Big 10 Football Tour

I would say that the number 1, most memorable sight I saw in Los Angeles was the Griffith Observatory.  In you don't go into the observatory itself, you can entertain yourself for hours hiking and looking at all of the scenery.

Without going into the observatory, you'll find some interesting sights around it, such as the famous astronomer shrine, planet orbit paths, and the James Dean statue.  Yes, James Dean even has a memorial for his movie "Rebel Without A Cause" as it was said to greatly increase the popularity of the park.

After checking out the observatory, it was time for a walk on Mount Hollywood.  The paths are seemingly endless, but my goal was to make it to the highest point.  Unfortunately I didn't have any hiking/athletic shoes and was without a bottle of water.  A few steps into the hike, I also learned that I would need to keep an eye out for rattlesnakes.  Now who associates rattlesnakes or any wildlife for that matter with Los Angeles?

As previously mentioned, I wanted to make it to the top of the mountain.  Unfortunately, I had not done much more than tailgate, watch football and blog over the past 6 months.

If rattlesnakes weren't enough, I now learned that mountain lions would be joining us as well.

During the trip to the top, I spotted a shortcut.  While it would decrease the length of the journey, climbing up this steep shortcut would certainly make it a lot more strenuous.

About 5 minutes after starting, my shoes were filled with dirt, but I had made it to top.  The views from this much higher vantage point were magnificent!

Continuing on, we began to encounter all sorts of people on the trails.  Joggers, horse-back riders, and other casual tourists. 

Luckily on the way to the top, I did not encounter any dogs, birds, mountain lions, rattlesnakes or anything that would cause a little excitement.

Once at the top, you could see some spectacular views of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, the Pacific Ocean, the Hollywood sign and more.  At the very top are some picnic tables and horse parking spaces.  Check out the video below for a 360 degree view.

While LA has dozens of beaches, my favorite has always been Venice since the days of the movie "White Men Can't Jump."  The city clearly spends a lot on signage to let you know where you are - from a big steel "V" to hanging streetlights to artwork on buildings. 

We caught the beach at sunset and saw some beautiful images.  The tide was coming in so perfectly that it spelled out the word "Venice Beach" in the sand. 

Obviously, January is the cold season for the beach, but during our time there, we still saw hundreds of people on the beach. Below are a few postcard photos that I snapped and will be selling to Venice Beach.

The newest addition to Venice Beach is the skate park.  All races, ages, and talent levels can skate here.  Although I'm not exactly a skating fan, it was extremely interesting just observing this for hours.  Funniest of all, was the guy who was still stuck in the 80s with his lo-cut jean shorts, neon colored sunglasses, striped socks, and old-skool roller skates.

When the coast was clear, 3 kids who clearly just found skateboards yesterdays woudl venture out into the half-pipe.  See the video below.

This was the first time that I saw that the skateboard and roller skates evolve into one.  You can see a photo of it 3 photos down.  It was essentially a wheel with a small flat surface on top of it.  The skater would stand on one with each foot as skate at blazing fast speeds.  Something I clearly could not do even with months of practice!

If you are into athletics, fitness, and anything of the sort, this is the place for you.  Most notably is the concrete slab that is the "Muscle Gym."  Here, you can pump iron in front of all of the tourists or take a short walk out to the beach area and use some olympic-inspired equipment (rings, parallel bars) to work out.

There are miniature tennis courts, handball/racquetball courts, basketball courts and other activities going on.  Best of all, it's all free and there are lots of people to jump in a pickup game with!

As you walk the main strip by the beach, you're sure to see a few things that you rarely or never see elsewhere. 


A couple of examples below.  First, a psychic reader.  No big deal.  But if you happen to look up, you'll see a creepy person dressed in all black military gear and helmet.  I think the fake person is even equipped with weapons and ammo, making it extremely surprising that this is allowed to pass.

Next is the area where all sort of movie posters and advertisements are displayed.  Brenden Frasier and Harrison Ford have grown some interesting facial hair since I last saw them.

Below that is one example of the many "stores" where you can go in, tell the doctor that you have some sort of ailment, and the doctor will give you a medicinal prescription for marijuana.  Obviously, the laws in California are reaching new heights.

Lastly is just one example of the many individuals who work out at the outdoor gym walk around in their tight shorts and nothing else, no matter what the weather.

All along the street, all sorts of art could be found.  Much of it was items that the local residents sell on the "boardwalk" (I put that in quotes as there are no wooden boards), are items that you don't see very often and are truely unique.  Although you don't need most or any of it, the artists make you feel very bad if you walk away without buying (as they often look homeless).  Also interesting is the art found on many of the buildings and walls throughout Venice Beach.  Below is a small sampling.

Before leaving Venice Beach, make sure you check out some of the homes on the beachfront.  Your first thought will be, "wow, these people make a lot more money than me."  After you absorb the expense of these homes however, you'll begin to appreciate the quirky nature that many of them possess.  One has a lookout tower on the front of the property, another with a 100 lb. boulder being held up by a very tiny rope on the porch, small waterfalls and exotic plants in the front of others.  Yes, Venice Beach does at time seem run down with its street-artists just trying to get by, but there is also clearly some wealth in this town.