To the left was the seven story IMAX theatre.

I think I have decided that buying a gift for your parents is nearly impossible. Therefore, unless my parents specifically request something (I hope they are reading this) I plan on just spending time with them. With this thought specifically in my mind I decided to buy my mom tickets to see the Cleopatra exhibit at the California Science Center.

The exhibit had lots of looks for Cleopatra. Octavius who defeated her tried to erase all memory of her, but it didn’t quite work.

The California Science Center next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the home of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics. Kind of fitting place for an exhibit on Cleopatra because despite being the last pharaoh of Egypt, being a direct ancestor of  Ptolemy I, she was actually a Greek. The exhibit consisted of two parts the gallery and a IMAX presentation of “Mysteries of Egypt” (which had to do more with King Tutankhamen, who lived 1,300 yrs before Cleopatra, but whatever, it got us to buy more popcorn). The exhibit started with a short film that had you feeling like you just went on a underwater dive to discover Cleopatra’s ancient cities. It then meandered through different pivotal points of her life. Ultimately, it ended up talking about how she died by suicide after having been conquered by Octavius.

I knew when I saw this unidentified Egyptian royal person I needed to see if I could discover his identity.

Through careful reconstructive measurements I think I was able to find the face of this ancient royal person.

While sitting in the Rose Garden eating ice cream it got me thinking. If Cleopatra were really here today and it was my job to take her around L.A. where would I go. I decided I would take her to Olivera ST.

Why as a matter of fact I don’t see anything out of the ordinary with a Santa riding a stuffed painted donkey followed by a bunch of oversized sombreros.

Why not? Olivera ST is fun, festive, the oldest part of L.A., you meet lots of people there, and you will see things you probably never saw before. Well, Cleopatra with not with us on our trip, but we went anyway. We strolled the Plaza, browsed the shops, saw the Avila house (the oldest surviving house in L.A., imagine the mortgage on that place) and ended up eating at a place called Mr. Churro.

Doesn’t sound really authentic, but believe it or not the place had a certificate by the Mexican Board of Agriculture declaring it a Distinguishing example of Mexican Culture (never saw that before).

Well, my mom is not Cleopatra (which is good because all of Cleopatra’s sons had horrible endings). I think she had a good time, which is good because my mom will always be Pharaoh in my eyes (and you don’t want to displease Pharaoh).

Here is a little video of the dancers in the Plaza: