Griffith Observatory

On Saturday afternoon we went to the Griffith Observatory.

The Griffith Observatory is located on mount Hollywood, in Griffith park. In 1896 Griffith J. Griffith (yes, his first name is the same as his last name) donated the 3,015 acres that is now Griffith park to the city of Los Angeles. That is just amazing, he donated 3,015 acres!! He felt that Los Angeles needed a "great park" (it did!)(It also needs a giant air purifier).


The "vision" for the observatory came after Griffith looked through a telescope and stated, "Man's sense of values ought to be revised. If all mankind could look through that telescope, it would change the world!"



So in 1912 he offered the City of Los Angeles $100,000 for an observatory to be built on the top of Mount Hollywood to be fully owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles. Do you know how much $100,000 dollars was back in 1912!!!

The observatory opened in 1935. The city of Los Angeles enlisted the nations leading scientist and astronomers to help construct the observatory. Unfortunately Griffith died in 1919, so he never was able to see the observatory completed. The Great depression and a few earthquakes were to blame for the delay in construction.


The web site and flyers claim that this observatory is one of the most famous and visited landmarks in southern California. We found it to be a refreshing break from the mass crowds we have experienced everywhere else.



Looking south to downtown L.A.


*Interesting note: This is all, including where I am standing, the city of Los Angeles. If this were a picture of Seattle this would be downtown, Bellevue, Northgate, Lynnwood, and then some. L.A. is so big! Maybe they should break it up a little, give the police some smaller areas to work with.




Looking west to Santa Barbra and the coast. (cough cough) It's over there, I promise.




The north view is the famous Hollywood sign.




I took a lot of pictures of the building, the 1930's architecture made me feel creative. The dome roofs are made of copper.






There have been over 250 movies (scenes) filmed at the observatory. This picture may look familar, it is where Demi Moore punked Charlies Angels in Full Throttle.



According to a little movie we watched in the Leonard Nimoy theater here at the observatory, the movie "Rebel without a cause", staring James Dean is what put the Griffith Observatory "on the map".







This dome is the home of the Zeiss Telescope. The Zeiss is a 12 inch refracting telescope, it is best used to view the night sky. Unfortunately, we were unable to view the night sky due to somebody's bedtime. We were going to stay but we had a MTTM - Massive Total Toddler Meltdown, and decided to pack it up and get him to bed.




This is the actual telescope. It is the same telescope originally installed in 1935, and it is in perfect condition. If you don't have a 2 year old throwing massive fits, you can stay and look right into this very lens. Tonight we were going to see Jupiter.




This is looking down from the roof onto the front lawn.




The inside of the observatory was immaculate and beautiful. This was a rare photo opportunity when there were actually (gasp) no other tourists around! This exhibit is called the Cosmic Connection. It is a 150-foot timeline of the universe whimsically composed of celestial-themed jewelry in a glass case.



Here Sean and Jason are looking at a really neat Periodic Table of Elements exhibit.



The boxes had the actual elements inside them.



Ahh Ha! Watch your back Superman, I know were to find your poison... (insert villainous laughter) ...Oh, wait, never mind.



This dome ceiling was hand painted in the 1930's.




Another popular toddler restraint system used by the Brouwer's.



Sean....going where no toddler has gone before (imagine Star Trek intro music).




This is the Depths of Space exhibit. It gives detailed information about every planet, the sun, galaxies, solar systems and the moon.




Here is Sean looking at the moon.


This is an actual piece of the moon!




Sean and Mr.Einstein.



In the Depths of Space exhibit, you can see what your weight would be on other planets.

I've decided to move to Mars.



I do not recommend Jupiter!



Hello Pluto, I love you! I don't care what they say about you, you will always be a planet in my eyes. XOXOXO



No wonder Jason thinks taking care of Sean isn't hard work.




You made it through another long post, it was worth it wasn't it!

Sean and I will be flying home tomorrow, so there will probably be a week long break in my blogging. Don't forget about me, I'll be back in CA on Mon the 8th.

Have a good week, hopefully I will see you soon!

Sarah

Hooray for Hollywood

Yesterday afternoon we went to the Grauman's Chinese Theater . This is the theater in Hollywood that is on the "Walk of Fame", and has all the super star hand prints in front of it.

I had to snag this picture from the internet, I did not have the right lens to get a good picture of the whole theater.


This is the best that I could do without crossing the street.


Jason, Sean and I met up with my good friend Trent here at the theater. You may recognize Trent, he is a famous actor here in Hollywood.... well ok, he will be famous.


Trent and I have been friends since high school. He is a wickedly funny man who is always making me laugh. Imagine a Jack Black meets Ray Ramono, meets Steve Carell, meets Chevy Case, meets John Cleese, with a Jim Carrey impersonation thrown on top.

Did somebody say high school! Here is a picture of Trent in high school, showing off the super cool luggage rack on his Nissan "Trentra".


And here we are sharing a few good laughs after a high school banquet (private schools don't have "dances", they have "banquets". That way there is no touching, because you know what that can lead to!)


This was the year that Dumb and Dumber came out, which explains the powder green tux Trent is sporting. The beautiful lady is my friend Tina, she not only didn't mind her date wearing a leisure suit, she encouraged it.


Ahh, here we are at Halloween 1995 (I think). Pulp fiction had just come out so Trent, our friend Carl, and I dressed up as the main characters. Trent made a perfect John Travolta, Carl memorized scripture to properly quote Samuel L. Jackson in the movie, and I taped a 60 cc syringe to a large red dot on my chest, as Uma. We drove around from Halloween party to Halloween party dancing and killing each other. Good times!




Apparently Trent has always liked Halloween.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Trents Mom.


Ok, back to the theater. This was another crowded tourist site, L.A. just has too many people! Honestly, Hollywood itself is not covered in shinny sequins and full if glit and glamor, it's actually quite dumpy.


We learned a few interesting facts, Jason's hands are a bit larger than Mel Gibson's....


but my hands and feet are the same as Marilyn Monroe's. I'm ok with that, diamonds are my best friend too.

Ha ha, my tummy made it into that picture!

Arnold's feet, however, are a little bigger than mine.


The "Walk of Fame" runs along Hollywood Blvd. Right next to the Chinese theater is the Kodak theater, which is the home of the Oscars.


There was a movie being filmed on Hollywood Blvd yesterday, we didn't find out what movie. Trent said that if it were a big budget production the street would be closed down. Trent also told us that they close down Hollywood Blvd for a whole week before the Oscars! Can someone say excess. This picture is taken from the entrance to the Kodak theater.


I thought this was a funny moment, they are both wearing belts, but they are both sill showing us the business end of there boxers.


It has been great to be able to spend time with my pal Trent, he really does deserve to "make it big" after living in this God forsaken Hollywood hole for so long. Good luck Trent!!

In my post yesterday I stated that we are going to the Getty Villa in Malibu this weekend. Apparently the Villa is by reservation only, and it is full for the next several weekends, so I lied, we wont be going to the Villa for a little while. We have made our reservations, so at some point I will post about it for you.

Have a good weekend!

Sarah

Busy Boy part II

Otherwise known as "How to keep an active toddler boy occupied so he doesn't drive you crazy in a strange town with no friends and limited mobility". Or "This child is climbing the walls and I am pulling out my hair, let's do something creative before somebody gets hurt".

I found these little wood models at Michael's, they are only $1, and they come with all the tools necessary to build them. Oh sure, the box says 5 years +, but Sean is a very mature 2 year old ;).




First you sand all the pieces and paint them (you, meaning mom, sands them). I recommend not using the paint that comes with these kits - it gave me strange but fond memories of the cadaver lab back in college. We just used our non-toxic finger paint.


I think there is more paint on the paper than the truck, but hey, he is the artist, who am I to judge.



After the paint has dried, it is time to assemble your model. These little "headlights" are a bugger to get in place after they are coated in finger paint (mom did that part too).


I also recommend a Bob the Builder hammer to help with the construction of this project, very important.





At this point Sean wandered off and started reading a book while I was left at the table with paint up to my elbows and my fingers glued together. "Hey, get back here, I'm doing this for you!"



There you have it, my, I mean Sean's finished project. Ok, so maybe next time I will pay better attention to the age recommendation for the art project!

P.S. the tail gate and front wheels have fallen off already.


Ok, now for some random pictures (sorry, we just haven't been very interesting lately).

I have been driving past this store every time I take Jason to work, so Sean and I visited it yesterday to see what all the fuss is about. Ok, ok, I had a jelly bean craving! Look at that sign, can you blame me?


It was nothing special, just jelly bellies of every flavor and color and some assorted gummies. I did however find the antique book store next door very interesting, but Sean did not. While I was perusing some ancient books, Sean walked over and touched an old movie poster hanging on the wall. The owner said "excuse me mam, that is a $100 poster, do you mind". What, his hands are clean, geez, what kind of a mom do you think I am.

These are a few pictures of Sean with two Geo Trax garbage men hanging on his ears.

They probably have lead paint all over them.

Ahh, the life of Sean.


Well, after today I should have some interesting stuff for you. We are going to the Grauman's Chinese Theater today, you know the place with all the super star hand prints, and the Getty Villa in Malibu this weekend.

Sean and I are flying home this coming Monday to check up on baby B's progress.

Enjoy your day!

Sarah