The Farm

"Ramshackle" is a kind word for The Farm, a petting zoo and pony ride attraction at 8101 Tampa Ave in Reseda, CA. "Decrepit," "filthy," "unpredictable," and "unsupervised" are more accurate terms.

But that's why I love this crazy, anachronistic compound populated with dozens of goats, chickens, ostriches, emus, cattle, llamas, ponies, and other farm animals, most of them freely mingling with the human visitors.

When my kids ask me to take the to Chuck E. Cheese's, I would rather set myself on fire and roll in broken bottles to quench the flames. But The Farm, just minutes from our house, offers genuine and surprising experiences every time we visit it. For instance, the last time we went, the ostrich made a grab for my camera, scaring the bejesus out of me. If you are foolish enough to walk into The Farm holding anything resembling food, large goats will jump on you. They knocked my kid down to get the cup she was holding.

If you ever visit the San Fernando Valley, you owe it to yourself to visit The Farm.

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items are from 29 Apr 2007.