Culver City was incorporated on September 20, 1917 so our little town of approximately 40,000 people has been celebrating our 100th birthday since last year.
One of the celebratory events was the “Screenland 5K, The Race of the Century,” in which I participated. Lori Escalara headed a team to help support the restoration of public murals in Culver City so I figured that was a good reason to plonk down the entrance fee, not to mention the T-shirt and medal that came with it!
Unfortunately it turned out to be a rather grungy day weather-wise with no sun. At one point I had to walk with my camera inside my jacket. But it could have been worse.
We were entertained by bands along the way.
I was ten minutes late getting to the start line and by the time I had walked a few yards, many of the serious runners had already completed the first third of the 5K (3.1-mile) course and had turned around.
The race was scheduled for the morning of February 26 to coincide with the date of the 89th Academy Awards later in the day.
Culver City is dubbed “The Heart of Screenland” because of the numerous movies filmed at studios such as MGM, Columbia, Sony, RKO, Desilu, Selznick and many, many more.
Perhaps the most famous movies are “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz.” But I also have to mention “Singing in the Rain.” Some of the 5K participants dressed up as their favorite movie characters. I was just ME!!!!
Sony and Culver Studios opened their lots to the 5K participants.
I was looking forward to getting some close-ups of the Rainbow sculpture inside the gates… too bad the sky was so grey.
But I was happy to get a good shot of the artwork for my all time favorite movie “Lawrence of Arabia” which I have watched numerous times. I love everything about it from Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif to the spectacular photography and the glorious music. I realize the story isn’t that close to being accurate but that doesn’t stop my appreciation of the film.
A peek into a “window” to see a gathering of classic movie stars.
I walk or drive by Sony Studios several times a week on my way somewhere but it was nice to see inside. I have actually taken visitors from out of town on the studio tour a couple of times. And, of course, the exterior is on my Culver City walking tours.
My final time was something in the range of 1 hour, 20 minutes so obviously I wasn’t going for any prizes! I was having more fun taking photos.
Click on any image for the slide show:
After I completed the 5K I felt like I could have kept going. So in a couple of weeks some friends and I will be walking the 6-mile CicLAvia route from Culver City to Venice Beach.
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted. No commercial usage without express permission. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!
“Over the Rainbow” peering over jacaranda trees at Sony Pictures Entertainment
Today I was supposed to take the Expo Line to the Red Line to the Orange Line to visit a friend in Northridge (that’s on the Valley side of Los Angeles, over or under the Santa Monica Mountains depending on how you look at it). But not to be. My friend texted me at midnight to tell me she had a plumbing emergency and to hang tight. I was still awake so I texted her back to let her know I got the message.
“Over the Rainbow” seen behind the Irving Thalberg building at Sony Pictures Entertainment
I fell asleep and one of the cats woke me up at 3:40am. I saw there was another message from her telling me to call her before 8:00am (when I was supposed to leave the house) as she wasn’t sure what time the plumber could be there or what the problem was. So I went back to sleep knowing that I could stay in bed until at least 7:00am if I wanted to (and the cats would let me). Lovely.
Turns out she had a serious problem with some 1950s pipes under her house. I won’t go into all the murky details but evidently it was going to be a big project. So we decided to reschedule.
Better view of “Over the Rainbow”
Okay, what to do. I am not very good at changing plans and making new decisions. My brain gets stuck in a groove and that is that. When I think of all the opportunities at my door, what I decided to do instead was admittedly mundane.
I decided to treat myself to a Smashburger Black Bean Burger with a side of Veggie Frites and Sweet Potato Fries for lunch. The nearest Smashburger is a 25-minute walk from my house one way so that was my excuse to get out of the house on this beautiful day.
I have a choice of several walking routes to get to Culver Center but as I needed to drop off my Netflix movie (The Imitation Game) at the post office I decided to walk down Culver Boulevard.
I took a few random photos along the way. The first three photos above are all of the “Rainbow” sculpture installed on the Sony Pictures Entertainment lot. I prefer to call it “Over the Rainbow” but that’s evidently not it’s official name. Sony now sits in the space that was originally Metro Goldwyn Meyer, the greatest movie studio of them all where “The Wizard of Oz” was made in the 1930s. So, of course, the rainbow pays homage to that movie.
A side street along the way. Walking beneath that archway of trees is like being in the forest… except for the cars!
I’m always fascinated by the seeds and/or fruit on the palm trees which look a lot like tree dreadlocks. It is a beautiful display.
This is my favorite apartment building in the neighborhood. It is a lovely example of maybe 50s or 60s apartment architecture with a circular glass lobby, swordfish sculpture and decorative circles in the stucco and fencing. The building you can see across the street is another view of the Thalberg building.
A result of our weird weather. Jacarandas usually show their gorgeous purple blooms in May/June. But this year we saw some of the trees flowering as early as March and some that have not yet flowered at all. Everybody is confused.
I love this clock by the artist Terry Allen. I think the name is Golden Time (too lazy to look it up). I always tell people this is how I felt before I quit corporate life… dragging a huge clock around on my shoulders waiting for each working day to end! This poor guy hangs out on the corner of the Fred Astaire Building, built during the golden age of MGM.
Looking back at the Fred Astaire building and what I have labeled the ziggurat building, the mid 1980s Sony building at the end.
Orchid Fever is a great place to spend some time with more than 10,000 square feet of greenhouses filled with thousands of orchid plants, hundreds of bromeliads, and a wide variety of other tropical and exotic plants. When you walk in from the street it is like being transported to some magical jungle.
Another tree-lined side street.
Sony is constantly building… this is apparently a new parking garage going up. I would prefer they would have less parking spaces for their employees and give them incentives to ride public transportation. There is too much traffic in Culver City already without encouraging more.
So how much do you pay for gas? The price goes up and down like a yo yo. I don’t drive that much anymore so it really doesn’t matter to me but I don’t even bother to check the prices. If I need gas, I need gas. But when I have tourists from out of town, the price of gas is always a hot topic.
This is the sign outside the Backstage Bar across the street from Sony. These gentlemen seem to be appropriately dressed for an after work drink. And I am certainly glad no skateboards are allowed… nothing worse than a drunken skateboarder.
An Angel Trumpet Flower tree. Originating in South America they do well in Los Angeles… and how appropriate to have them growing in the City of Angels (well, here in Culver City to be precise).
The newest completed building at Sony. I thought it was going to be another garage but now it looks more like offices.
Street lamps lined up probably waiting for their next movie gig.
And another side street landscaped with cooling trees. Trees also, of course, help mitigate carbon monoxide.
More jacarandas that have flowered and dropped before their time.
At this point I was more than halfway to my destination and about to turn off Culver Boulevard on to Overland Avenue. So I thought I would take one last photo of a very important building. This is where I buy most of my lottery tickets. Haven’t won anything yet but I’m not giving up! Liquor stores in LA sell everything from cat food and cough drops to tooth paste and tea bags… yes, you can also buy liquor along with beer and fine wine… they never advertise “cheap” wine, but they have that too!
And the Black Bean Smashburger? It was delicious, thanks for asking…
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life in Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!
View of the sunset over Sony Studios from my roof deck. From left to right, the water tower, no longer operational but most of the studios in the LA area retain them as a landmark. The Columbia Studios marquee for the latest release, The End of Days. I stared at Skyfall for weeks, my favorite movie of 2012. At right the rainbow sculpture commemorating the Wizard of Oz which was filmed here when the studio name was MGM.
This day last year was a special birthday. We won’t go into which one. But I celebrated it exactly as I had dreamed on the Brighton Pier in England. You can read that blog post here.
This year I wanted to stay home. I had already traveled to New Mexico and Miami in 2013 and that was enough. This photo looks towards the Baldwin Overlook, the highest point in Culver City, about 450 feet which affords spectacular views all over the city of Los Angeles.
So to commemorate my birthday, for myself, I took some photos from my roof deck in Culver City. Another look at Sony Studios and Culver City downtown.
More geraniums and views of the tree tops. The Santa Monica Mountains are obscured in this photo by the trees.
This way I can look back at my blog post of this birthday just as I was able to look back at my blog post of Brighton Pier. Self indulgence is a wonderful thing!
But I am very grateful that my favorite spot in the universe is on my very own roof deck in Culver City. Many people have to travel thousands of miles and spend inordinate amounts of money to arrive at their favorite place. All I have to do is walk up a few stairs and I am there!
Please click on all the photos for a larger view.
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, please check with us first for proper usage. Thanks!
Culver City was incorporated on September 20, 1917 so our little town of approximately 40,000 people has been celebrating our 100th birthday since last year.
Unfortunately it turned out to be a rather grungy day weather-wise with no sun. At one point I had to walk with my camera inside my jacket. But it could have been worse.
RMW: the blog 