Higher Ground

I recently had the week off, and I took the opportunity to travel to Southern California. It was my first trip there.

Generally when visiting a new place, one of the first things I try and do is find a high point to view the city I'm in. And in Los Angeles, one place stands out among the rest as a place to go: Griffith Observatory.

Standing high up on Mount Hollywood, the observatory offers extraordinary views across the Los Angeles Basin. I visited last Sunday evening, just as the sun began to get low in the sky, and stayed until well after dark.

And the views of the city were well worth the trip. The show at the planetarium was also superb. If you ever go to LA, make sure to visit the Griffith Observatory. LADOT offers a shuttle from the Vermont/Sunset Red Line station every 35 minutes or so on weekends. You can also hike, bike, or (if you must) drive there.

Anyway, more on my experiences and observations from Los Angeles and San Diego later. For now, I'll just show you some pictures from the Observatory.

Looking toward Century City


The Hollywood Hills (and Sign)


Downtown


The Hollywood Sign framed by one of the arches outside the Observatory


Sunset


The Basin


Downtown again


From the roof

George Takei: Transit Geek

George Takei is well known for his iconic role as Captian Sulu on the Star Trek television series and films. What is less well known is his role as a member of the board of directors of the Southern California Rapid Transit District for 11 years. In fact, in 1978, he was called away from the set of Star Trek: The Motion Picture to cast the tie-breaking vote to approve the pursuit of a subway system for Los Angeles.

He was recently interviewed on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, a weekly news quiz show, in the segment known as "Not My Job."

I'm a huge fan of Wait Wait, and this is my favorite episode. Ever.

Takei talks about Star Trek, gay marriage, and, surprisingly, transit. You really should listen to the whole segment (here, 11:36), but I've transcribed a small excerpt below:

Mo Rocca: Can I just add...? I feel a little left out, because I'm actually not a Star Trek geek.
George Takei: You're not?
MR: I'm not, but I am a rapid transit geek.
GT: You sound like one.
MR: I'm not a Star Trek geek, I just get mistaken for one constantly. But I am a rapid transit geek, and I just wanted to know, is there any future in the monorail?
GT: Here in Los Angeles?
MR: Just anywhere. I love them.
GT: You do? (laughter) Um, no. What we're doing here in Los Angeles is building a network of light rail because that's less costly. And putting the focus on extending the stub-ended Wilshire Line. And we want to extend that to--
Peter Sagal: Is this what other people feel like when we're talking about Star Trek? (laughter)
Adam Felber: Yeah.
MR: I love it.
PS: I'm like 'blah-de-blah-de-blah.'
GT: Sorry about that.
PS: It's all right.
MR: You just don't get it. We have conventions. This is awesome!
PS: You all dress up as conductors...
AF: If the Purple Line is going to be powered by dilithium, then...(laughter)
GT: Dilithium crystals, yes.

I particularly love Peter Sagal's response. I'm an unabashed transit geek, and I certainly know the reaction - when peoples' eyes start to glaze over - but it's totally worth it to meet another transit geek.

Anyway, this episode of Wait Wait totally made my day. I just had to share.