LA: Tar Pits & Hollywood

Wednesday we got a late start to the morning.  At least I got to see Gwendy head off before work in her casual lawyer attire – a stark contrast from her achromatic New York career wear I’d seen her in a year ago.  “It’s California,” she said.  Typical Californian response.

La Brea Tar Pits

We headed to La Brea Tar Pits, which has gathered animals and plants unfortunate enough to get too close for tens of thousands of years.  Mammoths, mastadons, saber-tooth cats and the like.   State of Kansas explanation:  God placed animal and plant fossils inside pits of asphalt to test the faith of people who dug around in the pits and attended the museum.

This is a lake which filled an old, excavated tar pit.  This exhibit demonstrates what it was like before the days of sleaze in Hollywood.

BUBBLES!!!! -- of natural gas.

The horse's ancestor 

Om nom nom nom 

Tar pit site 

Sculpture Garden

For lunch, we didn’t get anything from the long line of food trucks outside the museum, but instead went with In-N-Out in Hollywood.  Sadly, no pictures of that.  But we do have a few cool pictures of Hollywood.

San Francisco: Twin Peaks & Lombard Street

Home to the hippies, a house with too many father figures, and sorta close to Ayk's friend Mo.

When Ayk told his parents and I told my mom about the road trip, they were mostly concerned about traveling through the snowy, mountainous areas.  My dad, on the other hand, was mostly surprised and disappointed that we were going to San Francisco.  “San Francisco?” he grimaced.  “The weather’s going to be awful there.”


Of all the wintry places we were visiting, like the Midwest, the Great Plains and the Rockies that get pummeled with snow, he was the most concerned about the rainy weather that San Francisco has year round.  Thanks for the heads up, dad.  Best bring my raincoat (I actually didn’t bring one, so I hang my head in shame for mocking my dad rather than taking his advice).


Though this was Ayk's first time visiting San Francisco, I went for Spring Break my freshman year with some Zetas.  The weather isn't the best, but it's a really great (but expensive) city that I knew Ayk would like.


Thankfully Mo, Ayk's friend from University of Maryland who lives in Sacramento, took us to see some sites new to both of us.  With so much to see, I divided our day on Saturday in San Francisco into four posts.

Twin Peaks

An overlook for a great view of the city, but of course it was rainy that day, so we could only see as far as the Castro and their giant rainbow flag (not pictured).

Ayk and Mo 

We were up to our elbows in "Uranus" ... jokes.

Lombard Street
The windiest road in the US, making it an ideal set for car commercials and a free roller coaster ride for tourists.

People actually live on this street. 

 I'm sure backing out of your garage only adds to the morning stress.

The endless stream of tourists are just the cherry on top. 

Good thing it doesn't snow here.