God, I love space. I love looking up into the stars and wondering. But, the closer you get to cities, the harder it is to see those stars. How about a trip to the planetarium? Los Angeles’ Griffith Observatory has telescopes, educational installations, and a planetarium. Come have a look, it’s all fascinating. A close up shot of the edge of the sun -- this stuff is so cool.

After 5 years of refurbishing, and 93 million dollars (one for each mile to the sun), the Griffith Observatory reopened Nov 3, 2006. The day before, the Mayor of Los Angeles among other dignitaries attended the gala ribbon cutting ceremony. The best quote of the day was a quote burrowed from Colonel Griffith J. Griffith himself, "If all mankind could look through that telescope, it would change the world."

My girlfriend and I felt like such VIP's touring around the Observatory and grounds on the day before it opened to the general public. One of the Oschin's even gave us tickets for the Planetarium show. By the way, it's now called the Samuel Oschin Planetarium for their generous funding.

The show called "Centered in the Universe" follows the progress of humans as we struggled and continue to struggle to understand our place in the universe. From the early "Earth is the center of the Universe" theories through Copernicus and Galileo who took a great deal of flack for insisting the sun was at the center, to only a century ago when we discovered other galaxies. The program took time to mention the reasons why Galileo was convinced of his assertion -- but it didn’t talk about "the flack." It's an inspiring talk, (I appreciated the attention to critical thinking and observation) but the consequences for being too inspired were left out.

While, I enjoyed the program, I wanted more of the actual star-making projector. It's so gorgeous to sit under a simulated night sky. Also, perhaps it was an adjustment or just my particular eyes, but I seemed to notice some shaded areas in the shape of triangles, very faintly, like a shadow geo-dome. Could one of you out there write in and tell me if I was seeing things? That said, the seats are fantastic, they lean way back.

If you've never been to a planetarium -- go. It will inspire you with wonder. And Griffith is gorgeous. Up on top of the mountain, above the city lights and noises. It's a haven. I loved the place even before it was "renewed."

PARKING: Parking could be an issue, check out the site before you go or call and ask specific questions. I found the "Shuttle Parking Area" a bit tricky to find, it's about 2-3 miles from Los Feliz, don't be fooled by the horse parking – you could be waiting for a shuttle for some time :) Also, there is a cost for the shuttle -- check their site: http://www.griffithobs.org/

This review based on Nov 2nd, 2006 ribbon cutting ceremony at LA’s Griffith Observatory. All Photo's (C) Ross Anthony (Except for the one of the sun -- I wish I took that one!).

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