Cheap Thrills

This weekend I was given a great idea for a kid's party.  The Airport! Yup, that's right the airport. Now I am not talking about O'Hara, JFK, or LAX. Check out your local municipal air strip.  Here in Santa Monica Airport our airport has an observation deck and there is a play ground next to the property. Jim who was there with his 4 year old said his son has been wanted to have a party there every since he was old enough to ask. Sure enough, on a subsequent visit he saw a bunch of kids with cake and candles in tow. So guess what his son is getting for his next birthday?

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As I perused the small group of observers it became clear that this is a popular place for dad's on Saturday mornings. You can kick back on the bleachers and watch your kids go crazy over tiny propeller planes and the occasional jet taking off and landing. I was able to keep my 18 month old occupied with little effort on my part for 45 minutes. The only reason we left is because there wasn't enough action for me, no close call or emergency landings. While there may not have been any planes on fire, the big thrill for me was to watch my boy's face light up and see him wave bye-bye with each take off.