I was able to get a tour of Dodger Stadium.Beautiful stadium, with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background.This is the Dodger Stadium Retired Numbers Plaza. Gil Hodges was #14. He was recently elected to the Hall of Fame. In addition to playing first base for the Dodgers, he was the manager of the Mets when they won the World Series in 1969.Duke Snider was one of the “Big 3” during the 1950s in New York baseball. Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Duke Snider were by far the most popular players of that decade.Sandy Koufax was one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. A star of the 1960s.Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His #42 has been retired by all of major league baseball, so no team has a player wearing #42.This is me sitting in the press box.Another angle of the stadium.Display of team trunks.When the Dodger players exit the elevator on their way to the locker room, this is what they see. First, all the Dodger Gold Glove Awards, awarded to the best fielders by position.One of the Gold Gloves won by Gil Hodges, 1957.One of the Gold Gloves won by Greg Maddux, 2008.Then past the Cy Young Awards for the best pitcher in the league.One of the Cy Young Awards won by Sandy Koufax, 1963.One of the Cy Young Awards won by Clayton Kershaw, 2014, a current star for the Dodgers.Then past the Silver Slugger Awards for the best hitting player for each position.A couple Silver Slugger Awards for Mike Piazza, 1995 and 1996.And then the Dodgers’ World Series Championship Trophies. This one is from 1988.In their first year, the Brooklyn team was known as “The Bridegrooms” because many of the players were young and had been recently married.This is me in the Dodgers dugout.The dugoutThe view of the field from the dugout.Downtown Los Angeles skyline from Dodger Stadium.
Crypto.com Arena, home of the Los Angeles Lakers and the hockey LA Kings. This was formerly Staples Center.With such a rich and successful history, it is natural for the Lakers to honor their all-time greats with statues. The statue of Kobe Bryant is still being built. This is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.Magic JohnsonShaquille O’NealJerry WestElgin BaylorLuc RobitailleWayne Gretzky.Kings celebrate winning the Stanley Cup.Oscar de la Hoya
After La Brea Tar Pits Museum, we drove around downtown a while to see some famous sites. This is the Peterson Auto Museum, across the street from the Los Angeles Museum of Art.Pink’s Hot Dogs is famous for the “best hot dogs in LA”, and usually is frequented by many celebrities. Not today!Lunch at Pink’s Hot Dogs.LA Live!Figueroa Street, one of the main streets in downtown.US Bank Tower. At 73 stories this is the tallest building in Los Angeles, and second tallest west of the Mississippi River.Angels Flight Railway, the world’s shortest railway. It goes one short block uphill, and the same downhill. Angels Flight has been featured in many TV shows and movies.The Broad, another art museum.Walt Disney Concert Hall, really cool architecture.Downtown LA traffic at noon on Thursday.This is the building where Perry Mason’s office was located in the old TV show in the 1950s and 1960s! His office was Suite 904! This is now a boutique hotel.This is the courthouse where Perry Mason defended most of his clients in the TV show.Hall of Justice entrance to the courthouse, featured in almost all episodes of Perry Mason!Los Angeles City Hall. This building has been (and continues to be) featured in many TV shows and movies.Chinatown GatewayThien Hau Temple. This is a Taoist temple near Chinatown in LA. The inside is open to go in and see, but no inside photography is allowed, which is unfortunate because it was very ornate and colorful and quite a sight to see!Thien Hau Temple front portico.
This is a nice museum, and it seems to be geared more for school children with its displays.This is the Lake Pit with models of the animals. This lake is left over from asphalt mining operations in the late 1800s. Back then the tar from La Brea was used to seal roofs and roads. Today, the lake’s bubbles, sheen and stink come from a deep underground oil field, which also produces patches of tar on the ground.Harlan’s Ground Sloth. All of the animals displayed in the museum lived and roamed around the Los Angeles area in pre-historic times.Antique BisonAmerican MastodonExtinct CamelShasta Ground SlothColumbian MammothSize perspective of the Columbian MammothMerriam’s Giant CondorShort-faced BearExtinct Western HorseSaber-toothed CatAmerican LionDire wolfThis block of asphalt containing fossil bones was removed from one of the smallest pits in 1914. It shows the amazing density of specimens found in the excavations.Fossil Lab. A really cool thing for kids to watch archeology in live action!American Scimitar-toothed CatGiant Ice-Age BearSaber-toothed Cat attacking a Bear.The museum also has a 3D movie, Titans of the Ice Age.The Ground Sloth lived in caves, and their poop is well-preserved! This allows archeologists to examine the poop and learn what the Goud Sloth ate.
Paramount Studios gate.Paramount Studios water tower.This is the site of Forrester Creations on The Bold and the Beautiful! In reality it is a Jewish private school.
