More Southern California

Our main reason for going to Southern California was to visit Sun-Ling's niece who graduated from college in May 2021 and was working in El Segundo. The route to our hotel in Redondo Beach took us from Hollywood to the former Cedars of Lebanon Hospital where my mother worked from 1953 to 1955, the Art Deco Griffith Observatory, and the Getty Center Art Museum (which was underwhelming).

Visiting Sun-Ling's niece Nicole was busy; hiking in the hills above Santa Monica, walking on the beach between Santa Monica and Venice, touring her work place, and eating in Little Ethiopia followed by a fire pit at her house. In between activities with Nicole, Sun-Ling and I made an excursion to check out the Art Deco architecture in San Pedro and its small town atmosphere, and the bustling port city of Long Beach and its Art Deco scene.

P.S. I can't just say the Cetty Center was underwhelming and not elaborate. 1) The Art Musuem collection was slightly above average - minus the Van Goghs it's average - and navigating through the separate 2-story buildings was tedious. 2) The Getty is on a hill and the views were good, but again navigating through the surrounding gardens was way too hard. 3) While the almost compulsery parking garage and funicular ride is necessary to transport large numbers of visitors up and down the hill, it's not very welcoming; more like entering a theme park.

Let's jump right to a photo of Sun-Ling and niece Nicole near Mesa Parker Overlook in the hills above Santa Monica.

Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, where my mother worked as a nurse from 1953 to 1955, is now the West Coast HQ of the CHurch of Scientology. Oh My!

Along with many other Los Angelites, we walked up to Geiffith Observatory from Fern Dell Drive. The observatory did not open until noon but we had a fun time getting our photo taken with the Hollywood sign behind us and watching the filming of a "dance number".

The Getty Center Museun was exhibiting "Irises" by Vincent Van Gogh.

I liked "Christ's Entry into Brussels (in 1889).

The Cactus Garden at the Getty Center.

Ourselves at the Getty Center.

Santa Monica Pier and Beach.

Some of the downtown streets in San Pedro were closed in preparation for the annual Christmas parade later in the day. Nice. Let's walk down the middle of the street! There is some cool architecture here starting with the 100 y.o. First Baptist Church and its Corinthian pilasters.

Not to mention the former Kress Building, now Plaza Storage.

The historic Art Deco Warner Grand Theatre.

And finally the historic Art Deco former San Pedro Municipal Ferry Building.

From San Pedro we drove on the 710 over the Vincent Thomas bridge with amazing views of first the Post of Los Angeles, then the Port of Long Beach. The scope of this huge port complex is impossible to capture in photos while driving over the bridge. But how often do you get to drive right down the middle of one of the world's largest ports?

Long Beach was waking up slowly on this sunny Sunday afternoon day and we had fun plotting our way from one Art Deco building to another. But first, out to the Long Beach Convention Center for a look at the harbor and the smokestacks of the Queen Mary in the distance.

Long Beach is connected to downtown L.A. with the Metro Rail Blue Line.

Then on towards the historic Lafayette Condominiums (left).

The mother of Art Deco in Long Beach is St. Mary Medical Center completed in 1937.

And a few more.



Dinner in Little Ethiopia.