Location: Monterey, California, USA Address: 700 Cannery Row Date: Feb 2014 Website:canneryrow.com
When we arrived in Monterey, California it was raining. After parking the car we noticed a crowd gathered around a statue and a podium. We took a quick photo and carried on our way towards lunch and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Later we discovered that this was the unveiling ceremony of the Cannery Row Monument. Cannery Row is the nickname that was given to this area due to all the sardine canning plants that used to line the streets. The monument features several important people sitting on rocks in a fashion not unlike the birds and seals we had seen from the shoreline. At the top sits John Steinbeck who was the author of a book called Cannery Row, published in 1945. He is best know for his novel The Grapes of Wrath. Beneath him sit other figures who were important to the success of the area.
After leaving the Aquarium, which was built inside one of the old canneries, the rain had washed away the crowds and we were able to get a proper look at the monument.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Address: 3799 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Date: March 2003 Website:tvcityresearch.com
Deep within the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is Television City. It is a place where those who are tired of trying their luck on the casino floor can try their luck with the CBS television schedule. We were walking by when the staff out front asked us if we would like to take part. It would take less than an hour and we would get some discounts in return. We did end up redeeming our gift shop discount for a CSI t-shirt and a Late Night with David Letterman hat, so we did not do too badly.
Basically you sit and watch a TV series pilot episode and fill out survey questions that ask you what you liked or did not like about the show. They will in turn use this information to ultimately decide whether this show makes it to air or if any changes are required. Often on TV, a show can change drastically between the pilot and the second epsiode. Actors get replaced, characters removed, or the overall tone of the show is adjusted. It was all up to us.
The show we watched was called Charlie Lawrence and starred Nathan Lane in the title role. Nathan has had many roles throughout the years, but is best known for The Producers, The Birdcage and as Timon the meerkat in The Lion King. Other recognizable actors were Ted McGinley, who has appeared on both Happy Days and Married With Children, and Laurie Metcalf, who starred in Roseanne and plays Sheldon's mother on The Big Bang Theory.
While the show was not bad, it was not something we would watch again unless we were on vacation and getting some gift shop discounts in exchange for our time. When the show was over we filled out our surveys and let them know what we thought. Several months after we returned from Las Vegas, Charlie Lawrence did appear on television. Only 2 episodes ever aired before the show was abruptly pulled from the schedule due to poor ratings. Hey, we tried to warn you CBS.
Few things have brought us more joy than our wombat encounter at the Australia Zoo. We still can't look at these pictures without a huge smile on our faces. The Australia Zoo is located about an hour's drive outside of Brisbane and offers many special animal encounters. We have always had a soft spot for wombats since seeing our first one at the Toronto Zoo. For about 40 dollars each we had the chance to spend half an hour inside the wombat enclosure, up close and personal with our 5 newest friends.
It is always surprising that more people are not familiar with wombats. Everyone you meet knows about koalas, but not their close cousin the wombat. Both animals are marsupials and only found in Australia. Marsupials carry their young in pouches and both the koala and wombat have backwards facing pouches. This is useful for the wombat which spends a great deal of time digging in the ground and would not want to fill its pouch up with dirt in the process. Both animals also have hardened backsides of cartilage. The koala uses it to sit comfortably high up in the trees, but the wombat uses it for protection. If a predator, like a dingo, attacks a wombat, it will dive into its burrow filling the opening with it's behind. The dingo will be unable to get a grip on anything to pull the wombat out. In fact, often the wombat will allow a small opening over its back and when the dingo reaches further inside it will use its hardened backside to crush the dingo's head against the roof of its burrow. The final thing koalas and wombats have in common is that they are both adorable.
We were drawn to the wombats because they are so cute, but we had to be wary as they can also be aggressive and could easily charge and bowl one of us over. They are almost like tough little bulldogs. When we were at the Cairns Tropical Zoo one of the keepers told us that just the day before a female wombat had attacked another keeper and she required stitches from her wounds. The Australia Zoo staff told us that we could only approach the wombats from behind and only while they were eating. Once they had finished eating we would have to leave.
Five bowls were placed in a row in the middle of the wombat enclosure and each wombat took their position behind one of the bowls. It was then that we were instructed that we could touch the wombats. We hopped from wom-butt to wom-butt and back again stroking their fur. All the while the wombats munched away. We even had the opportunity to lay down on the grass with one arm around a wombat and have our pictures taken. Then we went back to running from butt to butt, giddy with delight.
There are three types of wombats: Common, Southern hairy-nosed and Northern hairy-nosed. The Northern hairy-nosed wombat is the most endangered. The Southern hairy-nosed and Common are, well, more common. The Australia Zoo had 5 wombats that we are now on a first name basis with. They are Laura and Meg the Southern hairy-nosed wombats and Minibus, Tonka, and Wendy the Common wombats. In the photo above, one of the Southern hairy-nosed wombats is facing us. In the picture below, a Common wombat is enjoying its meal. The Southern hairy-nosed wombats have a thicker, softer fur, while the Common has a shorter, coarser fur. Trust us we checked them all.
Once our wombat experience was over we still could not get enough, so we continued to watch the wombats from outside of their enclosure. If you ever get the chance we highly recommend this experience. If you are still not convinced, watch the video below and try not to fall in love.
Cannery Row Monument
