Month: April 2008

An old Hopi legend I always liked is the one about the underground cities built by the lizard people along the Pacific Coast. Apparently those cities were constructed after a catastrophic meteor shower destroyed large areas and much of the population at around 3,000 BC. The lizard people not only seemed to be quite adapt at building subterranean cities; according to the legend they also possessed the first history books, detailing the history of the Earth since creation. How much they valued those books can be assumed from the fact that they were etched on golden tablets.

Such precious materials are no longer en vogue for books, but the Los Angeles Central Library sits – if one can believe the Hopi legend – on top of the site of one of those ancient cities, which incidentally was built in the form of a lizard. A quirky humor that lot had.

Is it sheer coincidence that some gold tones went into the decoration of the roof of the library?

Maybe there is no connection – but what a wonderful thought that there might be one.

Living in the city we are not starved for the sight of flowers. Actually, due to the mild climate (in Winter) and diligent watering (during the remainder of the year) one sees blooming plants and flowers the year around.

The story in regions with less water is completely different. In the desert, on the hills and at the foot of the mountains the wildflowers bloom only once a year, in Spring; but then otherwise brown and barren looking landscapes are transformed into areas covered with an abundance of flowers, ranging from the quietly pleasant to the spectacular. In fact, the deeper one drives into the desert, the more flamboyant the display becomes.

Not in the desert, but in the San Gabriel Mountains the view is this:

… for about three weeks.

“Architecture is form placed between the ground and the sky.”

(Eero Saarinen)

Buildings at Grand Avenue near 3rd Street

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles is not a building easily overlooked. Opinions about it vary, but can be basically divided into two camps – “love it” and “hate it.” That goes for the exterior. As far as the interior is concerned, the acoustics, the verdict is a unanimous “exceptionally fabulous.”

And then there is the roof garden, another one of those little secrets known only to those who like sticking their noses behind the scenes. When one goes to the web site of the concert hall, one has to poke around a bit to find the garden mentioned at all; even then one is left with the impression that one has to take a tour to be able to go there.

Well, that is slightly misleading. The garden is public, open all day, no tour is needed and there is no entry fee.

Best of all – the garden is beautiful. The contrast between the plants and the trees and the metal exterior of the hall is striking. Light, shadows, reflexions, striking angles and nature’s beauty combine in a way one does not see very often.

The garden is an oasis of deep serenity against a backdrop of steel. Oh, and by the way – going up don’t touch the handrails or lean against any panels unprotected from the sun. They get hot; frying egg temperature hot.

Go just about anywhere in Los Angeles and you will find a location used for filming, although the location used might look a bit different when one sees it later in the movie.

The Cedar Grove is a good example – it is a pretty spot, a miniature forest, green and peaceful and pleasantly cool in summer. In the movie “Van Helsing” it probably looks more like this:

Which means, yes, one of these days I will have to watch “Van Helsing”.

Comes winter time, Santa Anita Park, the oldest horse track in California, opens. The track is considered to hold the best racing in the country during the Winter-Spring Meeting. Even without knowing that, any trip to Santa Anita is fun and highly entertaining.

On driving in one can see people like this – these guys are serious about horse races:

The buildings still retain their Art Déco motif:

And when finally the horse one has bet on has won – then it was indeed a fun afternoon at the races: