I ate my Polish dog outside the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. While enjoying my food, I watched as wave upon wave of school kids entered the building. For one brief moment, I considered doing something else. I didn't particularly fancy sharing the museum with hordes of precocious children. But, I figured it was a big enough place, and I could probably avoid being in the same place as most of them. At the admissions desk, I requested one adult ticket. The young man working there replied back one SENIOR ticket. Huh? I may be old, but I don't yet qualify for the senior discount! I started to question it, but he wanted me to have the discount. Okay! I'll go along with it, and thank you!
I was eager to visit the museum's new Dinosaur Hall. The last time went to this museum a few years ago, this didn't exist. The centerpiece of the exhibit is the T-Rex Growth Series...the only one of its kind in the world! It shows the progression of growth from baby to juvenile to adult. I think everyone loves to see the Tyrannosaurus Rex!
Being a natural history museum, there were other exhibits besides dinosaurs. The rocks and minerals room always impresses. For me, it was the gold display...California is famous for its gold rush...and the unusual minerals, like this one that resembles cotton balls.
Natural history museums typically have their share of taxidermy animals, and this one is no different. Personally, I like to see live animals, but you have to admire the skill of those who created such displays.
My second activity of the day was attending a live taping of the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson...always a favorite of mine when visiting L.A. While standing in line, I chatted with a father and son from British Columbia. I told them I lived in Bellingham...just south of the border...and we bonded pretty good and ended up sitting together during the show. For the first time ever, I scored a front row center seat. It gave me a great view of Craig, especially during his opening monologue. Because I was so close to him, I managed to snag a piece of chocolate during his usual ritual of throwing some into the audience after finishing his monologue.
The guests for this episode were English comedian and actor, Eddie Izzard, and singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett. Lovett performed Jackson Browne's song, Rosie, which sounded great. After the show was over, I was involved in a little fun. The warm-up comedian named Bob had told the audience that if he didn't get everyone to laugh and cheer enough, he wouldn't get paid...jokingly, of course. And, if he didn't, he wouldn't be able to buy his 3-year-old son a yo-yo for his birthday tomorrow. Well, at the end of the show, the producer approached ME with a brand new yo-yo and asked me to decide if Bob deserved it. In other words, DID he get the audience to cheer enough? It was a pretty spontaneous moment, and I had to think quickly. I told the producer that YES, I thought he deserved it...but, he had to come and get it. So, Bob came into my row so I could award him the yo-yo! Afterward, the Canadian son high-fived me because it was such a cool experience for me.
Before making the drive back to the hotel, I bought take out Brazilian grill from my fave restaurant at the adjacent Original Farmer's Market. And, my last day in L.A. just wouldn't be complete without experiencing the frustration of one last rush hour. When I leave tomorrow, I certainly won't miss it.
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