Gustavo Dudamel

Drew is my favorite cultural buddy, he's the guy I call whenever I want to go to the opera or see the LA Philharmonic.  So, when I heard that Gustavo Dudamel would be conducting the LA Phil for a performance of Carmen at the Hollywood Bowl, it felt like all the magnificent stars had aligned, and I knew Drew would be the perfect date for the night.

And what a night it was.  Dudamel is amazing.  You can see his passion for the music from the cheapseats...that's pretty incredible.  And I love the music from Carmen so much, I sometimes found myself humming along.  The wine, cheese and other picnic accoutrements, were just further reminders of how much I love the Hollywood bowl.

Steamers Railroad Museum

My daily commute to work used to cut directly through Griffith Park.  Everyday, I would pass the golf course, zoo, Autry Museum, and Travel Town.  Often, I would make note of a small railroad set up, just past travel town and wonder what it was.  Around Halloween and Christmas this little railroad would be decorated for the appropriate holiday, and often at night there was a long line of parents and children waiting to go in.  What is this place?

After doing a bit of research I discovered it was home to the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad club.  A non-profit organization created for the purpose of educating and promoting life steam and scale model railroad technology.  Volunteers help build and maintain the trains, tracks and museum.  The train ride is on a track that is just over a mile long, and goes over bridges, through tunnels, and around miniature wild west towns.  It's quaint and cute and so much fun.  We were lucky and able to ride on one of the steamengines, which is actually powered by steam.  So cool!

The property is also home to Walt Disney's Carolwood barn.  Which is a small museum dedicated to Disney's interest in scale model railroads.  Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the barn, as it is only open every 3rd Sunday of the month.  Must mark my calendar and I will report back...