Pann's

Pann's, made famous by this scene from Pulp Fiction, is a classic, vintage LA diner.

We've been coming here for several years, even before we had kids. 

It's a great place to stop when coming from or going to LAX. It has a wonderful look and history to it.  

They do a bang up business on the weekends. And like most joints in LA, it's best to come before 10 AM to avoid the crowds. That said, we came at 11:00 on a Sunday and only waited about 20 mins.

Tracing a path on the map in the waiting area

A ton of families come here so the kids get crayons and place mats to color on and a decent kids menu.

 But be warned, this is a diner, so you won't find organic tofu on the menu.

Lots of famous faces have eaten, or filmed here.

Too tired to eat!

New Fantasy Faire at Disneyland

We're Annual Passport holders of Disneyland and California Adventure and we're very excited about the new Fantasy Faire opening up on March 12th in Disneyland. Given that Disneyland is the original park and has a limited footprint, it's not often that you have such a major addition to the park.

Designed to look like Belle's village, this area is the new meet-n-greet for the Princesses. There will be costumes that can be purchased so your child can dress up like her favorite Princess. 

This past weekend there was a Cast Members review prior to opening to the general public. Here you will find some great pics of what's behind the green curtains. 

Fantasy Faire is located right next to Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

Cheers! ~J.

Broad Contemporary Art Museum BCAM

The Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM for short) is located between LACMA West and LACMA East campuses on Wilshire Blvd. Part of LACMA's expansion and renovation plans, BCAM hosts a wide variety of contemporary art from Eli Broad's personal collection. 

Admittedly I'm not the biggest fan of contemporary art, but there are two things that keep bringing us back here; Metropolis II (kids) and the view (me). The view of the Hollywood Hills from the top of the escalator is something that the photographer in you will love. It wasn't that clear on this last visit so no good shot from me, and Metropolis II only runs at certain times, see sched here. 

View into the oversize elevator shaft. 

Inside the XXL elevator is a great red background for pics.

Getting a closer look of Metropolis II

Big brother, a veteran of museum visits, teaching little sis how to do "museum hands"

Didn't catch the name of this, but it's on the upper level west in BCAM

While Richard Serra's Sequence has moved out, his Band is still in the east side of the lower level at BCAM

An afternoon in Chinatown

A couple of times a year we head down to Chinatown in downtown L.A. I like shopping for Feng Shui gifts for my friends and family. The kids enjoy looking at all the various animals, some on display as potential pets and some as potential meals! This time I wasn't so lucky in the shopping department, the shop keepers seemed to be worn out post Christmas, but we did get a light lunch in a Hop Woo where my daughter got her first taste of Chinese green tea.

Turn a corner in one of the shopping warrens and you might just encounter this alter.

My husband threatens to buy a live chicken here every time..shudder

Nice looking guitar shop, in Chinatown, who knew?

Her first Chinese green tea

Chinatown Christmas tree

Our view heading home, such a gorgeous day

The Hobbit in the park at The Grove

These are pics of the of The Hobbit props on display in the park at The Grove. We went early, before any stores opened, so there wasn't a soul in sight and we could take our time looking at all the cool stuff from the movie. 

If you're a fan I highly recommend checking it out. 

Cheers! ~ J.

Toluca Lake Xmas Open House

Tonight is the annual Toluca Lake Christmas Open House.

Starting at 5:30, there will be a Santa for the kids to take pictures with. Most of the merchants stay open late to welcome the seasons revelers. There'll be carolers and food tasting. 

This will be the first time I've ever gotten a chance to take part. Looking forward to it and will post pics later on.

UPDATE: see a few pics below...

Cheers!

J.

Here is a link with more information. 

A few pics from the night.....

Street musicians

The sweets at Sweet Salt

"Snow" for the kids to play with

Santa drew a crowd and a local news crew.

Happy Halloween!

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Halloween!

Cheers!

J.