L.A. Downtown Architectural Tour Pt. 1

The architectural tours run by the Los Angeles Conservancy are only on Saturdays - the timing was perfect as we left Yosemite on a Friday.  I booked ahead to make sure we got on on the Art Deco tour.  We arrived early at Pershing Square, the meeting point for the tour.  There was time for a quick walk up Grand Avenue to photograph my favourite landmarks, the Disney Music Centre and the Broad, the Contemporary Art Museum.  During the tour, the guide also pointed out a few non Art Deco buildings of interest.  So this post is a mix of significant architecture that appeals to me in downtown L.A.

Being a Frank Gehry fan, the prime attraction for me was the revisit of the Disney Music Centre, for me, the most beautiful of the Gehry creations I have visited.  It has amazing acoustics too - I attended a concert by a pianist here last time I was here.  The angular design was used by Gehry to symbolize musical movement and the motion of Los Angeles."  Time for another concert - a full orchestra would highlight the acoustics even more!

Walt Disney Music Centre

 

Right beside the concert hall is the Broad, a contemporary art museum - another beauty. The museum is an important storage vault in addition to being a gallery as it supports the Broad Art Foundation's extensive lending activities.  I would like to make another trip to see the architecture from the inside, where the vault is placed in the centre of the building, visible on the main floor and also forms the floor of the third floor galleries. 

We happened to be on Grand Avenue at the same time as a film crew was doing a shoot with a Nissan roaring down the street.  There were no other cars on the road but staff were stationed at every crosswalk to prevent us from stepping onto the street without permission (at the risk of being run over!).  We found out later that this was the filming of an ad for Nissan.  What's L.A. without a film shoot...!?

Walking up S. Grand Ave towards the Music Centre, we came across the interesting mural outside the Madison Complex (also known as the AT&T Switching Station).  This map of the world was made of old switches, cables and other phone technology from Pacific Bell.  (Artist Anthony Heinsberger)

AT&T Building with its microwave tower

Museum of Contemporary Art with its cute graphic-like roof

Pershing Square, where our tour started

I remember vividly my last visit to this square on a weekday lunch hour - there were no office workers hanging out there.  The only visible life were the homeless.  This Saturday, there were tourists like us waiting for the start of the tour.  Otherwise, it's the world of the homeless.

 The Art Deco tour started with the CalEdison Building with its gorgeous interior, the floor and walls composed of 17 different types of marble.  The building was one of the first all-electricity heated and cooled building in the U.S.

 

 

Stunning elevator doors, reminded me of the ones in Chicago

Detail inside the elevator

Water fountain

Los Angeles also has one of the most handsome art deco libraries in the world.  I have visited the inside before but this time it was just a cursory tour of the outside. 

 

 Across the street from the library - the splendid Bunker Hill steps

 

 

The Oviatt Building, the first Art Deco building in L.A., was the next significant stop, starting with the metal gates to the lobby.

Metal gates to the lobby

 

A 12-ton illuminated glass cornice and glass arcade ceiling by architect Ferdinand Chanut and glassmaker Gaëtan Jeannin

 

 

Glass doors to the restaurant on the main floor

 

 

 

We were allowed a quick peek inside the splendid art deco restaurant through the glass doors.  As I'm writing this, I'm starting to think about the next trip here - dinner reservations at the Cicada Restaurant for sure!

These two elevator doors have glass panels designed by Lalique!

Fruit and leaves design on these panels

 

Yosemite in Winter Pt.2

The four days that we were in Yosemite, we were blessed with good weather.  It would have been nice to have some fresh snow but one can't have everything!  We already got two spectacular sunsets, it would be greedy to ask for more.

Day 3

This morning we went to the Swinging Bridge to catch the sunrise gold on Upper Yosemite Falls.  It was magical to watch the light change on the rocks and the reflection in the water.  Time-lapse photography would have been amazing.  

Upper Yosemite falls change its look every day with the changing ice built up on its sides.  

Morning sun on El Capitan from a different perspective

Magical light from the river bank

Many ravens hanging around the valley

Finally, Half Dome, best in the afternoon light from Sentinel Bridge

Our second Firefall, not as intense or spectacular than the first one

Day 4

This morning we waited for the sun to peep over the shoulder of Half Dome from Cook Meadow.  There were a lot of beautiful oak trees on the meadow trail.  
 

Magnificent oak in front of Half Dome

Sun rise over Half Dome's shoulder

Steller Jays were very active in the forest

Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls from the Valley Loop Trail

Closeup of lacy ice

Bridal Veil Falls live up to its name with the lacy ice

Valley view - saving the best till the last

Icicle-trimmed tunnel entrance

The final sunset - a stunning red reflected on the rocks.   This time we see Half Dome clearly in the distance.  Somehow I still prefer the one with the mist...

We said goodbye to Yosemite the following warm, sunny morning.  The week following, there was a rockfall on El Capitan and the viewing area for the Firefall had to be closed, followed by a heavy snowfall and cloudy skies.  Two weeks later, the park was closed with 15 feet of snow.  We truly counted our lucky stars!

Yosemite in winter

Yosemite has always been my favourite National Park.  It was the first ever National Park I visited when I first arrived in California decades ago and the first one I introduced to my children.  I have been back many times, but always in the spring or summer.  This is the first time I have ventured to the Park in the winter and was surprised at how accessible it was. Of course the week following our visit, 15 feet of snow fell in the area and the Park had to be closed.  Talking about luck!

While most of the park was accessible when we were there, we only did short hikes.  Clambering down to the river bank through the ice and snow was no easy task even with the assistance of crampons, walking stick and helping hands.  I'm glad I've visited before because a winter visit like this doesn't really give one a true picture of the park. We rose early to catch the light from the rising sun and stayed late to catch the glow from the setting sun - twice on Horsetail Falls (the renowned "Fire Fall") and twice at Tunnelview for the panoramic valley view.  

Come join me to experience Yosemite in winter.

Day 1  We drove up to the Park from Fresno, getting there mid-morning.

Our first view of El Capitan - standing on guard

The most photographed El Capitan - side profile

El Capitan and Three Brothers

Many of these weird looking trees, this one half burnt, in this area

The famous "Firefall" phenomenon, which usually happen over the course of about three weeks in February, requires the convergence of clear skies, the right amount of snowmelt and the right temperature. As sunset nears, the mist catches the sun rays and creates a fabulous optical phenomenon that lasts up to 10 minutes,  Crowds gather in the El Capitan picnic area a couple of hours before sunset to get the perfect spot to photograph this - photographers were lined up almost one on top of another (this doesn't really affect their view as the falls are very high up (7200 ft). Because of the crowd, cars are not allowed in the area and it's a1.5 mile hike in.

Just one small corner of the crowd

We lucked out on our first day in the park, perfect sky and temperature for a magnificent Firefall, which we almost missed.  The golden hour glow suddenly died down and we thought the Firefall wasn't going to happen and started packing like the people around us. One kid complained that his family was there for three years and couldn't see the Firefall.  Sadly, he left with his family. But all of a sudden the red glow came back much redder than the golden hour glow and we scrambled to get our shots!

Horsetail Fall in the golden hour just before the "Firefall"moment

"Firefall"!!

Day 2

We got up early for sunrise although we couldn't really see the actual sunrise because we were low in the valley surrounded by tall mountains.  We did catch the early morning mist on El Capitan and watched as it dissipated giving place to a beautiful reflection of the sunlit clouds on the Merced river.

Early morning mist that continued to move on the mountains across from El Capitan

Soft morning glow

Three Brothers in the morning light

We spent an afternoon on the Yosemite Valley loop trail although we didn't really walk very far as there were many curious remnants of trees strewn along the trail.  These make time-consuming photography subjects. 

Strange markings on some trunks

Upper Yosemite Falls

We drove up to Tunnelview Overlook to catch the sunset on the valley.  We were a little disappointed that the mist had covered up Half Dome and kept waiting for it to dissipate.  As it turned out, this golden mist was actually more beautiful than the red sunset glow we would see on Day 4, never mind that Half Dome is missing!