Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the 'Hollywood Historic Review' newsletter you posted 3940dxer/David...As I pulled the camera back there was even more to this Hollywood Bowl Overlook than I thought.
google aerial
This place looks phenomenal! Can you imagine going up there at night during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl....talk about romantic.
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That's very funny because on Saturday my wife and I hiked to that very spot on an "unofficial" trail I discovered that leads up there from the Bowl. It's actually quite a nice little walk, with seldom seen views of the 101 and Hollywood along the way.
Yes, there's an elevated lookout spot near the turnout, busy with "See Hollywood" tour vans and loads of out of towners. Actually I like seeing them around here, and feel glad that visitors come here to see the sights. Heck, I've lived here for 35 years, and still enjoy seeing the sights.
Speaking of unofficial trails, we also explored the longer "off limits" trail on the
Eastern side of the pass this past weekend. Though trashy in places, and with remains of some homeless camps, it has some nice views of the Hollywood Freeway and passes by the big cross on the hill. We saw several deer running around up there. Here are some "unauthorized" views.
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Looking North towards Universal City. In the lower center, the Highland exit ramp peels away the the left. The wide island shaped area between the 101 and Cahuenga West, now a highway maintenance yard, may in fact be the former site of Monkey Island. (More on that soon.)
Looking East, the Hollywood Reservoir dam is on the right. (The one that gave way in
Earthquake.) Years ago while jogging by the lake I saw an enormous turtle swimming across the surface near the corner of the reservoir, in the right foreground. There's a small caretaker's cottage in the lower right, hidden by trees.
The house near the upper left of the shot with the big white wall used to belong to Madonna, but I think she has sold it. (Was this the "Wolf Lair" home? If not, it's in that same area.)
The camera faces South here, towards Hollywood. That's the Pilgrimage Bridge across the 101, with the Ford Theater (hidden) on the left. Big townhouse development in the foreground (not too bad looking compared to so many of the hideous new projects in these hills), but I know nothing about it. The Southern part of Whitley Heights is behind the freeway, on the left.
The cross, and the plaque beneath it. I wonder who owns this land?
