LA Magazine Whisky Festival at the La Brea Tar Pits

The Los Angeles Magazine Whisky Festival offers both aficionados and novices tastes of at least 30 (I didn't count and I could not find a list of participants online, so I am guessing) spirits ranging from single malt scotch to blends, bourbons, ryes, and some specialty ones made from rice! Tickets were $95 and included 3 hours of tasting (using a Waterford glass we could take home).

I am fairly well versed in French wines, and although I do have a smattering of whisky knowledge, I have neither the tolerance nor purse to imbibe several fine spirits on a regular basis. I was invited as part of a friends' birthday who not only knew many of the participants, but shares my palate preferences, so his girlfriend and I just said, "You tell us what we should try!" 

Our first taste was an 18 year old single malt scotch by Duncan Taylor which turned out to be my favorite :) As noted by Compass Whisky (not a participant), the age noted on bottles refers only to the youngest component, so keep that in mind when making buying decisions of blends!

 There were many award winners

and specialty distillers.

I thought I didn't like Bourbon until I tasted Angel's Envy, poured by the blender herself of a special blend only available at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles; it's the highest award winner for a delicious reason! Macallen was on hand with a double cask that I enjoyed very much.

 The guys at Duncan Taylor wore kilts!

 This was my first time inside the La Brea Tar Pits Museum, and it was mind boggling!

 This is a sloth!

Fun interactive display with that required two hands to slightly budge one lever!

The space was incredibly educational and entertaining for an event venue, this was one long wall,

 and the workspace was on display as well as the finished assembled pieces.

The lines for food were longer than the lines for scotch, but the passed bites were more interesting than the mashed potato bar and the usual charcuterie, cheese, and crudite buffets. Since this was a spirited event, the emphasis was on the drinks not the food, but the bites were varied and well presented. Some bites not shown were mini crabcakes, stuffed mushrooms, and fried macaroni bits; on the sweet side at least three kinds of mini cupcakes floated through the rooms as well. The space was so large that a DJ, a jazz combo with singer, and a vinyl playing stereo all filled various sections with music without overlap.

 There were also some fun booths like a photo stand, shoe shine,

 and cigar rolling by El Canito Cigars.

 I got a Robusto to go :)

Rodin Gardens

The Musée Rodin reopened this year with over 7 acres of gardens and sculptures. You can easily spend a day here wandering around contemplating the meaning of life :)

The temporary exhibit usually has a very short line, but the permanent exhibit line stretched down to the edge of the sculpture garden. Entry fees range from about 3-11 Euros ($4-13 USD), with the first Sunday of every month free, but be prepared for lines on sunny days. These days there are security checks for all museums, so leave your backpacks at home.

There are sculptures along the side of the garden which are protected from the elements due to their fragile nature.

The sturdier sculptures are scattered throughout the garden.

This gives you an idea of the scale of the garden area; this view is looking back at the building with the permanent exhibitions,

and this is one of the pathways from the permanent exhibition to the rotunda,

with a pond surrounded by sculptures.

One of the nice things about having sculptures outdoors is that you can literally touch them.

The Eiffel Tower is hidden by the fog, just behind the "Thinking Man", as obscure as his thoughts... 

Vatican Museum

After some wonderful pizza at Bonci/Pizzarium, I went to the other attraction in the area, the Vatican Museum. I had made a reservation online before I arrived, and printed out my voucher, so there was literally no wait to get my ticket. It was well worth the 4 Euro (about $4.50) reservation fee to avoid the line that had no reservations. There are some tours that let you skip the line, so unless you literally want to stand for hours waiting to get inside, either make an online reservation or book one of the tours that give you immediate entrance. Vatican City is surrounded by a huge wall and most transit arriving or departing from this City work, including the LED displays on buses, and drivers who will give you instructions on where to get off for your desired destination:) 

(Note that the Roma Pass only includes museums in Rome and this is Vatican City in the Vatican State, not Rome).

You can take the Metro to Cipro for a pizza at Pizzarium, and then walk about 10 minutes, or if you are tired, take a bus from the metro station that gets you closer to the entrance line. Yes, that line is just a small part of the line for entry to the Vatican Museum another two blocks away.

Once you go through security, get your ticket and scan it through the turnstiles, you see this!

A close up at the end of the hallway.

All the ceilings were different.

Even the ceiling above the gift shop was a work of art,

of course, replicas were available as a scarf to take home for about 100 Euros or $110 US.

The museum is massive and you could easily spend all day, so if you are planning on seeing St. Peter's Basilica and Square on the same day, I highly recommend that you take a break and sit down for bit. I saw tired teenagers plopped down on these rare visitor chairs scattered throughout the section of the museum near the gift shop.

You can head to the cafeteria on the ground floor, get a pizza,

and go outside to enjoy the park, but do not sit or walk on the grass, or the Vatican guards will literally chase you off.

By the end I was too tired to walk down the winding steps, as beautiful as they are, so I took the most exquisite wooden elevator to the exit, along with three people in wheelchairs, their family and caretakers, five other tired people, and two Vatican guards. I'm sorry that I didn't get a picture of the elevator, but I am not sorry that I did not take photographs inside the Sistine Chapel, respecting Vatican protocol. Remember that as a tourist you are representing your country, so please be diplomatic and follow the customs of the host. 

Mucem and Fort Jean

The Mucem and Fort St. Jean are both connected spaces which house a variety of exhibitions, as well as a garden and several places to eat. 

 The bridge allows you to walk from one to the other

 ending on the Mucem end at the outdoor cafe

 with views of the port

and reasonable tariffs for such a splendid location. I found it funny that Pastis was less expensive than a soda or a cappuccino, but it is a local drink whereas the others are not:)

 I got off in front of the church and walked across to the Mucem.

 On the fort side, there is a huge outdoor garden with sculptures,

 sitting areas, and a culinary school cafe open from lunchtime to 6pm.

 I barely fit in this tunnel

 which led out to this view,

 and this view.

 From the vantage point of the fort you could see the entire Vieux Port.

 In case you got lost, there was a model to show you how all the buildings connected.