the list of 9 for november 15, 2003:
NINE INTERESTING THINGS TO DO IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA
After traveling, it's always a little hard to return to my home in Los Angeles. Back to the oldgrind and all. So I thought, well, after all the touristy things I did around the world thisautumn, what would I really recommend to a visitor who came out here? Most folks never seethe good stuff: it's always the usual (Hollywood, Universal Studios, Disneyland, Santa Monica - hohum). So I thought I would write this list of the lesser known but more enjoyable sights to see intown, mainly for those who might find this through search engines. I'll even throw in somesearchable terms like "unusual sights" and "tourist attractions" and "off the beaten path" to helpthem find this list more easily. These are just my favorites. A great site for the serious touristis laokay.com.
- THE BRADBURY BUILDING. This 1893 architectural wonder - inthe middle of an unattractive chunk of downtown (behold Broadway: shabby shops selling cheap junkto throngs of Mexicans during the day, completely abandoned at night) - looks like just an oldbrick building from the outside. But inside! Huge skylights, glossy woodwork, Italian marble, andthose famous cast-iron elevators are what attracted Ridley Scott to film much of BladeRunner here. It's jaw-dropping. And it's free! Just poke your head in and wander around. It'son Broadway and Third. Not too far from other downtown tourist attractions like the new DisneyConcert Hall, Olvera Street, the Musem of Contemporary Art and so forth.
- WESTWOOD MEMORIAL PARK. Not everybody is up for visitingcemeteries, but this tiny graveyard, right off Wilshire, in the heart of UCLA-crowdedWestwood (which is good for an afternoon, thanks to the very decent Hammer Museum of Art as wellas a slew of movie theatres and restaurants), is nothing less than star-studded. And it too isfree. Most people come by to see Marilyn Monroe's tomb, but here are buried dozens of otherluminaries, from Natalie Wood to Truman Capote, from Mel Torme to Dean Martin, from Burt Lancasterto Frank Zappa (in an unmarked grave). John Cassavettes is right next to Eva Gabor. This surrealpairing is worth a visit alone.
- THE GAMBLE HOUSE. It's not free, and it's not in LosAngeles, but for the tourist Pasadena is a mere jump away (half an hour in good traffic). I'vebeen to a lot of quaint historic homes across the U.S., but the Gamble House - designed by Charlesand Henry Greene in 1908 - is one of the best. Well-preserved, its classy, nearly all-woodinterior is a wet dream for anybody interested in architecture, design, or just good-lookinghomes. Old Town Pasadena is just a couple miles away. More shops, restaurants and another great art museum (the Norton Simon).
- THE HUNTINGTON. Since you're now in the Pasadena area, whynot spend an afternoon here? I went to someplace in South Carolina that touted itself as one ofthe world's most beautiful gardens - and charged me $17 to see for myself. Nuh-uh. The Huntington,the San Marino-based former estate of real estate mogel Henry Huntington, blows it out of thewater (and only costs $9-10). Hundreds of acres of cultivated gardens, including a cactus gardenthat feels like an alien landscape and seemingly goes on for miles, as well as lovely Japanese androse gardens, are just the start. You also have several art museums, a hall for specialexhibitions (Huntington collected rare books, so you can see a Gutenberg Bible, one of theearliest Canterbury Tales in print, and assorted oddities like letters from GeorgeWashington, original drafts of the U.S. Constitution and so forth), a tea house and a book store.This place rules, especially on a warm summer day.
- THE WATTS TOWERS. Back in South L.A., these impressivetowers are the results of decades of obsessive artmaking by one man, untrained immigrant SimonRodia. Explore his beautiful, Gaudi-like sculptures of cement, broken glass and pottery. It costsa couple bucks for a tour, and may be the only thing worth getting out of your car for indirt-poor Watts. (Yes, the parking lot is safe.)
- GRIFFITH PARK OBSEERVATORY. For now, put this on your"future visit" list, as it's closed for renovations until late 2005. But this remarkable buildingoverlooking the city is one of my favorite L.A. things to do, day or night, for people-watching,soaking up the view (on non-smoggy days), exploring the exhibits (which were rather dated, butshould be great in 2005) and taking pictures. Much of Rebel Without a Cause was filmedhere. They even have a bust of James Dean. A cool place, sure to be even cooler when it's allspruced up and open to the public again. They're even going to have a planetarium named after Leonard Nimoy. The big question is, will admission remain free?
- THE MUSEUM OF JURASSIC TECHNOLOGY. I admit, I am not onefor museums. I always go, almost out of duty, but get bored quickly (except for the Musem ofScience and Industry in Chicago, and the more notable art museums worldwide). This place isquite different. Essentially a giant art installation, the exhibits - most of themfictional - blend science, history, art and plain weirdness. CalArts grad David Wilson gets an NEAgrant yearly to keep this place up, which is amazing in itself. On Venice Blvd. in Culver City, aplace where nothing much else is happening (though there is a tasty Indian restaurant nearby).
- THE GETTY CENTER. The one "obvious" tourist destination onthis list, the Getty isn't so much a great art museum as it is just a wonderful place to hang out.A spectacular view, fascinating gardens, bold architecture, a neat-o tram that takes you up the hillfrom the parking lot to the Center, nice people and a bit of culture. And it's free! This placepretty much encapsulates everything that Los Angeles is (supposed to be) about. It's just got agood vibe to it.
- DON'T FORGET TO EAT! Like all cities, Los Angeles has itsshare of famous restaurants, and not all of them are as expensive as Spago or as yuppie as BorderGrill. Try Zankou Chicken (several locations) if you like garlic. Its hummus is the best evermade. Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles (also several locations) is exactly what it sounds like, and is akick. Then there is Pink's Hot Dogs on La Brea, all the Thai restaurants in Hollywood, all thePersian places in Westwood, more Chinese restaurants than may be in China out east of L.A. in theSan Gabriel Valley... If you leave this town unsated, it's your own damn fault.
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