点评:Being a science, especially astronomy, nerd/geek since I was a child, plus the fact that the observatory was a central feature in the 1955 James Dean movie, "Rebel Without a Cause," I've always wanted to go here.
The view of the Los Angeles basin, San Fernando Valley, and the Hollywood sign is really great. Admission to the building, grounds, and public telescopes is free but tickets are required for the planetarium shows and cannot be purchased in advance. Ticket prices when I was there were $12 for adults; $10 for seniors, students and teachers; $8 for foundation members (all of the aforementioned except adults must show I.D.) and children 5-12 years old; and children under 5 were free. I saw the "Signs of Life" show which I really enjoyed.
In the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater, two free short films (around 30 minutes each) were shown at various times, primarily during the afternoon/evening hours. The films being shown and the times are on the observatory's website. There are several free permanent exhibits spanning several halls that focus on the evolution of human astronomy that were very interesting. Regarding the observatory being a feature in the movie "Rebel Without a Cause," there is a bust of James Dean and tributary plaque on the grounds close to the building.
Since I had not driven to Los Angeles nor rented a vehicle for my stay there, I used Uber to get to and from the observatory and I'm glad I did. The traffic getting to the Observatory was very heavy even at 11 AM on a Saturday morning (1 hour after it opened), the parking areas anywhere close to the observatory were already full, and the parking fee was $10 an hour. There is a specific ride share drop off/pickup area close to the building.
The Uber driver had warned me on the way there that I may not have cell service, or that it would be very spotty, at the observatory. Although my cell service is with a major carrier, I did not have any service after I left the building and got to the ride share drop off/pick up location upon leaving for the day. I had to go back inside the building and use the observatory's free unencrypted (open, no password required) Wi-Fi to request an Uber ride.
While walking around the building on a sidewalk on the lower right side of the main entrance, I saw a sign that said "Danger Rattlesnakes" just off of the sidewalk (photo attached).
My visit at the observatory was a very enjoyable one. I would like to go back at some point, this time after dark, so I can use the free public telescopes, and see the other planetarium show that I didn't see during my visit.
翻译:从小我就是个科学迷,尤其痴迷于天文学;再加上这座天文台是1955年詹姆斯·迪恩主演的电影《无因的反抗》中的重要场景,因此我一直都渴望能来这里。
从这里可以欣赏到洛杉矶盆地、圣费尔南多谷以及好莱坞标志的绝美景致。进入大楼、园区以及使用公共望远镜都是免费的,不过想要观看天象厅的演出则需要购票,且无法提前购买。我参观时,门票价格为:成人12美元;老年人、学生和教师10美元;基金会会员(上述除成人外的群体均需出示身份证件)以及5至12岁的儿童8美元;5岁以下的儿童则免费。我观看了《生命的迹象》展览,非常喜欢。
在伦纳德·尼莫伊事件视界剧院,不同时段会放映两部免费的短片,每部时长约30分钟,主要在下午或傍晚时段播放。正在放映的电影及放映时间都公布在天文台的网站上。馆内有多个免费的常设展览,遍布多个展厅,主要讲述人类天文学的发展历程,非常有趣。至于该天文台作为《无因的反叛》电影场景一事,在靠近大楼的场地上还摆放着詹姆斯·迪恩的半身像以及纪念牌。
由于我既没有开车去洛杉矶,也没有在逗留期间租车。我乘坐Uber往返于天文台,很庆幸自己这么做了。即便是在周六上午11点——天文台刚开放1小时后,前往那里的路况依然十分拥堵;天文台附近的停车场全都已满,而停车费则高达每小时10美元。天文台附近有一个专门供拼车车辆上下客的区域。
在途中,Uber司机提醒我,那里可能没有手机信号,或者信号极其不稳定。在天文台里。虽然我使用的是一家大型运营商的手机服务,但当我离开大楼并到达当天离开时的拼车上下车点后,却没有任何信号。我不得不重新回到大楼内,借助天文台提供的免费且未加密的(开放网络,无需密码)无线网络来叫了一辆Uber车。
当我沿着主入口右侧下方的人行道绕楼行走时。我在人行道旁边看到一个标志,上面写着“危险:有响尾蛇出没”(附上照片)。
我在天文台的参观体验非常愉快。以后我还想再去一次,不过这次打算在天黑之后去,这样就能使用免费的公共望远镜,还能观看这次没能看到的天文展示节目。