Last Friday afternoon, Carolyn and I went to the grand reopening of the Griffith Observatory here in Los Angeles. It had been closed for five years while some $93 million was spent to make it a little larger and a little shinier. For the most part, it was a restoration as opposed to a remodelling, and some of the reviewers are saying that the place now looks pretty much the way it did when it first opened in 1935. I wasn't around then so I'll take their word for it.
The thing most visitors seem to be talking about is the procedure one needs to follow to visit the Observatory. You used to be able to just drive up there but the operators anticipated a huge crush of visitors when they reopened. So for an indeterminate time, you can't just motor up the hill. You have to go to one of two parking lots some distance away and take a shuttle…and you need to get an advance reservation for the shuttle. On the way up, they show you a little orientation video that mostly informs you where the restrooms are located.
This special section of the L.A. Times will tell you all about the renovation and the new features. If you're thinking of visiting, you might want to study a bit and decide what you want to see. I felt a bit disoriented there, unsure what to do in what order, surrounded by people who seemed to be in the same quandary. Some exhibits weren't yet open and the Wolfgang Puck cafe couldn't get their stove to work, which I guess is to be expected the first week. I assume things will get better but even if they don't, it's great to have an important L.A. landmark open again and looking good.