LA Story #4: DTLA. The Griffith Observatory.

Shimmer and glitter. It’s everywhere. Maybe it’s this Californian sun or maybe it’s the endless walls of mirrors that all the buildings downtown appear to be constructed from but this is a photo straight off my phone from yesterday morning.

The Ritz Carlton, JB Marriott, Staples Center and the Microsoft Theatre in DTLA.

No filter. Just DTLA aka Downtown Los Angeles. It almost needs to be a filter in its own right.

Construction and reinvention is a big part of life here at the moment. The soundtrack of Figueora Street is the roaring and grinding of cranes and trucks as yet more gleaming towers look set to rise from the rubble.

Despite all this and all the cars, those skies have remained this glorious smog-free blue.

Could this be a Target billboard? I think so. More, much more in a post coming up soon.

My mission to eat my body weight in blackberries before I leave has had a boost from this deal at Ralph’s Downtown.

Ambrosia, January’s apple of the month is crispy with a little tang. Two thumbs up from me.

Today’s LA In A Day photos are of The Griffith Observatory which sits on Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. Griffith J. Griffith donated the land as well as funds to build this observatory and a theatre (The Greek) within the grounds.

Huga Ballin murals in the ceiling of the W. M. Keck Foundation central rotunda.

Admission is free for all and it’s well worth a visit both for the beauty of the building and the views of the Hollywood Basin and downtown from the verandahs. It’s also one of the closest points from which the public may view that famously and recently restored HOLLYWOOD sign.

via Google images

As a diehard fan of ‘La La Land’, the observatory visit was the highlight of the daytrip for me.

To think that Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling stood where I did by the gently swinging Foucault Pendulum…

I’ll confess right here that I did a quick walkthrough of the exhibits (mustn’t ruin the surprise for when I return with Master SSG one day, you see) because I just wanted to get outside and take in the views and also to just gaze at the building in the sun.