Pictures of the Natural History Museum

To make up for the fact that I didn't post at all yesterday, I'll be sharing a few photos from the NHM that didn't make it into my last post- enjoy!

What do dinosaurs, geodes, and butterflies have in common?

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles! Austine and I ended up going today with his family and some cousins. Parking was ten dollars, and admission for adults was 12 per person, with extra for the butterfly pavillion. Despite the cost (expensive for a couple trying to get out of debt) we really enjoyed it. I would definitely go back in a heartbeat. Ethan seemed to really get a kick out of the displays, he would coo and sing at them!




The dinosaur exhibit was very neat. It really is amazing that these creatures existed in our world so long ago. The size really overwhelms you when you are standing next to a giant dinosaur skeleton.























I just love the way the whole museum looks, its totally classic. We're talking stained glass, worked iron, bronze statues, chandeliers.















There is a ton to see and I didn't feel like I got to take everything in, it is just so much to absorb! We did tour the entire museum before we went outside to the butterfly pavillion. It was really neat, but since Ethan was asleep in the stroller he didn't get to see it (which may have been for the best, I can see in my minds eye the havoc he could have wreaked).










It was absolutely beautiful! It felt as if there were little flying flowers fluttering about the tent. I didn't have a great camera, just my iPhone cam, but I did catch a few good shots as you guys can probably see. I may go back, as I found out the first Friday of every month is free (and probably jam packed). I encourage everyone who hasn't been and is in the area to check it out!

Art in the streets @ MOCA

Ethan and I at the depot

We ended up going to this AMAZING exhibit in Little Tokyo yesterday. First off, we took the train which is always an experience. Don't get me wrong, I love taking the train. If I could take it everywhere I would, there are so many plus sides; no parking to worry about, you get exercise, and you actually get to see the people who live around you. No cars, no road rage - just relaxation and scenery seeing! If you don't look at the scenery, you can look at the guy getting arrested at the depot (no joke), the person talking to themselves on the train, it goes on and on!
But! It's not a bad thing. Los Angeles is a very urban place, and it certainly reminds you that you don't live in the country.

The "Uncles"

Ethan was absolutely amazing! He just loved hanging out with his "Uncles". I have to say, they love him too. They spend most of their time hanging out with him, trying to make him laugh. I think it really comes from having such large (read Catholic) families. They have all been introduced to small children and the thought of holding one is not scary in the slightest. They really do save my butt from time to time (frustration wise).

So we took the Metro Gold Line, which I highly recommend taking if you want to go to Olvera Street, Chinatown, Pasadena, Mission St in South Pasadena. There are so many stops, if you buy an all day pass (I think it's 5 dollars right now) you could spend a whole day seeing the sights, and still have some left at the sun sets!

The sign from the line

So the train ride took about 30 minutes, which was absolute bliss. We finally got off at the Little Tokyo/Arts stop, and found the Geffen Center. Man, the line was long! We had read a bunch of stuff online which said admittance was free. LIES! Admittance was only free on Thursdays or Mondays (and the Mondays are for a limited time). So, we ended up paying 10 bucks a person, which turned into 30 for us since Mikey didn't have any cash (what else is new haha). However, I think anyone will agree with me when I say if you wait in line for something for an hour to 1.5 hours, you'll pay amounts you never would have if the line were only 10 minutes long. I have to say it was worth it. I'm really glad that I got to see the entire exhibit. Pictures cannot do some of this art justice! Words can't either, as it turns out. Here are some of the pictures we took!

My favorite exhibit, I didn't catch the artist's name though!

Love this little dude!

See any similarities? I'm kidding.

Oh no not YOGI!

This piece looks much different farther away than closer. Did that make sense?!

Austine made his own art with this blurry picture!

Banksy. Love. Him.

In the city...

Crazy neon room

Dark alley...is this the real LA?

 

City of...graffiti?

Our family on the way back! Pickle is a bit tired.

We loved the exhibit to say the least. While a lot of things just weren't my style, there were several things that really grabbed my imagination and ran away with it. After the exhibit, we headed to Orochon Ramen nearby, which was delish. I really wish I had taken a picture of the place because it was really amazing! You get your choice of three soup bases, plus the level of spiciness, plus any addons you want (think egg, extra meat ect). It was so delicious, I am hell bent on finding something in our area (which shouldn't be too hard). I wish I could recreate it in my kitchen... Hope you guys enjoyed the post, I know I enjoyed writing about our amazing time!