Part of our summer list 2012 was to visit as many museums as possible. The Hammer is usually a good choice: it's close, the kids are free, and it's never too crowded. Their current major exhibition is "Made in L.A." a large-scale biennial showcasing LA artists. And while we did see a few interesting things (that I was not able to photograph of course), the highlight was most definitely the "blocks," which, not surprisingly, were made by architecture super stars Marmol Radziner. They had to have been the coolest blocks any of us had ever played with. Made out of smooth, solid pieces of walnut and birch, they felt sturdy and malleable, and ripe with ideas for battleships, lasers, airplanes, a zoo, a restaurant, even a hair salon (Nico).  Now that I know they can be purchased through their woodshop, I may have to indulge a buy a set, especially for a little baby who will soon be all about block building.