I know it’s iconic and this was well worth a visit, there’s a pleasant short walk around a park and pathway near enough this sign. I’ve always thought they should perhaps do something about the kerning on this piece, typographers will know what I’m on about. I’ve had a lot of fun wandering around the bits of LA near to where we are staying but , like most things here, this required a car journey.

I’ve taken lots of sign pics and will be featuring them on them next few posts. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed finding them. It helps of course, that we’ve had almost unbroken sunshine, a lot of the pictures were taken on Christmas Day when it was unusually quiet, but it’s back to its bustling self again.

This sign of the Beatles, or perhaps better described as a mural, shows how best to deal with a face that you can’t draw too well. Everyone knows what the Beatles look like so it’s tough when you can’t get a likeness, but here where the artist can’t seem to fix it, it’s been fixed by hiding him! George is not rendered too well here either but Ringo and John are doing ok. Paul’s in hiding , perhaps just as well.

I feel for the person who did this piece, I find it tough to draw any sort of likeness. I might manage Ringo and John at a push, but the other two would defeat me too.

It seems to me that much of LA is a cacophony. In regard to streets they are full of businesses in some areas, and here you’ll find signs all over the place, all competing for the passing trade. Footfall is not really the term here, perhaps carfall should be the word.

This building made a refreshing change from the norm with just the one word on it and that was not adding much to the selling message. It was like a deep breath in a long sentence.

At the football match, a peak of cacophony, every second of the time inside the stadium was filled with something to stimulate, they even set off fireworks when the home team scored. See more about that here Football is football and soccer is our football.

The cars rule here but the system is built for it. I’ve rarely been stationary when in a car, slow but moving at times but not that ‘stuck in a car park’ feeling I’ve experienced in the UK at times. There’s time for this to change before we return but so far so good.

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This is from my recent trip to Los Angeles,
I miss that blue sky which seems to be a permanent fixture there.

I think so, this one certainly did it for me and this viewer was equally transfixed. She blends well too!

I used to know someone who called anything painted on a wall a ‘Muriel’ , so am not sure if this is a one of them or a sign, but whatever it is I like it a lot and the grey car fits in well. Thanks to whoever parked it there. I’m not usually a fan of wall graffiti but there are exceptions and this is one. As usual with these things in L A it is helped by that incessant sunny weather and vivid blue skies, this one taken on Christmas Day.

The artist is Evan Mendel and I hope he was suitably well rewarded for his efforts. You can find him here

Evan Mendel

A time for snow deep on the ground and the crisp crunch of ice and snow underfoot, wrapped up warm against the chill and the easterly gales. Looking forward to hot drinks and a drop of brandy to ward off the chill in front of a blazing log fire.

Well there are logs, but the rest is Hollywood fiction. This was taken this morning in Griffith Park, Los Angeles.

Wishing all those who bother to pop in here a very Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year.

So here we are and as per l’ve packed wooly socks and jummies for the Christmas festivities. It’s in the low seventies and the only thing being tested is the deoderant. The plan for me this time is to take loads of pictures of what I think are a great feature of LA life and that is the billboards or signs.

They will take just about any available space to put up a massive sign, for almost anything, thinking nothing of erecting a load of scaffolding atop an apartment block to add to the advertising free for all. In addition to the signs I’ll be writing here and there with obsevations about how they deal with Christmas here. Mince pies are thin on the ground for a start. The concept is foreign to them, whereas in the UK its gone bananas with mince pieces available from early September and by Christmas stacked to the ceilings in supermarkets.

As well as Christmas I’ll  pop in some stuff about various art galleries and what we see. having been to two already I can tell you its a visual treat.

With this is a photo of a US telegraph pole, well why not?

The Getty is on a hill overlooking LA. It’s worth a visit just for that but add in some stunning architecture and some equally stunning art and you have the makings of a great day out.

It’s free to go in, you just pay for the parking. There are loads of amenities as well as loads of sculpture and art to suit all tastes. I have a liking for the impressionists and works from the 1800s.

I was never a big fan of David’s work but this simple portrait is a stunner and comes with the added bonus of being of the daughter of one of the French revolutionaries, so has a bit of a story. David’s usual work is somewhat monumental, but this simple personal piece has a unique power for me.

I hope you like it as much as I do. I’ll post some more on the next blog.

Incidentally they also have the enlightened view that it is ok to take photos of the paintings as long as you don’t use flash. So no smuggling occurred here.