My Day At The Natural History Museum

     Greetings audience! Today we are going to explore the fascinating land of the dinosaurs and deep roots of the natural history of Los Angeles by discussing the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Our journey begins on an exciting journey from the Orange Line from Canoga Station to the USC/Expo Station on the Expo Line. I would strongly recommend that one take public transportation to the Natural History Museum, rather than suffer traffic and parking fees. Not to mention you would benefit the environment. In addition, I strongly recommend that people visit the museum on the first Tuesday of the month, because it's free.

     Before we get into the fun stuff about my fascinating journey through the Natural History Museum, let's talk about some of the history of the museum. This museum is associated with two others, The Page Museum and William S. Hart Ranch. Their goal is "to inspire wonder, discovery, and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds." This museum opened in Exposition Park in 1913 and was known as the Museum of History, Science, and Art. In 1965 the Los Angeles County Museum of Art moved and the museum became the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Tourists from around the world are continually attracted by the addition of exhibits, including the Dinosaur Hall in 2011 and the Becoming Los Angeles exhibit in 2013, where visitors can learn the history of the city.

                                                   NORTH AMERICAN MAMMAL HALL

     If one wants to take a journey to see creatures from North America, one should check out the North American Mammal Hall. Our wonderful continent has many different creatures that seem out of this world, and this exhibit houses them for your awesome viewing adventure. Some of the creatures that are found in the woods of North America as well as featured in this exhibit include the American black bear, bison, moose, polar bear, and walrus. It feels like a collector brought these animals together on this quest for us to view. I enjoy seeing all the animals and learning some history about each one. One of the mammals I am going to discuss is the bison, which looks like a buffalo roaming in the west. Did you know that at one point there were 90 million roaming the continent? Now there are about 500,000 located in North America.

                                                         DINOSAUR HALL

     What would a trip to the Natural History Museum be without a trip to the see the dinosaurs? One of the new exhibits is the Dinosaur Hall. This exhibit host many of the dinosaur skeletons from the prehistoric ages. This would be a great place if one wants to be an archaeologist like Indiana Jones to discover interesting facts and history about the dinosaurs. Some of the dinosaurs that can be found include the t-rex, stegosaurus, and triceratops.  My favorite dinosaur is the t-rex because its what I grew up with and associate it with movies. I hope that if one likes dinosaur bones and wants to be reminded of the prehistoric times that one will check out this exhibit.

                                              BECOMING LOS ANGELES

     In our final part of this blog, we will be discussing another fairly new exhibit: Becoming Los Angeles. There is a lot of history that one can learn from exploring this exhibit. One can learn about how the city of Los Angeles was made and how it has grown throughout the years. Sadly I wasn't able to check out the exhibit this time because it was closed. However, I still feel like I learned a lot of history about Los Angeles by being there, such as how the city once had many cowboys.

     One should definitely take an epic quest to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. There are many exhibits one can take a look at, such as dinosaurs, mammals from North America and Africa, minerals, and the history of Los Angeles. One should start their journey by leaving their car at home and take the metro, where one can also explore more than just the museum, such as USC and the California Science Center. If you liked my blog, please check out my video about my day at the Natural History Museum at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4HbuBhePrw&t=2s.

Anthony Bourdain And Depression

     Good day audience! As most of you know, CNN and Parts Unknown Star Anthony Bourdain passed away on June 8, 2018. As someone hoping to make a career out of the travel industry, I hadn't personally watched the show until I decided to binge watch it on Netflix after his death. He did a lot of interesting things, such as visit many different countries and try different types of food, but probably the most notable thing he did was have a meal with former President Obama at a Vietnamese restaurant. Another subject we're going to talk about is depression and suicide, topics that are particularly important to discuss for the autism community. Let's dive into the life of the late Anthony Bourdain.

                                                    Life Of Anthony Bourdain

     Anthony Bourdain had quite an exceptional life. His resume includes celebrity chef, author, travel documentarian, and TV host. He was born on June 25, 1956 in New York. He got his culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978 and ran a bunch of restaurants in New York. His media career started on the Travel Channel and Food Network, including A Cook's Tour from 2002 to 2003, No Reservations from 2005 to 2012, and The Layover from 2011 to 2013. All these shows relate to food in different parts of the world. In 2012, he left The Travel Channel and went to CNN for Parts Unknown. He also has won many awards, such as Food Writer of the Year in 2001 by Bon Appetit, as well as every year from 2013 to 2016 an Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series for Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.

     One could learn a lot from Anthony Bourdain about how to become a travel host. I am hoping to achieve the success of Anthony Bourdain by combining my passions for entertainment and travel. I could give people of all abilities unique recommendations and inspire them to travel and be independent. I am not into food as much as Anthony, and I like to hang around touristy areas because that's where there is the most to do. I do believe in living life to the fullest and combining all passions of life, which is what Bourdain did with his passions for food and travel.

                                      ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN

     Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown was his most recent travel and cooking show on CNN. It premiered on April 14, 2013, and its main purpose was to uncover lesser-known parts of the world, as well as to explore culture and cuisine. I've only watched a handful of episodes, such as about Myanmar, Koreatown, Las Vegas, and Thailand. He gave a very unique perspective about parts of culture that one wouldn't necessarily know about. I personally am not overly invested in the show because I am not a food person. For example, I mostly ate McDonald's when I was in Thailand because I like to keep it simple. I like to explore countries so that I can see different parts of the world.

                                                  AUTISM AND DEPRESSION

     Let's discuss the elephant in the room. The reason Anthony Bourdain took his life was he was battling depression. Let me tell you, depression is not a pretty sight. The world has lost many celebrities because of suicide, such as The Genie AKA Robin Williams, Tony Scott, and Chester Bennington. Depression is a very powerful force -- no matter how rich or powerful you are, it can afflict you.

     For adults with autism, especially Asperger Syndrome, depression is common to come across. Among the reasons is the fact that they face many different challenges. These challenges include a lack of social communication, social understanding, and imagination. The person can have trouble with appropriate social interaction, making friends, and being able to anticipate what might happen. Depression is a reaction for those with autism dealing with employment difficulties, relationship issues, and a non-autistic world.

     I have had my fair share of battles with depression, and I realize that life is hard. Some of these times have occurred in high school, college, and years at work. The way I got through it was to confide in the right people. The problem is that one can't be sure who to trust and that life can sometimes just suck. If anyone would ever like to talk to me about depression, I can be a shoulder to cry on. Anthony Bourdain and I have had a lot in common, including travel and depression. Rest In Peace Anthony and thanks for being an inspiration.

Chicago

      Greetings, everyone! I’m now going to take you on a tour of one of my favorite cities of all time…The Windy City…Chicago!!! Chicago is famous for a LOT including the buildings, museums, deep dish pizza and sports teams. I love this city because of its richness in the arts and the amazing night life! 

                                                     HISTORY OF CHICAGO

     Chicago has an amazing history! Its economic, cultural and political histories have all helped the city grow and become diverse over the years. Even when a fire destroyed most the city including the central business district in 1871, the city grew because of its railroads, finance, higher education, broadcasting, jazz, and high culture. A display of Chicago’s rise to stardom can be found in the Chicago History Museum still standing and thriving today!

                                                      GO CHICAGO CARD

     If you’re interested in saving money and visiting places such as museums and skyscrapers, I highly recommend the “Go Chicago Card.” This card is an all-inclusive pass which provides access to famous sites including the Shed Aquarium, Skydeck Chicago, 360 Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, Adler Planetarium, Field Museum, Chicago History Museum, and many more. You can buy a pass that lasts anywhere from one to five days. Getting a Go Chicago Card rather than tickets to the individual attractions will save you money AND time! For more information on the Go Chicago card check out https://www.smartdestinations.com/chicago-attractions-and-tours/_d_Chi-p1.html?pass=Chi_Prod_Go.

                                                    Field Museum of Natural History

     One of my favorite museums in Chicago was the Field Museum of Natural History. It's a HUGE museum and maintains its status of a premier natural history museum with the help of a state-of-the-art education and scientific program. There are exhibits for the whole family whether you wish to explore Asia or Hawaii or Africa, just to name a few!  Be sure to look for the most noticeable creature in the entire museum…SUE THE T-REX! 

                                                                 Art Institute Of Chicago

     If you’re ever in Chicago, I also highly recommend visiting The Art Institute. It was founded in 1879 in Grant Park and is the second largest art museum in the United States (after the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York)! Some of its collections include African art, Indian art, American art, Asian art, European paintings, and Modern and Contemporary Art. I highly recommend you check out the Asian art while you’re there...it is gorgeous! Before you leave, seize the rare opportunity to get close to the famous painting, American Gothic (the painting of the older couple with the man holding a pitchfork).

     With a lot to offer and a city full of memories, Chicago is a spectacular place to visit! This is one of my favorite cities in the world and I hope you’ll get the chance to explore Chicago and save yourself some money while you’re at it!