Hollywood!

We had a great day out last week! We left kind of early in the morning (8:30am) and drove into LA for the first time. We'd heard scary things about driving in the city, but either because we were just going to the edge or because it was so early, we didn't find it so bad. I think San Diego was actually worse. The small part of LA we drove through was interesting. In the space of just a few roads we went from large, three story, gated white houses, to streets with homeless campers lining the pavements. 

We arrived at Griffith Observatory just before 10am and found street parking. When we walked a bit further up we found that there were a few spaces left in the official parking lot, which I was surprised by as this is a major LA attraction and had been prepared for the worst. 

This observatory was built so that the public could stargaze and they hold regular evening sessions. Inside it's a big space museum, with information about our solar system, the history of the earth and how telescopes work. They even have a Tesla coil which they turn on and demonstrate each hour. If you buy tickets, you can also visit the Leonard Nemoy auditorium on the ground floor and see a live show about the stars. We didn't do that this time, but we might when we come back with visitors. We spent about an hour and half walking around and even got to test out what our weight would be on each planet in the solar system. 



After we were done inside we went for a short hike through Griffith Park. We got some great views of the observatory from up above and could see the Hollywood sign too! We ate our picnic lunch in a little garden at the top before heading back down before our parking expired. 

Griffiths Observatory and the LA skyline

After being so close to the Hollywood sign, we decided to drive across to the other side of the park where (as well as free parking) there was a trail head which would take you right up to the sign! We took the long route to get to the closest spot which is actually behind the sign. There's fences all the way around to protect it from the public, but you can still get a good picture. 

We had a snack here at the top and thought about how tired we were and whether we wanted to go straight back down or take the detour to see the front as well. You'll be glad to know we decided to go for it and went around to the other side to get some great photos. 


We found it!

On the way back down we saw a couple of horse tour groups. That seems a much easier way to get to the top than walking on your own feet! 

The whole hike took us about three hours, but it wasn't so hot (relatively, it was only about 27 degrees). We really enjoyed it as the trail was clearly signposted and smooth with a destination which was worth the hike. You could see the whole of LA from up there, what a huge city! This would probably be the longest hike we've done when not camping. 

It took a little over an hour to get home and we arrived just before 6pm and cooked a pizza. It really was the perfect day. Maybe LA really is magical. 


Lots of Love 

Emily and Mitchell

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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