I spent two hours on Monday hugging the curves of Mulholland Drive in my rather large SUV at the advice of one Los Angeles Magazine article from the “Be a Tourist in Your Own City” (December) issue. Of the issue’s 15 things to do in LA, I’ve done 14 in my year here and the 15th didn’t interest me, so I decided to discover the gorgeous canyons of LA from Mulholland, from a different section of the magazine.
My daily commute takes me to the intersection of Mulholland and Laurel Canyon, but I’ve never actually driven the famous stretch of road that opened in the early 1920s, inspired a 2001 movie and is where Charlie Sheen has driven his car off a cliff not once, but twice.
I began, at the instruction of Los Angeles Magazine, at the 405 and Mulholland and traveled eastward, pulling off the road at four designated overlooks and one had-to-stop-this-view-is-just-too-good spot.
The first spot, the Stone Canyon overlook, was deserted. It was around 11 a.m. and I was the lone soul at this gorgeous spot that overlooked Stone Canyon and its reservoir, the San Fernando Valley, and way in the distance, the Pacific Ocean.
(Above: Stone Canyon Reservoir)
My next stop, the Barbara A. Fine overlook, had good views, and LA’s canyons are my favorite part of the City of Angels, but it left a bit to be desired. So, I kept on down the road toward the Universal City overlook.
(Above: Barbara A. Fine overlook. Below: Universal City overlook.)
At the Universal City overlook I was joined by a family. A grandma, mom, dad and daughter posing for pictures with the tallest buildings in the San Fernando Valley in the background. As the name references, Universal Studios can be seen from this overlook, with mountains in the background.
(Above left: Universal City overlook. Above right: The house with the great view.)
As I continued down and up and down and up Mulholland, I came to a turn that offered a view of valley and ocean in the distance that I couldn’t pass up photographing. Even though there was no marked overlook, I pulled off onto the side of the road and walked back to the dirt path where I’d first seen the car-stopping view.
As I walked, I saw the work of one ingenious architect and the home of one very lucky Angeleno. The middle of house was pure windows allowing gorgeous views of the valley to those on the road and in the house.
My next stop was to be Runyan Canyon where celebs and regular Joes hike and walk their pooches. However, as is normal in Los Angeles, the parking situation was a nightmare. I knew this would most likely be the outcome because in LA, noon on a Monday is a busy time for a hiking trail. I couldn’t figure out where to park, so I passed on the Runyan Canyon hike, knowing the next overlook was the holy grail.
The end point of my Mulholland trek is the misnamed Hollywood Bowl overlook. Though you do get a full on view of the Hollywood Bowl from this overlook, the main draws are the panoramic view of LA, the straight-on downtown skyline and a view of the ever popular Hollywood sign.
Of course this overlook was the most popular, two convertible vans full of tourists were already in the parking lot when I showed up, the sightseers snapping away with their cameras. I climbed the steps to see the Hollywood sign, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off of the downtown skyline. After snapping my own pictures, I pulled out of the parking lot, which now had another group of visitors hopping off their van, only to see two more convertible vans winding their way up to the Hollywood Bowl overlook.
As in LA, being in the know is key, and these tourists (and one current Angeleno) were in the know for some great views on Monday.
(Photography by me. January 2012.)
