Los Angeles 8/10--8/14/2022 [Back to Photo Page]

Los Angeles, situated in Southern California, is the second-largest city (after New York City) in the United States.  Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, sprawling metropolis, and as a major center of the American entertainment industry.   Although we have lived in Northern California for more than 30 years, Los Angeles was not on our list of frequent travel destinations in the past.

Getting there ...

The main purpose of this LA trip was to help my nephew Tim move in to USC from Taiwan.  We drove down from the Bay Area to LA a day earlier before their arrival so we could have some time to meet some friends (Woanyu's high school classmates) in the afternoon and have dinner together.

Second Day (8/11) ... 

• California Science Center
  The main attraction at the Science Center is the retired Space Shuttle Endeavour.  I was so excited to see the Endeavour again since my last encounter in 2012.
  

• LAX
  We went to LAX in the late afternoon to pick up Tim, Louis, and Louis' girl friend.  It's a long wait at the busy LAX international terminal (since we got there early), but it's good to see my family come from Taiwan after such a long time in pandemic.

Third Day (8/12) ...

• University of Southern California (USC)
  My main duty today was to help Tim move in to his school housing, open a bank account, go shopping for whatever he needs at Target, and have a quick stroll on campus to take some pictures.  I think we achieve all our goals smoothly and efficiently :-)
  

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• Griffith Observatory  
  Since we got our main objectives done quite early, I decided to take them to the Griffith Park and Observatory in the late afternoon.
  Located on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, the Griffith Observatory is 1,134 feet above sea level and is visible from many parts of the Los Angeles basin. It is the best vantage point for observing the world-famous Hollywood Sign and LA downtown skyline.  It is also one of the best places to see the sunset in LA area.

Fourth Day (8/13) ...

Since Louis and Tim had their own plan to go out with their friend today, Woanyu and I had a free day to do our own sightseeing.

• Walt Disney Concert Hall
  As the $274-million crown jewel of the LA Music Center, Disney Hall opened in 2003 to rave reviews.  Designed by architect Frank Gehry, Walt Disney Concert Hall is an internationally recognized architectural landmark and one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world.  There is a free self-guided audio tour providing the Concert Hall’s history from conception to completion and insight from visionary architect Frank Gehry and other key contributors.  Although we could go to several places in the building, the tour did not have the access to the main concert hall.

• The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
  The MOCA Grand, on Grand Avenue, is the museum's primary facility, with the main galleries dedicated to works from the 1940s onwards.

• LA Street

• Huntington Library and Gardens  
  The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Marino, California.  Born in 1850 in Oneonta, New York, Henry Huntington was an American railroad magnate and collector of art and rare books.
  The Huntington Library is one of the world's great independent research libraries, with more than 11 million items spanning the 11th to 21st centuries.  In addition to the library, the institution houses an extensive art collection with a focus on 18th- and 19th-century European art and 17th- to mid-20th-century American art. The property also includes approximately 120 acres (49 ha) of specialized botanical landscaped gardens, most notably the "Japanese Garden", the "Desert Garden", and the "Chinese Garden".

After visiting the Huntington, we had a dinner with Woanyu's friends in Pasadena, which was less than 10-minute drive from the Huntington.

The Last Day (8/14) ...

Before we headed back to the Bay Area, we went to meet Louis and Tim, and took them to LA downtown (a driving tour along the Grand Ave) and had a lunch at a Brazilian Steakhouse (and witness a car accident).  Although it was a long drive to LA, I am glad I can help Tim settle in his school (it reminds me of myself 30 years ago...) and I wish him have a successful study and future.

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