Sites of Los Angeles
The Biltmore Hotel at first sight is reminiscent of a clock tower. Built in 1923, the building was said to be beaux-art inspired. The interior of the hotel reminds one of an extravagant palace due to the intricate and detailed ceilings, and the decadent chandeliers that hang from the ceiling. Across the street is Pershing Square, a public park which feels out of place among both the high rises and vintage buildings. It looks like a crude art piece, which must mean it was considered brilliant at the time it was built. Some people at the park would prefer if Pershing Square was demolished and replaced with trees and grass. There were comments in the Los Angeles Times which agreed with this idea.
The Central Library of Los Angeles is a gorgeous, more for what it represents that its architecture. It is a vast array of knowledge available for the public access and those who still appreciate a good book would like this place. Bunker Hill is not far from the library. It is the site of what used to be a high class area to live, perhaps because of the difficulty of access, but those homes no longer exist. Now it is the site of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). When this place was Bunker Hill, there was a tram that ran up and down an angled railway to carry the residents from the top to the bottom known as Angel’s Flight. Angel’s Flight is no longer used, mostly because of its age, but is still remembered as a significant part of early LA history.
Union Station is located at the site of what was the original Chinatown, and now is the main train station in all of Los Angeles. Olvera Street, like much of modern Chinatown, acts as a tourist trap and helps bring people to visit LA. The Los Angeles Police Museum is a draw for those interested in the history of LA. It details the history of the LAPD highlighting famous incidents such as the North Hollywood shooting and for a time they had an exhibit on the Black Dahlia Case. Watts Towers is another tourist draw. Ever since it was declared a landmark, it was fenced off and now has security and charges admission.
The Lummis house is a gorgeous stone structure in the heart of Pasadena. It was built in the late 19th and early 20th century by Charles Lummis. The primary feature of its gardens is the sycamore trees that still stand from when Lummis first purchased the property. The Bradbury building is an architectural marvel and due to its unusual set up, has been chosen as a film location for a number of movies including Blade Runner and 500 Days of Summer.
The Griffith Observatory is situated up on the south facing slope of the Mount Hollywood. From the Observatory one can see the famous Hollywood sign and there are trails to hike out to it. The Observatory is open during the day and has several shows in the planetarium that play throughout the day which describe different aspect of the universe as we understand it as well as the history of astronomy. There is even a theatre there named after Leonard Nimoy, the director of the original Star Trek.
As one enters the observatory there is a large pendulum swinging. It is a replica of the experiment that was used to prove that the Earth was spinning. In many ways it acts as a clock and slowly moves in unison with the Earth’s rotation. On that same level there is an exhibit that involves other profound experiments that allowed for significant advances in astronomy, and an exhibit that describes the sun and its relation to other stars according to size and heat. There is the option, if one goes in the evening, to view different heavenly bodies through two of the large telescopes they have on the roof. Saturn is the most popular.
On the lower level of the observatory is a set up of the entire solar system with the planets scaled to each other. The Nimoy theatre is here and there are further experiments detailing how cosmic radiation is detected on the surface as well as a thorough exhibit on the moon. The walk way between the upper and lower level is a long passageway that has a case on one side with an art piece dictating the timeline of the universe, from the Big Bang, or birth of the universe, which is estimated to be approximately 14 billion years, to the present using different jewelry pieces to make up the wave.
The Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino is a significant location for scholars, photographers, and students. This is also the site of the Huntington library. All of the gardens and buildings are works of art. There are also a number of art works present throughout the gardens, primarily sculptures and architectural pieces. On the grounds are featured plants collected from all over the world. Of the twelve gardens, not all of which are blooming throughout the year, many come to see the gardens that feature plants from the opposite ends of the globe. Because of Southern California’s climate, it is an ideal location suited to plants from various regions.
There is a Chinese garden, an Australian Garden, a Rose Garden, a Japanese Garden, a Jungle Garden, a Desert Garden, a Conservatory, a Children’s Garden, Lily Ponds, a California Garden, a Camellia Garden, an Herb Garden, a Palm Garden, a Ranch Garden, a Shakespeare Garden, and a Subtropical Garden. All of the gardens exist adjacent to each other and blend into the next. All of the plants have plaques available next to them which describe their Latin name and where the plant is originally from. With over 15,000 varieties of plants, one can explore for quite some time.
One is allowed to roam the gardens freely, though tours are offered and a detailed walk through of each garden. However, these tours of the entirety of the grounds can take up to three hours. The Huntington Botanical Gardens and Library are not open for many hours per day, and unlike other sites in Los Angeles, their main attendance occurs on Sundays. The people who live near the gardens spend a lot of time hiking there and jogging. There were even young mothers walking their newborns through the gardens in strollers. For the most part the gardens are large enough that even with all the people on the grounds, one can still feel alone in the majesty of the gardens.
Another place worth visiting in LA is the California Science Center. Not only does it house the Endeavor and a subsequent series of exhibits on space exploration, but the museum houses an extensive collection of ecosystems. This past summer it welcomed a number of the Dead Sea Scrolls to its exhibits for a short time; however, they left in September to return to the larger collection in Israel. There is also an IMAX theatre on the grounds which can be accessed from the same pavilion as the entrance to the main museum. The theatre typically features various educational film documentaries including one on the Galapagos Islands, and one on the Hubble Space Telescope.
At the California Science Center, on the third floor high above the exhibits and sculptures, there is a bike that is a popular attraction for those brave enough to ride it. One pedals across an opening that is thirty feet above the ground goes forward a good ten feet before it back pedals and returns to the starting point. It is a popular attraction along with the lever at the parking lot. Three ropes hang down from various points on a lever that is connected to a car. It is a test of strength to see if the car can be lifted.