Experiencing L.A. at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook

On Super Bowl Sunday back in 2010 I took my family over to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook here in Los Angeles. The Baldwin Hills are a distinctive outcropping of hills several hundred feet high south of the 10 (Santa Monica) Freeway, and east of the 405 (San Diego) Freeway.


The Scenic Overlook is a newly opened 50 acre park located in the heart of urban Los Angeles and is part of of the California State Park system. The entrance is located on West Jefferson Blvd.


There are trails leading to the top, but we opted for the stairs that go straight up the side of the hill.


The stairs are fairly steep and are a good little work out. Here's a link to some on-line reviews from yelp.com.


Almost to the top - we could see people at the overlook.


As it was Super Bowl Sunday, I was surprised how many people were out and about doing other want things. This group is enjoying the view, with downtown Los Angeles in the background. If you to enjoy the view without the hike, you can drive to the top (parking = $6).


It had rained the day before, so I was really hoping that there would be snow on the San Gabriel Mountains behind the Hollywood Hills. For whatever reason, that was not the case. Still, a pretty amazing view, including the Hollywood Sign.


The Scenic Overlook is one of the best - perhaps THE best - view in Los Angeles. Unlike the overlooks at the Griffith Observatory or the Getty Center, the Baldwin Hills Overlook faces north, with sweeping views of downtown, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood, Santa Monica and the Pacific Ocean. All framed by the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains.


My daughter trying out the camera she got for Christmas.

Looking out over Los Angeles with my family, I'm reminded of the question posed in Jonah 4:11 - "should I not be concerned about that great city?"

I appreciate and am deeply challenged by what New York City based pastor and New York Times bestselling author Tim Keller has shared on this passage. Here's a link - I found it worth listening to.

My son taking a photo of the city, with downtown L.A. in the background.

Baldwin Hills is also the name of a television show on BET (Black Entertainment Network). Baldwin Hills has been referred to as "Black Beverly Hills" due to the large concentration of African American professionals and celebrities who've lived in the community.

Heading back down towards our car.

Two unique aspects to Los Angeles are the weather and the topography:

Mediterranean climate is only found in four other places on earth: the Mediterranean basin (hence, the name), western and south Australia, southwestern South Africa, and part of central Chile. Mediterranean climate means mild winters and warm, dry summer. No complaints here: it's pretty ideal.

In terms of topography, metro Los Angeles has six major mountain ranges: the Santa Susannas, the San Garbriels, the San Bernardinos, the Santa Anas, the Palos Verdes, and the Santa Monica Mountains. In addition, there are numerous smaller features like Baldwin Hills. FYI, the "Hollywood Hills" are really just part of the Santa Monica Mountains.

The kids had a "good attitude" marching up and down the stairs, so we stopped off in Culver City at a 7/11 for a little treat.

Some things (a trip to 7/11) are definitely not unique to Los Angeles.

View Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in a larger map

Here's a link to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook website with more information.

© 2012 www.experiencingla.com - originally posted 2/7/2010

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Experiencing L.A. - January at the Beach

I love this picture - it's one of my favorite photographs of Los Angelels. I have a framed copy hanging above my desk.

With the Santa Monica Mountains in the distance, I'm not sure where else in the world you could get a similar vista.

The exact same spot, minus the zoom lense.

I took these photographs on Super Bowl Sunday in 2007. In that we never had network or cable T.V. while living in Los Angeles, Super Bowl Sunday was a great day to take our kids to the beach. Too cold to swim, but they enjoyed splashing around in the water.

What was surprising was how many people were out and about, not watching "the big game."

Maybe not as big of a deal in L.A.

View Ocean Park Beach, Santa Monica in a larger map

© 2012 www.experiencingla.com - originally posted 1/31/2009

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Painted Garage Door

When we lived in Los Angeles, I came across this garage door in a nearby neighborhood.

I wonder what the Homeowners Association would say? Fortunately (or unfortunately for some people) the few Homeowners Associations that exist in Los Angeles are strictly voluntary.

I lived down in Irvine, in Orange County, for several years - which is "HOA central." Apparently in Irvine it's against the law to leave your garage door opened for more than 30 minutes. I seriously doubt something like this mural would have been allowed. Too bad. It's what gives a neighborhood character.

Oh, and for whatever it's worth, homes in this neighborhood of Los Angeles - 1800 square foot 50 year old tract homes - start at about $1.5 million. Yikes.

© 2012 www.experiencingla.com

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Experiencing the 1st Amendment at UCLA

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The 1st Amendment to the United State Constitution

The 1st Amendment is designed to protect all forms of speech, even - or, more accurately, especially - offensive speech.

I was reminded of this a couple years ago while at the UCLA campus.

Please note: the following images are both graphic and disturbing.

On May 18, 2010 the Center for Bioethical Reform, a pro-life (what others would refer to as anti-abortion) organization based in Southern California, set up a large display at the base of Bruin Walk.

Massive and graphic images focused students' attention on the issue of legalized abortion.

This is looking north from the 2nd floor of Ackerman Union.

The displays consisted of a twenty-foot high ring of images and text.

"Live Action," the UCLA student organization that acted as the sponsor and helped bring this display, the "Genocide Awareness Project," on campus.

Students on both sides of the issue were engaged in meaningful discussion on what continues to be an emotionally charged issue. A student with a handmade sign voiced a dissenting opinion.

Despite the very graphic images, the conversation remained civil and respectful.

The fence around the display was designed to prevent vandalism from counter-protesters. The small sign on the left says: "warning: for security purposes, video monitoring is in progress in this area."

A quick look inside the circle of images.

A student volunteer engaged in conservation.

As a UCLA alumni, I certainly hope that those who are pro-choice (that is, pro abortion-rights) would respect the 1st Amendment rights of those they disagree with, and protect their right to erect this display in the center of campus. Campuses like UCLA constantly speak of "celebrating diversity." That sounds great - if it means diversity of opinion.

photo credit: Los Angeles Times

In a related story, today's Los Angeles Times featured an article about Melinda Guido who was just released from the hospital. Melinda was born on August 30 - four months premature - weighing just nine ounces at birth, making her the smallest baby ever born in California, and the second smallest ever born in the United States. Incredible. Here's the link to the story.

Over the years, both as a student and then working at UCLA, I've seen and heard groups and causes that I absolutely disagreed with, yet respected their right to be heard.

That's how the 1st Amendment works: even - especially - with what many may find offensive.

Even - or especially - in L.A.

© 2012 www.experiencingla.com

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Experiencing Matt Logue's "Empty L.A."

A couple of years back, when we were living in Los Angeles, the L.A. Times did a story on photographer Matt Logue's book "Empty L.A."

Logue's book is a series of photographs of normally busy spots around Los Angeles, but with (thanks to some amazing "Photoshop" editing) people and vehicles removed from sight.

The above photo of the San Diego Freeway at Sunset Blvd - normally packed at all hours of the day - looks surreal. Almost eerie.

I was most impressed with the empty freeway shots. This is the Golden State Freeway (Interstate 5, or "the 5") looking south towards downtown.


There are also numerous street shots. I can't pinpoint this intersection - the neighborhood reminds me of the area around the Beverly Center. Emptier than Christmas morning . . . I'm not sure why he missed the three parked cars on the right. But, otherwise, nothing on the streets.

Below is another shot of the San Diego Freeway (the 405) past LAX, looking south towards the 105 Freeway. Looks like a river of concrete. A very lonely river of concrete.

"How desolate lies the city once so full of people" wrote the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah (Lamentations 1:1).

While I found Logue's photographs creative, they were also disturbing. OK, disturbing might be too strong of a word. Unsettling. There was something unsettling about them.

It's people, not buildings or roads, that give cities life.

"This is is what the LORD says - he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited." Isaiah 45:18.

An empty city, a really empty city, is a dead city. It's stuff of apocalyptic science fiction movies. Remember I Am Legend (2007)? The Will Smith film is a remake of both The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971). But even these "empty earth" films had someone. Otherwise there wouldn't have been much of a movie, would there? Even the animated Wall-E had a lone mechanical character on earth.

I'm sure every who's lived in Los Angeles and been stuck in mind-numbing traffic has dreamed of an emptier city, or at least fewer cars on the road.

Instead of an emptier city, I wonder if L.A. would be better off with more people?

Not more cars. More people.

Cities like New York, London, Paris, Tokyo seem to function better with more people, not less.

Perhaps Matt Logue's next project might be showing us what Los Angeles would look like with twice as many people. Now that would be interesting.

Information on the book is available on his website: www.emptyla.com

© 2012 www.experiencingla.com - originally posted 2/20/2010

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Experiencing L.A. at Noah's Ark at the Skirball Center

Noah's Ark at the Skirball Center is a permanent display designed for children 3-8 and their parents. If you live in Los Angeles, or are just visiting, I highly recommend it.

Back in April 2008 - just as I was just toying with the idea of this blog - I took my kids there for a couple of hours. They were ages 7 1/2 and 5 at the time: perfect ages!

My son, especially, loved running around and finding all the interactive aspects of the display that could "do things."

The Noah's Ark display is a multi-room artistic interpretation of the Noah story. The focus isn't on the biblical account. If you're looking for that, you'll need to look elsewhere. The focus here in on the art. Sorry the pictures are a little blurry (low lighting).

What makes this display so appealing and unique is that everything comes from recycled parts.

This aspect is fascinating, and would be of interest to older kids.

My son, meanwhile, liked the cranks, ropes, wheels, and pulleys found throughout the display. There are also some tubes kids can crawl through - think a McDonalds playland at an art museum and you get the idea.

Story-time in the next room. There are also two large hands-on craft areas, where my kids made an art project.

This was the one of several visits we made to the Skirball. As I said, I highly recommend a trip here - as well as making reservations ahead of time to get in, especially if you go on their "free day" (Thursdays). Here's a link.

The Noah's Ark display is part of the much larger Skirball Center.

The Skirball Center is a large Jewish Cultural Center located two miles north of the Getty Center on Mulholland Drive. Above is their other permanent display: "Visions and Values: Jewish Life from Antiquity to America." My kids were too young at the time to appreciate this; we did come back a couple years later and walked thorough the entire gallery. As a Christian, I think there is much to learn about influencing a culture and society from a minority religious position; this is definitely worth seeing.

One of the final rooms of the "Antiquity to America" display has a life sized replica of the torch from the Statue of Liberty. My grandfather arrived in America as a very small child back in 1910, so this was especially significant to me as the grandson of immigrants.

View Skirball Center, Los Angeles in a larger map

Here's a link to the Skirball Center. They are open Tuesday - Sundays, closed Mondays. Admission is $10, $5 for kids - and admission is free every Thursday.

Totally unrelated to the Skirball, but a part of our day, was introducing my kids to Diddy Reese ice cream sandwiches on the way home. Diddy Riese is located in Westwood Village, a block from UCLA. Topic for a future blog post.

© 2012 www.experiencingla.com

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Experiencing L.A. in January: UCLA Japanese Garden

Another hidden treasure in Los Angeles is the UCLA Hannah Carter Japanese Garden, located less than a mile north of campus on Bellagio Road in the residential neighborhood of Bel Air.

I lived in Los Angeles off and on since age 7 - and have driven within a few blocks of this location hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times. Like most people, including the vast majority of UCLA students and alumni, I never even knew it was there.

The UCLA Japanese Garden is in the secluded and tony residential neighborhood of Bel Air. The Garden is part of a former estate and as a result have a grand total of two parking spaces. Needless to say, entrance to the Garden is by reservation only. More on that in a bit.

During the first week of January two years ago, I took an hour around noon to see what the Garden was all about. This is the entrance off their micro parking lot. There is no street parking, so again - reservations are a must (and they do have someone at the entrance who checks). Oh, and admission is free.

Wow. I was impressed! There were beautiful streams, waterfalls, pathways, trees, rocks, and ferns. As the only other person there was doing some sort of maintenance for the University, I had the entire garden to myself - which actually felt a little weird. To me, that one of the few negatives of this Garden.

The Garden was donated to UCLA in 1965 by Edward Carter, then Chairman of the Regents of the University of California. It's style and design based on the gardens of Kyoto, Japan.

January in Los Angeles.

I'm sure the Garden is beautiful anytime of the year, but for me, it was especially impressive to experience this in the middle of winter. Pictured above is small ravine was filled with large ferns.

Parts of it felt like Hawaii, minus the airfare.

Another view from one of the pathways. Much of the Garden is built on a hillside (after all, this is Los Angeles) so if you visit, bring appropriate walking shoes.

You'll want to read over their website before making a visit. Here's a link.

For a reservation to visit, call 310 794-0320 or email gardens@support.ucla.edu.

View UCLA Japanese Garden in a larger map

The Garden is only open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am-2pm. I know, a total of 12 hours a week: very limited hours. But it's a special place and I'd definitely recommend making an effort to visit sometime.

© 2012 www.experiencingla.com - originally posted 1/24/2010

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