A beautiful day in Los Angeles. This is my home. And from here I was able to touch the moon. Literally. I saved the day to spend with Risa. A few days ago she asked me if there was anything in LA that I hadn't seen that I've always wanted to. I said yes! Griffith Observatory. I've been wanting to go since college and always thought about it every time I went to a show at the Greek Theater but just never actually did it and then they closed it for four years for renovations. But today was the day. I picked up Risa in Santa Monica and we drove through LA had a fantastic sushi lunch across from the celebrity Scientology center. I also found a cool new juice bar next door where I got a super awesome smoothie (mango, kale, almond milk, and cinnamon), one of the best ever and it left me feeling good all day. More on smoothies on a different day, it's become a personal project.
We headed up through the hills towards the big Hollywood sign and through Griffith Park and past the Greek till we got to the Observatory which is perched high up on its own beautiful grassy hill. The grounds were gorgeous and we were there on a perfectly sunny, clear, and cool day. We could have just hung out outside and enjoyed the views all day, but there was a lot to see inside. So there we were among sundials, a huge pendulum (sooo cool), astronomy photographs and videos, telescopes, and exhibits. I love this stuff. Absolutely fascinating. We walked all around inside and outside the building and on the terraces and roof enjoying every minute of it. There was a huge telescope you could peak at through a window and while we were taking a look one of the workers came by and as he was unlocking the door to the dome where the telescope was Risa asked half-jokingly, "hey can we come in?" And the nice man let us in! So we got a private viewing of this telescope and it was this guy's job to come in every so often to adjust things so telescope wouldn't get too hot. He had us stand in a certain area as he pressed some buttons and the roof opened and started rotating. We said "whoaaa" about 50 times while standing in there, it was all so cool we didn't even know what to say. Lucky us :)
We went to a show in the planetarium about the origins of the universe and history of the astronomical study of earth's place in the cosmos. Nice dose of perspective with great visuals. I love being in planetarium and this was the best one yet. After that we went downstairs to see more exhibits on the planets and saw some displays on meteorites.....and I got to touch a piece of the moon! On George Harrison's birthday I touched the moon!
Today also happens to be Renior's birthday and it just so happened that there was an exhibit of his work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Which I had also not been to before. This was another event of good timing for something that Risa and I can do together because we both love his art. We've seen his paintings at the Getty, Mussee D'Orsay in Paris, and the MET in New York City and it was a special treat to see an entire exhibit of his work. Being in a room full of his artwork brings on a beautifully peaceful feeling. When I'm standing in front of his paintings I feel like my soul is being fed. The colors and textures and expressions all seem like a really good captured dream. I especially liked seeing his work done of scenes from the south of France. Heavenly.
We got to see some modern art exhibits there also and enjoyed more cool views from the museum's balconies before leaving. We headed all the way across town in the lovely Los Angeles rush hour traffic till we got to Venice Beach and had thai food for dinner on an outside heated deck along the canals. Risa's visits are always a chance to get back in touch with an appreciation for LA. I've lived here since 1997 and my feelings for it have fluctuated over the years (from being totally sick of it to being totally grateful) but ever since I got back from India I've felt my love for the city sparked again. Los Angeles is a place you do have to come to terms with to live in. There are just certain things you have to be willing to deal with, and I do believe now that the opportunities the city has to offers does exceed its limitations. Just take today for example. It was a good one.
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