Mulholland Drive

It's the things that are closest to us and most available to us that we take for granted.  Some people save for years just so they can take the trip of a lifetime to Disneyland.  For me, it's a 45 minute drive to Anaheim.  Does that mean that I should be any less excited to be at Disneyland than the family who traveled 3,000 miles and spent thousands of dollars to be there?  Of course not.  They do irk me though, when they waddle 5 persons wide at a snail's pace, blocking my pathway to the addictive Disneyland churros, but that's an entirely different story for another time.

Even though I live in Los Angeles, I still keep an eye out for things as if I were a tourist.  There are so many things to enjoy in L.A., but many people push them off because it's in their backyard and they can go there any time.  The problem is, "any time" never arrives for many.


My latest adventure involved driving the entire stretch of Mulholland Drive from the 405 freeway to the 101 freeway, stopping at scenic overlooks along the way.  All of the official scenic overlooks were, to my surprise, quite official!  There was typically a small parking lot and a small walkway that brought you to a picturesque location, along with a map of where you were looking and a small blurb of history.

Here are a few photographic highlights of my journey.  I opted to leave my house about an hour before sunset to capture L.A. in both the sunlight and the city lights.

Looking towards the water reservoir at Stone Canyon Overlook:

Looking towards the city at Stone Canyon Overlook:

The Universal City Overlook:

The Hollywood Bowl Overlook:

Get more out of your city by expressing interest like a tourist, but not acting like one.  The luxury of living in a tourism city is that you can visit the tourist hot spots whenever you want.  Pick a nice day during the week, grab a date and go for a cruise on Mulholland Drive.  You'll have a better chance of not being stuck behind a giant tour bus going 20 mph on the curvy, no passing road.  If you start from the 405 Freeway, you'll end up in Hollywood where you can finish with a nice dinner or a simple hot dog.

You can't find treasure if you don't go hunting for it.

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