I've never been a beach person - nor much of a water person for that matter - there are only lakes and rivers in the land-locked Prairies scoured out of the ground by the glacial action of the last ice age and the meltwaters of the Rocky Mountains .
But, I think I could be... Place name links like Carolina Beach, NC go to Wikipedia. Place name links like Carolina Beach use the local tourism or government website.
| 2013.01.01 |
The Rose Parade |
Comment
|
Today is a real early day for us. Up at 5am to head downtown to catch a Metro train to go to Pasadena for The Rose Parade along with 2.5 million other people, many of whom have camped out along the parade route for a day or so to get a prime viewing spot. We headed to an intersection nearer the end of the parade route to hopefully get a good place and we did OK, scoring a place right before a judging stand so floats would have to stop and wait right in the intersection. Not as good as a front-on view, but pretty good positioning for the amount of effort we put into getting a spot.
Two hours later, we were on the Metro heading back downtown. Being near the end of the parade route meant we missed a lot of the crowd getting there and back. The floats were colourful and intricate, but not as flowered-up as we expected. Good to see the parade live once, but seeing it on TV is a lot easier on the feet and a lot more instructive. I DVRed the whole thing off a local channel so we could watch it again and see what we missed, with some commmentary. |
| |
| 2013.01.01 |
The Original Farmer's Market, and American Girl Place |
Comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
After the Rose Parade we headed to the Original Farmers Market , a permanent location for food stalls and crafts and eateries open seven days a week year-round since 1934. It's a maze of booths and seating areas popular with locals and a stop for tourists. The Market is also home to Du-par's restaurant known for its pancakes, and for us at least, its incredibly-poor service no matter what time of day we've been there or which location. Nonetheless, the Market is a fun place and a melting-pot of Los Angeles life. |
| Next to the Market is The Grove at Farmers Market , an Olde Towne-y outdoor shopping mall featuring one of the freakiest stores I've seen: American Girl Place, selling all manner of life-like dolls and the accessories and services to go with them, including a 'salon' |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| and a 'hospital' and a dining room that was backed-up with eager little consumerettes and their Moms and Grandmas and Aunties. Though the dolls started as quasi-educational, with historical themes and accompanying literature, they've morphed into crass (and expensive) consumerism under the guise of "girl power" and manufactured self-expression. Just plain weird, but very popular, with lots of little girls milling about The Grove with AG bags. |
| |
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)