Train Ride to Union Station
The train is definitely a highlight of the trip. We had maps of where we were going and coloring sheets to keep the kids busy on the train but they were more excited about riding on a train and looking out the window!Good to Know:
- Free parking at Irvine Station is in the garage across the street.
- Tickets can be purchased at the ticket machines. Credit cards are accepted.
- Children under 6 ride for free.
- Tickets are checked on the train. They were not checked this trip.
- This trip cost us adults $21 each (it would have cost us more in gas if we drove!)
- Navigating the station: figure out which track is headed north and that the train is going to the end of the line - Union Station. Use the bridge to cross over to the other track if needed. It also has a great view of the tracks and trains!
- Oh, and don't pick the "quiet car" with a bunch of noisy kiddos. The muffled voice on the loudspeaker will tell you which car is the quiet car.
- Beware that the train stops for a quick 30 seconds - so have everything ready to go!
First Stop: Union Station
Union Station is in the heart of LA. It was opened in 1939 and it is still the hub of LA rail traffic today.
Conversation Starters:
- Look up at the chandeliers! Some of them weigh more than a car!
- Look down at the tiles on the floor - they are made to look like rugs.
- Point out the "Spanish Revival Architecture" - tall window arches, the browns and yellows with the blues (earth and sky)
- If you see a courtyard - step outside! All the plants in the courtyards are "native". Talk about the kinds of plants that grow naturally in LA - discuss how there isn't grass and trees with giant leaves.
- Peer over the wall to the ticket counter. Use your imagination caps to paint a scene of busy ticket takers and crowds of people. Describe how people would have had heavy trunks instead of suitcases with wheels.
Next Stop: Fire House No 1 - the Plaza Fire House
This is a great historic landmark that will "wow" the kids while you say "Don't Touch!" It really is not a hands-on place but it is a quick stop and it's free - you can't pass up free!
History Highlights:
- The fire house was only in use for a short 8 years 1884-1892.
- It had housing upstairs for men (you can see a little bed if you look at just the right angle) and 3 horses.
- After being a fire house (the city apparently never actually owned the land it was built on) it was a saloon, a boarding house, drug store and according to our docent - a house of ill repute.
- The turntable on the floor is very neat! The horses would bring the carriage in and be disconnected and placed in their stalls at the rear of the building. The the turntable on the floor would turn the carriage around so that the horses could be easily hooked up for the next fire and they would pull the wagon out straight. Moving the turntable was done by the fire fighters.
- There is a lot of talk of the Volunteer 38. This stands for the 38 volunteer fire fighters that worked at this station. However...they were not so "volunteer" - they actually got paid per the number of fires that they helped extinguish.
Logistics:
- Once you exit Union Station - you walk across the street and through the square and on the other side is the Fire House.
- It is free but donations are appreciated.
- It is open only Tuesday through Sunday 10-3.
Up Next: Olvera Street!
What to do with kids there?!
- Eat - we found a little taco stand where we ate some cheap yummy food and were serenaded by a mariachi band (for a tip of course)
- Shop - plan on spending a few dollars for a souvenir - and I really mean a few! We brought home a marionette puppet that the kids love for $5 and a little turtle figurine that my daughter just had to have for a $1.50. We also did a little birthday present shopping and bought personalized guitars for $12 each - but really - can you top a personalized guitar - that is a great gift!
- Bargain - go ahead and try to bargain. Bargain out the sales tax or try to buy a few things and drop the price a little. You can bargain so you should - it is always good to practice bargaining and to demonstrate it for your kids.
- Experience - Look at the old tall buildings. Feel the vibe of the market and the crowds.
History Highlights:
- Olvera Street is the oldest part of downtown LA.
- Originally Settlers had set up near the LA River but were forced to higher ground by unpredictable floods. The new location grew into El Pueblo de Los Angeles where Olevra Street is located.
- Olvera Street is the center for Mexican traditions in LA.
- The Plaza was initially the civic center of LA but as the 1880s brought a new influx of people to the city, the city center was moved it its current location. Olvera street fell into disrepair and took on a new position of welcoming immigrating families.
- It was Cristine Sterling who worked tirelessly to restore Olvera Street and close it off to car traffic. She secured donations from local brick and cement companies. Inmates were used to do the hard labor.
And Now - The Avila Adobe House!
The Avila Adobe House is a wonderful place that you can tour for free.
Highlights:
- In the courtyard - there are beautiful grape vines growing on trellises above your head!
- There is the actual Avila House that you can tour. A docent was present to give you a little history.
- It is remarkable the number of religious items in the house.
- The house tour ends with a look at a child's bedroom.
- There is a movie playing in one of the buildings of the courtyard...oddly enough the kids didn't want to stop watching it.
History:
- It is the oldest standing house in Los Angeles.
- The walls of the house are built of adobe and are about 3 feet thick!
- Originally the floors were dirt and would be swept several times a day. The wood plank floor was added later.
Logistics:
- It is located about halfway down Olvera Street.
- It is open every day 9-4.
And that was our trip - we headed back to the train station in time to pick up Starbucks for the ride home and hustled our tired kids back to the train for a fun ride home!
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