Here’s a random photo from our Boats and Beaches page of our Croatia photos page.
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The easiest way to LAX
Depending on where you live, picking someone up at LAX ranges from a minor inconvenience to a major problem. Unless you’re extremely local, like El Segundo or Manhattan Beach, the prospect of getting to the airport means that you’ll spend a bunch of time sitting on the freeway probably during rush hour, and you’ll have to dodge in and out of traffic and figure out which terminal you’re supposed to be near.
The new FlyAway bus from LAX to Union Station solves all those logistical problems and might even save a friendship or two. The bus runs from Union Station to LAX every half hour and the return trip runs just as often. In the wee hours of the morning the frequency slows to once every hour.
The FlyAway bus costs $4, but if you’ve just arrived on a flight, the service is free from LAX to Union Station. The driver usually checks your baggage claim to determine if you are worthy of a free seat.
Here’s a random photo from our Istria page of our Croatia album:
Here’s a random photo from our Plitvice Lakes page of our Croatia photos page.
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Norton Simon Museum
Pasadena’s Norton Simon Museum describes itself as an “adventure in the visual arts.” This may be the case compared to other stodgy museums with comparable collections, but the Norton Simon Museum is probably referencing its place on the forefront of painting collections. The Norton Simon does not have the most extensive or complete collection in the world, the west coast, or even Los Angeles. But the collection is prestigious and focused, full of works you’re not going to see elsewhere.
In addition to the unique paintings the museum displays, the Norton Simon displays some remarkable statues from South Asia, tapestries and a lake built in to the museum garden.
The Norton Simon Museum has gone through several names in its history. The Pasadena Art Institute became the Pasadena Art Museum, which became the Norton Simon Museum. Along with its name the building has evolved over the last few decades. The architect Frank Gehry redesigned the museum so that it had had more display space, an increased capacity for temporary exhibits and a floor solely devoted to Asian art.
Location
The Norton Simon Museum is located at 411 W. Colorado Boulevard, near Old-Town district in Pasadena. The Museum is on the Tournament of Roses Rose Parade route and during television broadcasts of the parade the building’s exterior can be seen.
Admission
Adults are charged $8.00 for admission to the museum and seniors $4.00. Students with ID, museum members and anyone younger than 19 get in free. The Acoustiguide Audio Tour costs $3.00 for use during your tour of the museum.
Hours
The Norton Simon is closed on Tuesdays, but open from noon to 6:00 p.m. the rest of the week. On Fridays the museum stays open until 9:00 p.m. and from 6:00 to 9:00 on the first Friday of every month admission is free.
Here’s a random photo from our Boats and Beaches page of our Croatia photos page.
Here’s a random photo from our Plitvice Lakes page of our Croatia photo album:
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Anaheim
Anaheim is located in Orange County, 28 miles southeast of Los Angeles and is best known for being the home of Disneyland, several sports teams and the Anaheim Convention Center.
Disneyland
Disneyland is located in Anaheim, just off Interstate 5 in the heart of Orange County. Disneyland brings millions of visitors to Anaheim each year and is a big part of the reason that Los Angeles is such a popular tourist destination. Disneyland, however, is largely self-contained. Disneyland offers deals on park admission and hotels so that it makes the most sense for visitors to spend as much time as possible in the park or their hotel. Some visitors to Disneyland never see the rest of the city.
Sports
Anaheim is California’s 10th largest city and the city hosts many of Orange County’s sports teams. Just down the street from Disneyland, the Anaheim Pond is home to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim play their games next door at Angel Stadium.
Anaheim’s sports teams have enjoyed incredible success over the last few years, the Ducks winning the Stanley Cup and the Angels winning in the World Series in 2002.
Culture
No, that’s not a typo and no, we’re not going to make snarky comments. OK, there might be a few, but we thought it worth mentioning that Anaheim is the home of that sad, angsty pop sound that is so popular now on the radio. Blame Anaheim for the rising popularity of emo-music and sad-punk that pubescent teens sink into as they grow up. Social Distortion, No Doubt, and many other bands with their own flavor of affected rock come from Anaheim.
The Trakoscan Castle, an easy day-trip from Zagreb, hearkens back to a simpler time, when people lived in castles instead of just admiring them on vacation and the dungeon wasn’t just for tourists. Trakoscan was an occupied dwelling until the middle of last century and only recently opened to become part of the set of attractions that Zagreb has to offer.
Trakoscan Castle was built in the middle of the 13th century as part of a network of fortifications throughout Croatia. The origin of the name of the castle remains disputed, but it is agreed that it is a Romanesque fortification.
The Draskovic family came into possession of the castle in return for services rendered to King Maximilian in the 16th century. For a few generations the family lived there, then abandoned the estate for a more exciting existence abroad. It wasn’t until the second half of the 18th century, when manor houses and estates became popular in the countryside, that a group of Draskovic’s returned to the castle and restored the interior and gardens to a point that surpassed the former level.
The castle was inhabited until the 1940’s when the remaining Draskovic family members emigrated from Croatia to Austria. The castle is now state owned and the facility is on display for the world to see and tour.
Trakoscan has four main levels, including the dungeon, and each one is a large area to tour and see. The castle has the feel of something that has stopped in time and living there must have required an intense respect for days gone by in order to not upgrade the facilities to include heating systems and other modern amenities. Almost immediately after the Draskovic’s left the Balkans, the government turned the castle into a museum.
The two most notable rooms in the castle are the Knights and the Hunting rooms, which are on display year round, although only from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the summer. The rest of the year, the museum is open and the castle is available for tours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Here’s a random photo from our Istria page of our Croatia photo album.
