Last night I took my son to the
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and I can happily say, I had a blast. I was a little worried
because I was supposed to go with my wife and son, but when my wife had to work late, I got a little nervous. You see I live about 45 minutes from the
Honda Center in Anaheim and in LA traffic that can mean anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours. Fortunately, what started as a skeptical evening ended up being a great night out with the boys.
We had been invited by
Mom Central and
Feld Entertainment to attend a special
pre show, followed by an official
pre show, which all ticket holders are invited to attend, then the actual show itself. Both
pre shows were an amazing opportunity to experience the circus like never before. Circus clowns, jugglers, elephants, dogs, zebras, oh my!! They were all available for meet and greets, autographs and photos before the show. This was an unexpected and nice touch that really created a comfortable and special atmosphere. For young children like my almost three year old son, I think it helped him feel comfortable in what must have been a very strange. colorful, night.
The show began shortly after and I have to say, all my circus stereotypes flew out of my head. See, here is my confession. I had been to the circus when I was about 4 or 5 years old. From what I remember, it was fun, but it was closer to the circus you see in scary Hollywood movies - slightly run-down, falling apart, tired animals, an older ringmaster and slightly spooky talent. I am pleased to say that rather than replicate a circus seen in the movies, this is a circus FOR the movies. With influences ranging from
Cirque du Soleil to Asian acrobats, this is no Dumbo's circus. The
Zingmaster is amazingly talented, energetic and young - full of energy and leadership to keep the crowd entertained throughout the evening. My son was mesmerized by the elephants, especially when one disappeared, and loved the dogs as they jumped through hoops and slide down slides just like he does at
Gymboree! I could go on and on, but don't want to give anything else away so that you can check it out for yourself!
One final point about boys night out for which I am even more amazed and grateful for my son - after driving for a half an hour, I had the sneaking suspicion I was driving the wrong way when
my son said "mama and papa live far away". We need a
mousekatool (From the
Mickey Mouse Club House television show) to get home." I realized that yes, we had been driving for a while and noticed that indeed, we were headed in the wrong direction on the wrong freeway!! I quickly corrected my mistake and we were home shortly after. All I can say is who needs a GPS when you have a savvy son!
We went for our first ride last weekend around the neighborhood for about 30 minutes. I was skeptical at first that Max would not go in the carrier, but after putting a kangaroo and a cat in there and a nice refreshing beverage, he was lured into the cave. He was like a king on his throne, just watching the world go by as we cruised around. It was nice to have a few speeds to play with on the bike, especially when we were going up hill. Next time we'll be a little more adventurous and go to the farmer's market or the Rose Bowl for a nice jaunt.
