Day 2 saw a healthy start with breakfast at Whole Foods – the local organic grocery store – which also had made-to-order sandwiches and an omelette cart!
Hitting the road at about 10am, we had a 2 hour drive ahead of us. Much of the highway had 5 lanes at any one point, and we still managed to get caught up in traffic, which doesn’t necessarily have morning or evening peaks in LA!
As we hit the coast, the clouds rolled in – as is typical of this time of year – but as we pulled onto the exit for Legoland, the Sun came out again. (Nat: It was a good karmic sign for the day ahead, as the sun’s rays appeared only for the period of several hours we were in Legoland)
Pulling up to Legoland with its cute sign we felt like two big kids in dad’s car… Ferris Bueller-style. The real question is: When do we not feel like two big kids?
Our first stop in Legoland was the “Build-and-Play” where George received some wheels and constructed a car/spaceship that he raced against the other
The two stand out exhibits of the day were “Miniature-USA” and the “Star Wars Mini-Land”.
Miniature USA has models of several US cities and towns including New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Washington DC – complete with the Capitol Building, White House, Lincoln Memorial and much more. There was even a Lego re-enactment of JFK’s assassination!
Star Wars Mini-Land featured scenes from several of the planets from the movies, the single biggest Millennium Falcon you’ve ever seen (yes , even bigger than the official 5000 piece set, for the Lego nerds playing at home) and of course, Nat’s favourite the Wampa Cave surrounded by a full battle-scene.
The park is beautifully laid out, with tree-lined boulevards. As we walked between sections we passed the famous busts including Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, Shakespeare and Yoda. (No wait, that was in the Star Wars Walk of Fame!)
Nat: George then insisted on going on the two best rides at Legoland. The first was a tower that you hauled yourself up to the tower by pulling on a rope. Let go of the rope and you drop! The second was a pedal car that made of oversize lego gears and levers that took in a scenic view of the whole park.
With a tour of Lego manufacturing machinery and some obligatory shopping we left with happier hearts!