Out and About: Disneyland, LA Times Festival of Books, and The King Tut Exhibit

In a perfect world I'd have time to write separate reviews on our trip to Disneyland, my time at the LA Times Festival of Books, and the California Science Center's King Tut Exhibit, but we're going to go ahead and smoooooosh them all together here instead!

Two weeks ago my husband and I took Sawyer on a surprise early visit to Disneyland and California Adventure for his fourth birthday. We live less than an hour away but have purposefully waited until now to take him, since we wanted him to be able to spend the day without napping, remember the trip, and have a good idea who the characters were. He was totally surprised and so excited! We were able to do a ton of rides the first day, and since we had park-hopper tickets we stayed the night in a hotel around the corner and went back the next morning. It was pretty crowded, especially since the new Pixar Celebration has started, but we had a great time. I am not in any hurry to go back, so we're thinking maybe every two or so years (I personally am going back in a few weeks, but as a chaperone).

I was also fortunate enough to go to the LA Times Festival of Books, as well, and saw Patton Oswald, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Dave Eggars. I went with two friends from work, also English teachers, so this was right up our alley! I am still bitter about the fact that they moved it to USC from UCLA (Go Bruins!) a few years ago, but it wasn't terribly crowded and the weather wasn't as hot as it has been in the past. As always, it's just such a treat to be around literary people and to hear writers speak. 

Yesterday Sawyer and I went to the California Science Center in LA to see the Imax Panda movie but to also see the King Tut Exhibit, which had 150 items from Tut's tomb. This is the last time Egypt is going to let these items travel, since their permanent museum is ready for them, so it was neat seeing something so old and special when it really will be the last time. It was really crowded, but we still had a great time. We popped into visit the space shuttle and walked around a few of the exhibits in between all of our ticket times.