by Leanne Guenther

I am in love with a man who loves sports. I knew that when I married him and I’m grateful that Darren’s idea of a “wild night” is when a hockey game goes into overtime. I have to remind myself, sometimes, that I’m grateful (that week that he’s watched three NHL games, spent an hour waiting for his skates to be sharpened, played two middle aged men’s league games and is talking about how excited he is that “the World Juniors start next week!” tests me … but I pass, most of the time.

The first touristy area in LA, that I’d recommend to any family with sports fans is LA Live. When we were there, we stayed two nights at the JW Marriott LA Live. The rooftop pool was terrific (don’t forget sunscreen!). I sort of wish we’d stayed another night so I could check out the spa, but it’s likely best we didn’t as we’d already splurged on tickets for not one, but TWO sporting events.

You walk out of the hotel right into the LA Live outdoor entertainment area. On game days, there’s loads of entertainment for all ages in the outdoor “square” which is surrounded by all kinds of dining choices. Given this was the beginning of our “we’re empty nesters now” dream vacation, we picked a nice “adults only” lounge with fire to share tasty small plates and a glass of wine but there were loads of family friendly dining options out there too.

We saw a hockey game on night one, followed by a basketball game on night two. It was amazing how quickly they turned the ice covered arena into a basketball court! Both games were great! Darren was in sports fan heaven, lol.

We didn’t have time but Microsoft Theater is right there too. If we ever have the chance to go back, a concert or comedy show is high on my list of “to do’s”. There’s also a 4D movie theater about a block away.

Getting around in LA is definitely an exercise in patience. We took a taxi the first ride from the airport and realized that the UberBlack would have been cheaper, heh. Lesson learned, we stuck to Uber after that but we did our best to position ourselves so we could walk everywhere we wanted to go once we arrived.

Disclaimer: As always, my opinions are my own. I don’t get free stays or front row seats at NBA basketball games for writing my reviews. No one involved is ever even aware I’m doing it.

Next in the DL minus TK series: Hooray for Hollywood?

You might also enjoy visiting these sections on DLTK's Sites:

• Sports Buddy: Howie Hockey Paper Craft
• More Family Travel Journals