Los Angeles: The Observatory of Griffith

It's unlikely that Los Angeles will leave anyone indifferent. There are many things in this city: the sun, the ocean, smiles, rich villas, celebrities, shows and entertainment. It would seem, than it is possible to surprise the tempted tourist? The Griffith Observatory is an amazing place, which arose thanks to the love of one person for the world and the stars.

Griffith Jenkins Griffith

"Man is driven by dreams" - so you can say about Griffith Jenkins Griffith (1850-1919 gg.). A native of Wales, he came to Los Angeles at a young age and immediately fell in love with this city. It so happened that an enterprising young man managed to invest money in the development of silver mines, which made him incredibly rich.

At the age of 32 he bought a ranch, which occupied a significant part of the former Spanish settlement. This incredibly beautiful place is located on the eastern side of the Santa Monica Mountains and occupies 1,722 hectares.

One event forever changed the life of Griffith. Looking through the telescope at the stars, he fell in love with space and came to the conclusion that he should get closer to people. Los Angeles is a fairly green city, because there are about a hundred parks, including botanical gardens, but the millionaire decided that such a beautiful city needs a great park, and gave him much of his land for this, with the condition that it will be the Griffith Observatory. So he made a gift to Los Angeles and at the same time immortalized his name.

Griffith Park

This place can be safely called the landmark of America, since it is not only five times larger than Central Park in New York, but also offers many free or conditionally paid entertainment.

In the park:

1. The Griffith Observatory, which is located at its highest point.
2. City Zoo, which has become home to more than 1000 animals.
3. Museums and attractions.
4. Botanical garden with exotic plants.
5. From the oak grove made a place for horse walks.
6. Numerous paths among the park, designed for pedestrians.
7. Several golf courses.
8. The amphitheater in the Greek style, which with its acoustics attracts singers, musicians and theatrical companies from around the world.

It is said that the amusement park was so much liked by Walt Disney, who also visited the Griffith Observatory (Los Angeles), that he had the idea of creating Disneyland.

Although the transfer of land as a gift to the city occurred in 1896, before the observatory took 39 years.

Observatory

The construction of the complex, which includes the planetarium and the Griffith Observatory, began in 1933, and in 1935 it opened its doors to all comers, since by will the entry here remains free as long as it exists.

Griffith believed that the stars should be accessible to everyone who loves them, so the only payment that visitors make is by bus. The park is very large, and to get to the Griffith Observatory (Los Angeles), you can find out how to get there by pre-ordering bus tickets. As a rule, there are 2 places in the park, from where it leaves - it's Hollywood and the zoo. The travel costs $ 8, but the ticket must be booked in advance, as the popularity of this attraction is very great not only in America, but all over the world.

Since the Griffith Observatory is built for people, not for astronomers, everything can look through the telescope, provided that the weather allows it. If the street is overcast, then you should not get upset. With a three-hundred-meter height, the building offers a stunning view of the Los Angeles lights, which are as impressive as the stars.

About the interest in this place speak the figures: when the observatory only opened, for the first five days it was visited by more than 13 000 visitors. Today, statistics is no less, largely due to the fact that the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles (the reviews confirm this) offers numerous free exhibitions with the distribution of cognitive literature.

Show in the planetarium

The planetarium is no less famous than the observatory. Its huge dome contains a large "patch" of space, and those who saw the thirty-minute show "In the center of the universe", he can not forget the impression that it produces.

Sitting in comfortable armchairs, the visitors following the host can observe how the universe was born and what part of it our solar system occupies. Animated pictures tell about all the planets and stars of our galaxy, their location, atmosphere and features.

This show is paid, but the price of $ 7 for adults and $ 3 for children is considered symbolic. To date, the whole complex is recognized as a historical and cultural center, aimed at the development and education of Americans.

Exhibitions

Americans are very fond of shows, bright and interesting exhibitions, so any day of the week, except Monday, when it's a day off, there are a lot of people in the park. None of them pass by a free visit to the observatory of Griffith (Los Angeles). Exhibits of the permanent exhibition also attract attention.

Here are:

1. A huge Foucault pendulum, which demonstrates how the Earth rotates in its orbit.
2. Tesla's coil is perhaps the most striking exhibit of the observatory, since from time to time it releases strong violet lightning charges into the walls of the chamber where it is placed.
3. Mendeleyev's table is interestingly executed, in each cell of which its "representative" and the image of the chemical symbol are presented.
4. Microscopic pieces of the moon can be considered except in a microscope, but this does not stop anyone.
5. A copy of our solar system in accordance with the proportions of the planets in relation to each other.

Important: you can not miss such entertainment, as information about who how much would weigh on each of the planets.

These are permanent "inhabitants" of the observatory, but here they often hold thematic exhibitions, which local people like to visit.

Updated Observatory

In 2002, it was closed for restoration, and surprisingly, all the $ 93 million it required was collected through the distribution of specially issued bonds for this case. When the Griffith Observatory was opened in 2006, it appeared in its enlarged and updated form, while the interior familiar to all residents of the city was preserved.