Travel planning: A quick trip to Los Angeles

Today I’m reviving my long-abandoned habit of sharing some of my planning for upcoming trips. If you’re like me you know that often half the fun of travel lies in the preparation, which is of course platonic in that it is completely devoid of whining, super-early mornings, illness, and the unexpected that accompanies any trip with children.

We’ll have three full days in L.A., one of them the day we arrive (our flight gets in at 9:30 in the morning). Since we’re mostly going to visit with family who live in Rancho Palos Verdes, I’ve already planned some expeditions out that way including a trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific and (possibly) a whale-watching boat ride. But the third day of our trip is open and I’m trying to decide what to do. You may recall that Matt, Tommy, and I spent three months in Los Angeles six years ago and during that time we had many far-flung favorite haunts including Travel Town and the Los Angeles Zoo, both in Griffiths Park; Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier; and the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino.

With one day, and so much to choose from, it’s difficult to narrow down our plans. But per usual I think I’m going to let the children’s interests be the driving force behind our itinerary. Right now I’m leaning toward a trip downtown to the Miracle Mile area on Wilshire Boulevard. This is a great area with lots to see – my thinking is that we can drive there, park, and then let the children’s moods and interests dictate what we do.

I’m pretty sure that Teddy will want to see dinosaurs being excavated at the La Brea Tar Pits and see the fossils on display at the Page Museum.

The Petersen Automotive Museum is also nearby and that should be fun for all of us. Not only are there lots of cool antique cars to see there, they currently have an exhibit called “The Sounds of Speed” exploring the relationship between cars and music – I can’t wait to see some of the album covers on display (should also be fun to explain to the boys what an “album” and a “record” are).

And if we’re feeling in an artistic mood, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is right there as well. Among the exhibits that I think the boys would like is “American Stories: Paintings of Everyday Life 1765-1915″ – sounds perfect for Tommy, who is a real history buff. They also have a new children’s gallery where we can learn about brush painting and Korean art.

For lunch or a snack, we’ll head a few blocks away to the Farmers Market, a great place to just wander around and gawk, to say nothing of eating, much like the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.

In addition to our itinerary, there are some logistics for me to consider on this trip. Matt will already be in California for business, so the boys and I will be flying solo to meet him. I’ve done day-long drives with the two of them but I’ve never flown with them both alone before. Since our flight is at 6:30 in the morning and since I’d like to have a full day of swimming and whale watching when we arrive, I’m thinking of getting a hotel room at the Philadelphia Airport the night before we leave. I think it will be worth the expense to get the trip off to a smooth start.

The boys and I will be picking up a rental car at LAX, and I’m thankful that I did spend a lot of time driving all over Los Angeles when we stayed there – it makes me marginally less intimidated about doing so. I’m trying to decide whether to check the boys’ booster seats at the desk or bring them to the gate.

And finally there’s the matter of Easter. Rather than haul along the boys’ baskets I think I’m going to get them each a chocolate bunny and write a note from the Easter Bunny explaining that their other goodies were delivered to our house and will be waiting for them when we return. We are planning to go to church on Easter Sunday at All Saints Pasadena, which is where we attended when we lived there. Then it will be off to Phoenix to see Grandma and Grandpa. Should be a busy and fun couple of days.

So what about you lovely people – any suggestions for Los Angeles? Got any of your own plans going on right now? Please share!

Photo of palm trees courtesy of tiarescott via Flickr.

Photo of La Brea Tar Pits courtesy of notaboutwill via Flickr.

Photo of Farmers Market courtesy of _e.t. via Flickr.