Hiking in Downtown LA

Our club's February hike was another guided tour by the LA Conservancy. Now, while we were hiking through the central business district, I knelt down to get this photo of our guide, and then later some club members said they liked it. And, the more I looked at it the more I like the multiple parallel alignments, converging lines, bluebird sky and reflected illumination. I'm not known for great photos, but I think this is one of my favorites. I sent it to the Conservancy with permission to use, and was told they're interested to use it.

New Year's Day hike to the Hollywood Sign

Hiking Club was out there on NYD, to enjoy perfect hiking weather in the world's greatest park! Stops included the Hollywood sign on Mt Lee and the Batcave

Photo by Fran R.

 While on the mountain we waved for our selfie at the Hollywood Sign Webcam. One of the cams is mounted on the water tank down there, above the second 'O'.

That's us waving

On the hike back down, you can see the cavity that is Bronson Quarry

"Atomic batteries to power.... turbines to speed..."

Hiking Club November Night Hike up Mt Hollywood

Sunset silhouette of the Griffith Observatory

Some of the best local conditions for sunset photos are at Griffith Park. In winter, when the sun sets over the ocean instead of behind mountains, the low horizon, elevated view and clear dry air present a magnificent breakout of prism colors.

Sunsets like this never get old for me

On the summit, looking south toward LA's west side

Hollywood Boulevard

Got 28 hikers on the summit

On the hike down

2/16/19 Hiking in Downtown LA

Our LAC docents always have great notebooks filled with historic photos

Every February Hiking Club stays out of the mountains, and spends a day in DTLA taking an LA Conservancy walking tour. This year we toured the old theaters of Broadway St, the largest cluster of movie palaces anywhere in the world - 12 of them in six blocks. After WW2 a lot of the business went to Hollywood, and sadly the Broadway theaters fell into disuse, misuse, abuse, or re-use. With downtown currently in a renaissance, money is returning and while none are open for daily movies, some are still in use. Find out more here. 

Los Angeles Theater (1931)

 We got to spend some real time inside the LA Theater. In addition to its magnificent lobby it had, I think, four other levels, two below the theater. Our Photo Club Commissioner Roger Day attended as well and took this photo, which brought out the true colors of the lobby much better than our point & shoots could do:

Roger's group shot of us on the lobby stairs

In the United Artists Ace Theater, a crew was readying for a show

I title this photo, 'Choices'

The Eastern Columbia Building isn't a theater but it's my favorite DTLA building. This 1930 Art Deco masterpiece is clad in turquoise and gold leaf terra cotta tiles. Johnny Depp lived in the penthouse before he went broke.

Looking south on Broadway

The 1926 Orpheum started as a vaudeville venue.

It was a good day in LA

My buddy Paul was in LA for an extra day, so I took the day off and we rode the Metrolink downtown and walked from Union Station through Chinatown, Olvera Street, ate lunch at Philippe's, saw all the movie palaces on Broadway, Disney Concert Hall, Pershing and Grand Parks, and finished with supper on Olvera Street. It was a good day.

The magnificent art deco Eastern Building

FirstBank building

Returning to Union Station

Sunset from Union Station

 

February 13: Hiking Club in Downtown LA

Our LA Conservancy tour this year was to Union Station.  Union Station was the last of the great railway stations, built in the late '30s. A few of us rode the train down, and visited nearby Olvera Street, which is across the street. Lots of great photos that day.

The station's architecture was modelled after the Mission revival style of the Santa Barbara Courthouse

Inside, the station is all original

That ceiling is prefabbed concrete, for stability in earthquakes. But looks like wood.

Looking toward downtown

The tour guide told us these grapevines on Olvera St date to the 1850's

Inside, the station has a lot of art. This mural depicts California history.

It includes guys who hike.

Christmas Dayhike in Griffith Park

That's Catalina Island out there

Griffith Park Observatory

I think Griffith Park is my favorite Christmas Day hike. Lots of people are out, and this year, despite the cold, it was still busy.  Sunshine and utterly clear skies prevailed

December 20 dayhike down the spine of the Verdugos

Glendale

Mt Hollwood, Mt Lee, Santa Monica Bay

Today Nina and I hiked down the length of the Verdugo range. It was a perfect day, cool with mixed skies. It's a 13-mile hike with a car shuttle. I'd wanted to do this entire hike for several years as an end-to-end dayhike, and it was worth the effort.

November 27 on Echo Mtn

With a blimp, even

On sunny winter afternoons, hikers in the mountains around LA are treated to a magnificant ocean shine. Today, it even silhouetted a blimp over the USC-UCLA game at the Coliseum.

November 14: Night Hike with the Hiking Club

LA, from atop the Verdugo Hills

Hiking Club had perfect autumn weather for another night hike, this time in the Verdugos. This is a really good night hike, and a loop hike too.

Group photo

Night Hike to the Hollywood Sign

Some of our hikers on the Hiking Club's August 3 night hike in the Hollywood Hills.  A good time was had by all...

Looking south from Mt Lee, site of the Hollywood sign

Hiking Club in Hollywood

Hiking Club's 2013 urban tour was in downtown Hollywood.

The Capitol Records Building

A Great Photo

I love this color photo from the front page of today's LA Times.  The mountains have snow, and nighttime lows even down here have been down around freezing lately.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! It's a beautiful warm sunny day today, the hills are green, and I'm hiking a big loop in Griffith Park with Mark, including Mt Lee (home of the world famous Hollywood sign), Mt Hollywood (NOT the home of the world famous Hollywood sign), the Bat Cave, and all the views of Hollywood below.

The sign with its new coat of fresh white paint

Hiking Club in LA

The February Hiking Club outing was again to downtown LA, to see old Main Street on an LA Conservancy tour. Yes, Los Angeles has a Main Street, and it is getting revitalized with new loft housing these days. Until just a few years ago, it was a Skid Row; now new people are moving into the neighborhood and occupying the rehabbed buildings.

Nov 26 Sunset

I snapped this photo of the crescent moon and Venus from the summit of Mt Hollywood last night. (Video, no sound)

Night Hike in the Hollywood Hills

On October 8, twelve Hiking Club members hiked to the summit of Mt Lee, site of the famous Hollywood sign. This was my first hike up there at night. The sunset was incredible and after the storms this week the weather was perfect, with clear dry air and temps in the 60's. The views of Hollywood and downtown LA were incredible.

Hiking Club in L.A.

Hiking Club members appreciate interesting destinations, and once again this February we took advantage of the inclement mountain season to take one of the LA Conservancy's downtown LA guided tours. This year we walked Broadway Ave to see some of the opulent 100-year old movie palaces. This is the interior of the 2300-seat Million Dollar Theater. Sadly, not all of Broadway's movie palaces still survive, and some have been converted for other uses, but the Million Dollar and a few others still host movies.