Three Days in the City of Angels - Part 1

This is our second trip to LA in the last two months. So much to see and do!

Our first full day in Los Angeles was a very full day indeed. Our hotel in Koreatown was pretty central to everything we wanted to see and do, which was convenient. I might add that, though we liked the hotel for its free covered parking, great staff, and daily housekeeping services, wifi sucked in the upper floors, making it difficult to write or post blogs. (That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!).

West Observatory Loop Trail from All Trails

We began our day at Griffith Park. David had downloaded the West Observatory Loop Trail to the Griffith Observatory on AllTrails on the iPhone, but it really wasn’t necessary. The trail is very well-marked and very heavily traveled. We easily found on-street parking beside the park entrance on Fern Dell Drive, and the trail was only a few steps away. It was busy, but not crowded.

West entrance to Griffith park offered easy access to a trail to the Observatory

The trail wanders under a canopy of shade trees, including stately native coast live oaks. It was cool and oh so delightful compared to our hot morning walks in Las Vegas. The climb is mostly on gravel and wide, hard-packed dirt paths with vistas overlooking the city once we gained some altitude. We learned the trail is still used as an active fire road, which is why it’s so wide and well-maintained.

The gravel trail was wide and well-maintained.

A Hazy LA view at one of the vista points along the trail

The shaded sections were lovely, but the temps hovered in the high 80s and low 90s, and many of the unshaded sections were steep, switchbacked, and harder to climb. The 2.6-mile loop with a return through Fern Dell has a 580’ vertical gain in altitude.

Sections of the trail were switchbacked and quite steep.

We reached the top, a plateau known as the Mount Wilson Terrace, and were surprised at what we saw. The highlight, of course, is the Griffith Observatory. On land purchased by Welsh mining magnate, eccentric and reputedly unsavory millionaire turned philanthropist, Griffith J. Griffith willed the city his fortune with the caveat that the money must be used to build the Observatory. Opened in 1935, it’s the most visited public observatory in the world and underwent a major renovation in 2002. The Observatory doesn't open until Noon, and we were way too early for a visit, but there was still lots to see.

At the top - Griffith Observatory on Mount Wilson Terrace

We immediately spotted the famed Hollywood sign on the west side of the terrace, sitting prominently nestled in the Hollywood Hills.

The world famous Hollywood sign

A bronze bust of James Dean sits in an ideal spot for photographing Dean with the Hollywood sign in the background. Dean commissioned the bronze himself to commemorate his 1955 ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ film, many scenes of which were filmed in this very spot. Dean was killed before the sculptor, Kenneth Kendall, finished his work, and the bust was never delivered. After holding onto it for nearly 30 years, he finally donated it to the Observatory, and here it sits.

Several scenes from ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ were filmed here on Mount Wilson Terrace

The Astronomer’s Monument sits in the middle of the terrace in front of the Observatory, and it, too, has an interesting story. Built in 1934, the concrete obelisk is 37.5’ tall, including the armillary sphere at the top, and depicts six of the world’s most famous astronomers throughout time. Considered ‘New Deal Art’, the artwork was created by six separate artists during the Great Depression and funded as a Public Works Arts Project. Read more about the monument here. https://griffithobservatory.lacity.gov/exhibits/exterior-exhibits/astronomers-monument-sundial/

Astronomer’s Monument, ‘New Deal Art’ created in 1934 during the Great Depression

Galileo and Copernicus, two of the world’s most prominent astronomers depicted on the monument.

As a bit of trivia, in 1929, George Stanley, one of the six artists who built the monument, also created ‘Oscar’, the famed statuette given for Academy Awards.

Nearby the monument is a bronze sundial installed in 1957. David checked the time and, sure enough, 0915 on the dot. A clamp that can be tweaked by the staff allows for Daylight Saving Time adjustments.

David confirmed that the sun dail was accurate!

There was so much more to see, but we had other plans for the day, so we decided to head back down the trail. We opted to walk through a section of Fern Dell. It was lovely… cool, shaded, alongside a babbling brook, and lush, verdant foliage. The trail ended close to our parked car.

We’re planning a return trip to Los Angeles, and visiting Griffith Observatory after dark is definitely one of the activities on our newly created LA bucket list. But at the moment, we needed to get a move-on… next up? Jimmy Kimmel Live!!!

A side note: Since our EV charge in Barstow, we haven’t had to recharge at all. Once we arrived in LA, it’s been city driving, which, though we don’t necessarily enjoy, the Ioniq likes a lot.