Saturday, February 16, 2008

GRIFFITH PARK OBSERVATORY


My sister and I ventured out today and actually hit three places. The Griffith Park Observatory was one of them. My sister is three years old than me and imagine my surprise when I learned she had never been there! This was a treat for me to show it to her and I was glad I included her in my rediscover L.A. venture.

I was quite surprised to find out how many cars lined the two lane road as we neared the observatory. It was crowded and people were just out to enjoy the beautiful day. Many were just standing around the railing around the observatory or on the different floors of the observatory looking out over the wonderful view of the city.

Though it wasn't as smoggy as it sometimes is, it was still a little hazy. You could see the buidlings from Downtown L.A. but on a very clear day you can actually see the ocean. It was too bad it wasn't such a day so I could have shared such a picture with you. The wonderful thing about the observatory is that even if you chose not to go in, or you got there and found it closed, it's still a worthwhile trip just to stand atop this mountain with observatory and get about a 270 degree view of Los Angeles below. Or maybe you might choose to take one of the many hiking/walking paths that you can see below. Many people did just that today.

When you first enter the observatory the domed ceiling is really quite beautiful with paintings depicting astronomers. There are quite a few displays and things to look at but the real thrill of the observatory is to catch the shows. My sister and I decided not to do that on this trip. It was quite enough on this trip just to visit the observatory, take in the displays, enjoy the beautiful day and enjoy the view.






Can you see the Hollywood sign in the distance in the picture above? It's been in the news recently that the owners of the land around the Hollywood sign are trying to sell it for development. The city is trying to raise the money to buy it back. I think it would be a shame to take away from the sign by putting anything around it.



This is the back of the observatory. You can literally walk all the way around it to enjoy that 270 degree view.

No comments: