bananapancakes

I really enjoyed my trip to Louisiana and I would love to visit again. There was pretty much southern hospitality everywhere. The weather wasn’t that bad when I went there (August). Most of my time there was spent in Baton Rouge and only about a day in New Orleans. There’s much more I wanted to see in New Orleans though. It’s cheaper to fly in to New Orleans than BTR, which I later found out and saw that a lot of the terminals in the airport at New Orleans are still closed since after Hurricane Katrina.

This is the biggest airport that I’ve been to. I had a connecting flight here and I thought that I would be able to just walk to my next terminal. I kept following the signs, but then I ended up in the Terminalink, which is a small monorail that takes people to other terminals. The terminal I needed was in a completely different building!

The California State Capitol is fun to visit at least once. My favorite parts were seeing the historic offices of the state treasurer, secretary of state, and governor. The current governor’s office (pictured above) is there too, but people weren’t allowed to go inside. Assembly members also met in the assembly gallery and people are allowed to watch them from the balcony, which overlooks the gallery (it looked just like on C-SPAN).

I almost forgot that I sort of went here last year. While on the Universal Studios tram tour, we drove passed Wisteria Lane, but the set was closed because they were filming. I saw the homes from the TV show and everyone on the tram including the speaker had to keep quiet whenever we passed by Wisteria Lane.

I went to a Padres vs. Dodgers baseball game earlier this month. It was a fun game to watch and there was a fireworks show at the end of the game. Petco Park is a nice baseball stadium because it’s fairly new and it’s nicely located in downtown. I’d go to another Padres baseball game there, especially on a giveaway day or on a value weekend that includes a ticket, hot dog, and drink for a cheap price.

This place was definitely a candy heaven! It is every candy lover’s dream! Before I entered Candy Heaven, I noticed a sign that said “free samples.” I was expecting to just have one single piece of candy as a sample, but I was wrong! The greeter at the door told people that we can sample any candy that has a blue sign and all the taffy as long as we eat it inside the shop. If you are ever in the mood for sugar, make sure to stop by Candy Heaven! :)

I went here when the house (museum) was closed, but it’s still a nice place to visit. The grounds was open, so I was able to take a self guided tour. There are signs around the property with information about the house and history of Malibu. The backyard is Malibu Beach and right next door is the Malibu Lagoon. Gorgeous scenery all around!

I love the Getty Villa! I was actually able to reserve tickets a couple of days before…I think I got the last time slot of that day. Admission is free with reservations, but you will have to pay for parking. They specifically say that you can not park in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The difference I noticed between the Getty Center and the Getty Villa is that the Center has more paintings and the Villa has more sculptures/statues. It also seemed less crowded and quieter at the Villa, which I think is because of the ticket reservations. You will not be disappointed with the exhibitions, architecture, and outdoor scenery of the Getty Villa!

My favorite from the permanent exhibits was the Temple of Herakles gallery. The tile pattern on the marble floor leading up to the statue of Herakles is beautiful. I also saw The Color of Life exhibit, which will only be there until June 23, 2008. Part of that exhibit was the recreation of original roman statues. One of my favorites from the exhibit was the Dying Gaul by John De Andrea.

I would definitely recommend the Getty Villa if you ever plan on visiting the Malibu area.

The pier at Redondo Beach is unique as compared to other piers I’ve been to. Instead of the pier being long and straight, it goes out to the ocean, curves, and comes back to land at another location…so you can walk around it, rather than up and down…

Another thing I like at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is the Whisper Dishes (one dish pictured above…there are two dishes placed at opposite sides of the room). It is part of their permanent exhibit called, “Look! Touch! Listen!” People can talk to others by sitting next to one dish, while someone sits at the other. What they say to each other can be heard clearly even though they are 50 feet away from one another and using their usual tone of voice.