J o u r n e y s: Los Angeles

Hurray for Hollywood! You have to sing that in your head, because I was singing it all week long. I was in LA when I was 12, but I don't remember much about it. We did a driving tour, so most of what I saw was from a car window. This was my chance to really explore.

I had a car, which was a first for my sabbatical travels, but I'd been assured by, well, everyone that you needed a car in LA. I was staying a few nights in Anaheim, and a few nights on the water in Long Beach by the cruise port. I go where it's cheap, folks, and they ended up being lovely places to call home for a few days.

My first adventure was actually south, to San Juan de Campistrano. When I said I was going to California, everyone said "you're going to a mission, right?" They know this history teacher well. My cousin's wife recommended this one, and it was spot-on. The perfect mix of museum, ruins, and beautiful gardens, I spent a glorious few hours learning about the Spanish mission system in California and how it evolved through California's changing nationalitiy in the 1800s. They had a fantastic audio guide included in the price. Truly, this was a memorable visit. Afterwards, I drove back up the Pacific Coast highway, blaring my reggaeton music with the windows down. I stopped at Long Beach just before sunset and watched the few brave surfers in the cold water for a while.

My foray into Downtown LA began at the Chinese Theater, which was nearly completely blocked by scaffolding for the Oscars the following weekend. I walked the ENTIRE length of the Walk of Fame, down one side of the road and back the other. It was a good day for a long walk. I found the handprints and footprints in front of the theater and marveled at some, got teary at others. RIP, Robin Williams. You always made me laugh.

After spending the morning in screentown, I headed to very old LA. Very old. La Brea tar pits old. I'm not sure if it was My Girl 2 or something else that taught me about these, but they fascinated me. I didn't go into the museum, just walked through the park and checked out the tar pits and the huge boxes of paleological remains that have been found in the region. I finished my explorations with a trip down Rodeo Drive, playing "Pretty Woman" of course.

The next day, I made my way up to the Getty Museum. It was a crazy set up. You had to park and then take a monorail up to the actual museum, on a cliff overlooking the city. The museum itself was gorgeous, all white buildings with lots of windows and terraces. The art is spread through four buildings. I'd gone for the Renaissance, but ended up loving a special exhibited on illuminated manuscripts and their depiction of marginalized people in medieval Europe. The museum was full of school trips, which was a little overwhelming and crowded, but I love seeing kids in museums. I finished my visit with a stroll through their new American photography exhibit.

My last touristy stop in LA was the Aquarium of the Pacific. I could walk there from my hotel, and March started Teacher Appreciation month, with a discounted admission. It certainly wasn't the grandest aquarium I've been to, but it had a cute little collection, passionate employees, and a lot of information about the animals and their environment.

By far the best part of LA was getting to see my cousin and his family, some of them meeting for the first time. It's fun to have family spread out that you can visit, but hard to only see them once at year (at most!). I was really happy to get to see them on THEIR turf for the first time, and they had great tips about enjoying my time in LA.