Top 10 Take Off on Outer Space Related Tourism Destinations in Los Angeles

I was reading "What If We Made Space Travel Practical?" by Curtis Hill and I began to think about the top ten destinations in the Los Angeles area that could take you on a NASA inspired journey in greater Los Angeles.  Now Curtis Hill's theme of his just released book is how one could go about drastically reducing the cost for a reuseable spacecraft (the Star Horse Project concept) with a focus on weight reduction, and it was coincidental that this week, there was an announcement on a privately funded flyby space flight to Mars, and now another SpaceX flight to the orbiting space station. So with thanks to Curtis Hill for inspiration to write this post, and to encourage one to visit his website, where one might find out when he might be doing a presentation and book signing, I present to you the ExperienceLA top ten ways to reach for the stars in Los Angeles.

Beyond the concrete jungle: Los Angeles Parks

We recently asked ExperienceLA fans to tell us where some of the best parks are in Los Angeles to help us populate our weekly poll. Within a short time span, we received a great list of suggestions. Unfortunately on our poll, we can only show 4 choices at a time. However, a list this great must be shared. So, without further ado and in no particular order, here's a list of best parks in LA as suggested by our fans:

Dalton Park, Azusa
Hansen Dam Park, San Fernando Valley
Marie Kerr Park, Lancaster
Griffith Park, Hollywood
MacArthur Park, Los Angeles
Echo Park, Los Angeles
Point Fermin, San Pedro
Runyon Canyon, Hollywood
Fryman Canyon, Hollywood
Debs Park, Northeast Los Angeles
Placerita Canyon, Santa Clarita
East Canyon, Santa Clarita
Rica Canyon, Santa Clarita
Vasquez Rocks, Agua Dulce
El Dorado Parks, Lancaster
Jesse Owens Park, Los Angeles
Unidad Park, Historic Filipinotown
Elyisian Park, Los Angeles

We know there are plenty more great parks. If you don't see your favorite park on this list, please tell us about it so we can add it to the list, and feel free to attach a photo too! See, we do have some natural beauties here in LA :)


-Julie

"Life in Technicolor"

In light of the Perseid meteor shower, my friends and I decided to orchestrate some late night stargazing. Only, we attempted this a day too late, and by the time we got to Point Dume out in Malibu, it was beyond cloudy. After driving around for some time reading each street sign in search for legit parking (like the nerdy ethical kids we are), we finally mustered up the courage to just risk it and park along the beach.

Plopped like sardines on a blanket, with the music emanating from my iFlop monkey speakers layered with the soothing crash of the tides close by, it no longer mattered whether or not we could see the stars that night.

All would've been perfect had the police not driven by... shining his bright lights our way and breaking us out of our dreamworld. After a futile attempt to lay flat, avoid eye contact, and hope to God he wouldn't notice the obviously human figures on the beach (no logic in that, I know), we headed off in search for yet another beach, and yet another adventure. Just your typical spontaneous late night LA experience...

For a better view of the stars, if not outside then maybe in the planetarium, check out the Griffith Observatory, another favorite place of mine.

-Sarah Koo, ExperienceLA Marketing Assistant