SARAH SCHREFF/Photo Editor
LAURA JOHNSON
Assistant A&E Editor
People, the time has come to do something. There’s nothing to do in Malibu — get over it. The offerings below are more likely to be found on a list for 5-year-olds to go out and explore. Yet, as college students, things get so serious sometimes. Forget about the midterms that lasted for a month or the paper due tomorrow and just go and get lost in a place to remember what once was happy — childhood.
Putting Edge
This is experience is sure to leave anyone glowing, as the Putting Edge miniature golf course is the only glow-in-the-dark putting green on the West Coast. Opened three years ago, the course provides an extremely unique take on a not-so-unique type of family excursion place.
Every Tuesday and Thursday night is known as “starving college students” night and anyone with a college ID will get 2 dollars off the ticket price at the door. However, the only food items provided are soft drinks and candy.
This medieval-themed course takes about 45-minutes to an hour for the average group to get through, though there is no time limit.
“We are a highly original miniature golf course,” said Tania Do, a Putting Edge associate. “Not only are we indoors so you don’t have to worry about the elements, but we play cool music of any kind. Guaranteed, you have never seen a place like this before.”
Sophomore Vince Evola, who worked at a location in Chicago, said it was a great place to bring a big group of people to cure boredom.
“It’s not like a movie, where you just sit there,” Evola said. “It’s an interesting place with a spin on an old thing. It’s definitely something to try.”
California Science Center
Where do bubbles come from? What does the inside of the human body really look like? At the California Science Center, these and other pondering questions are answered in a way that no laboratory or formaldehyde-smelling biology classroom can make as exciting. As the favorite word of many college students is “free,” this place will be sure to fit into that budget, as the only thing that needs to be paid for is parking and an IMAX theatre ticket. The IMAX is showing “Creatures of the Deep” on its 90-foot-wide and 7-story-tall screen.
Featuring exhibits that are permanent and ones that change monthly, the new exhibit this month is called “Goosebumps: Science of Fear,” which actually features what is called a “fear challenge course.” Students can walk through this course and face some of their biggest fears such as animals, fear of electric shock, loud noises and fear of falling.
“This is something that everyone can enjoy, no matter what age,” said Paula Wagner, who is the associate director of communication. “We want to teach that science is relative to everyday life. Through our interactive setting, we want to make it tangible for any type of person to grasp.”
A great place to go to get away, one can get lost in “toyland,” an earthquake epicenter, or one of the real space capsules on the front lawn of the Science Center. Go ahead and face those fears and find out what science really is about.
LA Zoo
One could do worse than to put animal crackers in his or her soup, however, going to see the real things in a live environment is a much more exciting alternative to their cracker counterparts. Home to more than 1,100 animals, 29 of these species are endangered. The Los Angeles Zoo takes up more than 133 acres of space and is owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles. Opened in 1966, the place has provided city-living people with a world away from LA.
Today, a new exhibit called the Campo Gorilla Reserve opened. Here, six lowland gorillas will come to call the zoo home. There will be six public viewing areas where visitors can see the fuzzy creatures in their “natural” grassy habitats. Some other popular attractions include the Australian outback, which features Koalas – and the orangutan exhibit.
“It’s too bad that college students don’t often think of this as a great place to go,” said Jason Jacobs, a public relations associate for the zoo. “Not only can you come and learn new things, but it is also a great location for a date, as it truly it is truly an oasis away from the real world.”
For one more thing to check out, after Thanksgiving weekend, be sure to check out the reindeer fly in for viewing. Santa’s favorite mode of transportation will be on gracing LA until New Years, so hurry quick.
11-08-2007
