after my son was born, my daughter Eka and I started traveling to as many parks around the San Gabriel Valley as we could. Eka was 4 at the time and very attached to my wife. Our almost-daily trips began as a way to distract her from no longer being […]
Helping Out in L.A.
People often ask me how I manage to raise children in a city like L.A. They imply that my hometown is where shallowness abounds while social pressures prevail, where traffic divides communities and, in the absence of a central location, the most vulnerable populations become invisible. When I hear these complaints about the City of […]
Adventures in SoCal’s Zoos: Planning your Attack with Toddlers
Taken by a weeklong sweep of toddler nagging, a few Saturdays ago we took our kids, Hank and Leo, to the San Diego Zoo. “Why do we keep going up and down so much?” Hank, who is 4, kept asking as we climbed hills to reach the zoo. My wife, Kate, and I glanced at […]
Go On Tour with Kids in L.A. Factories
Got a golden ticket? You’d need one to enter Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. But if you want to peek inside some of Southern California’s most interesting factories, usually all you have to do is ask. Local factories – which make everything from fresh marmalade to olive oil and, yes, chocolate – gladly open their doors […]
Birthdays That are So L.A.
Kick your child’s star power up a notch on their special day the L.A. way, with a one-of-a-kind celebration served up with a touch of the delicious, the wild and a side of the fantastic. Why not knock a few things off the bucket list while they’re young, and let the adults come along for […]
Does L.A. Have Small Towns? A Search Within the City Limits
Here’s a common complaint (mostly from newbies): L.A. is a sprawling and isolating place. We natives will take the jab, for who among us hasn’t fantasized about our city of times past? Like when it was the size of Dubuque and there was nothing but oil fields west of Vermont Avenue. Or when red streetcars […]
Under-the-Radar Beaches: Planning Seaside Family Time
There is a stereotype about L.A. that suggests no one here works. Common sense tells us that a world-class economy with diverse industries employing millions of people couldn’t function if we didn’t, but even my wife Kate and I have found ourselves annoyed at, say, noon on a Tuesday at Blue Bottle Coffee. “What do […]
Ripe for Satire: A Taste of this Summer’s Farmers Market Scene
On a lazy, unseasonably chilly Sunday morning in L.A. this May, my 3-year-old son exclaimed, “Let’s go to the farmers market!” It was 7 a.m. My wife Kate and I, still half-comatose, were hardly through our first sips of coffee. We looked at each other as Hank continued his demands. Defeated, we shrugged, downed the […]
7 L.A. Playgrounds Perfect for Unstructured Play
Right now, parents across the U.S. are feeling the subtle but ever-present tug of war between structured and unstructured time for their kids. The trend over the last few decades has been toward increasing amounts of scheduled activities for children in the interest of safety and student achievement. And despite a large body of recent […]
Neighborhood Gallery Offers More than Art
Families in the Arlington Heights area of L.A. have a hidden gem in their neighborhood. The Underground Museum, an unassuming storefront art gallery, serves as a community center, farmers market, yoga and meditation studio and outdoor movie theater. Founded by the late painter and installation artist Noah Davis and his wife, Karon Davis, The Underground […]
A Literary Resurgence: The Fall – and Rise – of Indie Bookstores
About a week ago, I was driving in my Prius listening to NPR (because you know: West L.A.), and as I passed a couple of boarded-up frozen yogurt stands and poké spots in Santa Monica, I heard a story on the unlikely resurgence of independent bookstores. Apparently, 27 percent more libro vendors exist in the […]
Mommy and Me Spa Day in Los Angeles: Share the Ahhhhh
While a relaxing day at the spa can be a great solo break for a busy mom, it can also be a fun way to spend one-on-one time with your child. We found a fantastic group of L.A. spas that offer special packages for moms and kids to enjoy together, or services for kids to […]
Getting ‘Centered’ at L.A.’s Nature Centers
It has been one of those weeks of endless traffic, of arguing over screen time, of too much social media and disheartening news reports. So, on a crisp, clear Sunday, I head to Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena. It is a rare morning when I am alone, so I decide to scope out this […]
Make it a Date with 15 Family-Friendly Outings in Los Angeles
February is the month for Valentines, hearts, flowers and dates with the one you love. We’ll trust you moms and dads to plan your own grown-up outings (or evenings in) – but why should you have all the fun? Here are 15 family dates you can enjoy with the kids. Bring on the Brunch For […]
Millennial Dad in Los Angeles: Suds with my Bud: Kid-Friendly Craft Breweries
On a December afternoon, while the rest of the country was freezing its collective butt off, mine was planted on a picnic bench at Rock & Brews, a kid-friendly biergarten in El Segundo. I sipped craft beers and noshed on fries while my son Hank romped around in the kids zone. There are moments in […]
6 Top Doughnut Shops
The greater Los Angeles area has an abundance of doughnut shops, and doughnuts make a great treat for the whole family. Check out one of these quirky and popular shops next time a doughnut craving hits.
Surprises Behind the Orange Curtain: Good Coffee and Gated Adventure Parks in the OC
This month’s column is an exploration of Bizarro World. I’m talking about that other dimension just south of the Habra-Mirada Line: Orange County. Although the OC is just a 30-minute drive from LAX (traffic permitting), we Angelenos tend to look down on the suburban sprawl just south of us. Perhaps the annual trip to Disneyland […]
Wake Up: A Millennial Dad’s Guide to Los Angeles Coffee
I’m tired. My son, Hank, is now 10 months old and wakes up every morning at 5:30. I used to wake up at 8:30 a.m. Those days are over. Now my alarm clock is a howling cry from the next room. Now it’s all about this little angel – and yet all I can think […]
Where to Find L.A.’s Coolest Ice Cream and Gelato Shops
Considering our year-round sunny weather, it’s no wonder Los Angeles has a seemingly endless array of ice cream parlors, gelaterias and FroYo shops. If you’re ready to venture beyond the shop on the corner for something truly special, here are six spots that are absolutely worth a try. Scoops original location is on hip-as-can-be Heliotrope […]