LA Zoo

Griffith Park is a great spot to go experience the outdoors right in the heart of Los Angeles. It has great hiking trails the LA Zoo is there and the Griffith Observatory. I don’t know much about the LA Zoo—I’ve heard bad things about the zoo here so even though I have lived here all my life I have never actually been to it. I just hear the facilities are very outdated and the animals look sickly. When I go to zoo I generally head down to San Diego Wild Animal Park, where the animals get to live in similar conditions to those of their natural habitat.

That said, the Griffith Observatory is really fantastic. As a teenager, I used to go up there to watch the Pink Floyd Laser Light show—basically, they use the planetarium facilities to play Floyd songs and to project a light show up onto the dome ceiling. Even in the 80’s this was considered a little hokey, but if you like Pink Floyd and are in the right state of mind (I don’t necessarily mean “stoned”), then it is really rather enjoyable. As I remember it was always held late, so by the time you got out it was either Denny’s or—if you didn’t mind the crowds—Jerry’s Famous Deli on Coldwater. (I don’t know if they do the light show anymore.)

The observatory is also famous for having been the location for the knife fight in Rebel Without a Cause—Dennis Hopper fans will know that he was one of the knife wielders in that. And, more recently it was in that Jim Carrey movie, Yes Man.

On the outside of the observatory you get great views of Burbank and Glendale. The architecture is sort of Art Deco, I think. On the inside, you get the typical exhibitions. My favorite is the pendulum that swings and slowly knocks down the domino like pieces.

Overall it, and the rest of Griffith Park during the day--is a great place to go with kids or if you have an interest in astronomy. At night, the park gets a little dicey. I once had a midnight picnic there—but quite frankly I felt more like I was in a Friday the Thirteenth film than a Romantic comedy. It is hard to enjoy that kind of a romantic gesture when you think someone might grab you, chop you to bits and feed you to the squirrels.

Zoos are in a way, a controversial tourism spot. Some people love them, love to take their kids and spend a day enjoying it. However some people don't enjoy the tourist attraction- wether it's because of the zoo itself, or perhaps the belief that animals aren't cared for at zoos. Regardless of how you generally feel about zoos, I still suggest visiting the LA Zoo. It's a big zoo and attracts quite a few people from all over. It's also a clean zoo...some zoos can be so unkept and drab, but the LA zoo does a great job of keeping the zoo clean, well kept, and a safe and health environment for the animals. I recommend it!

I should start this by saying I am in no way a fan of the zoo experience in general. I end up getting really upset every time I go into a zoo. I think it's sort of awful to put animals in a cage just so that little kids can gawk at them.
As far as zoos go, this one is particularly depressing. It's sad and little compared to something like the San Diego zoo. Even the animals without particularly developed brains seem to be pretty bent out of shape over their living conditions. And, you barely hear about a person venturing to the LA Zoo without seeing an ape / chimp throwing poo at the visitors to get them away. The zoo does have a really advanced rehabilitation center and it is responsible for elevating the condor population from about 80 to over 300 which is really remarkable. But, it doesn't make the zoo any less depressing.

The really cool thing to see is the old zoo which is located a little ways away (still in Griffith park, though). It was built in 1912 and closed down in, I think, the 50's. The cages are built into the rock walls and they are tiny. It's crazy to think that one lion, let alone several lions were put into one of these little things. It's always cool to see something historical in a city that's so new. And, you can kind of feel the ghosts of the place. Plus, the surrounding park area is beautiful.

The L.A. Zoo area includes most, but not all of Griffith Park. This part of Griffith Park has three golf courses, the Griffith Park Observatory, Travel Town and Museum, the Autry National Center Museum, the L.A. Zoo, an equestrian center, bicycle rental, a Merry-Go-Round, the Greek Theater, and a lot of park area. While all of these destinations can be enjoyable, some parts of the area are not as safe as they could be, and visitors need to be aware of their surroundings. It is not a residential area.

The LA Zoo was founded in 1966. It is owned by the City. It houses some 1,100 animals from all over the world. The Zoo has a California condor breeding program which has been successful in increasing the numbers of these rare birds. There are many habitats, from a gorilla reserve to sea lion cliffs, with more being planned and built. There are also Botanical Gardens. The Zoo is open every day except Christmas.

The Autry National Center Museum of the American West is near the Zoo. There are ongoing exhibitions called Opportunity, Conquest and Community, in addition to changing exhibits, festivals, lectures, and music. There is something here for everyone, especially during the summer.

The Greek Theater is an outside 5801-seat venue which presents concerts by a wide variety of
musicians.

The Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park tells the story of railroad history. It is has a small, restored and operating stretch of rail. There are a number of different trains and cars running at Travel Town. There are also trains running at the south end of Griffith Park.

Griffith Park itself is over 4210 acres of natural terrain as well as landscaped park. It is the largest municipal park with an urban wilderness area in the United States. There are many habitats within the park. Hiking and picnicking are allowed. There are two sleepover camps in the park. The land for the park was donated by Griffith J. Griffith. The Park is managed by the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

The Griffith Park Observatory, which was planned by Griffith, has recently been renovated. In addition to the Planetarium, there is a theater named for Leonard Nimoy, who helped fund the renovation. There are public telescopes, exhibits, lectures, school programs, and more.

There was a fire in 2007 that destroyed 817 acres of Griffith Park. The fire came close to the Zoo. The city is working on stabilizing the slopes and restoring the area. In this area of Southern California, fire is always a risk. You have to be careful at all time and aware of where you are when visiting any part of this area.