Parking:
When you drive into the park, map out this address: 2333 Fern Dell Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068
There's spots along the road that you can park your car in without an hourly restriction. (Except that you have to be out before sunset, that's when they close the gates and the park.)
Lunch/Coffee at Trails Cafe:
At the address above is a cafe right in the middle of Griffith park, right next to the parking spots, appropriately named Trails Cafe. The location is great, and not just for its convenience. It's a relaxing and unique eating experience, as the seating is all outside surrounded by the trees of the park. Living in a concrete city sprawl, this is a rare ambiance to be had in LA. But the ambiance is not the only reason I love Trails. The food is fresh and wonderful, with options for every kind of eater. They have a full spread of coffee drinks and fresh pastries if that's all your craving. What gets my attention is their sandwiches. They are vegan and veggie friendly, tasty, and original. My favorite is the avocado sandwich. They do not skimp on the avocado, which is an inch thick and peppered with veggie bacon bits, stuffed between thick slabs of dark molasses bread. Their veggie chili is an equal favorite of mine, served with blue (yes, it's really blue), corn bread.
Just don't get too full, because the trail-head to the observatory is right across the road.
2333 Fern Dell Drive
Los Angeles 90068
323-871-2102
Hours: Tues-Sunday, 8am-sundown. (Closed Monday)
The Hike:
The trail-head that leads up to the observatory is not well marked, but it's right across from the cafe, and there's always plenty of other hikers to ask. The trail starts from one point and splits into two directions, which both join back up at the end. One way is a bit steeper (and usually has less people), and the other is a bit more gradual, therefor more kid-friendly. If your not the exercise type, the hike isn't that long, but it's still a good workout for those who want it. And luckily, the trail leads right to the front door of the observatory.
The Observatory:
Although the telescope is a night activity, the observatory is a large museum with lots of things to do. Another bonus? Getting in the museum is completely free. Plus, the view of the city from its high perch is amazing, complete with a clear view of the Hollywood Sign. Once inside, it has several floors of museum activity. There's some interactive fun, such as seeing your weight on each planet, a real-time video of the sun, and large pieces of meteorites you can touch.
If you want an extra activity to do, they have space-themed movies projected onto a dome in their theater. The prices very reasonable, at the time of this writing it's $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and $3 for children under 12. The shows are worth it, always with a few different ones to choose from (such as an exploration of the Northern Lights set to the music of Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries.")
Since the California budget cuts, the museum is closed an extra day, so be careful which day you come. At this time it's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Hopefully this will change back soon, budget permitting.
To check any information about the observatory, such as hours and showtimes, check their website:
http://www.griffithobservatory.org/
This is also an excellent night visit, but I will write about the observatory as a nightcap on a different Day in LA.
Dessert-Scoops:
Once you've made the hike back down to your car, my favorite ice cream place is only a few miles away. On Heliotrope, right off Melrose is Scoops ice cream. The owner makes fresh, homemade flavors every day, and he's always whipping up something new. He has decently normal flavors for the less-adventurous, (like chocolate peanut butter or Caramel Oreo), or some crazier ones (like Yerba Mate, Guinness Chocolate, and Lavender Sour Cream). Even though some of them sound a bit too strange for ice cream, he somehow makes them all taste fantastic. And it is some of the best-priced gelato around...only $2.75 for one scoop, which is two flavors. And for any vegans (or people with dairy sensitivities), he always has a couple of dairy-free flavors, which are just as tasty and exciting.
Just make sure to bring paper money, as this location is CASH ONLY. They don't have a website (except a blog for their art,) so please see hours and phone number below:
712 North Heliotrope Drive Los Angeles, CA 90029
Hours: Mon-Sat 12 pm - 10 pm, Sun 2 pm - 6 pm
There is also some great self-serve yogurt places very near Griffith Park, for info please see my later post on Self-Serve.
Dinner-Pure Luck:
If the hike made you hungry, and ice cream won't fill you up, luckily there's a restaurant directly across the street from Scoops called Pure Luck. Although the sign is hard to read, (it's an old Korean restaurant, and the new owners kept the old sign), it is a lovely restaurant inside. Don't let it's vegetarian menu scare you aware, they have some really great dishes (plus organic beer and wine.) They don't skip on spices, and the soup of the day will usually please anyone. They're signature ingrienent is spiced "pulled pork" jackfruit, which they make into a burritos, a BBQ sandwhich, and other creative dishes. They also serve fried plantains as a side, which never fails to make me happy.
Be careful which day you go, as they are closed Sundays. Check our their website to peruse the menu.
http://pureluckrestaurant.com/
707 N Heliotrope Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 660-5993
Hours: Mon-Sat, 11am to Midnight (Closed Sundays)
There are also some great South American restaurants in the area, which will be reviewed in this blog on a different Day.
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