The New & Improved Griffith Observatory.

It's been since before the renovation that I've gone to visit the Griffith Observatory. I remember not being very impressed with it. It was small. Not much to see except the planetarium show, which was its showpiece. That and the awesome view of downtown, the Wilshire corridor, and if the air is clear, Palos Verdes (among other sites).

But the renovation did the Observatory good. It's not a real observatory in the sense that astronomers do serious work there--it sits above the bright skies of L.A., after all. But it was built for the public and not astronomers, anyway.

It's really more of a museum of astronomy, especially now that they have the expanded basement under the front lawn.

Alba and I reserved a visit for yesterday and spent most of the day there taking in the new exhibits and the still-spectacular view (even if there was a bit of the typical mid-summer haze hanging in the air).

I love the new exhibits.

The Big Picture is the world's largest photographic image of the night sky, made up of 105 4' X 8' panels stretched three high (24' feet high) by 35 long (140' long). (It's HUGE!) And in it are hundreds, possibly thousands of far off galaxies that lie in a stretch of sky in the constellation Virgo that you could cover up with your index finger held at arm's length.

How's that for a visual demonstration of the expansiveness of the universe! Awe inspiring, it is.

Then there are the gigantic scale models of the solar system with a Saturn that dominates the ceiling area with its massive ring system, and a Pluto (no longer considered a planet), which is nothing but a small brass ball.

Then there are the gigantic, rotating full-relief globes of the Earth and Moon showing all the mountain ranges, deep-see trenches, moon craters, etc.

Then there are the meteorite exhibits, live images of the sun, time-lapse videos of solar activity, a visual model of the periodic table complete with actual samples of each element, even uranium. (But not many of the really heavy or man-made elements.) And other exhibits to keep you entertained for a few hours.

There's even a cafe and gift shop now.

I had read about a hike from the Observatory down to Fern Dell Park in a guide book to L.A. area hikes. So around 4:00 pm, Alba and I hiked down to Fern Dell Park, a shady park that follows a creek with charming little wooden bridges that cross it every so often. Then we hiked back up to the Observatory.

I think what I learn more than anything else that day was that reading about a 500-foot elevation gain is a hell of a lot different than actually hiking a 500-foot elevation gain! (Talk about my buns burning!)

After the hike, Alba and I took the shuttle back to the parking area and had dinner in a nice shady area of Griffith Park.

I love Griffith Park. It's HUGE! It's one of the largest municipal parks in the world. (The "Hollywood" sign sits below just one of the several peaks in the park.) And it's still quite nice, even after the fires. Nothing really important was lost in the fires. Just a few hiking trails, bench areas, and maybe the bird sanctuary, but don't quote me on it.

That still leaves the Zoo, the Gene Autry Museum, the Observatory, Greek Theater, Hollywood Sign, Equestrian Center, Golf Course, Merry-Go-Round, Visitor Center, Travel Town, several picnic areas, many miles of trails, baseball diamond, basketball and tennis courts, pool, etc. In other words, plenty to keep you busy.