Jul 20 2007
Griffith Observatory
Brian, Tasha, and I went up to see the $93 million renovation of the Griffith Observatory yesterday. Scorched-earth surrounded the building from the recent fires, and we were scorched by the insane shuttle-bus system one must use to get there. I’m all for minimizing impact on the environment and allowing as few cars up there as possible, but the LA Zoo park and ride is ridiculous. It adds nearly an hour of travel-time to the trip. You may as well hike up with your reservation in hand.
The Planetarium is fantastic. Aside from an overly cheesy narrator, the visuals are amazing. We saw Centered in the Universe, which is a history of our understanding of the universe and our place in it. The show opens with a bright daylight sky turning to dusk, then darkness, followed by the emergence of a starry-night so real you’d swear you were high atop some mountain on a cloudless night. The program is a bit too short for the effort and money it takes to see it ($15 including shuttle fare and ticket), but seeing the new exhibits and the renovation will make it worth the trip.
We ate lunch at Mario’s on the corner Melrose and Rossmore. If you haven’t had their Lomo Saltado, you are missing out on an exquisite, low-cost, belly-filling meal. Get there before noon, though, as it gets packed and there can be a long wait. The evening rush begins around five and holds through closing at eight.
I’ll have to check out the new show at the Planetarium, though I usually get so relaxed, I fall asleep. Mario’s is the best! The pollo saltado is excellent too!
Chong, i definitely think the kids will enjoy it, too. You just have to figure on making it a full afternoon or morning trip. We thought we’d do a quick drop-in, and that is no longer feasible.