The La Brea Tar Pits, in the Heart of Los Angeles
When I was young I had a book about the La Brea Tar Pits. I have no idea why it intrigued me so much. Perhaps it was the life-like, completely rendered illustrations that went along with the information regarding the Pits that at the time, I really did not understand. Years later I was planning a move to the city, and had booked a room at the best Los Angeles hotel I had ever been to, mainly due to the hospitality and the decor, but also due to the fact that it was located very close to the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits and the Page Museum which is located on the grounds.
Just a few blocks away, I began the walk to see in person, the Tar Pits of my one time favorite book. You can smell the Tar Pits from a block away, a relatively stinky smell that reminds one a bit of rotten eggs. I crossed the street I saw the sculptures that now illustrate the pits of Hancock Park, just as the paintings had illustrated my book. This is evidence in the modern city of Los Angeles, of the time when the animals of the Ice Age roamed the streets of the city. Many fossils are still being found today, and paleontologists clean and investigate the bones right there at the Page Museum. Their laboratory has windows, which allow the public to watch as amazing creatures from our past are literally unearthed, and their history is revealed. The Tar Pits are made of Asphalt, which is crude oil in its lowest grade.
This is as much a museum as it is a research facility, a live and continuing archaeological investigation right in the heart of one of the busiest cities in the world. It is kind of a strange experience, to be standing next to bubbling tar pits, on the shores of the oil pool, knowing that at one time, a saber tooth tiger may have been creeping up behind you. I spent all day in Hancock Park, just thinking of this idea, and as the sun began to set, I decided that it was time for a walk along the boardwalk of Santa Monica and Venice Beach. To clear my head a bit, and to clear my nose…to fill my lungs with the fresh ocean air.