A STAR PORTAL IS REBORN REBUILT GRIFFITH ALMOST READY FOR NEXT GENERATION TO EXPLORE.Byline: DANA BARTHOLOMEW Staff Writer GRIFFITH PARK Griffith Park is a large public park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is situated in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers 4,210 acres (17 km²) of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America. -- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. hopped off a Galactic Express shuttle Tuesday to gape at an all-new Griffith Observatory Griffith Observatory is located in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the . ``Here it is,'' declared the mayor, echoing the famous words of L.A. water chieftain William Mulholland William Mulholland (September 11 1855 – July 22 1935) was a water-services engineer in Southern California, United States. He was born in Belfast, Ireland (now Northern Ireland) and emigrated to New York City in the 1870s with his brother Hugh Mulholland and traveled nearly a century ago. ``Gorgeous, isn't it? Beautiful.'' City officials announced the Nov. 3 grand reopening of the Griffith Observatory after a five-year, $93 million renovation and expansion. They also unveiled a temporary ``by reservation only'' timed-entry and shuttle system ahead of an expected visitor crush. The 71-year-old Beaux-Arts architectural icon has been painstakingly preserved, its art deco art deco (ärt dĕkō`; är dākō`, ärt) or art moderne (är môdĕrn`, ärt) luster burnished bur·nish tr.v. bur·nished, bur·nish·ing, bur·nish·es 1. To make smooth or glossy by or as if by rubbing; polish. 2. To rub with a tool that serves especially to smooth or polish. n. after 70 million visitors. With double its former exhibit space, the Mount Hollywood landmark features a new planetarium planetarium, optical device used to project a representation of the heavens onto a domed ceiling; the term also designates the building that houses such a device. A modern planetarium consists of as many as 150 motor-driven projectors mounted on an axis. , theater, cafe, classroom, bookstore and more than 60 stellar exhibits. New entrances and elevators were added for the disabled. ``This is the palace for all of Los Angeles,'' said City Councilman Tom LaBonge before a whirlwind media tour. ``This is the hood ornament for all of Los Angeles.'' With only 199 parking spaces, the observatory will allow no drive-in access in the first few months after reopening. Instead, visitors must make reservations via the Internet or a toll-free call center, or in person at the Griffith Observatory Satellite near the Los Angeles Zoo The Los Angeles Zoo founded in 1966, is a large zoo located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The Zoo, located in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, is home to 1,200 animals from around the world. . Hours will be from noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Galactic Express buses will then shuttle visitors from either the Hollywood & Highland Center or the Griffith Observatory Satellite near the zoo. General admission is $8. The price is $4 for children 5-12 and adults age 60 and older. Children under 5 ride free. With an expected 6,000 visitors to ride the shuttles in November, the city will issue 1,200 free tickets. Hikers and cyclists can visit the observatory for free with a 48-hour advance reservation. On Tuesday, officials ogled the gleaming, immaculate reconception of Col. Griffith J. Griffith's gift to Los Angeles. ``I remember coming here as a young boy and being awestruck awe·struck also awe·strick·en adj. Full of awe. awestruck Adjective overcome or filled with awe Adj. 1. by the limitless universe that we're a part of,'' Villaraigosa told reporters. ``When people come here, they come here with this dream that is the American dream, but they come here because this is a city in which you can make it,'' he said. ``This is a city where we have an observatory where you can have the opportunity to get a glimpse of the universe -- without limits.'' dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3730 IF YOU GO For Griffith Observatory reservations, see www.GriffithObservatory.org, call (888) 695-0888 or go to the Griffith Observatory Satellite, 4800 Western Heritage Way at the Los Angeles Zoo. Shuttles will leave from the satellite or from the Hollywood & Highland Center at North Orange Drive and Orange Court north of Hollywood Boulevard. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1) Journalists and city officials tour the lower level Tuesday at a preview of the renovated Griffith Observatory, to open Nov. 3. (2) Media representatives and city officials stand in the W.M. Keck Foundation Central Rotunda rotunda In Classical and Neoclassical architecture, a building or room that is circular in plan and covered with a dome. The Pantheon is a Classical Roman rotunda. The Villa Rotonda at Vicenza, designed by Andrea Palladio, is an Italian Renaissance example. during a tour of the renovated Griffith Observatory. After five years and $93 million of work, the L.A. landmark is almost ready to be reopened. Andy Holzman/Staff Photogapher Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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