Hike to the Sign

 

No easy mass transit to get to the trailhead to hike up to the Hollywood sign. I opted for a Lyft.  Amazingly it only costed $10.  My email had said to be sure to be on time or I would miss it.  It also said to be aware of LA traffic that is slow.  Thought I had good timing, but my lyft guy was early and then I was super early.  Got to play on my phone for a good 45 minutes waiting.  

And then up we went.  My group was five paying customers and the guide.  I was quite happy to be in the smaller group.  Another group went up at the same time and it was about 15 people. Let me tell you to never believe the review that says you won't even know you are walking uphill.  It honestly makes no difference how many good tales the guide tells.  You still know you are walking uphill.  It was a bit of a challenge.  I was not, however, the last member of our group to reach the top.  I was the last one down.  And that is all right.  I had no place I had to be.  It takes an hour to walk up the trail which is mostly kind of paved (like a long time ago).  You can't actually get to the sign as it is surrounded by fence and monitored 24/7 by LAPD. 

The story of the sign is it was originally for a new neighborhood.  And then it became just Hollywood. The original sign became quite dilapidated.  Hugh Hefner went to the city and asked them to replace the sign since it had become iconic.  The city, naturally, said they had no money for that.  So Mr. Hefner raised the money himself and the sign was replaced.  Just as crooked as it originally was.  

The view is extraordinary.  LA goes on and on and on.  You can see to the ocean.  It was an accomplishment for me to make the journey and the climb.  And yes, I took another nap.  What else would I do on vacations?