The La Brea Tar Pits

By popular demand (and by "popular" I mean two people), I present to you The La Brea Tar Pits...

Did you know that "La Brea" means "tar" in Spanish? You probably did. I think I might be the only person left in LA that doesn't speak a word of Spanish. I take that back, I do remember most of the Spanish I learned from Luis and Maria on Sesame Street.

Just like the Museum of Jurassic Technology, sadly there are no dinosaurs at The La Brea Tar Pits. Again, you're probably thinking, "this guy is an idiot! Of course there aren't any dinosaurs at The La Brea Tar Pits!" For those of you who aren't amature paleontologists, The La Brea Tar Pits are a famous cluster of tar pits that have yeilded a pleathera of fossilized organisms from the last ice age. Most recognizable are the fossils of mammals from the ice age, meaning mastodons, dire wolves, and sabor tooth cats among others (and they are sabor tooth cats, not tigers. The museum makes it very clear that sabor tooth cats are not tigers. And now you know).

I visited the tar pits and the accompanying Page Museum with a friend from out of town. It's no Museum of Natural History in NY, but it's still pretty cool if you're looking for something different. The small Page Museum has an extensive collection of fossils on display, and there's a fantastic animated short film that screams, "I was made in the early 90s!"

After visiting the museum, we walked around the grounds. You would expect that these mastodons came out of giant holes in the ground, but alas no. Most of the pits are no longer being excavated at all, and look like puddles of mud about the size of a king sized bed. Fortunately, they are much cooler than mud because gases bubble up to the surface, making them look like boiling puddles of mud. As an extra special bonus, they smell awful. And no, you can't jump in them...unless you jump the fence.

One of the pits, Pit 91, is still under excavation, but only a few month out of the year due to funding constraints. Pit 91 really is a big hole in the ground. Unfortunately, we weren't there during excavation, but it was still cool to see an active excavatoin site. Where else am I going to see an excavation site?

While you're there, be sure to check out the statues of the mamoth family at the edge of the pond. The mother is struggling to escape from the tar while the others stand by helplessly. It's probably the best visual of the tar pits as they were in the Ice Age. I believe it's the same pond featured in the film Volcano that births the title geological phenomenon.

The tar pits are a great way to spend an afternoon feeling like you're on a third grade field trip. And field trips are the best part of third grade!


Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits
5801 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-PAGE (7243)
www.tarpits.org

Hours:
Monday through Friday, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Admission:
Adults: $7.00
Seniors 62 and older and Students with I.D.: $4.50
Youths 13-17 years old: $4.50
Children 5-12 years old: $2.00
Members and Children under 5: Free

The Museum of Jurassic Technology

There aren't any dinosaurs at The Museum of Jurassic Technology. In fact, it has nothing to do with the Jurassic period at all. And as for technology, I wouldn't use the word "technology" to describe anything I saw there.

The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City is by far the most random place I've yet to visit in Los Angeles. The museum's official website describes the museum as "an educational institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the public appreciation of the Lower Jurassic." That would be a perfectly legitimate description if the museum had anything to do with the geological Jurassic Period, but it doesn't. If anyone can tell me what "Lower Jurassic" this refers to, I'm all ears. Honestly, I have the sneaking suspicion that the whole place is one big inside joke. If it is not, I apologize to the museum's founders and employees, and I am clearly missing something. Please do explain.

Some of the museum's eclectic displays include a collection of items from American trailer parks, microscopic mosaics made from butterfly wing scales, a tribute to the dogs of the Soviet Space Program, and a carving of Pope John Paul II that sits in the eye of a needle (my personal favorite).

My usual companion for random adventures accompanied me to the museum on a Saturday afternoon. The museum nearly disappears amongst the storefronts of Venice Blvd. I don't think we would have even noticed it had we not been looking it. It was a rare overcast day, adding to the drama of this fictional like menagerie of curiosities. The front door was locked and had a button with a simple sign that read, "ring for admittance." We did so, expecting Lurch to answer. Rather, we were greeted by a small, soft spoken young man that I can best describe as "emo." He welcomed us into a small, dimly lit foyer.

After signing into the guest book, we entered the belly of the whale. The whole place was dark, winding, and claustrophobic. The biggest mood setter of all was the sounds; in the distance we could hear eerie chiming bells. In the first small chamber stood a taxidermy fox in a spotlight, and from the fox emanated sounds of cackling. If this wasn't creepy enough, when I looked through the special viewer, it looked as if there was a tiny laughing man inside the fox's head.

We spent just over an hour exploring the nooks and crannies of the museum, but I would suggest giving yourself more time to enjoy a cup of tea in the Tula Tea Room and a short film in the Borzoi Kabinet Theater.

I may not entirely understand the purpose behind The Museum of Jurassic Technology, but that's not to say I don't appreciate it. The place strikes me as one big art installation in that it evokes emotion. You have to experience it for yourself.



The Museum of Jurassic Technology
9341 Venice Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
310-836-6131
www.mjt.org

Hours:
Thur 2pm-8pm
Fri-Sun 12pm-6pm

Suggested donation of $5