On Top of the World

Sunday April 1st, 2012


Last Sunday I woke up once again with nothing on my agenda. This particular Sunday, however, was a beautiful and clear day so I knew I had to find something to do outdoors. I pulled up the trip advisor on my phone and started searching through some of the activities I had bookmarked. I came across the Griffith Park Observatory. During all my research of the "must see" in LA the number one item that kept popping up was the Griffith Park Observatory. 

The observatory and parking is 100% free....it may actually be the last absolutely free thing to do in LA! But it's really difficult to actually find a parking spot. It was even more difficult for me since, not only was it a Sunday, but I'd actually gotten a really late start to my day. It was well after lunch time before I arrived. I ended up having to park at the bottom and then make the hike up to the observatory.

This was about half way up

The actual observatory is filled with exhibits about various topics, such as planets, the moon, the sun, stars, seasons, tides, and so much more. Now you can call me crazy, unsophisticated, or uncultured but I've never really been a big fan of museums. I find it boring to walk around and read all those signs. I'd rather just walk slowly and take in my surroundings. Besides, the main reason people go to the observatory is for the spectacular views of Los Angeles, not the museum. I'm not ashamed to admit I went for the views alone!

Downtown LA

Downtown LA

From here you can also see Kaiser where I work. If you look closely at the picture below it's in between the large green patch (barnsdall park) and the blue scientology building.

Kaiser Permanente and all of LA

When I first entered the observatory the beautiful ceiling caught my eye. It's known as the W.M. Keck Foundation Central Rotunda. It also features a foucault pendulum which was a device originally conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth.

While I may not fully appreciate the inside of the observatory and all it's exhibits, I found the architecture outside to be very beautiful. It gave me a chance to play around with my new camera and take some fun pictures for practice. Here are a few of my shots...

This is one of my favorites that I took!

Griffith Park Observatory

While wandering around taking random pictures I slowly found my way to the telescope.

So if you're ever interested in seeing some amazing views of LA the observatory is definitely a "must see." It may not be the most exciting place in LA to visit, but it's very peaceful and the scenery alone makes it a worth while trip!