La-La Landmarks

A city as big as Los Angeles offers landmarks aplenty. Where to start? How about the Web? Sites for our most famous points of interest will tell you how to get there, when, what you’ll see and how much it’ll cost.

A Star Is Born: What’s more famous than the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Did you know that Joanne Woodward received the first star, back in 1960? For more history, a look at recent and upcoming ceremonies as well as the lowdown on nomination procedures, point your browser to https://chamber.hollywood.com/walkoffame/.

It’s a Sign: Once when I had some friends in town, we spent about two hours looking for the Hollywood sign and never found it. That’s what happens when you’re actually from Los Angeles. . . . Next time, I’ll know to just head over to https://www.rfx.com/hollywood/ for the Sign Cam, which is updated every 10 minutes. Always wondered how big the Hollywood sign is? Want to learn about past restoration and alteration projects? Visit https://chamber.hollywood.com/sign/, where you’ll also find a history of the landmark.

Seeing Stars: No, not those stars. With all the smog and light pollution, you may not be able to see much in the night sky. So check out the Griffith Observatory. Its site (https://www.GriffithObs.org/) has information on activities, educational programs, special events and what you might see in the sky. To find out about the observatory’s laser shows and schedules, head to https://www.laserium.com/schedules/LA_sched.html.

While we’re on the subject of Griffith Park, check out https://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/gphome.html for Griffith Park hikes, memories, news and links. The Department of Recreation and Parks’ Griffith Park site (https://www.ci.la.ca.us/dept/RAP/grifmet/griffith.htm) has attractions, activities, points of interests and more general park info.

Freak Out: Venice Beach is always full of surprises. At https://www.venicebeach.com/, check out the Beach Cam, which offers pictures and bios of some regular boardwalk performers, a history of the beach, weather and surf reports.

Peer at the Pier: The PierCam has pictures updated every 10 minutes from the Santa Monica Pier. Point your browser to https://207.155.120.13/piercam/index.html.

Virtual Baseball: Dodger Stadium can get awfully hot this time of year, so you’re better off just going to https://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/dodger.htm for stadium trivia, history, pictures, statistics and dimensions.

Shore to Ship: The Queen Mary site (https://www.queenmary.org) is one of the more interesting of this bunch. There are all sorts of articles on ship facts and lore, including whether the Queen Mary is haunted, past and planned restoration projects and the Titanic versus the Queen Mary.

Take a Hike: Before getting your fanny pack packed for a hike in the Angeles National Forest, make your way over to https://www.znet.com/~schester/angeles_mtns/ for hikes and trail conditions. Plan to make more than a day of your trip? At https://www.lawquip.com/sc/camp.html, you’ll find camping and general info about Mt. Baldy.

Mountain Trails: If Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy lands are your destination, stop first at https://www.ceres.ca.gov/smmc/. The site has sections on hiking, biking, equestrian trails, waterfalls and panoramic city and valley views. The National Park Service’s Santa Monica Mountains site (https://www.nps.gov/samo/) has visitor center hours, climate information, special events and hours.

More Than BLTs: There’s a lot more to the Farmers Market than really good bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. See for yourself at https://www.farmersmarketla.com/. While you’re there, check out a history of the place.

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