Being Savvy: Activities, things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in West LA, CA

5 Things To Do in Los Angeles on a Rainy Day

by Nina Moon

I know I'm not the only one that often finds myself wringing my hands on the rare rainy day around here. In Los Angeles, even rainy-day stand-bys like the mall are park-like ventures complete with farmer's markets (think: the Grove). So what is there to do in LA on a rainy day? Turns out, plenty.1. California Science Center With special exhibits geared towards children under 7, the California ... Read more >

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Things That Go Vroom! - Travel Town at Griffith Park

by Nina Moon

Toddlers have no attention span and can't sit still for two moments, so the sayings go. But put a train in front of my son, and he is perfectly content to sit and chime choo choo! So as soon as my son was old enough to scramble around on his own two feet, I jumped at the chance when my mom's group planned a trip to Travel Town at Griffith Park where Los Angeles' locomotive history is on ... Read more >

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5 Best Ways to Enjoy Griffith Park

by Nina Moon

Los Angeles isn't exactly known for its wide open spaces. But even though Griffith Park may not be as well known as say, Central Park, it has been Angelenos' backyard for generations. During the recent devastating wildfires, I couldn't peel my eyes off the images of the park in flames. Fortunately, the park is recovering and seems to be as robust as ever.1. Los Angeles Zoo Set into the ... Read more >

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5 Ways to Get to Know Los Angeles with Your Preschooler

by Nina Moon

Los Angeles, unlike most major metropolitan cities, is sprawling. Taking stock of the city as a whole can be daunting, even more so when you have a preschooler in tow. And while so many Angelenos spend most, if not all, of their lives in their respective neighborhoods, that really is a shame. So why not play tourist (albeit a far cooler, in-the-know tourist) this summer and explore the City of ... Read more >

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Three Days In and Around Los Angeles -- Mid-Wilshire

by Nina Moon

Even though I don't live in the area, I spend about half my time in the Mid-Wilshire area. Comprising everything from Museum Row to Larchmont Village to the Farmer's Market and the trendy shops on 3rd Street to Koreatown, Mid-Wilshire is where I tend to fall back on whether I'm looking for a fun, enriching place to take my son or I want a great pair of shoes or some really excellent eats. And ... Read more >

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Weekend Warriors

by Nina Moon

It's been a long week, hasn't it? I'm really feeling the whole TJIF sentiment today. Even better, this weekend my family will be heading down to my parents' home in the South Bay (free babysitting! Woohoo!). In that vein, we'll start the edition of Weekend Warriors in Redondo Beach, right smack in the heart of the South Bay.On Saturday, why not drive down Redondo Beach? You can spend the day at ... Read more >

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Weekend Warriors -- Fines, Fire Trucks and Festivals

by Nina Moon

All of us, I'm sure, have had an overdue library book here or there. But what about those embarrassingly overdue books? Several months, even years, overdue? It's almost easier to just stop going to the library under the weight of that fine, right?Instead, you take advantage of the Los Angeles Public Library's Fine Free Week, which ends this Sunday. And it's still not too late to take advantage ... Read more >

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Venice Canals - Overlooked but Not Forgotten

by Nina Moon

This past weekend my husband and I decided to take the kids to stroll the Venice Canals, an oft overlooked but surprisingly diverting use of a Saturday morning. Originally encompassing 16 miles of canals, the majority of the canals were filled in the late 1920s to make room for increasing car traffic. The remaining canals are lined with multi-million dollar mansions, post-modern glass ... Read more >

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Play - A place both kids and their parents will love

by Nina Moon

Indoor play spaces and I have a complicated relationship. I appreciate the idea of a contained, stimulating area for my son to play in, but it's not worth it to me to pay a lot of money for entry when I could simply take my son to the park for free. And yet, again and again, I shell out to spend a couple of hours at one of these places because maybe, just maybe, this one might be the one. The ... Read more >

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Art and culture for the cost of parking

by Nina Moon

One of the best things about living in a big city like Los Angeles is the sheer amount of options you have when it comes to museums. You can take a stroll through a world-class sculpture garden, immerse yourself in ancient Egypt or spend a morning on playing with the animals in Noah's Ark. And if you plan it right, you can do it all for free. Okay, you'll probably have to pay something for ... Read more >

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5 perfect preschool playdates

by Nina Moon

Preschool may make it a tad bit easier to set up playdates (no more desperately hoping that another lonely parent will send a friendly smile your way), but there always remains that question - where to go? Here are five perfect places for your kids to play and for grown-ups to bond.Play - I love that Play is set up to facilitate both playdates and one-on-one bonding between parent and child. ... Read more >

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Doing the LA County Fair before naptime

by Nina Moon

The fair opens at 11 on Fridays, meaning that I had exactly three hours before my two-year-old melted into a steaming pile of wayward limbs and glass-shattering cries. Of course, I forgot to take into account that the heat, the excitement and the sugar (oh, the sugar!) would make that more like two hours and fifteen minutes before meltdown. So, might I suggest that you try and make it to the ... Read more >

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