Underground Voice LA: park

Old Zoo in Griffith Park

The old zoo in Griffith Park was opened in 1912, to a barrage of many complaints about the cages being too small for animals. The site is merely ruins at this point, with partial cage walls falling over tall grass, and huge dark staircases and tunnels leading to several more small cages.

It is a dark and spooky place, but totally worth checking out. Tons of beautiful graffiti is hidden inside these dark cavernous cages, that housed many miserable animals before the new LA Zoo opened in the 1960s.

Directions: Take the 5 Freeway to the Los Feliz Boulevard exit. Drive west on Los Feliz Boulevard to the first light and turn north on Crystal Springs Road. After 1.5 miles, turn left on Griffith Park Drive. Continue a quarter mile and turn left into a parking area just before the road bends to the right. There is a row of parking spaces by the turnoff and more parking as you drive into the picnic area. If all spaces are full, you may park at the larger lot by the merry-go-round and walk a little further to the picnic area.

Trailhead address: Griffith Park Drive, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Trailhead coordinates: 34.13527, -118.286357

Come tell CSW what you think of LA Pride. Think about your position and tell them what you want, how you feel and what you love about LA Pride.

The City of West Hollywood’s Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board Seeks Community Input

WEST HOLLYWOOD – The City of West Hollywood’s Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board will hold an open forum on the Christopher Street West (CSW) LA Gay Pride Parade and Festival at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 30, 2013, in the Community Room at the West Hollywood Library. Community feedback and input regarding CSW’s annual Pride Parade and Parade and Festival will be heard during open community forum. The goal is to hear from the community at-large on what improvements may be made to make the annual event more engaging and inclusive. Input will be conveyed back to the West Hollywood City Council and the all-volunteer board of directors of Christopher Street West LA Gay Pride.

West Hollywood has been the home of the annual LA Gay Pride Parade and Festival since 1979, and has been official host and partner of the celebration since the City’s incorporation in 1984. Planning is currently underway for the 44th annual Celebration, which is scheduled for June 6-8, 2014.

The forum will be moderated by the Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board Co-Chairs (Amy Ruskin and Robert Gamboa) and the Transgender Advisory Board Chair (Karina Samala). Everyone will have an opportunity to speak for 3 minutes. There will be no cross talk and feel free to share in a non-biased environment. Say whatever it is you want to say about the event, positive or negative. All comments will be collected by staff and submitted to LGAB, City Council and CSW. For those unwilling to speak in public, there will be paper to write down your comment. If you need more than three minutes to speak, you will need to wait another turn. As always, please be respectful of others.

For more information on the forum, please contact Jeff Book, staff liaison for the Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board, (323) 848-6471. For press inquiries, please contact Kaitlin Egan at (323) 848-6431.