10/12/12

Posted on by
1



Photograph a scar, yours or someone elses, and write a paragraph about it. (Creative assignment thanks to: Learning to Love You More, the now-completed participatory art project conceived by Miranda July).

Which public figure, living or dead, would you most want to have dinner with? Hit over the head with a hammer? Have sex with?

“I begin chanting the Friday night song of greeting, Sholem Aleichem, before dinner, as we pull the kids away from games and laptops, as my husband and I scramble to put the last bits of food on the table. The four verses stretch over time – separating us from our weekday life…By the time we all get to the table, the last few lines are sung and a calm (although sometimes brief) has descended.” (Rachel Levin)

This outing is best done with kids, but even without, it’s a winner. Get in the car, drive east on the 10 into the glorious wilds of the San Gabriel Valley. While on the road, phone in a take-out order to 101 Noodle Express. Get the beef roll and at least one order of the pumpkin dumplings. Trust us. Look for the bowling alley on Valley Boulevard – 101 is right next door. Skip the line outside, pick up your food and drive a few blocks away to the altogether enchanting Vincent Lugo Park. Designed and built in the 1960s by artist Benjamin Dominguez, this is the Watts Towers of playgrounds, where the slides and rides are built into concrete creatures. Careen down the neck to the purple serpent. Marvel at the octopus. Gobble down that beef roll. All is well.

Another great outing for you and the little wiggleworms. Pack a picnic, strap on your hiking shoes and head up into the Oakland Hills and take a ride on the Tilden Park steam locomotive, then wander over to the carousel and farm. All three are a short drive away and each offers its own particular brand of fun. Be sure to feed the cows. We love giving them stalks of celery and watching them chomp ‘em down.

We’ve walked through Bryant Park on our way somewhere a million times, but today we’re making it our destination. First we’re devoting an hour or two to exploring the library inside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building located at 40th and 5th, right across the street. We’ll look for the first Gutenberg Bible to cross the Atlantic and the original Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals. Back outside, we’re heading over to the park to try a game of ping pong, catch a magic show and sit down on a bench with a Tastee Freeze. Because sometimes the places you pass by are worth stopping for.

Forward to a friend or share it:

One thought on “10/12/12”

  1. Melbourne Australia.
    Take a drive out to Hurstbridge and have brunch at the ‘Wild Wombat’ cafe with good friends. Great food, cheap prices, locally sourced produce, willing and able to amaze with catering for food allergies.

    Go for a walk along the Mullum Mullum Creek trail. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for rainbow lorikeets and kookaburras – nature is good for the soul.