Australia Trip Day Two: Los Angeles Delay-The La Brea Tar Pits

There is so much to do in a city as big as Los Angeles, and I have been here a few times and seen a lot of it. One thing I have wanted to see, since I  first heard about them as a child, I think when watching the Flintstones, was the famous La Brea tar pits. And, thanks to the delay in my flights I finally was able to see them.

After my morning walk, I  took a much needed shower, edited some photographs , had a nice breakfast and decided to visit the tar pits which are about eight miles from the hotel. The concierge arranged for a driver, a pleasant woman named Judy who provided me with a lot of the areas history as she drove me to the tar pits. By coincidence we drove by the famous See’s candy store, I never heard of it before until a client sent us some as a gift for Christmas.

I was surprised to find them located in the middle of the city. I always imagined they would be in a remote area on the outskirts of the town. No, they are right in the middle of this vast urban sprawl.

After being left off at the entrance, I was immediately greeted by the sounds of hundreds of school children who were visiting the museum and enjoying the warm  February California sunshine as well as learning some natural science and history.

I toured the museum and the many unique and interesting fossils, bones  and exhibits,  The displays were well done and I learned so much in the little time I had to spend there.

I walked the grounds outside, thinking about the thousands of animals  who lost there life while mired in the gooey tar. It must have been something to see the huge mammoths, giant sloths and other large mammals struggle to get out of the tar pits.

I found out there is a lot more than just the La Brea tar pits in the area.The Los Angeles art museum, sculpture gardens and many other museums are located  here. I didn’t have time to explore them all but hope to get back someday. 

I did find an escalator that led to an overlook  of northern Los Angeles and the famous Hollywood sign. I spent a few minutes taking in the spectacular view. I remember exploring those hills and canyons on past visits to Los Angeles. It’s way too crowded for me, but always a nice place to visit, except when it prevents you from arriving in Sydney. Hopefully me journey will continue uninterrupted tonight. Here is a link to some more photographs from my visit to the La Brea tar pitsthis afternoon. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/australia/nggallery/australia/australia-trip-day-two-los-angeles-la-brea-tar-pits-february-4-2016

“Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.”
― Frank Lloyd Wright