Pages Tagged “Los Angeles”
Blog Posts
- Plane Hopping and Foxtrot
When wild jackrabbits roamed the fields of LAX. (Los Angeles Times)* From time to time passengers in giant air liners are amused when giant jacks race the plane on take-off. Until now, none of the rabbits has left the ground. I’m reminded of all the rabbits we used to see near UCI in the 90s, […]
- Far Snows
We actually got quite a bit of rain (for Southern California, anyway) in December, and the mountains have stayed cold enough that the snow has stuck around for a few weeks! Here’s a view of the San Gabriels in mid-December, after a big storm. And here’s a comparable view a week into January. Nowhere near […]
- Clouds Flowing Over the Snowy San Gabriels (Dec 2019)
Clouds flow over the snow-covered San Gabriel Mountains above Los Angeles this morning. We’ve had a decent amount of rain this December, and snow in the mountains, leading to hopes for a wet winter and enough water to store for next summer. Oh, and skiing for those who are into that sort of thing 😁
- LAX “Snow,” Evening Edition
Snow has arrived at LAX for the season. Well, the only kind of snow it gets, anyway.
- Tenacious Tree
I finally stopped to take a photo of this tenacious palm tree. I’m not sure whether it was planted or if it just took root next to the support pillar back when the Green Line was new two decades ago. It’s clearly not actively maintained, judging by all the old dry fronds still attached, and […]
- Ring! Ring! Who’s There? *handcuffs*
Police from five cities — and an LA Sheriff’s helicopter — descended on a neighborhood because someone panicked over Ring footage of a food delivery sent to the wrong address.
- Snow Above Los Angeles (Feb 2019)
The winter storm of the past few days is over, leaving a thick coat of snow on the higher parts of the San Gabriel Mountains and a thin dusting on the lower parts, even the mountains behind the Hollywood Hills, still lingering though mid-morning. By mid-afternoon, most of the snow in the second photo appeared […]
- Earthquake Warning System: Now in Los Angeles!
Because seismic waves are slower than internet signals, it’s possible to send an alert after an earthquake starts, but before the shaking reaches you. A few seconds’ warning is enough to pull over to the side of the road, climb down from a ladder, step away from a high shelf or window, put down a […]
- This is the most snow LAX ever sees!
Seriously, it hasn’t snowed in the Los Angeles basin since 1962. We get snow in the mountains most years. And the San Fernando Valley apparently got a snowstorm in 1989. But the coast? Basically never.
- Catching up on photos
Somehow this year has just gotten away from me as far as posting general photos. Oh, I made sure to post albums from events like comic conventions and hiking trips. But the random one-offs and two-fers? I’ve been tossing them up on Instagram, Pixelfed, and/or Mastodon, but I haven’t been maintaining my Flickr gallery. Part […]
- Afternoon to Golden Hour: What a Difference 90 Minutes Makes
The air has finally cleared up enough to see Downtown Los Angeles and the mountains. After several weeks of smoggy days, wildfire smoke, and occasional gloom, it’s nice to be able to see something other than a gray blur in the distance! Also interesting: seeing how much the view changes from late afternoon to really […]
- Late Start
From yesterday: the first significant snow in the mountains above Los Angeles this winter, courtesy of last week’s storm. Unfortunately, it’s almost spring. The weather has already warmed up again. Last week I was wearing sweaters and a medium jacket. Today I’m back to short sleeves, and I had to put the jacket away on […]
- Gondor Calls For Aid!
Actually it’s just the last light of the setting sun reflecting off of a structure (the observatory?) atop Mt. Wilson. Also, you can see the sign on the Wilshire Grand tower is seriously bright, even from this far away.
- Smoke rises from Mt. Wilson
Smoke rises from Mt. Wilson above Los Angeles on Tuesday around noon. The wildfire has threatened the observatory and critical communications towers. Today it’s too hazy to see anything but the barest suggestion of the downtown skyline, much less the mountains behind it. Not that it looked quite this clear even on Tuesday – I […]
- Color Scheme: Brutalist Blue
Adding a splash of color to Brutalist design, in the final stages of converting an office building near LAX to a hotel. Believe it or not, the bolted-on cross pieces are new. I can’t imagine they’re aesthetic, which makes me wonder if it’s some sort of earthquake retrofitting and they’re making the best of it. […]
- Fireworks All Over LA
We went out to a hill to view last night’s Independence Day fireworks after an afternoon at a family barbecue. Some years we go down to the beach for a closer view. This year the process of getting there, finding a parking space (usually very far away), walking all the way down (and all the […]
- Remembering Marineland (Or Not)
I don’t remember much about Marineland of the Pacific. It was an ocean park/aquarium like Sea World that operated near Los Angeles for several decades, closing in 1987. I know I visited at least once, with my grandparents, but all I remember is: The view from what I assume was Palos Verdes Drive, as the […]
- LAX(mas) Snow
Even in sunny Los Angeles, snowflakes symbolize Christmas and winter. It snows here, what, once every 100 years? (And we’re likely to wait even longer in the future.)
- Stumbling Through LA Comic Con 2016
We’re ready to swear off going to cons at the LA Convention Center. We tried to spend Saturday at Stan Lee’s LA Comic Con (formerly Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo, formerly Comikaze Expo), but…well… (TL;DR: Skip to the photos) Getting There is Half the Fun^H^H^HDay It took us as long to drive the two blocks past […]
- Walk for Food Allergy: Studio Edition
Today I joined hundreds of people at the CBS Studios in Los Angeles to raise money for Food Allergy Research and Education through the FARE Walk for Food Allergy. We skipped last year and decided to join this year’s event at the last minute. Rather than walking along the shore at Long Beach, this year’s […]
- Snow and smog above LA
Last week’s storms actually dropped snow in the San Gabriel Mountains that lasted more than a few hours! Clouds have hid them from view for the last few days, but this morning I could see snow behind the distant LA skyline, before the smog layer thickened too much to be able to tell.
- Moonrise
The full moon hung low in the east, rising pale yellow against a shadowed sky. A cluster of lights floated next to it, airplanes lining up for approach to the runway I was driving past. I’d glanced over just as I passed under their flight path. Above the moon and the lights, a band of […]
- Storm water pond: Now with added storm water!
The new detention pond finally got a chance to collect some stormwater for a day. It actually looks pretty nice when filled and viewed in sunlight.
- Top of the Hill
Del Cerro Park, at the top of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, on a super windy evening. I saw two tumbleweeds roll by, and kept worrying I’d drop my phone while taking pictures. I need to get out here (and other scenic spots) more often. Even though it’s not that far (one of the great things […]
- Rain in the Office Pool
An unusual late-spring rainstorm gave me the chance to see the neighboring building’s stormwater pool with some actual water in it.
- Not sure how this landscaping is supposed to work
A new hotel has put in a large, shallow pit filled sparsely with coarse grass and drain outlets in what once was the front lawn.
- Whatever That Means
So what exactly is a “coastal modern” parking structure and why is it so great?
- Braca says: Go Kings Go!
The first time we saw the mural of Johnny Cash on the outside wall of the Gasser Lounge, Katie and I agreed he looked like Lt. Braca from Farscape.
- Musings on LA, Light Pollution, and Water Management
Why it’s so hard to see the stars at night in Los Angeles, and some ways we might be able to save water by changing landscaping and flood control tactics.
- Split Sky – Distant Smoke from the Colby Fire
Two photos showing the contrast between smoke from the fire near Los Angeles, and the unusually clear skies around it.
- It’s a Big Rock
They don’t have a rock this big.
- Light and Shadow in LA: What a Difference a Day Makes
I went out for a brief walk Thursday afternoon (sometimes you just need fresh air). It had been raining, but had stopped, and the sun had broken through the clouds. Something made me go up to the top of the nearby parking structure where I could see downtown Los Angeles. It turned out to still […]
- A Walk Outside
I’ve found my lunchtime patterns fossilizing. Mostly, there aren’t a whole lot of places to eat within walking distance that aren’t hotel restaurants and therefore expensive, and parking is such a chore that it’s not worth driving anywhere. So I end up going to two fast food places and two cafes, over and over again. […]
- Layers by the Sea
The Palos Verdes peninsula sits at the southwest corner of Los Angeles. Parts of it are built up in old, grid-style suburbs. Other parts are of the more modern, winding type. And still other parts remain open space, due in part to the unstable geology of the area. Parts of Portuguese Bend are sliding toward […]
- Airplane, leaving me to my own devices
Between my outbound and return flight, new policy allowed me to start writing during takeoff. Thoughts on flying over cities, water and open space at night.
- Escape from LA(X)
The spillover from today’s LAX shooting: helicopters hovering, roads closed, travelers hiking miles on foot with their luggage to get away from the airport.
- Reflections on Solar Alignment
Seeing the sun through a building, and then seeing the sunset in the east…wait, the east? Things get weird when the sun lines up with the street grid.
- Crimson Saucers in the Sky
In a case of perfect timing, I caught this view of lenticular clouds over the San Gabriel Mountains last night, lit up red from the side by the sunset.
- To the Lighthouse
Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro, California, at the southern tip of Los Angeles. The Victorian lighthouse is surrounded by a city park, and the park is lined with a walkway along the top of the cliffs by the sea. Off to one end is the infamous sunken city, a suburban development that was abandoned […]
- The Mutant Three-Eyed Fish of San Pedro
On the side of the road between Angel’s Gate Park and Point Fermin Park. A little ways downhill there was a one-eyed octopus.
- Visiting Endeavour on its Final Journey
Spotting the space shuttle from a mile away, then walking out to see it up close while it sat in a Los Angeles parking lot.
- Watching Endeavour’s Final Flight Through LA
Half of the people at my office turned out to watch the space shuttle’s final flight around Los Angeles.
- Vertical (Or Rather, Foreshortened) Contrail
Remember how people freaked out over a “missile launch” that turned out to be a contrail seen roughly end-on? Here’s another “vertical” contrail photo.
- The Phantom City
Years ago, I’d catch glimpses of what looked like a distant city while driving the 405 freeway at night, but it always vanished from view before I reached it.
- Lunar Eclipse and Sunrise (With Photos)
I woke up early this morning to catch the lunar eclipse. I watched it move into totality from home, then drove down to the beach to watch it set, and stayed out to watch the sun rise.
- Comikaze Expo 2011
The first Comikaze Expo in Los Angeles turned out to be a surprsingly big, well-attended and varied convention. But I’m not sure I’d call it a comic con.
- Post-Storm Beach Sunset (Photos)
I drove down to the nearest beach after work to catch the sunset and clouds. I also got to see rain over Santa Monica and clouds above Catalina.
- Ocean Sunsets: Beach and Bluffs
A twilight photo of a lifeguard tower on a deserted beach, and a trip to the top of Palos Verdes to watch the sun set over the ocean below.
- Orange Sunset & Double Rainbow Over LA (Photos)
We’ve had a couple of storms run through Los Angeles over the past week. Last Friday, I went up to the top of a parking structure after work to look at the clouds, and stayed to watch a double rainbow and the play of light at sunset.
- The Late Train
I haven’t really kept up with the photoblog since moving a few months ago. I’ll try to get back on track with a new post each week. This is Aviation Station along the Los Angeles Metro Green Line, the closest station to LAX. (It doesn’t actually stop at the airport, but you can take a […]
- Turning Los Angeles Orange
Last Wednesday night I rode the Green Line home at sunset. When it wasn’t blocked by trees or houses, I had a great view of Downtown Los Angeles reflecting the orange sunlight. After a few minutes, the train hit exactly the right angle to catch the setting sun itself reflected in all the downtown buildings! […]
- Snowy Mountains Through the Cloud Window
On my drive to work this morning, a gap in the clouds left this amazing view of the San Gabriels covered in snow from the last week’s worth of storms, lit up by the rising sun. By the time I made it up to Los Angeles, clouds had blocked the view, and I didn’t see […]
- Commuter Zombie Wants Traaaains…
The challenge of trying to get from central Orange County to the west side of Los Angeles during rush hour without slogging through traffic.
- Adobe MAX 2010 in Tweets
Running commentary on Adobe’s annual designer and developer conference in Los Angeles. Photoshop reigns supreme, plus Flash fans and a Star Trek surprise.
- LA Music Center at Night (Photo) & The Glass Menagerie
On Saturday we went the the Mark Taper Forum to see The Glass Menagerie. It seemed an appropriate night for a “little silver slipper of a moon.”
- Arcadia & Orange Moon Over LA
A trip to the theater, then an unexpected bonus: A view of a deep orange half-moon above the distant LA skyline.
- Equivocation in Westwood
After a Friday spent relaxing at home (no after-Thanksgiving Day sales, unless you count skimming the recommendations at Amazon), we drove up to LA to see the play Equivocation at the Geffen Playhouse. The drive was astonishingly fast (everyone must have been either at home or at the mall!), so we had plenty of time […]
- Wizard World LA & Long Beach: A Tale of Two Convention Centers
Wizard World Los Angeles started in Long Beach, moved to LA, then shut down. Long Beach Comic Con rose to take its place. But what’s going on in LA instead?
- San Gabriel Mountains Emerging From Smoke
The wind’s changed, the weather’s cooled off, and firefighters are starting to get the Station Fire under control. For the first time in days, we’ve been able to see the San Gabriel Mountains. The eastern part of the range was clearly visible this afternoon — more visible than it usually is during the summer, with […]
- Mt. Wilson Fire Status (Sep 1 2009)
Mt Wilson still intact for now! Status, Towercam. Image from Mt. Wilson Observatory Towercam at 12:06 pm. Observatory website still up, but towercam very slow. Mt. Wilson Towercam showing lots of smoke: 12:21 was the last image I could get. Definitely cooler today, but humidity & smoke since the wind changed make it feel worse […]
- Touring the Mt. Wilson Observatory in 1992
With the observatory threatened by the Station Fire, I dug out my photos from a tour my family took 17 years before.
- Magenta Sunset
Watched the sun set, its disc tinged almost magenta by the smoke plume from the Morris fire near Azusa stretching along the horizon.
- Critical Miss
This convention press release tells you all about who’s going to be there and what’s going to happen, but leaves out a critical piece of information.
- Misty Mountains: Another San Gabriel Snow Panorama
Last January when I caught a view of the entire range of the San Gabriel Mountains absolutely covered in snow, I figured it was a once-in-a-lifetime sight. Sure, they get snow every year, but they usually don’t get that much snow. Amazingly, I got to see something similar again today. In a way, even better, […]
- Seeing LA From Irvine?
It’s an amazingly clear day morning today. So clear that I suspect I saw part of the outline of Catalina Island off in the distance, between trees and buildings, on the drive to work. So clear that I decided to drive up to the park at Quail Hill in Irvine where I once spotted what […]
- Wizard World LA 2008 – Con Report
Despite missing signs and a bad schedule, I got some comics bargains and met a bunch of artists, writers and actors including John Wesley Shipp, TV’s Flash.
- San Gabriel Snow Panorama
We went to The District on Saturday afternoon to catch Cloverfield and check out the Auld Dubliner. I took the Warner exit to go in the back way, and noticed someone standing out on the shoulder of the ramp, taking photos. I looked out past the wide expanse of empty fields and was astonished to […]
- Icy?
I rediscovered this photo while looking for the UCI Student Center pic. One of us took it on the way back from a camping trip with UCI’s Campuswide Honors Program in the Angeles National Forest in April 2000. IIRC it was along Angeles Crest Highway. A permanent sign isn’t necessarily the best way to indicate […]
- Con Report: Wizard World LA 2007
With most of the panels done, Sunday was a nice, low-key chance to hunt for comics and fill in my collection. Getting to the con was a bit of a challenge.
- Only in LA
It seems fitting that I’d eventually write a post with this title, seeing as how the regular LA Times column is where I got the name for the Only in San Diego series. We were up in Los Angeles for a wedding on Wednesday and Thursday. Since we were both involved, we stayed in a […]
- Minicon: LA Sci-Fi, Flash and Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo
My second trip to the LA Comic-Con at the Shrine proved far more interesting than my first, with a Teen Titans screening, signings, and some cool discoveries
- These guys are animals!
Still on Photoblog Catch-up Week. Spotted along the freeway in Los Angeles several months ago. I wonder if their lawyers are Wolfram and Hart?
- Snow-capped mountains of L.A.
Yes, you can (sometimes) see snow on the mountains from Los Angeles. Not often, but sometimes.
- Yes, it does rain in L.A.
An intense deluge woke us up briefly around 5:00 this morning. I think I was awake enough to say “Damn!” and fall back asleep. It reminded me of something that’s been bugging me. I looked through the first few pages of Otherworld #2 in the comic store yesterday. As at the end of the first […]
- Surprise Attack Vectors
Beware the unexpected attack vector – The Register (not that one) Your enemy may not come at you from the direction you expect. Set up sentries around the beach, they’ll get you through the ocean. Set up a firewall, they’ll get you through web browsers. It’s mainly about computer/network security, but it has an interesting […]
- Life imitating art?
The Los Angeles Times printed this on the front page on Wednesday, showing downtown LA against a very red sunset, a result of two days of heavy Santa Ana winds. Does this remind anyone else of the most recent Angel episode?