Things have been good for me lately. A good friend of mine, who is battling cancer, just had successful surgery and is proceeding to kick cancer’s ass... “Life is Good” just like it says on those faded T-shirts with the stick people. Optimism is in the air people… Breathe it in and believe it.
So, I’m not sure what the weather is like in other parts of the country, but the weather in Southern California has been absolutely gorgeous. It’s bright and sunny just like my outlook and on a day like today, it would be a crime to not take my kids out for a day at the park. I have a few places in mind, but one park creeped to the top of my list and that was The Mayors' Discovery Park in La Canada. I had always wanted to visit this park and today, I was going to Carpe that Diem… For those who didn’t take Latin in high school, Carpe Diem means “Seize the Day”. I’ve always associated that phrase with some brutish fellow like Russell Crowe in Gladiator or Mel Gibson in Braveheart yelling at me to “Just Do It” and “Seize the Day”. However, courtesy of Wikipedia, I have found out that the Roman Poet Horace, actually intended for this saying to mean “Enjoy the Day”. Isn’t that interesting? All this time I thought it was some battle cry, but I find out the saying was simply a call to go out and enjoy yourself. Well thank you Horace... I think I will go out and “Enjoy the Day”. The plan is to take the twins to the Mayors’ Discovery Park and once there, we will endeavor to make my main man Horace proud…
On Fridays, I pick up the twins from school at noon. I already have it in my mind to take them to the park, but the first order of business was to “Seize” some lunch. After much consternation, we decide to pick up some tasty delectables at Panda Express. Yes, I’m being slightly facetious regarding Panda, but if your kids are hungry, Panda works out great. One 2 item combo will feed all my children easily. Anyways, we arrive at the park to find only one car in the parking lot. This is a fairly common occurrence because this park does have its quirks. Let me run those down quickly:
First off, the park is tiny. Apart from being tiny, it is also very difficult to see from the road even if it is located on a main street. (Foothill Blvd) Another fun quirk is that the park always looks closed. As you pull up, the gates are padlocked and the darn place looks about as welcoming as your mother in law. So we’ve established that the park is small, hard to find, and appears to be closed… Great post Kyle! You should get a lot of comments on this one for sure!
OK, here’s the skinny… While the park is small, it is modern, yet charming. The fountain is gorgeous and so well laid out that it is simply a kid’s dream to play in. The park appears closed, but the side gate closest to the bathrooms is open, so all you have to do is just grab the handle and pull. The fact that the park appears closed is a good thing, because it thins the herd. The park is also fully gated on all sides so you can let your kids roam basically free.
The Mayors’ Discovery Park had originally peaked my interest because I had heard of its unique fountain and water play area. While more and more water play areas are popping up in parks around Southern California, this one claimed to be different, and I the intrepid explorer, set out to find the truth… At first glance the fountain is not exactly awe inspiring, but as you walk closer, this fountain reveals itself to be a true piece of art that is also perfectly suited for water play. Colorful mosaic tiles beautifully decorate the bottom floor of the fountain and amongst those tiles, you will find many aquatic animals like turtles and other whimsical creatures that kids can reach in and touch. Do you remember as kids when you used to take leaves and race them down the gutters when water was flowing? Well, this is exactly that in a safe and clean environment. The water flows briskly from the top through 2 different troughs finally winding down to the bottom of the fountain. This is a perfect set up for racing boats. So much so that my kids are already referring to the place as “Boat Race Park”. If you don’t have a suitable boat on hand, I suggest you dig up those old plastic Easter Eggs and use the half-shell as a boat. They work great and each child can have a different color. We raced for a long time, yet against the law of averages, Daddy lost every race. Somehow my Egg Boat was either capsized by a “Giant Sea Monster” or was sunk like a “German U-Boat”. I could only laugh as the two other undeterred boats sped on by. We had a great time and I’ve never felt so happy to be a “Loser”.
The park has bathroom facilities that are nice and clean, a number of picnic tables, an open stretch of grass to run and play, and a sand area. The sand area is a “buried treasure” sand box with a road underneath to uncover. It sounds cooler than it actually is to be honest. The picnic area will have some shade one day when the vines grow in, but for now, they don’t offer much protection from the sun. Other than that, this is a really nice little park to visit if you want a quick picnic or need to burn 40 minutes or so. It is not a full featured park that can entertain your kids all day, but then again, if you are looking for a quick, wet diversion, this park is a great choice.
In 23 BC, the Roman Poet Horace encouraged us to “Enjoy the Day”. If you plan to visit The Mayors’ Discovery Park, you will be afforded ample opportunity to do just that and Carpe that Diem…
Mayors' Discovery Park
The Park is located at 1830 Foothill Boulevard in La Canada Flintridge, California 91011 where the 2 (Glendale Fwy) and Foothill Blvd. meet.
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