Seattle

A view from the top of the Space Needle.
Mount Rainier is just visible in the distance to the right
of the skyscrapers

We took a trip up the West Coast to Seattle in October. Somewhere we’ve heard would appeal to us; i.e. it would remind us of home given that it rains there a lot and places are walk able. It’s a great city; on the water, arty, an iconic market (Pike Place market) a central area containing many museums and of course the Space Needle. The weather was good to us and we enjoyed our main day in the city in the sunshine. Highlights included the Space Needle, The EMP (Experience Music Project) featuring an amazing Star Trek exhibition and bustling Pike Place Market. The Seattle central library is an impressive building and handy for escaping the rain. We took a trip on the city's 1 mile monorail (cue Leonard Nimoy references) and were seriously impressed with the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit. 

The International Fountain, complete with a rainbow

The EMP's Star Trek at 50 exhibition: awesome.

Inside one of the actual access tunnels from the enterprise!

One of the enterprise models used in the series.

The EMP celebrates everything musical,
and features an impressive working musical instrument sculpture. 

The Space Needle

The Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit

Stunning glass sculpture

We took the Monorail back to the city center

Pike Place Market. Featuring the best place to get
Mac & Cheese pretty much anywhere: Beecher's Handmade Cheese

The huge Seattle Library. 

Goodnight Seattle!

Sequoia National Park

The General Sherman

A deer outside our lodge.
Probably looking in dismay
at the smudged lens

Since our arrival in California back in June 2012, we’ve yearned to visit one of the many state parks here. In fact, I bought a book on Yosemite during our early weeks settling into LA. Well, this summer, we didn’t go as far as Yosemite, but did manage to spend a few days in Sequoia National Park.

Sequoia Park is a few hours drive North of Los Angeles; it makes up the southern part of the wilderness area that encompasses Kings Canyon and Yosemite. As we climbed high up into the park, we got to our lodgings which sit at 7000 feet. We didn’t camp because neither Richard nor I know much about camping. We figured one of would need to know what they’re doing. In fact, I’m confident that Ananya probably knows more about outdoor living than we do! 

Ananya and Richard at the General Grant tree

But the lodge was lovely and provided a base for us to explore this wonderful area, full of the biggest trees the world has ever seen. It is estimated that the oldest Sequoias are over 3000 years old. The biggest of them all is the ‘General Sherman’, which as you can imagine, is a big tourist destination so we didn’t get a lot of time to appreciate its splendour. The General Sherman measures over 36 feet wide at its base, and 275 feet tall.

We took advantage of the child-friendly trails and explored the area known as the Giant Forest. Ananya was in her ‘stick gathering’ element, which also meant quite a few splinters in her hands. Three months on, the main memory she’s come away with from our trip to see the ‘big trees’  is when mummy had to remove the ‘wood in the hand’... 

Just one of the scenic views

A sleepy Ananya isn't impressed...

Trying to zoom up to the top of a giant Sequoia

The 'tunnel log' was a big hit

Five days in Kauai

Richard, Ananya and I enjoyed a trip to the Hawaiian island of Kauai last week. And what a place. We felt very lucky to take our second trip to Hawaii during our time living in California. The flight from LA is around 6 hours, so we were able to keep Ananya occupied for most of it.

Kauai is the northernmost of the Hawaiian islands; the oldest among them and the most geographically diverse. There's a canyon to rival the Grand Canyon; cliffs, rivers and waterfalls that leave you awestruck; and flora and fauna abound on this island nicknamed the 'Garden Isle' for its lush tropical landscape.

Just to put things into context, Kauai was used to double up for Isla Nublar in the first Jurassic Park movie, as well as the location for the opening scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Because of our little Keiki ("child" in Hawaiian) we weren't able to take a helicopter tour around the jagged cliffs and waterfalls, but that's a good reason to come back sometime...

We did manage to drive to a couple of stunning waterfalls and the picturesque Hanalei Bay on the north of the island. We were walking along the beach and happened to turn around, gobsmacked by what we saw: towering cliffs and mountains, lush and green with their tops in the clouds. We thought that was impressive, but then our eyes caught the shimmering waterfalls cascading down the side of these mountains. As beach views go when you're out for some rays (or surf), this could not be beaten.

And so to the photos, which will never do this place justice...

The best present for a toddler who loves sticks? A beach filled with 'em.

This was taken at Lydgate State Park, close to our hotel. Huge grounds for running around...

...chasing roosters (which are abundant on Kauai. Better than pigeons, but noisier.)

Cock a Doodle Doo!

In the hotel gift shop, Ananya couldn't stay away from the cuddly versions either.  

The Wailua River and heritage trail

Opaekaa Falls

Ananya chases another rooster

Hanalei Bay, Kauai

Ananya's not quite located the mountains yet. She was looking for humpback whales. Much more interesting. 

Looking like a contemplative 'Boden' baby, but with messier hair.

The majestic mountains at Hanalei...complete with waterfalls.

It's nice being carried everywhere!

The pier at Hanalei was beautiful and a little scary as it had no walls. 

Richard carried Ananya, naturally. 

A pit stop at the end of the pier to take in the view, and those mountains. 

Doesn't really need a caption...

Lots of surfing lessons going on. 

Wailea falls, from up above. 

The view from our hotel...

....where the beach was yards away. Shallow enough at the waters' edge for our Keiki to enjoy herself. 

She didn't want to leave. 

And neither did we! 

Time to dry off and run around some more...

Ananya takes on Will Rogers

When Richard and I arrived in LA in 2012, we brought with us a book called Take a Hike: LA* and enjoyed almost 15 hikes in the Santa Monica mountains during the following year. We loved getting out into the hills and mountains as an antidote to the dense city life in LA.

Since becoming parents however, we've not ventured very far up a hiking trail with Ananya. A few trips to Will Rogers state park (just off Sunset Blvd and only 15mins from home) with Ananya have taken place, but it wasn't until today that we hiked the entire trail with her; no stroller, no baby carrier, just our feet. She hiked almost the entire 2.5 mile loop with us to Inspiration Point without being carried. We saw some lizards and pretty birds. Ananya earned a well earned drink at the top along with a snack. Now we're off to buy her some proper hiking boots ...;)

Note: If Richard reminds you of someone from TV it's because he's taken to wearing my sunglasses (his are broken), which coupled with the long hair and beard, give him the air of a character from a 70s cop show. Personally I'm thinking Robert Culp from Columbo...



*Thanks to Selina, Hayley and Toni.

Santa Monica airport

Ananya enjoyed a trip to Santa Monica airport this week, which features a kids' park and very exciting observation deck. The planes here are of the small variety, biggest being a learjet. The small ones look so small it's a wonder how they get airborne. We saw quite a few take off which was exciting.

The views of the mountains and even the Hollywood sign (on a clear day) were great, too.

This is the airport where Mr Han Solo himself takes off from regularly, and where he took off on the day he crashed at a nearby golf course. Hats off to him for getting back in the cockpit though.

Ananya was excited to be at the airport 

Running off, ever the adventurer

Sliding into 2016

Here we are, a new year is upon us. The last couple of years have flown by in a whirl of playdates, trips to the park, trips to the zoo, museums, indoor playgrounds, storytime at the library, the beach, a visit back home, and the precarious world of Los Angeles preschools. 

2015 was a year of firsts for Ananya; first steps, first words, first time down (and up) a slide. The list goes on. The ever-changing world with a toddler keeps me on my toes. She's enjoyed music and swim classes over the last year, and her pre-school toddler class is always fun. She was shy at first but soon warmed to the other toddlers, parents and teachers. Here she is playing at the 'flour' table, something I'm very happy is restricted to the school yard and not the kitchen floor ;) 

Having lived in LA for almost 4 years now, it’s given us time to appreciate what we miss about the London way of life. Los Angeles is so vast, that 'popping out' for a walk doesn't really get you very far. Things may change in early 2016, however, with the opening of a new Metro trainline which will connect Santa Monica to most of the LA boroughs. Although Ananya's not experienced the delights of the London Underground, we're hoping the LA Metro Line will become a regular travel fixture for us. We took the train to the California Science Center to see the space shuttle Endeavor, which was probably the closest the three of us will get to being in space...

Until the next update from us here in LA, happy new year to everyone reading!  

A gusty trip to the beach in October 2015.

At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)