I'd just bet money that my picture of this guy taking a picture is a better picture than his picture...I can't be certain, but hunchin' on that one.It was interesting being back up there after such a long absence..It was supposed to close for a year...instead they hauled dirt out for five, didn't let anyone see what they were doing, and told you they added a 
little theatre in the basement. It was like it was kidnapped.
little theatre in the basement. It was like it was kidnapped.I'll bet it's like NORAD in the side of that mountain now (Google: Greenbriar Hotel), where Arnie and Tony can rule us from be-bunkered splendor, in case of an "emergency." And we will have one. Anyone who's ever been to the movies knows that Los Angeles will have an emergency, and get trashed at best, wiped off the map at at regular pace.
I'm definately a conspiracy theorist on this one because there is no fact to prove what they DID do for all that time, 5 times longer than it took to build the observatory in the first place, or where all those truckloads of dirt came from, but I am certain it wasn't just building that little theatre. I have been to the movies, and I've seen The Count Of Monte Cristo. And the idea that they dug under the old Observatory because the City is obsessed with preserving it's historic buildings at any cost, just...just....hold on, I'm laghing so hard I can't type. The City definately hung it's shingle out...right on the front door! As I climbed the steps and I saw this and my heart was at ease.... "Yup, The City is still in charge here!"
But the old place did look nice without the paint blistering off as it had been. The greasy brown band about waist high in the interior where all those grubby little children had pawed everthing for decades was gone. And being immersed in such a scientific atmosphere I decided to experiment. I played around with the long exposure on my new Brownie and got some neato results so I decided to have a Late Night Kodak Digital Jamboree. The pics of that journey into madness to appear shortly, but I got to see much of the city. It was very nice to see that the LAUSD loved the Historic Ambassador Hotel and Cocoanut Grove so much, that they had the foresight to tear down the Ambassador Hotel and Cocoanut Grove, and replace them with what appear to be replicas of The Ambassador Hotel and The Cocoanut Grove.
THAT was an "Entrance, Not An Entrance" if I ever saw one. Stay tuned......
1 comment:
Glad you enjoyed your visit to the Observatory. Just a couple fun facts I thought you'd find interesting (from someone who works there):
o The dirt from the hole for the new theater, large exhibit gallery, bookstore, cafe, classroom, conference room, elevators, and new restrooms was taken over the hill to the other side of Griffith Park.
o The building was never supposed to be closed for a year. A full-scale renovation and expansion of a historic facility takes longer than that. The original plan was 3.5 years, and it ended up being over a year longer.
o Renovation included bringing all the systems of the building up to modern standards and code, including elevators and new doors for greater access.
o Entrance to the Observatory is still free and you can drive right up.
o And you're right, the door sign is silly.
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