Expo Park: California Science Center Expansion

California Science Center Phase II is under construction in Exposition Park. I took the kid down there to go to the Natural History Museum. This new exhibit space will double the size of the Science Center, and will house the World of Ecology exhibits.

The Natural History Museum is going through some renovations, too. Which it needs badly. The exhibits definitely have a "we did these back in 1984 when the Olympics were at Memorial Coliseum next door" kind of feel. The rotunda that has the dinosaur hall is currently closed off, as is the Native American exhibits, clearly two of the biggest draws to the museum.

Expo line

Sorry for the bad photo. I was trying to show early construction over by USC for the Expo Line light rail that the MTA is building from downtown to near my house. The line will run from downtown, by USC (including the Galen Center) and Exposition Park (home of the Natural History Museum, the Olympic Memorial Coliseum and the California Science Center) and then through kind of some rough territory to Culver City.

Look out kid, don't matter what you did . . .

We took a family trip to the Skirball Cultural Center and Henry jammed on the keyboard to some Bobby Dylan in the Bob Dylan's American Journey exhibit. You could also play guitar or percussion, and they had a lot of folk revival memorabilia, too. See it soon - it runs through June 8, 2008 and these things always leave town before you remember to visit them.

We also played around in the really amazing Noah's Ark exhibit (the real reason we went up there that day), which if you haven't been is a real treat for any kid (and parent). It's one of those things that is unique and so interactive and playful that you're amazed at how anyone came up with the idea, and you have to experience it; words can't do it justice. Henry had a blast running around untethered with dozens of other kids. We even ran into some friends we hadn't seen in a long time.

Been-Seen.com & BCAM

Been-Seen.com is one of those great blogs you find from a friend. This has one of the better small articles I've read on the reborn Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM), next to LACMA. Little did I know that it is one of the largest column-free art spaces in the United States, which will make for some stellar installations (as you can see from the Jeff Koons sculptures here).

BCAM / Chris Burden

Saturday at the gym and the red carpet was rolled out across the street for arrivals to the grand opening party for the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum. Seeing it gradually come together from inside the L.A. Fitness on Wilshire has been interesting. I thought at first the collection of lamp posts were just being held there before installation on the grounds. As it turns out, it's an art installation by artist Chris Burden.

Village Green Preservation Society

I heard this song, The Village Green Preservation Society, on XM Radio today and it got to me. It's a 3-disc set of The Kinks' 1968 album. Has some great lyrics, and I'm thinking it would be a good name for the weekly weekend family trips that we have on our New Year's resolution list, trips that we'd like to take with our friends and their kids around Los Angeles.

This weekend, we're planning on seeing the (c)Murakami exhibit at M.O.C.A.