Proud 4H Kids

The Ventura County Fair 2011

We had a variety of goals in mind when we set out for the Ventura County Fair.  My childhood friend Helen and her nephew were visiting and Helen is the doyenne of homemade jams and jellies having won many prizes at the New Mexico State Fair.  She and I wanted to check out the competition should we decide to enter the Fair next year with our kitchen creations (I’ll keep you posted on how we do).  My sons were with us as well and after two summers living in London paying visits to the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh, Scotland – they were eager to see American farm animals (complete with birth certificates, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that every single one of them was eligible to run for President).  And last but not least, no one attends a fair in the United States of America with three pre-teen boys without spending at least two hours on the Midway watching the children shriek as they are flung through the air on various frightful looking metal torture devices masquerading as carnival rides.

A mid-week visit to the Ventura Fair is totally manageable when it comes to crowds.  It’s busy, but not overwhelming and to the Fair organizer’s credit, making one’s way through the ticket booths and ticket takers is a snap.  Last summer in England we spent a dreadful 90 minutes getting into the Farnborough Air Show and I was dreading massive lines combined with slowpoke ticket takers, but found nothing but smooth sailing.  We Americans do excel at logistics and crowd management, unlike many of our European brethren, and I am thankful for it.  The rest of you should be too.  If you aren’t, read a few of my travel blog posts about getting in an out of say, Versailles, or the Hermitage, or the Museum of Natural History in London.

Hungry Sheep

Listen, there's something I need to speak to you about...

A boy and his pig

Once in the gates, we decided that animals, food (not to eat, to look at) and then RIDES were our three priorities, in that order.  While the animals at the Scottish Royal Highland Show are owned and raised by adults, and shown by grown-ups in jackets and ties, the animals at the Ventura County Fair are raised and paraded about by proud teens in 4-H uniforms.  No Highland Goats owned by the Queen but rather sheep and pigs owned by kids from Fillmore.  The vast majority of the rabbits, chickens and cavis were absolutely adorable and there were a handful of pigs that were damn cute as well.  Once we’d had our fill of fab farm animals we made our way to the Home Arts Pavilion.  Competitive jam making is completely absent in British Fairs.  This appears to be a purely American pursuit – perhaps because we are obsessed with competition of any kind.  We just want to be first at everything even if it is simply first at making cinnamon bread.  What disappointed me about the food competition area is that other than having a ribbon pinned to it – one can learn absolutely nothing about any of the submitted foods.  There is no indication of what’s in any particular item, the recipe, or anything else.  This seems an obvious piece of the puzzle that has been left out.  Don’t we all want our chance to make the prize winning banana bread in our own kitchen, or to head right home inspired to make first place jam, or third place pickled corn?  But you can’t, you see.  No recipes are provided.  No little flyers are handed out with a link to a website where one could gaze at one’s leisure at the winners and their recipes.  This seems so obviously overlooked, so clearly necessary, that I wonder why no one has demanded it in the past.

All lined up and ready to party

Pick me, no, pick ME!

First prize!

The other gaping hole in the Ventura County Fair experience also relates to food.  You see, although one whole half of the Fair celebrates homemade baked goods, jams, and jellies, handmade quilts and tea cozies and locally raised pigs, goats, sheep and chickens – locally raised fruits and vegetables are completely absent – and even more disappointing, one cannot buy a single locally produced food item to eat there or take home.  Not a one.  There isn’t a local orange to peel and savor, or a bushel of apricots to take home and can.  No local baker is hawking his or her savory pies, tarts and cookies.  No local beekeeper is selling honey.  No local olive grower is selling olive oil.  Why highlight the local school kids raising a pig and completely leave out all of the hard working farmers in the area raising strawberries, avocados, corn, citrus, etc…?  Ventura County is FULL of farms supplying all sorts of fruits, vegetables and herbs to the California and US market basket.  They certainly deserve their place in the sun (or in this case in the incessant, unrelenting August fog).  Hey – Ventura County Fair organizers, next year let’s see a farmer’s market and a bunch of slots in the mid-section of the fair where local vendors can sell food and drink.  And how about a prize-winning zucchini to go along with that prize-winning pig?  Though many fair attendees want nothing more than to sample Deep Fried Kool Aid, greasy ribs and tepid Budweiser, there are surely some who would prefer a local microbrew (of which there are several), a locally made sandwich with recognizable ingredients and a peach.  I count myself among them.

Fried Zucchini

The always appealing, Fried Cheese Curds

The final stop on our full-day County Fair adventure was The Midway.  Only slightly less rusty looking than the horrid carnival rides we found last summer in Paris (where I believe the locals’ likelihood to sue is slightly lower), the amusement park section of the Ventura County Fair is a body spinning, gut wrenching, brain matter spattering Tour-de-Force just as you’d expect.  The only thing that has changed on these rides in the last 40 years is the quintuple increase in warning signage that peppers the front of each one.  Don’t ride this ride if you’re pregnant, or afraid of heights, or have heart disease or are of sane mind.  Really people, only ride this ride if you’re ten.  Everyone else should run screaming back to the pigs.  Our three lads sampled a large number of the ghastly metal beasts, leaving me wishing I’d brought a Valium or an Ambien or at least an impossible to remove blindfold, since the stress of watching them swing violently this way and that was clearly equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day for a year.  I’m certain it took 12 months off my life.  The kids saved the most atrociously awful looking ride for last, and thank goodness for that, since my latter born looked a whiter shade of pale when he disembarked and didn’t regain his color for nearly an hour.  Everyone has a limit.  He discovered his at the Ventura County Fair.

This is all news to me

So, should you go to the Ventura County Fair?  Absolutely.  But take an iron stomach both for the rides and for the meal offerings!

Hampton Court Flower Show

One of the things I admire most about the Brits is their love and support for public and private gardens.  Their parks are outstanding and ubiquitous.  Big British cities like London bear no resemblance to our American urban centers for lots of reasons.  The age of the architecture matters, but one of the other things that is starkly different is the prevalence of public green space.  A walk through London inevitably and invariably takes the walker through one public garden or another.  Gorgeous formal plantings provide resplendent swaths of color.  Wide-open spaces with walkways and waterways make room for children and adults of every age to walk, run, bike or scooter with reckless abandon.  It’s a glorious thing.

Lovely, so lovely.

We have flower shows in the US but putting them in the same category as British flower shows is a bit like serving Velveeta on a platter with Gruyere.  Michael Pollan and I think the former would best be employed as floor tile.  I’m certain that the two products have similar chemical compositions, and I’m not much for eating floor tile, at least not if there are other options available.

Beauties, All.

In 2009 we missed the Hampton Court Flower Show by a single day.  I was not going to make the same mistake twice.  On opening day 2010 my nephew, my flower loving children and I made our way to King’s Cross to take the train from London to Hampton Court.  Not an expert on Hampton Court nor on British trains, I noted that our car was a tad crowded, but didn’t think too much about it.  The train was bustling at the first stop, but by the time we pulled into Hampton Court Station it was mobbed.  We exited the train along with half the population of southern England and made our way with the horde to the gates of the Flower Show.  In the US you only see such crowds for Presidential Inaugurations or clearance sales at Walmart – certainly not to gaze wistfully at daffodils.  Passing through the gates to get in took nearly an hour, with a brief detour to negotiate with a splendid British Steward who was convinced I would lose my children inside the grounds (I didn’t – never have – but perhaps the other American tourists he’s encountered have a propensity to discard their offspring like so much unwanted litter).  He put wristbands on the boys with my British mobile number emblazoned in purple Sharpie.  This was not a bad plan since none of us had managed to memorize the 47-digit prime number that was necessary to successfully dial my “mobile.”  I continue to find it mysterious that they need that many digits.  The whole country has the population of Rhode Island or Delaware, or one of the other smallish states whose license plates never seem to roll by when we’re on a road trip playing the license plate game in the US.  In any case, with a good random number generator you’d think that the whole thing could be handled with 7 or 8 digits, not the 36 that they seem to need.

More Beauties.

I want these in my yard.

Armed with excellent wristbands and a massive map we entered flower wonderland.  The wait was worth it.  The Hampton Court Flower show is massive.  Giant white tents dot the landscape – each one filled with plants more beautiful and awesome than the last.  The open-air areas include all sorts of “outdoor rooms” built by large corporations ranging from banks to tractor companies.  Proper Brits by the thousands walked quietly past the outdoor rooms admiring the amazing plantings, products and handiwork.  Everything you’d ever want for your garden and lots of things you never imagined existed were for sale, from water fountains to seeds, to tools, to landscape design services.  The kids and I could easily have stayed a week, or comfortably moved in. We did see a number of discarded American children, but I keep mine safely by my side knowing that trashing them was out of the question. They finally had my phone number.

One of the outdoor rooms.

Fun with succulents.

British Tomatoes Taste as Good as they Look

I remain completely besotted with the London Borough Market.  Situated under a glass roof just up river from the Globe Theater and the Millennium Bridge, the Borough Market is a bustling street market filled with baked goods, candies, meats, savory pies, and mobs of hungry tourists, including my fine family members.  The photographic possibilities are endless and it makes me very happy just to BE there.  It’s hard to keep an eye on a large group in the midst of all of the activity, so my husband and I split up – with one child each.  My older son, now 11, and I walked arm-in-arm through the market choosing things to photograph and things to eat (sometimes the same item did double duty).  I’m certain that if there is a heaven, it will be just exactly this sort of place.  Enjoy the pictures!

So do British Berries (Taste as Good as they Look)

Even the Beverages are Beautiful

The Owner of this Flower Stall was Mean, but her Plants were Lovely

All I can say is, "More please!"

We made another Visit to Neal's Yard Dairy, my Favorite Cheese Joint on the Planet

The Owner of the Turkish Delight Booth is DELIGHTFUL

Bet You Can't Eat Just One

The Henley on Thames Boat Races

It is my personal quest to have visited every major guidebook’s recommended list of top London tourist destinations and to have taken in all manner of typically British events before my second summer in London is out.  I’ve excluded Wimbledon from my to-do list because the going rate for tickets would buy me a second Mini-Cooper back home and because once Andre Agassi retired I gave up on following professional tennis (even though I still play weekly myself).  Andre was, after all, once married to Brooke Shields, Princeton class of ’87.  Brooke regularly took the aerobics class that I taught while she and I were undergrads – so you see, Andre and I practically knew each other.  Once he was gone, pro tennis was over for me.  But I digress, back to my QUEST (and if you aren’t thinking about Monty Python at this particular moment, sadly, we have nothing in common).  I have now visited every major London museum twice, and nearly all of the minor museums as well and I have the scars and heat stroke to prove it.  Since I have all that behind me I’ve moved on to day trips and events.  This second London summer began with a bang, or more specifically, a splash.  We spent a full day at the “Henley on Thames” boat races in Henley, England.

A View of Henley, England

When I arrived at the “Henley on Thames” I believed that the majority of attendees were there, as I was, to watch strapping young men row elegant skulls down a splendid river.  I could not have been more wrong.  We arrived early and set about getting seats in the front row thinking hordes of other ticket holders would soon be vying for prime seat real estate.  It was soon clear that not only would there be no competition for our fab front row seats, we were, quite literally, the only folks who seemed to care that there were boat races at all.  Rather than being a sporting event, the “Henley on Thames” is more of a goofy British fashion-show combined with a daytime drinking fest.  The various rowing clubs have uniforms of a sort – wildly colored suit jackets and ties that the current rowers get to wear, as well as the old guys who rowed once in a bygone day.  The ladies wear gowns and all manner of headgear from elegant hats to odd feathered things that they clip to the side of their heads.  My family, fab friend Wendy and I did our best to cheer on the sporting lads on the river, particularly when my Alma Mater rowed by (we lost to a Canadian national team by a length) and when Harvard (NOT my Alma Mater) sped by crushing its competition – a Greek National Team.  Occasionally some of the current rowers seated near us would break into cheers as well, but for many of the races the boats sped by with scarcely a whisper coming from the crowded shore.  Eventually, I too turned shoreward and focused my long lens camera on the outrageous outfits, jackets and hats that kept gliding by.

Former Rowers in their Brightly Colored Jackets

First Prize Outfit of the Day

A Member of the Paid Staff - Clearly Stolen from a Magritte Painting

An Absolutely Smashing Feather Thingee

Being that my family hails from the land of suntan lotion and botox, we are not connected to any of the rowing clubs that dot the shore of the Thames at Henley, and thus we were barred from visiting the “Steward’s Tent,” which is the member’s only area along the shore.  The dress code there requires suits for men and dresses below the knee for the ladies.  Though hats are not explicitly required they are in fact de rigueur.  Ragtag foreign interlopers are allowed to buy tickets at the Regatta Enclosure which has no dress code and no roof, but does have a great viewing area and at an additional heart-stopping fee, an elaborate seafood lunch served on bone china with a glass of champagne.  It was there that we spent our splendid day.  We loved the boat races almost as much as the people watching and it rained briefly, twice, making it a perfect English summer’s outing.

The Appetizer Course

The Main Course

We have had the good fortune to spend two summers in a row based in London.  My husband has been posted in the London office of his California-based company while I have run an exclusive five-star camp for two lucky attendees, my offspring.  I allow visiting relatives and friends to attend “Camp Stern” free of charge, as long as they promise not to whine, mope or sulk.  We began our 7-week 2010 travel adventure by spending two sweaty days in Philadelphia.  The weather was hot and heavy and my weak, fair weather loving Los Angeles-bred children found reason to complain unremittingly.  You’d have thought I’d brought them to Libya and left them hatless, right in the middle of the Sahara.  But this was no desert, just the paved and crowded urban jungle.  In my heart of hearts I believe my children will someday love Philadelphia.  I just need to take them there in April in that brief window between frigid winter and humid summer.  Dragging a pathetic, whining, highly verbal 8 year-old behind me like a noisy sack of potatoes I managed to take in the Liberty Bell (so fantastic), Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center.  It’s easy to get misty-eyed gazing at that cracked bell, sitting in Independence Hall and taking in the wondrous exhibits and presentations at the National Constitution Center.  What most Americans need these days is to spend a few hours being reminded of the blessings of liberty – and a trip to central Philadelphia will accomplish that, and how.

One of the Competitors at the Royal Highland Show

From Philly we hopped a plane across the pond to my home away from home, Edinburgh, Scotland.  In the summer of 2009 we attended the Royal Highland Show, held in June in Edinburgh every year.  Much like a big county fair, the Royal Highland Show attracts people from around Scotland and feels like a national coming together, or a reunion, or a big party where the center of attention is a tent full of goats.  There are competitions for chickens, cows, sheep, ponies, horses, donkeys, goats and eggs.  Don’t press me on how one judges an intact egg – I tried with all my might, but I could not distinguish between eggs of different backgrounds, nor could I see ANY discernable difference between the prize winning egg and the loser eggs nearby.  I did notice that it was the Queen’s egg that took first prize.  I think it is possible that the whole thing was rigged, but I can’t be sure.

Now that's a Good Egg

A Merely Adequate Egg

The food offerings at the Highland Show included tatties, baps, and an endless array of other items, most of which included some form of pork, and all with names completely incomprehensible to us Yanks, though I’m told we share a common tongue.  We ordered eggs “Over Easy,” to blank stares and complete incomprehension.  I never thought ordering breakfast in my mother tongue would be such a challenge.  Despite our complete failure to engage in egg judging and our inability to properly name any of the foods served, my children and I love the Royal Highland Show and arranged our summer schedule so that we could go this summer for a second time.  The animals are gorgeous, the humans are solid and direct, and the general feeling of the place has no equivalent in our bustling LA lives.  We watched a six-week old donkey win first prize with her proud donkey mum standing by (not very quietly).   It was a beautiful thing.

A Prize Winning Donkey

The Noisy Observer

On our second day in Scotland we hired a car and driver and headed out to “The Borders.”  The Borders refers to the area in Scotland that sits just above England.  It is known, among other things, for having had the pleasure of being sacked on numerous occasions by one English mob or another.  One British King, whose name escapes me at the moment, sent his particular rabble to tear down the Abbeys that were situated right in harm’s way, just north of England.  We visited three of them one fine Scottish summer day.  Pardon me for a moment whilst I make a quick diversion to provide the definition of a “fine Scottish summer day.”  It means, drum roll please, that it is NOT pissing rain.  That’s it.  You still need a parka and strong legs to keep upright in a stiff wind – but at least there is nary a rain cloud in sight.  Our tour of previously sacked Abbeys included Melrose, Dryburgh, and Jedburgh.  They are all beautiful in a slightly eerie, ghosts must still be lurking here, sort of way.  The only thing left intact by the English sackers (as opposed to the Scottish sackees) were the cemeteries ‘cause even if the English higher-ups were fine with desecrating houses of worship, no one really wanted to wake the dead.

Jedburgh Abbey Interior, Scotland

Jedburgh Abbey Exterior, Scotland

Melrose Abbey, Scotland

Dryburgh Abbey Interior, Scotland

Dryburgh Abbey Exterior, Scotland

Smart Travel 4 Smart Kids: London

St. James Park, London

London is a world-class smart kid destination.  We spent nearly 11 weeks prowling the environs without running out of novel things to do.  The following list could keep you busy for two days, a full week or two.  I’ve listed the sights in the order I would approach them, and I’ve suggested opportunities to double up and see two places in one day.

I’ve made suggestions about the best café/restaurant options at each of the listed locations.  On the whole the London museums have fantastic food options in a range of prices.  Other public attractions, like the Zoo, are dicier – I’d recommend skipping them when you can.  London’s take-away food choices far outshine what we have in the U.S.  The most common lunch for a busy Londoner is the take-away sandwich.  There are a number of chains that are as ubiquitous in London as Starbucks is in the U.S.  I highly recommend two of them, and a third will do in a pinch.  Both Pret a Manger and Marks & Spencer offer a wide range of organic, fresh, tasty take-away sandwiches and salads that will satisfy vegetarians, vegans and carnivores alike.  EAT, which often sits in the same block as Pret, is a distant third in my book – but try all three places and decide for yourselves.  The grocery store chains sell prepared food too.  Of the many chains Waitrose is the nicest, but it is harder to find than the others.  A step up from the take-away sandwich joints is Wagamama, an Asian family-style sit down restaurant chain that has terrific food, and is loud and quick (again – lots of options for vegetarians, vegans, and carnivores).  Pizza Express is everywhere.  Heaps better than our fast food chains, Pizza Express offers a full menu with lots of salads, in addition to pizza and a full bar.

Our witty Big Bus tour guide.

Big Bus or Original Bus Company City Tour: I’m generally far too impatient to sit in a tour bus.  I made an exception for the double-decker tour buses of London and I’m glad I did.  There are two competing tour bus companies “The Original Bus Company,” and “The Big Bus Company,” and when I say competing, I mean it.  Two salesmen, one from each company, nearly came to fist-o-cuffs over which company was better, just as we were boarding.  I was ready to pack the whole thing in and continue on in my anti-tour bus mentality, but they managed to calm down and let us get on without serious injury to either party.  Both companies circumnavigate London allowing you to hop on and off at will and include a short, but quite entertaining river cruise down the Thames (and the early morning bantam weight boxing round aside, there isn’t much that differentiates the two companies – you’ll do just fine with either).  If you time it right you can hop off at Trafalgar Square at 9:30 a.m. (having boarded the bus at 9 a.m. sharp at Victoria Station) and you can take the also-included “Walking Tour of the Changing of the Guard.”  Our tour guide, a fabulous chap with a vast knowledge of British history and a terrific wit, led us on more of a “Sprinting” rather than “Walking” tour, not for the weak or weary (WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES AND BE READY TO JOG – this is not the day for impractical footwear or a heavy bag).  We ran alongside the fresh regiment that was marching down the Mall accompanied by a visiting band in bear hats from Ireland and sprinted again up to Buckingham Palace.  Other than a bit too much information about this famous Brit who lives in that neighborhood and that famous Brit who slept here – all of which was lost on my children, the tours are just the right amount of funny, plus history, plus getting on and getting off.  All of the guides are different.  If you get a dud – GET OFF.  Another bus will arrive in a matter of minutes and most of the guides are a hoot.  It’s a great overview of London with the notable advantage that you can quit and restart at any time for a 24-hour period.  Tickets available at the Victoria Station train station OR from the sales agents standing at most of the bus stops.  Adults £25, children £10, family of four £60 – check online for advance purchase promotional fares.

As the horses go marching in.

As the soldiers go marching in.

The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace: I recommend watching the Changing of the Guard as a part of one of the Big Bus or Original Bus Company Tours.  They provide terrific commentary and will make sure that you get the full experience of watching the new guards ready themselves and then process down the avenue, arrive at the Palace and make the transfer.  Just holing up in front of Buckingham Palace is much less interesting and involves quite a bit of standing around.  Kids will find the bus tour version much more compelling.

The British Museum: A few years ago the wily Brits brought in a massive regiment of cutting-edge museum folks and wiped away every slightly dusty, rabbit warren-like corner of the British Museum and replaced it instead with well lit, fabulously signed, slickly engineered, knock-your-socks off displays.  Room after marvelous room with nary a dark corner, nor dust bunny in sight.  It’s truly amazing.  I hardly recognized the place from prior visits.  You absolutely must see the Rosetta Stone now trapped behind a massive plexi looking case, but impressive all the same, and the Elgin Marbles – artfully displayed in a glorious room with lots of space to wander and tons of daylight.  The rest of the choices have to do with whether you plan to stay all day, or just for two hours – which is really the minimum you can allocate to the place without leaving disappointed.  Seriously consider signing up for a Blue Badge tour, we found ours riveting.  There is no way we could have seen or learned as much on our own.  The Guide was a bit of a geek – but in a good geeky way.  We dined at the posh and pricey Great Court restaurant upstairs.  The food was splendid, as was the view.  If you have antsy, loud, cantankerous kids who only want to eat grilled cheese and chicken nuggets take them to the downstairs cafeteria.  The British Museum is open daily 10-5:30, later on Thursdays and Fridays, admission FREE.  If you spend the morning at the BM, consider letting your kids spend the rest of the day outdoors.  Take in one of the many amazing parks.  High on my list are Hyde Park, Regent’s Park or Kensington Gardens – all of which can be accessed by public transportation, or by cab from the British Museum.

The Natural History Museum: We could spend a full week at the London Natural History Museum and not run out of compelling things to do.  The entire Stern contingent gave a massive thumbs-up to the explosive section on Volcanoes, as well as the one devoted to birds.  They have a full size mock-up of a Kobe, Japan grocery store that rocks and rolls to simulate the 1995 Earthquake.  I loathed it.  I’ve got enough PTSD from the Santa Monica/Northridge quake – no need to relive it on summer holiday in Britain.  One of the biggest draws in the museum is the section devoted to Dinosaurs (just to the left as you go in the main doors).  Though it is pretty snazzy, the crowds can be overwhelming AND the place is not, and I repeat NOT air-conditioned and it will become an oppressive tomb if you go there mid-summer on a hot day.  There are often lines to get through security when the place opens even mid-week.  Be prepared to wait a solid 20-25 minutes to get in (warn your kids so they aren’t shocked and disappointed when they arrive).  Remember to have your well-provisioned daypacks with you and you’ll be prepared for the delay.  There are a couple of cafeterias and cafés.  The small one on the ground floor near the birds is quite good and attracts fewer crowds.  Remember that you are literally next door to the Science Museum.  It gets far fewer crowds (no lines at the door).  If your time is limited and the Natural History Museum is too packed, walk around the corner and hit the Science Museum instead.  It has the added advantage of splendid air-conditioning.  The Natural History Museum, open daily from 10-5:30, admission FREE.  Cromwell Road, London SW7.  Closest tube station South Kensington.

The Natural History Museum, London.

The Science Museum: Located immediately around the corner from the London Natural History Museum it draws half the crowds of its next-door neighbor and I don’t understand why.  Comparable to the best Science Museums in the U.S. (think the San Francisco Exploratorium on some serious steroids) at remains a bit in the shadow of its more famous neighbor.  There are floors and floors of fabulous stuff, from exhibits on energy, to transportation, to medicine and biology and the ever-popular SPACE.  Much like the British Museum, these guys have hired some seriously skilled museum designers and the exhibit halls are for the most part massive demonstrations of ingenuity, modern technology and inspired design.  The third floor is devoted to an interactive space called “The Launchpad” which is just as fun for grown ups as it is for kids.  The Imax Theater is new and spiffy, but remember, you can watch Imax movies at home – tickets sell out quick, decide first thing in the morning if you want to go or you’ll be sold out.  The Cafeteria is not the highlight of the place, but it will do in a pinch.  The London Science Museum, open daily from 10-6, closed December 24-26, admission FREE but charges apply for Imax Movie Tickets.  Closest tube station is South Kensington.  You’ll be on Museum overload if you try to see both the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum on the same day.

The Tower of London: What’s not to like about the Tower of London?  Really nothing, except the crowds.  Though the Tower appeals to grown-ups and travelers with a sense of history, even with a wickedly funny Yeoman Warder “Beefeater” leading our tour, my kids would have rather been at the Natural History Museum or the Science Museum.  First of all, the place is PACKED.  Buy your tickets online before you go or expect to wait FOREVER at the ticket booth.  Online tickets convert into real tickets at a slightly out of the way office to the right of the main entrance.  If you can muster it, arrive in time for the first Yeoman tour of the day.  Once the day gets going so do the crowds.  My kids will absolutely fight their way to the front of any tourist group, which is essential if you want to hear what the Warder has to say.  Shy children are going to find the whole thing completely overwhelming.  They’ve modernized the way one visits the crown jewels.  There is now a conveyor belt that whisks you past them so that no one can linger too long and hold up the line.  See the jewels first – you actually have time to see them between when the gates open and when the first Warder tour leaves.  It’s well worth it.  If you wait until later in the day you’ll be standing in a seriously miserable line.  The main café is quite nice and has a range of offerings suitable for kids and adults.  Unless your kid is a history buff and you’re willing to arrive early, I’d put this lower down on the must see list.  The Tower of London is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00-5:30, Sunday and Monday 10-5:30 it closes one hour earlier on weekdays in the winter, admission is £17 for adults (£16 if bought online ahead of time), £9.50 for kids under 16 (under 5 FREE), the Tower is closed December 24, 25, 26.  Closest tube station is Tower Hill.  As of February 2010 they were dismantling a major exhibition and some of the Tower was closed off.

Blown glass, Main Entry Hall, V&A Museum.

The Victoria and Albert Museum is a shrine to high style and design.  I must note again that the Brits have cornered the market of topnotch museum designers.  The jewelry room in the V&A is insanely handsome.  It isn’t just the outrageous beauty of what is in the cases, but it is the room itself, all black and gleaming with silver spiral staircases and fabulous silver beams criss-crossing the space.  The V&A offers (if you know to ask) activity backpacks that kids can check out for free and take with them into the museum.  Each one focuses on a particular part of the museum and has a well put-together spiral binder of activities (not too many, not too few – just the right amount).  Numbered Ziploc bags have interesting projects that range from quite challenging to just plain fun.  There are nine in total.  I’ve never seen anything like it in the US.  Kids between 5-10 will find them compelling.  You do have to walk to one of the side entrances of the Museum to pick up the packs.  Ask at the front desk and they’ll send you to the right place.  Highlights of the V & A collection likely to capture the interest of curious kids: 1. Plaster casts; 2. The jewelry room (even my boys thought it was amazing – make sure you hit the interactive computer that allows you to put together your own jewelry); 3. Theater costumes (in the way back of the section on the theater they have a set of real theater costumes you can try on); 4. The history of fashion (not as intriguing for boys – but a show stopper for girls).  The bigger of the cafés is worth a visit, lots of good food options and it’s really beautiful.  The upstairs in the museum can get toasty on a hot day.  If you arrive mid-summer make sure to head upstairs first.  It will get into the mid-80s in many of the rooms and they don’t have much ventilation.  I loved the room full of antique silver – but it was impossibly hot two of the times we went.  The Victoria and Albert Museum is open daily 10-5:45, admission FREE, closed December 24, 25, 26.  Located a half block away from the Natural History Museum and a block from the Science Museum – I don’t think you can do two of these museums in the same day and survive – but you could try.  Closest tube station is South Kensington.

Beautiful things are everywhere at the V&A.

Regent’s Park is singularly worth a plane flight across the pond.  We wandered there while studiously ignoring the looming rain clouds and threats from the wise folks at the Weather Channel of showers all day (nary a drop fell) – British summer weather in a nutshell.  The Queen’s Garden in the center of the park, all roses, had peaked but still shared with us the promise of what it must have looked like at its zenith.  Addicted to the notion of British Wetlands we trooped over to that part of the park and were rewarded with a visit from a large number of geese and duck families.  We plotted a course through the rest of the park that would take us through the Informal British Garden and back into town.  The Informal British Garden looks like the front yard of Versaille.  I don’t quite get what is “informal” about it – though perhaps they were referring to us.  We looked pretty scruffy that day.  There was nothing at all scruffy about the garden.  It was stupendous.  The juxtaposition of colors, a band of red, then purple, then green, was breathtaking.  We strolled out of the garden feeling as if we’d won the lottery.  How often do you get to see such exquisite beauty?  The London Zoo is located inside Regent’s Park and you could see the two in the same day – though you’d have totally tired toesies.  You’re close to Madame Tussauds (just say no) and Hamley’s Toy Store (just say NO, NO, NO).  Regent’s Park opens at 5 a.m. every day, closing times vary by season.

Exquisite beauty, Regent's Park, London.

Hyde Park is hard to avoid since it’s right in the middle of absolutely everything.  There are so many reasons to go there, not the least of which is that it makes a convenient crossing point between all sorts of other fabulous locations.  There are many, many things to do in the park including riding in paddle-boats, walking along its miles and miles of wonderful paths, gazing at gorgeous flower gardens, running through fountains on a hot summer day (there are at least two of those a year – and who knows, you might get lucky and experience one of them), tossing around a ball and watching the passers by from a comfortable bench.  Hyde Park is open daily at 5 a.m., closing times vary by season.  Could be combined with Harrods, strolling through Knightsbridge, watching the changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, or The Royal Mews.

The London Wetlands Centre: The London Wetlands Center is a bird refuge/sanctuary that is a combination zoo and safe haven for migratory birds whose normal stomping grounds have shrunk as London and its suburbs have stretched further and further into the hinterlands.  We visited the 42-hectare site at an opportune moment.  A massively high percentage of the resident population had been feeling a wee bit frisky.  We saw more baby birds in one day than we have collectively seen over the course of our entire lives.  There are few more adorable sights than group after group of little ducklings and goslings (sometimes as many as 17) lined up to swim behind Mum.  I only have two offspring and I cannot get them to line up behind me without serious threat of bodily harm.  Clearly I’m not nearly as good at parenting as the average duck.  We took the free docent led tour.  Though it was a smashing summer day only one other person showed up so we had the docent all to ourselves.  The woman who led us around was a font of information and fun. We learned that the really flashy duck varieties only mate for a season and the dull looking ducks mate for life.  We went in and out of a number of duck blinds.  We walked through gorgeous marshy areas and shot a million photos of birds big and small.  The birds come from all over the world (we saw migrants from Africa and Iceland, just to name a few far flung spots that were well represented), and they are used to human visitors so they go about their business just two feet from you on the lovely walking paths. Though none of the Londoners we met had ever been to the Wetlands Center, we gave the place four thumbs up.  The two downsides of the Wetlands Centre are, 1.the café on the property had some of the grimmest food offerings this side of Ukraine and 2. it’s a tad out of the way.  We took an expensive cab ride to get there and another expensive cab to go home.  The nearest tube station is a hike and you’ll need to carry a phone with you and call yourself a cab when you’re ready to go home.  All that said – we really loved it there.  The London Wetlands Centre is open daily 9:30-5 winter and 9:30-6 summer, closed Christmas.  Admission is £9.50 for adults, £5.50 for kids 4-16.  Bring your own lunch and the phone number for a cab company.

The London Wetlands Centre.

A Bird Hide at the Wetlands Centre.

The London Zoo: If you want to win back children with a day just for them, The London Zoo is a perfect option.  Founded in 1827 as the world’s first scientific zoo, it has quite a different feel than big American Zoos.  It’s not nearly so large as the LA Zoo, the San Diego Zoo, or the Washington D.C. Zoo, but in a lot of ways its more modest scale works in its favor.  We were able to see nearly the whole place in an energetic four hours.  There was a wonderful animal show with a wry British hostess who was both witty and smart and whose accent was just this side of incomprehensible.  I think that the British success with public gardens plays into the feeling of the place.  Sometimes American Zoos feel a bit severe with wide concrete walkways and big animal enclosures.  The London Zoo feels like a garden and then you come around a corner and low and behold, it’s an Okapi.  It should be noted that although most British museums are FREE, other major tourist attractions, like Zoos, are not.  In fact, they are frightfully expensive.  The London Zoo is no exception.  Admission fees vary by season.  In the dead of winter a family of four will pay £47.50 to get in, and in summer it jumps to £57.50.  Open 10-5 daily, closed Christmas.  The Zoo is located on the north side of Regent’s Park.  You can get there by public transportation – the closest tube location is Camden Town Station, which is a solid 15-20 minute walk from the Zoo entrance.  You can take a cab, but it’s a long way out to the Zoo from central London.  It will add a pricey cab fare to the already steep price of admission.  Not wanting to lug a picnic lunch in our already full daypacks we opted to eat at the Zoo.  The main restaurant is fine, though not nearly as nice as the many cafés inside the London museums.  I found myself wishing we’d just bought a take-away sandwich and brought it with us.  If your child loves Harry Potter, make sure to go to the Reptile House.  In the first Harry Potter film young Harry talks to a boa constrictor within these walls.

The Imperial War Museum is one of the many London Museums that outshine 95% of the museums we have available at home.  The ground floor is devoted, in part, to a massive exhibition of weaponry largely from World War I and II.  This includes the immense V2 (the first real ballistic missile) that was launched against Britain by the Germans at the tail end of the war, and pieces of Rudolph Hess’s plane that he crashed into the English countryside when he came to the U.K. to attempt to reach a peace agreement with the Brits (completely unbeknownst to Hitler).  There is a touching, smartly done exhibit on WWII from a child’s perspective.  I had no idea how many children were evacuated from London in the months that led up to the War.  Many of them were sent into the English and Scottish countryside, but an even larger number were sent out of the country to foster families abroad.  One of the ships carrying children was hit and sunk by the Germans.  Some of the evacuations were done so quickly that inadequate paperwork was completed and at the end of the war the children were lost.  Parents had no idea where the children had been sent.  A considerable number of these families were never reunited.  My boys loved the tanks, airplanes and missiles and my 10 year-old found the exhibit about the children very, very sad.  There is an incredible exhibition on the holocaust but it is only appropriate for teenagers – and even then it is quite challenging.  Visiting this museum was one of the most educational parts of our lengthy London stay.  It gave my kids a very non-US perspective on war, and in particular on WWII.  I highly recommend a visit.  The London Imperial War Museum is open daily 10-6, closed December 24, 25 and 26, admission FREE.  Located on Lambeth Road, the closest tube station is Lambeth North Station, approximately 5 mins away.  Closest other attractions are the London Eye and the Tate Modern, neither of which are high on my list of must-sees.

The Imperial War Museum, London

The Tate Modern, housed in a former power station (think something big enough to manufacture entire submarines), contains a collection of contemporary art that runs from the frightful to the ghastly.  I started our family visit with my arts lecture on the importance of seeing art not just as something that has to be beautiful.  14 paintings of severed heads, some truly creepy videos, pencil drawings of lacerations and tortured children, and a room full of large brown objects that seriously had to have been turds and even I had to call it a day.  My younger son spent most of the time walking around shielding his face with a museum map.  It was not super.  I’m certain that there are more approachable things in the permanent collection and one’s experience probably has much to do with what is currently on display.  2009 was not an easily accessible year for the Tate Modern.  The work was challenging, confrontational and often of a subject matter that would distress many children, no matter how well educated they have been about contemporary art.  The upstairs café at the Tate Britain has an exemplary view of the Thames and a limited but tasty enough menu of breakfast and lunch items.  The Tate Modern is open daily 10-6, later on Fridays and Saturdays.  General Admission is FREE but charges apply for special exhibitions, closed December 24, 25, 26.  Though we didn’t much enjoy the Tate Modern, we did like the Tate-to-Tate Thames River Cruise.  Not so much a cruise as a shuttle service, the Tate-to-Tate is a decidedly not fancy boat that moves visitors between the two Tates by means of the Thames River.  Far faster than any other form of transport between the two places, it makes seeing the two museums in the same day that much easier.  My children enjoyed the 20-minute boat ride far more than they did the 90 minutes at the Tate Modern.  A visit to the Tate Modern can easily be combined with a walk over the Millennium Bridge, or a visit to the London Borough Market.  Closest tube stations are Southwark, or London Bridge.  If you want to come over the Millennium Bridge you can exit the tube across the Thames at Blackfriars Station or Mansion House and walk to the bridge.

The view from the Tate-to-Tate Boat shuttle.

The Tate Britain houses a noteworthy collection of British Art that spans 1500 to the present.  There is a remarkable commissioned work by sculptor Eva Rothschild that fills the entire 200 foot-long entry hall.  Much like a spider’s web, its leggy steel beams thrust up to the ceiling and back down again inviting visitors, large and small alike, to climb in and around it where it touches down – and my boys did just that.  Just unveiled on June 29^th, 2009 it is first-rate and worth a visit.  We spent an agreeable 45 minutes with the Turner paintings that are neither ghastly, nor frightful but rather startlingly beautiful, moody and sublime.  For us it was best to begin at the Tate Modern.  At least we ended our Art outing on a high note.  On our second visit to the Tate Britain we discovered the upstairs room in the Turner exhibition.  A permanent part of the museum, they’ve put a remarkable exhibit together on how Turner “saw” color and how the color palette he used changed depending on where he was living and painting.  It is one of the better interactive exhibits I’ve seen in a major Art Museum.  The informal café in the basement of the Tate Britain is first-rate.  There is a sister business, also in the basement, that is far fancier but even my worldly, eat anything children, couldn’t find much that appealed to them on the menu.  Save your pennies and eat at the cheaper, still very lovely, casual café.  The Tate Britain is open daily 10-5:50, closed December 24, 25, 26, admission is FREE but special exhibition charges apply.  Closet tube station is Pimlico.  You can walk from the Tate Britain to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

London Borough Market: If you like good food it is hard to imagine a better place to spend a Saturday morning or afternoon than London’s Borough Market.  Not only do they have all kinds of amazing foodstuffs, they are quite cheerful about offering free tastes of everything.  A contagiously friendly family of Iranians selling Turkish Delights in every color and taste combination, as well as chocolate covered fruits and nuts fell for my offspring’s superior wit and charm and were soon showering the boys with treats.  After trying and buying the Iranian Turkish Delights, some truly savory pies, delectable fresh pasta, and several small containers of olives, we made our way to Neal’s Yard Dairy which sits just cattycorner to the covered market and will let you sample of every single one of its 300 cheeses.  This may well be true, though unfortunately we do not have personal proof of this assertion.  Try as we might, we hit complete cheese overload at about a 5^th of that number of tastes.  We let our youngest, the family cheese hound, try as many cheeses as he wished and we went home with six little packets of delicious dairyness.  It is important to arrive at the market HUNGRY.  There are prepared foods, a couple of sit down casual restaurants, and a plethora of things to taste and take home.  A visit to the Borough Market can easily be combined with a walk over the Millennium Bridge (either on the way too or from the market) – and you’ll want to walk over the bridge at least once during your London stay.  If you have a Harry Potter fan in your midst, in film #3 Harry makes his way through London on a bus that leaves him at the Leaky Cauldron.  This exterior for this shot came from Stoney Street which sits on the southeast side of the Market.  The London Borough Market is open Thursdays 11-5, Fridays 12-6 and Saturdays 8-5.  The closest tube stations are London Bridge or Borough.

Gorgeous fruit at the Saturday market.

Beautiful veggies at the Saturday market.

The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms: Although I quite liked the Churchill Museum, its charms were entirely lost on my children.  Teenagers and kids with a really strong interest in history may fare better.  A tad claustrophobic down in the basement, they left all of the Churchill Cabinet War rooms intact, just as they were on the day they stopped using them at the end of WWII.  The audio guide is absolutely terrific but not terribly kid friendly.  It’s filled with lots of in-depth commentary about Churchill, the war, and the manner in which the Brits chose to steer their course, directly from these rooms.  There is a tiny café – and I mean tiny.  My kids retreated there for drinks while they waited impatiently for the adults to finish the audio guides.  The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms are open daily 9:30-6, admission £14.95 for adults, children under 16 are FREE, closed December 24, 25, 26.  The Churchill Museum is close to Buckingham Palace and could easily be done after a Big Bus/Original Bus Tour, or could be combined with a visit to Westminster Abbey, seeing Big Ben, attending the Summer Opening of Parliament or strolling in St. James Park.  The closest tube station is St. James’s Park.

Summer Opening of Parliament: During the summer recess of the Houses of Parliament the Brits graciously welcome the masses in what is known as the “Summer Opening.”  It is a well-ordered, well-conceived social studies mini-course for the masses.  They trek thousands of folks, tourists and fine British citizens, through the hallowed halls of the Lords and the Commons.  We had a smart, full-of-himself, guide who wasn’t prepared for the large group of completely inattentive Italian tourists with whom he was saddled, in combination with me, my children and two visiting friends.  The poor man was peppered with questions by the Yanks while the Italians treated him with boorish indifference.  It was quite the combination.  We loved the tour.  We learned ever so much and could easily pass our A-levels if put to the test.  I don’t think we offer anything comparable in the US.  Smartly run, high level, intellectual tours of the U.S. Capitol complete with a lengthy discussion of the history of the democratic process?  Not so much.  Summer Opening of Parliament reservations generally open on March 1^st of the year you want to go.  It is best to go online to check the exact dates and times that will be available.  Generally the dates are in August, September and October.  Just across the street from Westminster Abbey and adjacent to Big Ben, a visit to the Parliament could easily be combined with a visit or stroll past the Abbey.  It’s also not far from the Churchill Museum, but that might be too cerebral a combo, even for really bright kids.  There is a Westminster tube station that is literally across the street from Parliament.

Westminster Abbey: Although I personally think Westminster Abbey is beautiful and even a mite bit inspirational, these days visiting it is no better than trying to go to Disneyland in Mid-July.  The place is totally over-run with tourists.  Who do they think they are anyway?  As a consequence its inherent charm and sense of history was completely lost on my children who are generally game for anything.  If you have kids between 4-14 I’d take the briefest swing through – and sadly, it is pretty challenging to make a brief swing these days.  The lines are long to get in and it takes forever to circumnavigate the place.  Worse yet, there aren’t enough Loos.  The lines to use the restroom were reprehensibly long.  I hate to say it – but it may be better to take in its charming visage from the street and call it a day.  Westminster Abbey is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:30-4:30, Wednesday from 9:30-7:00, Saturday from 9:30-2, it is closed to tourists on Sundays.  Admission is £15.00 for adults, children 11-18 pay £6, children under 11 are free.  Ask for family rates, they are generally cheaper.  The fee includes an audio guide but not a guided tour.  The closest tube station is across the street – aptly named Westminster Station.

Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian only suspension bridge that connects “Bankside” London with the “City.”  In terms that make more sense for tourists, it crosses the Thames with St. Paul’s Cathedral on one side and the Tate Modern/Globe Theater on the other.  It is 1,214 feet across and makes a great 20-minute outing and photo taking opportunity.  You can easily combine it with a trip to the Tate Modern or a visit to the Borough Market.  It can be a tad breezy, so take a windbreaker.  Go on a clear day (yeah, right) and shoot a bunch of photos with the city behind you.  Millennium Bridge is always open and there are no admission fees charged for trekking across.

The View from the Millennium Bridge

Kew Gardens: The British understand public gardens.  They have an incredible mix of both the formal and the informal.  Within Kew Gardens there are vast wide open spaces that give the sense that the acres go on forever, as well as tightly designed flower gardens with glorious patterns of color cleverly conceived and implemented by the finest garden designers around.  I suggest visiting all of the glorious Victorian Glass Houses, including the one that houses the Lily Pond (though it can be stifling hot in the summertime).  Kew Gardens are open daily from 9:30 a.m., closing times vary by season, and the gardens are closed on December 24, and 25.  Admission is £13 for adults, children are FREE.  Kew Gardens are located 10 miles from central London – which is a ways.  You can get there by tube – take the District Line to the Kew Gardens station and you’ll have an additional five minute walk from the Station to the Gardens.  You can also take a taxi – it will be a costly ride.

The glorious Kew Gardens.

Inside the glass houses, Kew Gardens.

Covent Garden is not actually a Garden. “Covent Crowded Shopping Mall” or “Covent Outdoor Performance Area with Magicians who Spend More Time Asking for Money than Performing,” would be apropos, but there is not so much as a blade of grass or an informal flower garden in sight.  The performers have the fine art of repetitive begging followed by brief flashes of entertainment down to a science.  If you have serious shoppers amongst your brood there are a lot of other options you might consider before adding Covent Garden to your list of must-sees.  I’d go to Harrod’s or Harvey Nichols, or walk around Knightsbridge (super expensive) or Notting Hill/Portobello Road (pricey – but a bigger range of options), or Sloane Square/Chelsea before I’d go back to Covent-not-so-much-a-Garden.  Closest tube station is Covent Garden.

Trafalgar Square: Adjacent to the National Portrait Gallery and St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square is an easy place to visit as one moves from one part of London to another.  Kids like the central fountain and the people watching.  I liked the world’s cleanest public restroom that sits just off the base of the Trafalgar Square steps.  It’s important to keep your priorities straight.  I’m all about a good clean bathroom.  Closest tube station is Charing Cross.

Trafalgar Square, London

See a Musical: Once I discovered how simple it was to take in a little theatre in the UK, I was all over the London Musical Scene.  Unlike LA where I’ve taken to packing rations for the long, unpredictable drive between my home and Downtown (all of 11 miles) – from our flat in London it was a short 15-minute walk to the Victoria Station area that houses a number of the larger theaters.  It is true that I am a constant grazer, but even I can make such a walk without need for a snack.  Tickets are far less costly than in the U.S., even with our disadvantageous exchange rate.  The theaters are on the small side, leading to a more intimate theater experience.  Tickets can be bought online, and although earlier is better – in terms of booking – the recession is making ticket buying tickets easier even on short notice.

Notting Hill: (for girls and shopping tolerant boys) During my lengthy stay in London I initially resisted spending a day in Notting Hill.  I’m not sure what my worry was, perhaps a nasty run-in with Hugh Grant, he can be quite the scoundrel, if memory serves.  It just seemed touristy and required using one’s Mastercard.  I hate to admit it, but I loved my day in Notting Hill so much that I dragged my children back there for a second round of exploring and it turns out, using my Mastercard.  Unlike neighborhoods like Knightsbridge and Sloan Square which are filled with higher-end chain stores, Notting Hill, and particularly Portobello Road, boasts a myriad of eccentric, one-of-a-kind shops, offering everything from antiques, to natty hats and crazy band t-shirts.  My children (both boys) loved Portobello Road.  There were just enough wacky items for sale to keep them completely enthralled.  We had a lovely lunch at 202 Westbourne Grove (a must if you end up in Notting Hill – order the haddock cakes with poached egg and hollandaise, absolutely delicious).  Closest tube station is Notting Hill Gate.  Shopping and strolling in Notting Hill could easily be combined with a visit to Kensington Gardens.

A street sign on Portobello Road.

The Albert Memorial

Kensington Gardens are truly beautiful.  Attached to Hyde Park to the west, Kensington Gardens are another piece of the city park structure that makes London one of the most livable big cities in the world.  At the north-west end of Kensington Gardens is the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground.  Aimed at kids from 2-6 years old, my older kids (8 & 10) still found things to amuse them for a solid two hours.  There isn’t an admission fee but the park is fully gated with a security guard at the exit and they hold strictly to their maximum capacity numbers.  There can be a long line to get in mid-day on the weekends, particularly if the weather is good.  Get there early if you don’t want to wait in line.  Diana’s Playground is open daily at 10:00.  Closing times vary by season.  Admission is FREE.  The closest tube station is Queensway.  If you go to Kensington Gardens you should absolutely visit the large pond in the center of the park.  You might also want to visit Kensington Palace and/or the Albert Memorial.

The Round Pond, Kensington Gardens

Harry Potter Tours: There are any number of companies that will take your hard earned dollars and lead you on a tour of the film locations and sights that “inspired” the Harry Potter books.  If you google Harry Potter Tours in London you will see a zillion options.  You can go in a bus, a limo, a private car, on foot and surely by private plane – if you have enough MONEY.  I’ve noted two important Harry Potter sites above.  Easy places to spot on your own are King’s Cross Station – where Harry departs for Hogwarts.  The station across the street from King’s Cross, St. Pancras, was used in the second film.  Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament both feature in the films, as does the Millennium bridge.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields: Located on Trafalgar Square, St. Martin-in-the-Fields is worth a visit if you love old churches and/or if you have a budding musician in your group.  The concerts are wonderful and frequent.  Check their website for offerings, times and tickets.  There is a brass-rubbing center in the basement that amused my children for a full hour on a rainy day.

National Portrait Gallery: The National Portrait Gallery is a rather stuffy place, and I don’t mean the ventilation.  If you need to see it I strongly suggest getting the well put together audio guide.  Even with the guide my children found the place largely inaccessible and were pleased when I gave in after an hour and took them to eat at the museum’s super posh restaurant.  Yes, I have been known to bribe my children with fancy food.  National Portrait Gallery, open daily 10-6, later on Thursdays and Fridays, closed December 24, 25, 26.  General admission FREE but charges apply to special exhibitions.  Check online for ticket pricing and purchasing.

Where not to go in London unless forced by someone larger than you who is carrying a really sharp stick:

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum: Idiotically long lines, crowds, freakishly high prices and famous people made of wax – it could hardly get any better.

Hamley’s: the British version of New York’s FAO Schwatz, is located somewhere on the 6^th circle of TOY HELL.  Cluttered, chaotic, full to the brim with children chanting, “gimme that” in eleven different languages, it was enough to send me hurtling out into traffic for some peace and quiet.  We escaped after buying our children remote-controlled helicopters that self-destructed moments after we arrived back at our flat and never flew again.

The London Dungeon: Do I really need to go into why this should be avoided at all costs?

The London Eye: Long lines, huge expense and the actual experience is a serious snooze.

The London Sea-Life Aquarium: I should have known, it’s managed by the same people who own Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum and The London Dungeon, two attractions high on the CHEESE scale of tourism.  However, my boys really like aquariums and they were so good about traipsing through every major art and historical museum, so I acquiesced.  The London Sea-Life Aquarium, located on the south bank of the Thames and conveniently attached to a McDonalds, a video game area and a bowling alley, was the worst and most expensive 55 minutes I’ve spent in I don’t know how long.  Entirely below ground, it is a rabbit warren maze of dark hallways punctuated by small fish tanks with inadequate signage (not to mention inadequate fishage).  The place is without a café or restaurant, but to my delight there was a small, slightly seedy candy shop mid-way through where pushy salesmen tried to sell us sweets and really awful photos of me and the wee chaps in front of fake scenes of the sea.  This was apparently the newly renovated, vastly improved London Aquarium.  I cannot imagine what crap it was before.  It led me to think that I should be charging all of my friends to look at my fish tank at home.  Mine’s really nice, and at no extra cost my kids will give an informative somewhat rambling commentary about the fish and the tank and the food, and the fish that we used to have, but they died, and the time the power went out and the tank pumps failed causing the water flow to reverse itself and pour over the top of the fish tank until my youngest noticed the water dripping through the ceiling into the dining room.  Instead I paid 47 pounds for the three of us to feel claustrophobic and homesick.  Can you feel the joy?

Affordable Eats in Santa Barbara:

Even we obsessed cooks take a break from the kitchen occasionally.  Affordable eats in Santa Barbara that will satisfy fussy home chefs and hungry families include Jane on State Street downtown, Los Arroyos on Coast Village Road in Montecito, Brophy Brothers at the Harbour, Tupelo Junction for breakfast/lunch and if you need to be in La Cumbre Plaza – my Dad’s old haunt, Pizza Mizza..  If you get to SB soon – give one of these a try.  Brief Reviews below, and let me know if you think there are other spots that should be added to this list.  All of these restaurants are extremely family friendly – even Jane, which is a bit more posh than the rest.

Jane feels to me like a more affordable version of Suzanne Goin’s newish restaurant The Tavern in Brentwood, CA.  This is a complement to Jane in that I’m a huge fan of Suzanne Goin.  However, I find The Tavern seriously pricey, even by LA standards.  Head up the road to Santa Barbara and visit Jane.  The sandwiches are creative, hip, and well priced.  They make me want to go home and work on my sandwich making skills.  Suzanne Goin has the fine art of the forward thinking sandwich down to a science.  Jane is a strong second to The Tavern in this category.  I haven’t yet had dinner at Jane, just a number of luscious lunches.  I hope to get there for dinner soon.  Jane, 1311 State Street, SB.

I expect good Mexican food to be in abundance in Los Angeles however, from my perspective, it is not.  Santa Barbara boasts two of the best local Mexican food offerings around.  Much has been written about La Superica, so I’ll leave that one largely alone.  Though I understand its draw, its non-pork offerings are limited and as a consequence its menu is too narrow for me.  My family’s favorite restaurant in Santa Barbara is Los Arroyos.  Family owned and run, Los Arroyos began as a small Mexican restaurant on a side street in the part of town where one finds construction supply stores and auto body shops.  A few years ago it made the big leap and moved to Montecito and it has been packed ever since.  It offers a full menu with traditional Mexican food from burritos to sopes and everything in between.  The food is super.  It’s fresh, full of flavor and true to its roots.  I am partial to the Chicken Sopes, my sons adore the Burrito Mojado and/or the Crispy Tacos, and my husband is partial to the Taquitos.  The freshly made guacamole is some of the best around.  No reservations necessary though it can get crowded right at noon in tourist season.  Los Arroyos, 1280 Coast Village Road, Montecito.

Another fresh, affordable, tasty option in Santa Barbara is Tupelo Junction on State Street downtown.  Super popular for breakfast and brunch, it serves great lunches too.  Most of the food is “California Cuisine” in a healthy, casual way.  There is nothing fussy about Tupelo Junction.  The food is abundant and well prepared.  I’m partial to the Fried Chicken Salad with corn bread and buttermilk dressing, my husband adores the Salmon Salad, and my son who has eaten all over the world claims the White Cheddar Burger with Caramelized Onions is the best burger he’s ever had.  The other interesting dish we tried recently was the BLT made with Fried Green Tomatoes.  It’s a tad spicy and magically delicious.  Make a reservation if you want to go on a Sunday, or any busy holiday weekend.  Weeknights are quieter, particularly when the tourists are elsewhere.  Tupelo Junction, 1218 State Street, SB.

Brophy Brothers has been drawing tourists and locals to its busy, crowded spot above the Harbor forever.  Some of the tourists show up because of the view.  The locals come for the food.  The clam chowder is excellent and has been day in and day out since I was a teenager.  The Shrimp Louie is generously sized, has a first-rate dressing and lots of super fresh vegetables.  You can’t go wrong with the Fish and Chips, nor the Steamed Clams and the Oyster Shooter – it’s perfect.  Brophy Brothers, 119 Harbor Way, SB.

Disclaimer – my father recently retired as the long-time head Chef at Pizza Mizza in La Cumbre Plaza.  Though he’s no longer there, many of his mainstays remain on the menu.  It’s definitely the best pizza in town, and for a casual Italian restaurant it has a number of exemplary soups (thanks to my Dad).  Try the Tortilla Soup, or the Potato-Leek, or whatever is the soup of the day.  The Greek Salad is great, and the pastas are fresh and full of flavor.  Pizza Mizza, 104 S. Hope Avenue, SB.

Smart kids pose unique challenges at home and on the road.  I have traversed much of the globe with two outspoken smart kids in tow.  The guidebook industry is generally pitched at childless travelers and the few kid-focused guidebooks out there are at worst focused on getting you from Legoland to Disneyland and back and at best, well – I haven’t found one yet that was best.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favor of both Legoland (been there) and Disneyland (done that) – but many interesting world cities have far more to offer a family with smart kids than just a big amusement park or two.  Over the coming weeks I’m going to post lists of places to go with smart kids in tow for cities as diverse as Santa Barbara, California and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Santa Barbara, California

This is a perfect city for families with smart kids.  There are so many interesting things to do, it’s hard to know where to begin.  If you think I’ve left something important off of the list, let me know.

Lotusland: 37-acres of gardens that are beautiful and strange and curiously compelling, even to kids who might not immediately gravitate to a garden tour.  Families with kids under the age of 10 will get their own docent and the women (I’ve yet to have a male docent) who tour families are spot on.  They are bright, engaged and come with a sense of humor at no extra charge.  It’s a two-hour tour (stop humming the Gilligan’s Island theme song – you’re dating yourself) so wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water and protein bar if your young ones need liquid refreshment or a calorie boost to make it through.  Ganna Walska, the eccentric woman who built the gardens was adventurous, seriously cooky, and managed to marry well 8 times, which is seven times more than most – go Ganna.  Reservations necessary – usually three weeks in advance is the right timing.  Tours at 10 and 1:30, Weds thru Sat, Mid-Feb to Mid-November.

The Natural History Museum: Much of the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum is lost in a time warp about 40 years ago.   The delightful dioramas were painted even longer ago than that, but despite its slightly musty feel – the place pulls and tugs at visitors young and old.  We’ve been a hundred times and we still see something new every time we get there.  I’m partial to the room full of birds, hundreds of them, of every shape and size.  The old rattlesnake exhibit by the entrance with a rattler that rattles when you push the button has been sucking me in since I was knee high to a grasshopper (and they’ve got those too).  In the summer time there is a fabulous butterfly exhibit with hundreds and hundreds of gorgeous butterflies.  I love that the place draws senior citizens without their grandchildren just as often as it draws young families.  Make sure you cross the bridge and wander through the park area along Mission Creek.  The Gladwin Planetarium has presentations on the weekends and one or two times mid-week.  Open daily 10-5 except major holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, buy the “SB Nature Pass” and you’ll have unlimited admission to both the Natural History Museum and the Ty Warner Sea Center for 2 days.  No restaurant but they’ll let you eat your picnic lunch in the great outdoors.

Ty Warner Sea Center at Stearns Wharf: The Sea Center was built as an adjunct to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.  The admission fee feels a bit steep if you only go here and don’t get to the partner museum.  It’s really just a three-room show.  The first exhibition space has touch tanks and fish tanks and usually at least one good volunteer on hand to answer questions (often a bright, well-meaning teenager).  The next room has a square opening down to the sea and has equipment that allows kids to drop a collection container down to the seabed to bring up sand and usually some cool microscopic sea creatures.  Microscopes are handy to peruse your finds.  Upstairs is a continuous reel movie on the sea and a small number of other exhibits.  The whole place takes an hour to see, at most.  Just say NO to the food options on Stearns Wharf, other than the ice cream shop.  The two major restaurants are tourist traps and I don’t have a single good culinary thing to say about either of them.  It is certainly worth walking out to the end of the wharf, as long as you promise me you won’t eat there.  There are usually a few fisherman and 2-3 pelicans hanging out so close you can practically touch them.  If you’re hungry use your feet and march yourself along the beach path up to the Harbor and eat at Brophy Brothers instead (long lines, no reservations taken but worth the wait).  Ty Warner Center is open daily 10-5, closed major holidays.

The Santa Barbara Zoo: The Santa Barbara Zoo sits on 30 of the most glorious acres this side of the Himalayas.  With views out to the Channel Islands and back to the Coastal Range, it is worth a visit just to consume a picnic lunch and breathe the ocean air even if you don’t give two hoots about zoo animals.  The Zoo opened in 1963, just in time for my family to spend countless days wandering happily through its environs.  In recent years they’ve put considerable resources into upgrading the facilities.  What was once a small charming zoo set in a glorious park is now a small charming zoo boasting recently upgraded housing for many of the two and four legged residents.  The kid-sized train is entertaining for kids under 8 – much older than that and it’s a bit of a snooze.  The lines for the train get l-o-n-g in the summertime and brace yourselves for the not-at-all adult friendly seating.  Arrive when the zoo opens on summer days or expect to struggle landing a parking space.  We find the “arrive at 10, leave just after lunch” – schedule makes parking easy and avoids the crowds.  None of the onsite food options are worth the money, though I’ve tasted worse.  Bring a picnic, there are lots of lovely areas to sit, most with ocean views (for nearby picnic food try the Trader Joe’s on Milpas just off the 101 – it’s not more than 4 minutes away).  Open daily 10-5, closed Christmas.

The Santa Barbara Courthouse: History junkies and architecture hounds will get a kick out of the Santa Barbara Courthouse.  It is truly beautiful, and I’m not just saying that because I got my marriage license there.  I don’t think it will capture the interest of kids under the age of 8 – except for the fact that the gardens are fabulous and involve a number of elevation changes meaning there are lots of places to jump up and down – and the sunken garden is a glory to behold.  The Mural Room is absolutely stunning.  John Smeraldi, the Italian born painter who painted the intricate ceiling of the Mural Room is also credited with painting The Blue Room in the White House.  If you or any of your charges need a little caffeine, the “Coffee Cat” which sits conveniently “kitty-corner” to the courthouse is a great local coffee shop.  If you need more architecture hop across the street and peek into the Santa Barbara Public Library – also gorgeous and has a great kid’s section.  Next to the library and a single block from the Courthouse is the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (write up below).  The two would make a good outing duo – followed by lunch at Tupelo Junction just up State Street.

Whale Watching: There are in fact whales to watch off of the coast of Santa Barbara.  From February to May one can see the Pacific Grey Whales and from July to September the ones to watch are the Blue and Humpback Whales.  There are a number of companies that go out daily from the Santa Barbara Harbor, including the Santa Barbara Sailing Center which own the Double Dolphin, a 50’ Catamaran that on a good day will get you up close and personal with a whale or two (or three or four).  On a bad day you won’t see a single one, but the ride is still gorgeous.  Seas can be challenging in February and even March.  Make sure you bring a warm jacket and some Dramamine if you or your brood are prone to seasickness.  Once in the Harbor, if you haven’t tired of ships – take Little Toot from the Harbor to Stearns Wharf.  Much of the year you can see dolphins just by standing on the beach and looking out to sea (no charge).

Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens: Badly damaged in the 2009 wildfires, today the Santa Barbara Botanic gardens are a testament to re-growth and rebirth and the overwhelming tenacity of plant life to survive and regenerate.  It would be worth taking kids there in the next year or two just to get a firsthand lesson in the aftermath of fire.  The various loop trails are easy to follow and can be traversed by surefooted children as well as older adults.  My kids were particularly keen to learn about the methods used by the residents of the Santa Barbara Mission in the 1800s to move water from Mission Creek down to the Mission area – they had a functioning filtration system and everything.  No food onsite other than a snack machine.  Cold drinks can be found in the one vending machine near the restrooms.  There’s an interesting gift shop.  Open daily 9-5 in the winter/fall, 9-6 in the spring/summer – closed major holidays and for the occasional private event.  I don’t think they encourage picnics, but I’m not sure they forbid them either.  Rocky Nook Park is just down the road and would be a great place to picnic afterwards.  You’re not far from the Natural History Museum – the two places could easily be done in the same day.

Santa Barbara Art Museum: Regional art museums, though not necessarily as glamorous as their big-city brethren, are often much more approachable for families with bright kids – who can still find big city museums overwhelming.  The SB Museum of Art falls squarely in the “approachable and worthwhile” category.  Its permanent holdings are first rate, the building is beautiful, and the whole collection can easily be seen in 90 relatively painless minutes.  There is a not-so-big and depressingly windowless kid’s room that never holds my kids’ attention for longer than 10 minutes.  The restaurant is good, though it keeps changing chefs, and the museum shop has lots of lovely things.  Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11-5.  Can easily be combined with a stroll through the Santa Barbara Courthouse, and/or the Santa Barbara Downtown Public Library.

The Santa Barbara Mission: The Santa Barbara Mission graces every postcard aimed at advertising vacations in this fair city.  It is truly beautiful to behold and can be toured between 9-5 daily (self-guided) or better yet, there are docent led tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in the morning.  The rose garden just across the street is spectacular even when the roses aren’t in season and provides a great place for smart kids to RUN AROUND LIKE MAD – which they absolutely need to do at some point.

Ellwood Main Monarch Grove, Coronado Butterfly Preserve, Goleta: In November and December Monarch butterflies by the thousands hang out at the 9.3 acre Eucalyptus Grove preserve in Goleta just ten minutes north of Santa Barbara.  There is relatively easy parking just outside the preserve in the suburban neighborhood that abuts the park.  There is reasonably good signage about where to walk and the path is easy with very little change of grade.  Grandparents and little kids and everyone in between can handle the outing.  No restrooms, no restaurant – just the great outdoors and if you’re lucky, too many Monarchs to count.

Now that you’ve packed your kid’s carry-on let’s move on to what they should have with them for a day of international exploring.  First, let me be clear, I think that any child who no longer needs diapers can wear a small backpack and help out with the schlepping.  I also think they can help organize their stuff in the morning before you set out.  Once they are six they can be told, “load it in your backpack and if you don’t have what you want with you, you have only yourself to blame.”

Both of my kids own small, lightweight daypacks for travel.  Here’s what goes in them on a typical day of international exploring.

1. A protein bar. Yes, I do bring these in our suitcases from the US.  Protein bars have saved the day countless times in a foreign place where bacteria-free food could not be found the instant a small Stern wanted it.  There are similar products in some foreign countries, but not all.  For example, Pret a Manger in the UK has great take-away snack bars with lots of protein and fiber and ZERO preservatives.  It is, however, impossible to find anything like a Lunabar in Ukraine.  Other snacks are clearly welcome.  Apples last for hours and survive large amounts of jostling.
2. A refillable water bottle. You know how the locals can tell we’re American tourists?  It used to be because we had GIANT English slogans all over our t-shirts.  Most of us have wised up and moved to plain shirts for travel (the Texans seem to have missed this memo).  However, the current dead give-a-way is a water bottle.  Apparently we Americans get parched far more quickly than our non-American traveling brethren. Despite the fact that carrying a water bottle puts you immediately in the category of American Tourist – I still think having one is critical.  I’ve had parasites, as have my kids.  It’s lousy, rotten, no good, vile and miserable.  Drink water you control.  Carry your own and let your kids carry some too.
3. A rain slicker. Packing a slicker is certainly weather dependent, but lots of non-US locations have unpredictable precipitation.  I’m completely unwilling to give up exploring because of rain.  Get a good, lightweight rain jacket, roll it up and put it in your kid’s pack.
4. A digital camera. Even the most arcane historic sites increase in interest to kids and teens if they are photographing the place.  Let ‘em shoot all they want.  Flowers, buildings, rocks, weird signs in foreign tongues, you name it – we’ve photographed it.
5. A paperback book. Unexpected waits, delays, long train rides, and lines, they all improve if you have a book (this goes for adults too).
6. A small drawing pad and pens. We use drawing pads and pens for all sorts of activities.  There is of course, the possibility of sketching things we’ve seen, but that’s just the beginning.  We keep lists on our drawing/notepads.  We track forms of transportation taken (plane, train, taxi, canoe…), favorite odd sounding foreign words, places visited, cities seen, new foods tried, worst travel mistakes, etc…  When all else fails you can always resort to hangman and tic-tac-toe – but believe me, that is the bottom of the barrel.
7. Binoculars. I cannot tell you how many times a small pair of binoculars has come in handy during foreign travel.  You can look at birds, the tops of tall buildings, down long rivers, up moving staircases, off of balconies, and into other people’s hotel rooms.  How good is that?
8. A bird or plant watcher’s guide to wherever you are. Ok, clearly NOT EVERYONE needs to pack one of these.  However, my kids find identifying things, including birds and plants, incredibly entertaining.  Having along a small book with names of plants or birds can provide much kid and, dare I say it, teen diversion in between other more exciting events.  Try looking for birds with your handy binoculars as you walk TOO FAR between one priority foreign location and another.
9. A map. Kids and teens like to feel like they have some, albeit small, amount of control over where you are going and when.  Have them help plot the route and then let them lead the pack, map in hand.
10. A small ball. We always have a ball with us – just an eency-teency one that bounces well and weighs NOTHING.  Balls can be thrown in parks, in long lines, while walking, while talking, while waiting and while whining.  Even I like playing with a ball.
11. A deck of cards. This is up to you.  If you play cards, bring them.  If not, leave ‘em behind.
12. Postcards to write on (that dangling preposition is killing me). I’m certain that more than a few people back at home would like to hear about your trip.  I’m sure you’ll send them an e-mail, but consider the lost art of mailing postcards.  Grandma and Grandpa will be forever grateful.
13. A really small first aid kit. All you really need is a couple Band-aids in a ziplock bag and some Neosporin.  I find that whenever I go somewhere without a first aid kit someone falls and cracks open their knee.  If I do have a first aid kit we get wherever we are going completely unscathed.
14. Antibacterial wipes. I think these are better than gel ‘cause they actually wipe stuff off of you.  Gel just mooshes things around while theoretically killing some germs.
15. A small Kleenex pack. I often travel with three boys (two small, one large) and you’d think I’d be the only one who needs Kleenex in a public restroom.  Nope.  I really don’t need to go into the details, EVERYONE needs TP sometimes and usually they need it most when the foreign restroom in question has none.

You’ll notice that my list does NOT include a small hand-held video game, i-pod touch or smart phone.  Let me give you my argument for why you might have brought one or more of these items on the airplane, or used them in the hotel room – but why they still should not be in a daypack.  You came all this way so your kids would SEE something different, new, exciting, unusual.  You did not buy expensive airplane tickets, deal with long lines through security, and endure countless indignities associated with international travel only to have your kids stare at a 4×6-inch screen while walking through the Louvre.  They can look at 4×6-inch screens at home without the cost, stress and jet lag.

In general I’m in favor of children learning responsibility at an early age and I believe they should have to live with the consequences of their actions, or in this case, the consequences of their packing oversights.  However, it is one thing to go to Santa Barbara for a summer weekend without your flip-flops and it is another thing to fly 11 hours in coach without adequate food or entertainment.  My children and I have packed their rolling bags for international travel countless times.  For those of you new to this experience, I highly recommend taking a brief look at the following suggestions.

1. Carry-on Bag: All travelers over the age of 3 should be responsible for their own carry-on bag.  Quit schlepping your kid’s gear.  Seriously.  Let them take responsibility for their own stuff.  Save your back and raise independent kids all in one fell swoop.  This means that a small, rolling bag is in order.  I’m partial to the Victorinox WT Wheeled Tote currently on sale for $199.  It ain’t cheap, but it is rugged and it has a nice, wide open storage compartment with two small side pockets, and a zip pocket on the outside for either i-pods or phones, depending on the age and technology level of your kid.  The other outside pocket holds a water bottle.  As you know, you cannot bring water through security.  You can however bring an empty refillable water bottle that you can fill with water as soon as you get through TSA.  All kids get thirsty whenever it is least convenient.  Bring a refillable water bottle and all will be well.
2. In-flight Entertainment: My kids don’t own hand-held video games.  I’m entirely opposed to them and on long flights I have witnessed children (not mine) lose interest in them right quick.  Bring them if you must, but have a back-up plan.  We never travel internationally without the following items handy: a lap-top computer with a carefully selected pack of beloved DVDs (or a portable DVD player with the same), a good headset, two books (or a recently updated, battery-charged Kindle), a drawing pad and a pen set, Mad Libs, a deck of cards, an i-pod with a new playlist and some new kid-friendly podcasts (funny is always good), an approachable guidebook about where you’re headed and at least one modest project.  For example, we often write thank you notes for whatever recent holiday just came and went while on the plane.  Having at least one directed task that needs to be accomplished helps the time go by.  We’ve done math flash cards, foreign language flashcards, thank you notes, travel update letters, and long forgotten homework for the first hour of many a flight.  We play chess and Scrabble.  If there’s room, we bring along a travel chess and Scrabble set.
3. In-flight Dining:  Airplane food sucks.  Planes get delayed.  They sit on runways, wait for gates to become available, and who knows what else.  We never, ever, ever go anywhere without some serious victuals on hand.  I carry an insulated lunch bag with a shoulder strap on all long flights (leave a comment if you want me to post what I pack for a family of four in our insulated lunch box).  The lunch box comes in handy once we arrive at our destination for trips to parks, picnics, train rides, car rides etc…  My kids also carry protein bars and sliced apples in their own bags.
4. A Change of Clothes:  Even pre-teens have been known to spill the entire contents of their Ginger Ale all over themselves 90 minutes into a ten-hour flight.  At the bottom of my children’s carry-on you will find a pair of comfy sweatpants, clean underwear, a short sleeved t-shirt and a fleece jacket or sweatshirt.  I cannot tell you how many times we’ve needed these items.
5. A Comfort Object:  Your children may have grown out of comfort objects.  If they have, great.  If not – put it in the carry on.  G-D forbid the checked luggage is lost.  My kids are big but we still carry two small stuffed animals per kid and a soft small blanket that keeps them warm on long flights and goes into bed with them in hotels.
6. Their Meds:  Any daily meds need to be in their carry on.  In addition I pack a small medicine kit that comes onto the plane in their rolly with age appropriate Acetaminophen (chewable), Ibuprofen (chewable), Benedryl, Dramamine, Pepto-Bismol, Immodium, Band-Aids, Neosporin, Cough Medicine (now available in dissolvable strips), a one week’s dose of a standard anti-biotic or Cipro, and a small thermometer. Last summer I also carried Tamaflu.  I’m not sure yet whether we’ll need it for this summer.  Call your pediatrician before you leave and ask their advice.  You’ll need to speak to them anyway to get an anti-biotic prescription to take with you.
7. Back-up Glasses: My younger son broke his glasses two hours into an 8-hour drive and we didn’t have a spare pair with us.  It was a total bummer.  We have not made that mistake a second time.
8. Digital Camera, spare memory card and battery charger: I finally got so tired of my kids telling me to take a photo of this or that thing, I gave them each a cheap, indestructible digital camera to use.  Last year’s model that you’ve moved on from does just the trick.  Make them take their own pictures.  One of the best rainy day/sick child/stuck in a hotel activities I’ve ever devised it to have your kid pick their favorite digital photo from the trip – keep it active on the display of the digital camera (or copy it over to your laptop if you have the technology) and have them draw a picture based on the digital image.  We were stuck in a storm in a hotel room once and this activity kept my kids busy for a LONG time.  We put the digital image and a scanned version of the drawing in our travel album.
9. Antibacterial Wipes or Antibacterial Gel: Airplanes are germ infested, self-contained, pandemic incubation chambers.  If my kids get sick traveling it is often just after a really long flight.  I’d tell you to have your kids wash their hands, but as you may have read, the quality of the water available in airplane restrooms is almost as suspect as the food they serve.   Anti-bacterial wipes aren’t a cure-all, but they’re at least a first line of defense.
10. A Copy of Their Passport and Travel Itinerary: I’m all for independence and early responsibility, but I do draw the line at kids carrying their own passports.  I carry not just mine and my kids’, I carry my husband’s as well.  I’m uber responsible and I’ll happily carry yours too.  I’ve never lost a travel document.  Yet.  I wear one of those dorky passport carry packs around my neck.  You have to show your passport so many times these days, it doesn’t make a stick of sense to put them away until you’re sitting on the plane.  Although I won’t let the kids carry the real thing, I do put a copy of their passport and our travel itinerary in their bags.  I’m not sure it helps in the least, but it makes me feel better prepared – which is half the battle.
11. Something New: Some parents drop serious change filling their kids’ packs with all sorts of NEW, glittery, shiny stuff before a long trip.  I’m over this.  A good drawing pad and a set of pens go much further than some glittery thing that quickly gets abandoned.  Buy something new if you must, but I think that the list above is PLENTY.

If you have additional suggestions – I’m always game for new ideas.  Leave them in the comments.  Next up – what your kid should have in their daypack for a day of international city exploring.