Hollywood Sign Hike

The hike to the Hollywood sign is a pretty good morning workout, and it's not a secluded walk in the woods. I actually like that there are so many Angelenos enjoying exercise in the hills close to home. It is still cool enough (and cloudy, the day we were there) that a hike like this in open, mostly tree-less canyons is comfortable. We had just watched an animated movie that showed people parking at an overlook behind the Hollywood sign-- as you can see here, it's only for walkers up that high!

Olive Hill tour

Last weekend Maryam and I led a tour of Olive Hill, the site of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House and Barnsdall Park, as well as Barnsdall Square Shopping Center, centenarian olive trees, a pine grove, Kaiser Permanente hospitals, and several mid-century apartment buildings. By looking closely at this one place over several months, we've discovered traces of the past, little-known history, and a multitude of ways that this place is tied to larger stories of Los Angeles. We enjoyed sharing these stories with a wonderful tour group as we walked all around and up the Hill.