Day 7: Disneyland or How Much Money Can We Charge Families for Memories

I love Disney World more than Disneyland. More. Way more. My kids were not impressed with Disneyland because they said they've pretty much already been when they went to Disney World. Because they looked at what Disneyland offered, we hopped over to Disney's California Adventure park. Better, but still expensive for the amount of attractions you get. We wanted to ride the Cars ride, but it was a 4 hour wait...FOR THE FAST PASS PEOPLE!! Are they kidding me? Seriously. We would have had to wait even longer than that because there was NO way I was going to pay for a fast pass. Bummer.
I will tell you, my kids do not love thrill rides. They used to, but something happened to change their minds otherwise. Ethan got on the Tower of Terror with Brian. Yeah, he said it was never happening again. We rode everything else and it was all well and good until we got on Mickey's Fun Wheel. We chose to ride in the cars that purposefully rock back and forth. They move fast as you go around on a typical ferris wheel. OMG. After the first time it rocked (it's insane how fast it is), Caden burst into tears and bawled the entire time. He is not about the thrill either. Really, the first time the car rocked was a shock. After that, you got used to it and it really was fun.
We finished up with all of the attractions there and headed to Downtown Disney. Still loved the FL one better. I will say everything has a 40% mark-up at Disney and that sucks.The deal is, my kids are not over-the-top fans of Disney. They just aren't. I know it's probably blasphemous among kids who do love Disney- themed things, but my kids just aren't into it. They did really enjoy Disney World, so I figure if we're going to do the Disney thing- we're doing it in FL.

I think I look like this ladybug, but I'm not a dude.

The Ferris Wheel from Hell (according to Cade)

I'm hoping California is building up something similar to what Florida did with Disney World and the multiple theme parks so that a park hopper pass would be worth the money. 

Day 6 Continued or I Seriously Love Being Tortured in L.A. Traffic, so Let's Make This Happen!

I still hate L.A. traffic. Buut, we finished with both museums although, I don't know if you can really say we finished. The boys could've stayed for days on end just examining every square inch of that massive building.
We drove a little further into L.A. and visited the La Brea Tar Pits. Basically, long ago, L.A. was a collection of tar pits that collected leaves, dust, and water. It also collected the bones of deceased animals which preserved them. Let's get this straight, there were NO dinosaurs found at the pits (Caden laughs every time we say, "Tar pits") because it was long after their time. What they have found are woolly mammoth remains, dire wolf remains, as well as a few other prehistoric mammals.
It smells like burned leg hair (I assume only because I've never actually smelled burned leg hair. But if I had smelled burned leg hair, it would smell like the tar pits probably...most likely.)

With this activity, you have to try to pull the pipe out of tar (yeah, real tar) for the sole purpose of seeing how tough it might have been for animals who got stuck in the tar pits, thus causing them to meet their demise.

Yes, these are real paleontologists (polentologist, Joey?) and they're working on 23 huge crates of remains they found in 2006 when they wanted to build a parking garage for the museum.

I'm guessing they got tired of verbally answering the FAQs people had.

So we were busy. Really busy because we decided to drive up to the Griffith Observatory (which is directly across from the Hollywood sign) and have a look around. Again with the parking and traffic... We ended up hiking up the mountain for a good mile and a half or so (all uphill) because parking was nonexistent. The observatory itself is righteous, but the view is the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae of excellence here. Breathtaking view of L.A. and the mountains.

And then, we decided to outsmart the traffic during rush hour so we took a drive down Mulholland. Scary, is what it is. It's fun, but scary. Anyway, we stopped for dinner and B said he had a surprise for me. We drive for a few blocks from our dining place and what do I see before me...

The freakin' Brady Bunch HOUSE! For real! The for really real one!! Zomg. Yep, we are THOSE people.

Day 6: L.A. or Hell in Traffic Form

L.A. Ahh you tempt me with your lusty thoughts, ideas, and movie-made dreams and then you doubly betray me with your stupid traffic. Seriously. No matter where we went or what we did...traffic. Not the kind that allows you to at least surf your phone. Noo noo no no. The kind that you are constantly gas, break, honk...gas, break, honk. We tried to go to the Santa Monica Pier and after fighting traffic, we just opted not to. It was insanely crowded and just not worth the effort. Sorry, Santa Monica.
We had give-up, you guys. Give. Up.
We drove back to the hotel in Anaheim and decided to explore on our trip to see the Endeavour and the museums the next day.
So, every city it seems, has something similar to our Fair Park. Here's the difference-The natural history museum and science museum in L.A. is FREE. That's right. Free. You pay nothing. And let me tell you people, the natural history museum is like something I've never seen before. It is stunning. Stunning I tell you!!

Endeavour was our first stop. It was awe-inspiring to see this massive vehicle used for space exploration/travel. I was hoping they'd let us get inside, but that was a giant no.

Science-y things here:

Natural History-y things here:

This building has some great architectural structure to it. Not only on the outside, but the inside is the most beautiful place I think I've ever been.

This is a stained glass ceiling piece in a round room that branched off into other exhibits. I wanted to see if my voice would echo, but B said I'd get security called on me. Next time, I will try it. I just know it.

A note from Walt Disney. A for real one.

The museums were awesome, but I found the fact that they were all free admission to be the best part. Seriously, everyone should have access to museums be they art, science, or natural history. The more people go, the more they understand, and the more informed they become.