Stars in Hollywood? Get out!

So maybe you've been driving around LA, and you've seen billboards that read "The Universe...by reservation only" or "The Red Planet...by reservation only" and the like. If they intrigued you like they did me, then you must know that after a three-year renovation the Griffith Observatory has re-opened its doors. Now you can't just drive up and see the stars, you need to buy yourself a ticket. A smart way of controlling traffic. You can just park at the LA Zoo and they'll bus you up to the Observatory, and you get to watch some interesting info-videos about the renovation.
I don't know about anyone else out there, but this was just what my planet-obsessed three-year-old was looking for, a place devoted to his interstellar passions. And the place is just gorgeous. We went up a few weeks back on a overcast evening and, still, the view of the sprawl is breathtaking- a mirror image of what you're about to see inside. By far, Evan's favorite spot was the hall of planets- with huge models depicting our solar system as well as little information kiosks that provide all kinds of information about each planet. Want to know what you'd weigh on Mercury? How about how the storm systems on Jupiter are formed? Maybe you want to know how much a turkey sandwich costs at a national park (ok that might be a drawback, but when have you ever taken a trip and not shelled out way too much for food?).
Now it was just too overcast for us to go up into the telescope, and Evan was just aching to see Saturn. And for those with little astronomers, the Planetarium only allows children under 5 to the very first show of the day, so we missed out on that too.....but we're definitely going back. I really want to sit in a darkened room and hear my boy shout out "Uranus!" when it shows up on the ceiling.
Evan did get see Saturn after all.

Watching: Amazing Stories season 1
Listening to: Led Zeppelin