Roads, Rails and Trails

Three Hikes in Griffith Park

It was 92 degrees the other morning when I when up to the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles to do some photography, so perhaps this isn't the best time of year to recommend hiking in the popular Hollywood Hills enclave. But I'm not promising you a rose garden.

What I am promising are great views, lung-filling climbs and easy access to the nation's largest urban wilderness park. The 4,219 acre city park is just 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, west of the I-5 freeway. Some 1,200 acres, more than a quarter of the park, burned during a May 2007 fire. Evidence of the fire can readily be seen, but most of the hiking trails have reopened except in the southeast quadrant around the former Bird Sanctuary.

Hike #1: Hooray for Mt. Hollywood

The classic hike -- the one every visitor wants to do first -- is up to Mt. Hollywood along the Charlie Turner Trail. It's an easy hike in full view of the famous Hollywood sign most of the way, and provides great views back toward the Observatory. On a clear day you'll have a view all the way from downtown L.A. across Hollywood and Century City out to Santa Monica. On a rare pristine day, you might even glimpse the Pacific Ocean.

Most visitors will start from the Observatory, but you'll be hard pressed to see this as a wilderness park if you go on a weekend. Avoid the parking congestion and gain some more exercise by starting at the parking area along Fern Dell Drive at the western side of the park. Climb through Western Canyon and the West Trail to cross the Observatory Road, where a further short but steep hike will connect you with the Charlie Turner Trail. From there, follow everyone else.

I like to add a little more mileage by detouring at the trail junction just below Mt. Hollywood to Dante's View. You can find some shade and seating there before continuing on up to the Mt. Hollywood viewpoint. The total climb is about one thousand feet and the round-trip distance about five miles.

Replenish your proteins and carbs at the Trails Cafe, just downhill from the Fern Dell parking area.

Hike #2: It's all happening at the Old Zoo

The current Los Angeles Zoo in the northeast corner of Griffith Park opened in 1966, but from 1912 until then, a much small zoo existed a few miles south near the current merry-go-round. Start this hike from the parking area here, on a trail visible at the southwest corner. Climb up and to the right to put yourself on the Old Zoo Trail. Some of the old cages can be seen from the trail. Bee Rock, at 1,056 feet, will soon come into view on your left.

The trail to Bee Rock was closed the last time I went through, so my route continued past to the junction with the signed Bill Eckert Trail. This trail winds up and past three water tanks (the tanks hold water for firefighting needs) to the paved Vista Del Valle Drive. The drive was also closed, so I stopped there and returned by the same route. You'll find some shade provided by the deep canyons, and you'll gain some views toward the east as you climb higher up. The song of air horns from distant trains plying the route through Glendale will greet you along the trail. This hike is about 4.5 miles round trip.

For a little variety on the return trip, take a left at the Bee Rock Trail, which will bring you to the north side of the parking area right by the merry-go-round. Reward yourself with an ice cream bar at the snack stand.

Hike #3: Downtown views without the crowds

Aside from the Hollywood sign, hike #1 offers great views of the Los Angeles downtown skyline, but even better views -- minus the Mt. Hollywood crowds -- can be seen from Beacon Hill and a nearby vista point. You'll start this hike from the same place as hike #2, but make a left turn on the trail to climb up Fern Canyon Trail. Continue  on Fern Canyon as it switchbacks up the hillside through a heavily burned area to 5 Points, a junction of five trails at 953 feet. Make a sharp right to continue on up to the Vista Point at 1,089 feet. Enjoy the views here, although there's no shade.

When you're ready to continue, follow the paved road a short distance down grade. Just where it makes a 180-degree turn, take the dirt trail on y0ur left, which will lead you directly back to 5 Points. Before heading back down Fern Canyon (second trail on the left), go straight across the trail junction and on up to Beacon Hill. It's just a few-minute hike up, and here, at 1,001 feet, you'll have excellent views toward Downtown, along the I-5 freeway and east to Glendale.

Return to 5 Points, make a right, and follow Fern Canyon Trail back down to the parking area. You'll have put about 5.5 miles on your hiking boots.

Be sure to bring plenty of water to avoid dehydration, and watch out for rattlesnakes. Don't forget the sunscreen, as you'll be on exposed ridges and trails, and even though this is an urban park, it's also habitat for coyotes, bobcat and mountain lions. Exercise caution, be aware of your surroundings and enjoy a safe hike.

DOB: 05/07/2008

This newborn goat was little more than an hour old when I photographed it with its mother yesterday at the Los Angeles Zoo. It is a Tarjik Markhor, a critically endangered species native to Central Asia.

Eating in the years

Bing Crosby's soothing, melodic voice sings through the overhead speakers. There's a plate of kielbasa in front of me, and I can't help thinking of my Uncle Peter. I know why: he was a Crosby fan (we'd always have to watch "White Christmas" when he visited for the holidays), and as my father's older brother, the name Zukowski should tell you that he was Polish.

I'm eating lunch at Polka, a wonderfully small, throwback restaurant in Eagle Rock, Calif. owned by an immigrant family from Poland. I'd despaired of finding Polish food ever since moving to Southern California almost 20 years ago, and didn't know of this eatery until seeing it featured on one of Huell Howser's recent shows. Howser is a California content-generation factory, producing and hosting local-interest programming for about 20 years for public television. Viewers outside California probably don't know him at all; viewers here all know him, even if some aren't fans of his folksy style.

Back to the kielbasa. The restaurant sits in an unattractive strip mall next to a dry cleaner, and its door and windows are completely dressed in décor and signage. If you are only attracted to bright, clean, carbon-copy, chain restaurants, don't go.

The interior of Polka is a trip in itself. It looks like it was decorated by a platoon of grandmothers. It's all pink, and there isn't a square inch unadorned by some trinket, knick-knack or bauble. Somehow, though, it all works, and the star attraction anyway is the food.

Back to the kielbasa. This was my first, but certainly not my last, trip to Polka, and I had to start the Polish-cuisine sampling with the obvious. If the chef can't do kielbasa, they can't do Polish food. They can do Polish food.

In our family, my mother was the chef. She was Irish, but she learned well how to cook my dad's favorite foods. I grew up on pierogi, golabki and kielbasa. She used to boil the Polish sausage; Polka broils it. I prefer it grilled, the way my Uncle Kurt, who was German, made it. Charcoal smoke can't be beat.

My dad died in 1995. His younger sister, my Aunt Kathryn, died earlier this year just short of her 92nd birthday. Uncle Peter died in 1977, shortly after retiring from his job with the New York subway system. My cousin Dot - Kathryn's oldest - told me at her funeral that she remembers Peter as being scary. That wasn't my memory, but I understand that. Peter didn't speak much and was probably an enigma to a young girl.

Actually, I take that back. Peter could be talkative, whenever it came time for him to leave. A bachelor most of his life (he married in his mid-50s), he probably appreciated visiting our family most just when he had to depart. But because he wasn't much of a storyteller, I never learned much about his early life. I know that he served in Patton's 3rd Army and was in the Battle of the Bulge. He had a nice, clean apartment just two subway stops away from us, across the street from the railroad yard where he worked. He was a loyal Chevy man, and he let me drive his 1968 Impala shortly after I got my license. That would be last car he'd own.

Back to the kielbasa. By the time I've gotten through the automatic appetizers of cabbage soup and a salad with a distinctively delicious homemade dressing, and half of the lunch - two large segments of the sausage, carrots, green beans, corn, brown rice and mashed potatoes - I'm already stuffed. I'll finish the rest at home, where I can continue to linger in the memory of warm family meals, Bing Crosby music, and Uncle Peter. And where's it's not so pink.

Gardens of Los Angeles

For a city that so highly values asphalt and automobiles, Los Angeles has some of the most beautiful and accessible public gardens to be found anywhere in the United States.

Within 30 minutes of downtown L.A. are The Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino, Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge and the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia. Travel a bit further -- maybe an hour, depending on freeway traffic -- and you'll find the Fullerton Arboretum, the South Coast Botanic Garden and numerous parks.

The gardens are popular among families, photographers, birders, horticulturists, gardeners, and nature lovers. They provide an easy-to-reach respite from the frantic pace of L.A. life. I've been photographing these gardens over the past year since moving to the booming downtown of Los Angeles.

The Huntington Garden is spectacular in its formality and scope, and the Chinese Garden, opened in February 2008, is a great addition. The Huntington also features art galleries, a library with changing exhibits, and miles of paths through desert, jungle, subtropical and other habitats.

Descanso Gardens, in contrast, is quieter, less formal and more peaceful. Much of the acreage is natural, with comfortable hiking trails, interesting flora and frequent birdsong. Sit by the pond across from the Center Circle, enjoy sushi at the tea house, or observe nature from the Redwood Rest.

At the Los Angeles County Arboretum, you'll be accompanied by flashy peacocks as you enjoy lunch at the cafe. From there, you can stroll across to the Africa and Australia gardens, cool off by the Bauer Fountain, or take a picture by the Meyberg Waterfall. The Arboretum also offers a rose garden and a cooling walk through the densely-forested Americas section.

If you're visiting Los Angeles, be sure to see at least one of these enjoyable gardens, and if you live here and haven't seen them, get in your car now -- springtime is the perfect time for a day in the garden.

Happy Birthday, L.A.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa celebrates L.A.'s 226th birthday.

Two-hundred twenty-six years ago this month, 44 residents of the San Gabriel Mission were sent to a spot by the Los Angeles River to found a new community. Today, that spot is the birthplace of the second largest city in the United States, an event celebrated today at El Pueblo, where those first families took up residence.

The 11 families comprised those of Spanish, Native American, Mestizo and African descent. Today, their descendants are known as Los Pobladores, and they established a community that would become the most diverse city in the United States, if not the world. A city of many cultures, many histories, and many futures.

In New York City, where I grew up, we liked to talk about the melting pot. But all too often, the ingredients didn't blend; they stayed in their separate neighborhoods. In Los Angeles, diversity is not a word; it is  something in the air. Something so much a part of the city that it isn't even noticed anymore except in speeches.  Multiculturalism here is now part of the muscle memory, a way of life so ingrained as to be automatic. And therefore successful.

To start off my day, I enjoyed a breakfast of huevos rancheros at a restaurant on Olvera Street, where I met two gentlemen who had walked the nine miles from the San Gabriel Mission to El Pueblo. They were part of a birthday walk that included city leaders, members of Los Pobladores and members of the Gabrielino/Tongva Tribe.

The mayor and others then made speeches, blew out candles on a birthday cake and basked in the photo ops. I went to get a slice of the birthday cake.