Page 124 - 2020 Travel Guide to California

FUN AT THE BEACH IN SANTA MONICA,
right.
The Great Outdoors
Despite its car culture rap, LA County offers
lots of outdoor activities. Rent a bike along
the Santa Monica Pier and ride down the
path that parallels the ocean, through
Venice and on to Marina del Rey before dou-
bling back. Pack a picnic lunch and hike
Echo Mountain in Altadena or the Arroyo
Seco trail system in the San Gabriel Moun-
tains. Sign up for rock-climbing instruction,
or take a surfing or stand-up paddle
boarding lesson from one of the many
surfing centers in Santa Monica.
Explore the county’s varied beaches,
from the famous to the little known, but
bring a sweater if you go early or plan to stay
late. In the summer, moist marine air is
pulled inland and forms a misty cover until
it burns off by the afternoon, and tempera-
tures drop with the sunset. Start in Malibu
and show your stuff at the legendary
Surfrider Beach at Malibu Lagoon State
Beach. Explore tide pools and caves at Leo
Carrillo State Park. Perhaps watch filming
in progress at Malibu’s Point Dume State
Beach, featured in movies such as the Iron
Man series (2008-2013). It also appeared in
the final scene of the original Planet of the
Apes (1968). Or look for California gray
whales during their migrations from
December to mid April. Next, wind your
way down through Topanga Beach and stop
over for a volleyball game at Will Rogers
State Beach in Pacific Palisades. Then hop
over to Venice and the Strand on Manhattan
Beach to people-watch.
DRIVE
»
TOUR
MULHOLLAND DRIVE
offers spectacular views of
the HOLLYWOOD BOWL,
the LA BASIN and
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY.
It’s about 24 miles from the
405 freeway to Highway 101 with overlooks all along the way. Or, drive
in a loop from HOLLYWOOD. Starting at the DOLBY THEATRE, home of
the Academy Awards, go west on HOLLYWOOD BLVD. in Los Angeles
till it ends. Turn right on LAUREL CANYON BLVD. and at the top, turn
left on Mulholland Drive. Stop at the NANCY HOOVER POHL
OVERLOOK and enjoy a great view of the “Valley.” Return to
Mulholland Drive, going eastbound, past Laurel Canyon Road until
you see the HOLLYWOOD BOWL OVERLOOK on your right. Park and
walk up to see the panoramic views of downtown LA, the Hollywood
sign, Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Bowl Amphitheater.
Continue east until you reach the bottom of Mulholland Drive. Turn
right on Woodrow Wilson and make an immediate right onto
CAHUENGA BLVD., heading south back to Hollywood.
122 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
Family Fun
Check out fossils of saber-toothed cats and
mammoths that roamed the LA Basin
during the Ice Age at the Page Museum at
the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits. If the kids are
tired of trying to spot stars on Hollywood
Boulevard, take them to Griffith Observa-
tory. Featured in many movies including
Rebel Without a Cause (1955), the observa-
tory is set on the southern slope of Mount
Hollywood in Griffith Park, with a view of
the Hollywood sign and greater LA below.
View exhibits and events on Tuesday
through Sunday at the Samuel Oschin Plan-
etarium and Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon
Theater, and attend free public star parties
monthly at the Observatory from 2 p.m. to
9:45 p.m. Budding astronomers and their
families are encouraged to try out different
telescopes and talk to amateur astronomers
about the sun, moon and planets.
Visit the California Science Center that
houses the Endeavour, which traveled 123
million miles, the final ship to be built in
NASA’s Space Shuttle program. View space
capsules from the Mercury, Gemini and
Apollo-Soyuz missions. Special exhibits
include “Mission 26: ET Comes Home,”
which features moments of ET-94’s trip
through the Panama Canal, its arrival in
Marina del Rey, and its journey through the
streets of Los Angeles to its new home at the
science center. Enjoy the many touch-
friendly exhibits such as the High-Wire
Bicycle ($3), which allows the courageous
to safely bike along a one-inch wire 43 feet
above the ground. The gravitational forces
on the counterweight prevent the bicycle
from tipping over and illustrate the center
of gravity law.
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