Admired by California’s conquistadores, pursued by whaleboats launched from 19th century California coastal whaling stations, now moderately protected by various laws and conventions, gray whales can be seen from land and sea as they migrate from their winter home in the lagoons of Mexico’s Baja California, past Los Angeles, toward their summer feeding grounds in and around the Gulf of Alaska.
This is the time to whale watch!
Read MoreThere are many ways to learn about a city. Each offers its own unique perspective. This month I offer for your consideration a few of LA’s many museums and the reflected insights they may provide.
I am told there are 105 museums within the city of Los Angeles. In addition, cities such as Pasadena, San Marino and Santa Monica have museums. Many of the region’s numerous, local historical societies also have their own collections and proudly display them in permanent or semi permanent homes. In other words, there are many museums to choose from.
Read MoreOver 2,000 species of wild animals and plants thrive within 60 miles of Los Angeles. One hundred forty-five are found nowhere else on earth. Sometimes referred to as “the Galápagos of North America” the eight islands off the coast of southern California offer a unique opportunity to see the rare, the extraordinary and the historic.
Read MoreLos Angeles has many music venues. They include famous concert halls such as Walt Disney Concert Hall, historic theaters such as Belasco, cemetery sites such as the Fairbanks Lawn at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, small clubs such as The Baked Potato and dives such as The Airliner.
Read MorePerhaps the Los Angeles area’s earliest, best-known hotel was the 243 feet (74 meters) long, 50 feet (15 meters) wide, two stories high Convento wing of the San Fernando Mission, used by travelers on El Camino Real during the early 1800s.
As the city grew, so did the number of hotels. By the late 1800s and early 1900s the Los Angeles area offered visitors a diverse selection of accommodations. Among them were abodes that enticed the rich, the famous and the notorious.
Read More