Visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific

Over the holidays, we took Hudson to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach–and we all loved it. It’s a much smaller aquarium than the one in Monterey, but its size actually makes it nicely manageable for a brief visit with a toddler. The jellyfish and nettles and the giant Octopus are always highlights, as are the touch tanks with small sharks and rays. The sea lions, puffins, and otters all seemed to be putting on a show–and there are plenty of different vantage points for seeing them in their habitats. Sadly the Lorikeet exhibit was closed, but this bird enclosure where they will come perch on you in exchange for a sip of nectar is a lot of fun, too.

One of my neighbors when I was in high school, Warren Iliff, was the founding director of the Aquarium of the Pacific. Warren (who passed away in 2006) was gregarious and warm, with an infectious, goofy laugh, had a story that left your mouth agape for every occasion (most notably that time a chimpanzee took off his finger), a true Newman-Woodward-style romance with his wife, and a collection of air-sickness bags from around the world. It wasn’t surprising that he was chosen as the man to helm a bold new project to invigorate the Long Beach waterfront and I think he is still missed by those who worked there with him. We felt really lucky to get a behind-the-scenes look at the groundbreaking development of the aquarium and have a special affection for it, in part thanks to Warren.

If you’re visiting from out-of-town, be sure to see whether tickets can be combined with any other Southern California attractions on your itinerary and look out for special events and feeding schedules. There are lots restaurants around and in neighboring Shoreline Village, but the fish tacos at the aquarium were really good! (I know, is that so wrong? But I always want seafood after Scuba diving, too.)

babyGap presents Peter Rabbit

Yesterday, Gap introduced a limited-edition collection for babyGap inspired by Beatrix Potter and her Tale of Peter Rabbit.

And to celebrate the collection, Gap is hosting a special reading series for children and parents on January 26th at select babyGap stores around North America (Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington D.C., for example.) During the events, there will be a reading of Emma Thompson’s 2012 sequel, The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit, as well as themed activities and snacks.

I’m excited to say that I’ll be reading at the Valley Fair babyGap!

Back when I was writing BabyMine, I shared a video introducing Milk+Bookies, a non-profit organization that exposes young children to charitable giving by facilitating book donation events. Gap has partnered with Milk + Bookies, to host in-store book drives where shoppers can donate their literary favorites for others to learn and enjoy. All books collected through the book drives will be donated to localBoys & Girls Clubs.

So, if you’re in the area, please stop by with your little one–and bring a book to donate!

Los Angeles: Two favorites on Third Street

We used to live in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, so walking the strip of shops between Fairfax and La Cienega on Third street was a regular routine (in between pancakes at Doughboys or a cheese board at Joan’s). One must-stop is always OK on Third (I hear they now have a location in Silverlake, too); and since we left, one of our musts from Nolita in NY moved in–Haus (oddly enough, not far from an outpost of NY’s Magnolia bakery).

OK Store
8303 West Third Street

Haus Interior
8211 West Third Street