# Griffith Park Observatory



## magicant (Apr 22, 2006)

:thumbsup: Re-opening on November 3rd!! Finally. 

I'd forgotten about the grade in some areas on the way up there -- nice workout. Rode up there this morning and the whole place was still fenced off, much to the chagrin of many of the tourists who were lined up taking photos of the Hollywood sign.

One guy was totally going off on the fact that it was closed. I told him it had been closed for more than 4 years and he didn't believe me. He thought they closed it without telling anyone.



GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY REOPENS NOVEMBER 3, 2006 --BY RESERVATION ONLY-- AFTER FOUR-YEAR RENOVATION AND EXPANSION PROJECT
Successful public-private partnership spearheads highly anticipated improvements to beloved and revered Los Angeles icon
LOS ANGELES: (October 3, 2006) Griffith Observatory officially reopens its doors to the public Friday, November 3, 2006, after completing a comprehensive and ambitious $93 million renovation and expansion project, it was announced today by Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Mayor of the City of Los Angeles. The Observatory has been closed since January 6, 2002, to carry out the project that has been enabled by a singularly successful public-private partnership between the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks, which owns and operates the facility, and Friends Of The Observatory (FOTO), the Observatory's non-profit support organization.

The reopening of the Los Angeles cultural landmark, located on Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, will generate an unprecedented public demand for access. To address this, City and Observatory officials also outlined details of the temporary "By Reservation Only" visitor access program, which will ensure a high quality visitor experience through a timed-entry reservation and shuttle system.

"It is with great pride that we announce the November 3rd reopening date for Griffith Observatory, which has been an icon in Los Angeles for over 70 years," says Mayor Villaraigosa. "At this world-class Observatory, Angelenos, young and old, can learn about the stars and planets, and begin to comprehend the limitless nature of the universe--truly symbolic of the limitless possibilities of this great City."

Adds 4th District Councilmember Tom LaBonge: "Griffith Observatory is one of the best public spaces in the world if not the universe. What's so special about this renovation and expansion is the extraordinary public private partnership formed from supporters in Washington D.C., Sacramento, County of Los Angeles and the great City of Los Angeles and from local foundations and individuals. This is a very proud moment for Angelenos as we unveil one of our city's best loved landmarks as well as mark one of the greatest renewals of a civic building in the city's, if not the country's, history."

Griffith Observatory is a national leader in public astronomy, a beloved civic gathering place, and one of southern California's most popular attractions. After nearly 67 years of public use by roughly 70 million visitors, this is its first major capital improvement since opening in 1935. Over the last four years, the project has added 40,000 square feet and includes a large, multi-level exhibit gallery (Richard and Lois Gunther Depths of Space), a 200-seat presentation theater (Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon) and a new exhibit program featuring more than 60 new exhibits, plus a classroom, café, bookstore, and new entrances, elevators and ramps to improve access to/in the building.

To enhance the Observatory's ability to pursue its public astronomy mission, the project has developed a state-of the-art, immersive planetarium environment. The 300-seat Samuel Oschin Planetarium will feature a new "seamless" dome, new star projector, new digital laser projectors, and upgraded sound system and lighting.

"We live in an expanding universe, and Griffith Observatory has come up-to-date in the twenty-first century with new components that allow people to feel a little bit more at home in the universe than they did back in 1935," says Dr. E. C. Krupp, Director, Griffith Observatory.

"One of the fundamental principles of our effort was improving the quality of the experience for the visitors so it's more satisfying and complete," Krupp explains. "That meant improving the building, restoring it to its 1935 grandeur, expanding its technological horizons, and more than doubling the amount of public space so that people could spread out more. We wanted visitors to have features that would allow them to explore astronomy and to relax a few moments on this splendid piece of Los Angeles real estate, the junction of earth and sky."

Visitor Access Program
In response to the overwhelming number of projected visitors to the Observatory, a temporary visitor access program has been implemented, featuring a timed-entry and shuttle reservation system that will prevent long waits and overcrowding. In addition, 48 hours in advance, a limited number of timed-entry reservations will become available for hikers and cyclists who want to visit the Observatory.

"We know the reopening of Griffith Observatory will be of huge interest to the public, and so we've taken temporary steps to accommodate the demand in a way that will ensure a tremendous visitor experience yet still maintain normal traffic flows in and out of surrounding neighborhoods," says Jon Kirk Mukri, General Manager, Los Angeles Department of Recreations and Parks. "This effort includes a significant advertising campaign that is already underway throughout the Southland to inform potential visitors that now they must plan their visit in advance because entrance to the Observatory will be 'By Reservation Only.'"

During the months after reopening, there will be absolutely no drive-up access to the Observatory permitted. Everyone must have a timed-entry reservation to be admitted to the Observatory.

Reservations guarantee entry to Griffith Observatory and seats on a shuttle to and from the Observatory. Two points of departure with adequate parking have been established: the parking lot at the Hollywood & Highland entertainment complex in Hollywood and the current Griffith Observatory Satellite, adjacent to the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, in Griffith Park. At Hollywood & Highland, visitors will find their shuttle bus at Orange Court, the tour bus departure on Orange Dr. near Hollywood Blvd.

Reservations may be made through one of the following convenient options:

1) via the Observatory Web site at www.GriffithObservatory.org;
2) by calling the toll-free call center at 1-888-695-0888 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT.

As a third option, reservations also may be made in-person at a reservation center at the Griffith Observatory Satellite (4800 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027) which will be opening no later than October 30, 2006.


The charges for timed-entry and shuttle reservations are:

General reservations: $8.00 each
Children 5-12 years: $4.00 each
Children 4 years and under: Free
Seniors 60 years and over: $4.00 each

Timed-entry reservations only:
Hikers and cyclists: Free 48 hours in advance

Griffith Observatory?s hours of operation are from noon to 10 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays. The Observatory is closed Mondays.

"It's easy to distinguish Griffith Observatory from other facilities dedicated to public astronomy because, first of all, it occupies the best piece of public observatory real estate in the world," concludes Dr. Krupp. "It's not at any kind of ordinary location, rather it's at an extraordinary location. Of course, it also requires a pilgrimage. People have to make an effort to get there. While the process for this pilgrimage may be a little more complex with the reopening, we are certain it will be worth it."

GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY
Opened in 1935, Griffith Observatory is one of the best-known and most visited public observatories in the world. Operated by the City of Los Angeles's Department of Recreation and Parks, the Observatory welcomed nearly 70 million visitors into the building prior to closing for renovation in January 2002. Construction on the renovation and expansion project began in October 2002. Pfeiffer Partners, Inc., in association with Levin & Associates Architects, are the architects for the project, working together with the Department of Recreation and Parks, the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, and Friends Of The Observatory. Amoroso is the renovation construction contractor. Exhibits were designed by C&G Partners LLC and fabricated and installed by Maltbie, Inc. Griffith Observatory is located in the southern part of Griffith Park, just below the summit of Mt. Hollywood. For more information regarding Griffith Observatory, visit the Observatory's website at www.GriffithObservatory.org.



CONTACT:
Barry Smith / Lindsley Lowell / Erin Scharf
Shepley Winings Diamond Public Relations
(818) 760-7131
[email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]


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## KaizFJ (Jul 11, 2006)

Cool. I remember my dad taking me there when I was a little kid. Fun place, I hadn't even thought of riding up there.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

What are the road conditions like? I rode up there a year or two ago and there was all kinds of debris and sand all over the road.


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## omniviper (Sep 18, 2004)

getting there by bike from the south sucks... I study in USC and riding in vermont in the morning is well... a death wish. But once you get there, climbs are great. Grounds tend to be wet though


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## magicant (Apr 22, 2006)

il sogno said:


> What are the road conditions like? I rode up there a year or two ago and there was all kinds of debris and sand all over the road.


Most of it was pretty good - a little messy right across from the Greek Theater, but not terrible and only for a short bit. They were still working on the road leading up to the Observatory from the south (near the top), so you have to take the tunnel and go the last 1/2 mile from the north.

The road going over the hill back to Burbank/Forest Lawn is still awful. Better (some has been repaved), but still some nasty patches.


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## roadfix (Jun 20, 2006)

Riders from Bikeforums.net meet every Wed nights and ride up to the observatory. We were up there on Wed, 11/1. We meet at Pickwick Bowl on Riverside at 7:30 pm. Check bikeforums.net's SoCal sub-forum for more ride details. Easy ride, all levels.....must have lights.
Also check the Bikeboom calendar. They have an organized ride up to the observatory on night of 11/16. Ride with the group, free admission.


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## checksix (Jul 28, 2006)

http://www.latimes.com/news/printed...6502271.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california

Cyclists find observatory far from stellar
The reopened Griffith Park landmark is less than accommodating for those who bike up, some say.
By Bob Pool
Times Staff Writer

November 8, 2006

They traveled 8 miles and climbed 842 feet peddling their plan to reach for the stars.

But a pair of Hollywood newlyweds who helped convince City Hall to overturn a ban on bicycles at the remodeled Griffith Observatory contend cyclists still have light-years to go to reach their destination.

Los Angeles officials have agreed to allow bicyclists to skip a mandatory shuttle bus ride designed to prevent traffic tie-ups at the hillside landmark, which reopened Friday after a five-year, $93-million makeover.

Cyclists, however, grumble that authorities have not provided a safe place for bikes to be parked and cannot seem to figure out a way for them to make advance reservations needed to get inside.

"It's absolute insanity," said Stephen Box, who with wife Enci led a 1 1/2 -year campaign to allow bicycles to be ridden to the observatory. "We can ride up there now, but there's no proper place to park your bike. And there's no way to plan a visit more than two days in advance."

Those spending $8 to ride shuttle buses to the observatory can make reservations 30 days in advance. But bicyclists are allowed to make reservations only within 48 hours.

City recreation and parks officials had planned to prohibit hikers and bicycle riders from entering the observatory grounds and require everyone to ride shuttle buses. The ban was dropped Oct. 5 when a city lawyer warned that a blanket shuttle bus requirement would possibly violate provisions of the Griffith Trust that call for the park to be open without charge.

Box, a music video producer, said he and his actress wife bicycled to the observatory's opening last week but could not find a place to park and lock their bikes. Nonetheless, the pair attempted to organize a bicycle ride up the mountainside for tonight for other cycling fans.

When they tried to secure entrance reservations for the group, however, they learned that only a small number of reservations could be made through the observatory's website. And because of the 48-hour reservation window, they were unable to proceed with the planned bike ride.

"It's discriminatory," Box said. "This is obscenely and unnecessarily cumbersome."

A new bike rack apparently installed over the weekend behind the observatory's parking lot restroom building can damage bicycles' alloy wheel rims and leave bikes susceptible to theft, Box said. 

It "falls far short of appropriate installation standards and appropriate design standards" used by the city, Box complained Tuesday to the office of L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents the Hollywood area.

Jane Galbraith, a spokeswoman for LaBonge, said the entry reservation system was a compromise aimed at allowing bicyclists and hikers to bypass the $8 shuttle fee. She said 1,500 of the 7,500 entrance tickets available daily are allocated to those not using the shuttle.

Bike racks were not part of the original observatory renovation master plan.

Neither, in fact, were the parking lot restrooms until LaBonge urged that they be built, she said.

Parks officials were unavailable for comment Tuesday.

So for now, Box said, he and other bicyclists are calling that agency the "Department of Recreation and Parking."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[email protected]


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

checksix said:


> http://www.latimes.com/news/printed...6502271.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california
> 
> Cyclists find observatory far from stellar
> The reopened Griffith Park landmark is less than accommodating for those who bike up, some say.
> ...


LOL I saw this in this morning's paper. It's like they never thought anyone would be able to make the climb - walking or riding - up to the observatory. And the plans for the refurbishment didn't include bike racks. Geez!


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## magicant (Apr 22, 2006)

il sogno said:


> LOL I saw this in this morning's paper. It's like they never thought anyone would be able to make the climb - walking or riding - up to the observatory. And the plans for the refurbishment didn't include bike racks. Geez!


 Pretty amazing - cyclists have always ridden up there. Not sure how that was a mystery?


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

the ride up to the observatory is great. Ferndell is a bit less steep and has better roads, but riding Los Feliz to Ferndell isn't that great (traffic). Vermont is shorter but steeper /w more traffic. The mid-upper portion of Vermont just got repaved, by the way, so it's good pavement.

Once you get to the tunnel you can go up to the observatory. or keep going up through the gate to the pass. If you continue up to the pass quality goes downhill, but I ride it at least three times a week on my road bike or cross bike and it's always fine as long as you aren't a pavement snob. You can connect from the pass down into Griffith Park and make a respectable ride /w respectable climbing.

I seriously can't believe they don't have racks up there for cyclists. That's just wrong. What an idiotic city council. I've also noticed that they control the roads much more up there now. there used to be people enjoying the sunsets (making out?) up there all the time, but now apparently people aren't allowed to enjoy the free view from the road because of the observatory.

I think the observatory is cool, but it's also 70% hype. I'm glad the turnout has been underwhelming - hopefully the city council will stop freaking out with the shuttles, rsvp's and road closures and let life get back to something approaching the "normal" that was 3 years ago.


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## N2GLOCK (Jun 25, 2004)

Riding up to the Observatory for recreation or training is great, I do it all the time. But riding up there to visit is a whole other ball game. I'm sorry but I just break out into to much of a sweat riding up that hill. I can't imagine riding up there, sweating like a beast, parking and then locking up my bike and doing a tour of the Observatory and catching a show and lunch up there. Carrying my helmet and walking around in my SIDI shoes, padded shorts, and having to figure out what to do with my Polar chest strap doesn't sound like fun at all. If I want to visit that bad I'll just do the tourist thing and take the shuttle, or if I can manage to wait I'll go next year when they finally allow cars.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

you could just ride up ferndell relly slowly so as not to break a sweat. bring a backpack with real shoes, and wear normal clothes. Why do you need a HRM to visit the Observatory?


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## N2GLOCK (Jun 25, 2004)

I always use my HRM because I am a freak about knowing where my HR is at all times while riding. I guess I don't really need it to "visit" the Observatory, but then again, I really don't like the idea of riding with my backpack consisting of camera,walking shoes and socks, a change of clothes and a bike lock.Nor do I like the idea of then carrying that same backpack which will then cosist of helmet, shades, riding clothes, SIDI shoes and you guessed it.....My Polar chest strap. The shuttle service is sounding better every day.:thumbsup:


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## roadfix (Jun 20, 2006)

I like the old Griffith Observatory better...

BTW, our little night group is heading up to the observatory this Wed night again. Beer with dinner always follows.


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## N2GLOCK (Jun 25, 2004)

Hey roadfix that nite time Observatory sounds like it might be fun but also kinda scary at the same time. I may just have to join you for that. I live about 3 miles from Pickwick bowl and I get off of work at 5 so meeting there at 7:30 is not a problem for me. Which route do you take? Up Travel Town Hill and then left on Trash Truck Hill? or do you ride thru the park and up Los Feliz? Also, which way is the return? God, thinking about riding up there at night is giving me the chills as I type.....must be SPOOKY even with lights:crazy:


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## roadfix (Jun 20, 2006)

N2GLOCK.........This thread has current info as far as this week's night ride. I am Fixer over at that forum. Hope you can join us. Routes can vary.


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## N2GLOCK (Jun 25, 2004)

Hey fix, i'll probably see you tomorrow night. I'll be the one on the white/carbon Specialized and I'll be wearing my MTB gear. It should be interesting to see if I can hang


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## N2GLOCK (Jun 25, 2004)

Hey roadfix...thanx so much for the invite, the nite ride up to the Observatory was a real blast! Although it was REALLY dark it wasn't as spooky as I thought it would be. Nothing like a good ride with good company!!!! Hope we can do it again soon. Later.


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