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The most important stories for you to know today
  • Introducing a new series: LAist City Treks

    Topline:

    There are so many parts of L.A. that we never get to see because we’re all stuck in our cars. So let’s shake things up a bit. LAist is launching a new series — LAist City Treks — and it’s all about exploring L.A.'s hidden gems on easy hikes and walks.

    Why it matters: Remember during the pandemic when we were all itching to get back outside? Well, this new series channels that energy into checking out easy walks and hikes. This series will take you to the unexpected parts of L.A. that you typically just drive on by, or might otherwise miss in sprawling SoCal. Expect a bit of history, a bit of culture, and a whole lot of fun. And did we mention these walks are aimed at beginners (although you can always add on time and distance if you want more).

    Why now: The first trek takes us across the structure dubbed the Park To Playa Bridge. This bridge was the last missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle to connect enough parkland and trails so that ambitious hikers — like you — could one day trek all the way from the Crenshaw area down to the Pacific Ocean. The bridge opened during the pandemic, without much fanfare. So this is your invitation to check it out as we explore a small, 3-mile section of the overall trail. You'll be rewarded with sweeping views at the top. And, if it's a clear day, you can see the Hollywood sign.

    The guide: If you love walking, and you live in L.A., then you probably have a copy of the popular walking bible known as 10,000 Steps A Day In LA. The author, Paul Haddad, is now taking LAist readers on a new adventure with city treks around L.A. and SoCal.

    Welcome to LAist City Treks, a series of easy hikes and walks that will helps you explore the parts of Los Angeles and SoCal that we rarely get to see — or only see through the car window. Expect to get about 5K steps, and plenty of photos for your social media channels. Keep scrolling, because you'll also find three recommendations for grabbing a quick bite to eat once you're finished.

    Where are we headed?

    We're heading to spectacular city views as we walk across the Park to Playa Bridge and make our way to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. If it's a clear day, you can even take in the Hollywood sign. And if you're feeling up to the challenge, check out as many of the Culver City Stairs — 282 steps in all — as you dare. Tag us on social media @LAistOfficial and #LAistTreks

    Why now?

    Two people are walking on a dirt hiking trail that is fenced in on both sides, with shrubs, trees and native plants lining the paths.
    You can't get lost on this trail because it's all fenced in. But you'll still feel like you're getting away from it all in the middle of the city.
    (
    Rene Lynch
    /
    LAist
    )

    This hike explores a scenic, three-mile stretch of the Park to Playa Trail. The full Park to Playa Trail spans over 10 miles, from the Baldwin Hills Parklands down to the Pacific Ocean. The trail was years in making, as cities and communities pieced the necessary land together like a jigsaw puzzle. The big missing piece was a bridge spanning busy La Cienega Boulevard. The bridge finally opened during the pandemic, but it remains unfamiliar to many.

    So go now, before the summer heat becomes an issue, and check it out. The Park to Playa trail has six segments: You could also plan do do little pieces of it over several weekends, and then you'll have Park To Playa bragging rights.

    Quickly, what can I expect?

    • Route conditions: Rolling terrain, mix of pavement and dirt trails
    • Difficulty: 3 out of 5, with 5 being the hardest (most of the route is easy, but there is one brief, challenging stretch
    • Distance: About 3 miles, with the option to add on distance (and stairs!) at the top
    • Dog friendly: Kinda — leashed dogs are allowed on the trail, but technically not the overlook. However, leashed dogs can be seen everywhere
    • Costs/Parking: Parking is free during the week, $7 per car on weekends. There is also a 25-cent shuttle service option on weekends
    • Trailhead bathroom: Yes. There are also bathrooms at the Stoneview Nature Center (closed Mondays) and at the turn around point.

    Map it!

    Want to take this map with you?

    Click here and then select "Send directions to your phone." NOTE: The Google Maps directions send you up a steep hill to get to the bridge. We'd rather avoid that. So we recommend you park at the Doris Japanese Garden entrance and then follow our directions outlined here to get to the lower parking lot. It's a much friendlier path. Once you are at the bridge, the Google Maps directions will work just fine.

    OK, let's get started...

    Enter the Kenneth Hahn Recreation Area entrance at 4100 S. La Cienega Boulevard in Baldwin Hills and make your first left into a parking lot. From there, you'll travel back through two parking lots — almost as if you are heading back to La Cienega — until you hit a cul-de-sac and see the distinctive red entrance to the Doris Japanese Garden. You'll park here, and then venture through the gate, stopping to say hello to the ornate carved lions on either side. The garden here is a little weathered and worn, but you can still enjoy the koi, the turtles, squirrels, ducks and other wildlife that make their homes here.

    Upon entering, choose the center path so that you keep the koi pond on your immediate left as you walk on by it. Keep on this path, and, as you can see in the photos above, you'll see a yellow metal pole up ahead — that means you're in the right place. A few more steps and the lower parking lot, and the bridge, will soon come into view on your left. (This path is all so new that you won't even find it yet on the park's own maps! And if you don't stick to the right path, you could end up on a nearby trail that has a grueling 12% grade.) Continue on the path as bends and curves down into the lower parking lot, and the eastern end of the bridge.

    Here, the hike begins in earnest.

    What's with that name?

    This is probably where you'll do a doubletake: The optics of a convicted felon’s name engraved into the steel truss of this bridge may seem surprising, but there’s no denying that Mark Ridley-Thomas helped create more open space in South L.A. as a member of the county board of supervisors.

    As you walk over the bridge, the beds of native landscaping to your right aren’t just for show; they offer safe passage for the park’s critters to cross over bustling La Cienega Boulevard. After you step off the bridge, you'll follow the fenced trail as it begins to gently zig and zag its way up the hillside.

    Watch out for art work

    This is L.A., and so you're never too far from creativity, even on the trails. About 500 feet past the bridge you’ll find one of a half-dozen “Citizen Seeds” sculptures created by artist Kim Abeles. The installation calls attention to the area’s biodiversity and history.

    Keep walking, enjoying the twists and turns of the road as you continue a gradual climb.

    Detour at the Stoneview Nature Center

    A few more hundred feet on your right is the Stoneview Nature Center. Completed in 2017, the county-run complex is a model of adaptive land use, sitting as it does on an abandoned oil mine. Amble along a well-curated trail that takes you past meditative gardens, compost stations, a labyrinth, even a “bee hotel.” There are many classes held here, such as cooking and art creation for kids, yoga in the shade for adults. (You can also drive directly to the center.)

    Plan ahead, and find your secret spot to break out a picnic. If the breeze is just right, you just might be serenaded by the soothing sound of metal music. I’m talking, of course, about the two unique wind chimes in the nature center's avocado and orange groves. Designed by the art collective Fallen Fruit, the chimes are made up of discarded kitchen utensils and cookware donated by neighbors.

    What's this mural in the middle?

    A mural has been painted along a stretch of concrete. There are pretty flowers, and black-and-white roadways painted along it, a nod to both the land and busy La Cienega Boulevard.
    The Lavendar Chiveevi mural. It is a dedication to the land, and its people.
    (
    Rene Lynch
    /
    LAist
    )

    Exit Stoneview and make a right, continuing on your walk. You'll soon come up on Lavender Chiveeví, a Los Angeles County commissioned mural that honors the biodiversity of the plants found in the area, the surrounding community and roads, and the indigenous people who once called the area home.

    Active oil pumpjacks can be seen in the distance, part of the Inglewood Oil Field. The trail will dip once more before it begins a climb of 200 feet over the next half-mile.

    Don’t worry, you got this! Just take your time.

    Along the way, take an opportunity to pause and turn. At several points, you can enjoy the blissful feeling of seeing nature all around, and barely any signs of "civilization" beyond a glimpse of some power lines and the whirring of traffic in the distance.

    Final push to the top

    An outlook at the top of Baldwin Hills is lined with concrete bench seating and plenty of places to enjoy the views of the city, or just get in a workout.
    Make your way to the top, and you'll find it's always busy with people getting in a workout or just enjoying the sweeping views. When it's a clear day, you can make out the Hollywood sign.
    (
    Rene Lynch
    /
    LAist
    )

    The trail will lead you to the edge of the parking lot at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Outlook. Walk all the way through the parking lot, and just before you hit the street on the other side — Hetzler Road — take a right and walk into the outlook area. This spot is almost always busy with people walking dogs, working out and chatting with friends.

    Walk past the bathrooms and events area and begin making your way to the left, along a new series of fenced trails, and head to the outer edge and outlook. You'll know you're going in right direction when you hear lots of voices. Follow the voices.

    You'll then walk out into an opening and all your hard work will be rewarded with sweeping cities views.

    The turnaround point

    The view from the top of the extremely steep Culver City Stairs. Several people are struggling to make their way up.
    The famed Culver City Stairs are no joke. There are 282 steps in all.
    (
    Rene Lynch
    /
    LAist
    )

    Now, you have a decision to make: Turn back, or explore the Culver City Stairs and the trail that zig zags around it. Just remember, what goes down, must come up, and these stairs are no joke. Also fun: Just watching others navigating the stairs while you enjoy the vistas before you including the Hollywood sign, DTLA, and more.

    When you're ready, make your way back the way you came, back down the trail, across the bridge, and back up past the koi pond to your parking spot.

    Done! Where to eat?

    LAist's Associate Editor for Food and Culture, Gab Chabrán, recommends the following three places in the area to grab a bite to eat when you are done:

    Loqui

    No one gives you side eye for ordering a taco on a fresh flour tortilla (instead of corn) at Loqui. There are also plenty of bowls with the protein of your choice served with rice, beans and man options for vegetarians. They also have extra sides of protein (shrimp, chicken, etc.) for those watching the carbs. And chips and quac for those who are not.


    Pann's

    Step back into the year 1958, slide into a red booth, admire the Googie architecture and enjoy some classic diner fare at Pann's, such as eggs and buttermilk biscuits, hot cakes, and country fried steaks, milkshakes, burgers and more.

    Location: 6710 LaTijera Blvd., Los Angeles
    Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    Post & Beam

    If it's a Saturday or Sunday, and you're not too grimy from the hike, head to Post & Beam for their weekend brunch. They're known for Southern food with a California twist, such as shrimp and grits and fried chicken and waffles and pecan pie French toast. Plant based and gluten free options, too.

    Location: 7367 Santa Rosalia Drive, Los Angeles
    Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    Where to next?

    Any suggestions for great hikes in and around L.A.? Don't keep it to yourself! Let us know, and we might check them out for a future story.

    Haddad is the author of the hiking bible 10,000 Steps A Day in LA and the upcoming Inventing Paradise: The Power Brokers Who Created the Dream of Los Angeles. Read more about Haddad here.

  • Photos from DTLA and Westwood
    People wave flags against the backdrop of a clear blue sky and palm trees.
    A man raises the historical Iranian Lion and Sun flag during a rally in the Westwood neighborhood on Saturday.

    Topline:

    Angelenos took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles and Westwood on Saturday in response to the US-Israeli military strikes in Iran.

    Details: Local demonstrations protesting U.S. intervention took place outside City Hall in downtown Los Angeles, as well as in Ventura and Orange counties. In Westwood, Iranian Americans gathered to celebrate the strikes. More demonstrations are planned on today and tomorrow.

    Read on to see photos from Saturday's demonstrations.

    Angelenos took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles and Westwood on Saturday in response to the US-Israeli military strikes in Iran.

    A coalition of organizations, including the National Iranian American Council, the ANSWER coalition and 50501, held protests nationwide in reaction.

    Local demonstrations took place outside City Hall in downtown Los Angeles, as well as in Ventura and Orange counties.

    In Westwood, Iranian Americans gathered to celebrate the strikes. More demonstrations are planned on today and tomorrow.

    Here are photos from yesterday.

    Westwood

    A group of people holding Iranian flags on a city street.
    Hundreds rally seeking regime change in Iran in the Westwood neighborhood on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif. The rally was organized after works spread that the US and Israel had bombed Iran over night, local time, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei among others.
    (
    Genaro Molina
    /
    /Los Angeles Times via Getty Image
    )
    A group of people holding Iranian flags and a busy street intersection.
    Los Angeles, Calif., United States - February 28: Hundreds rally waving the historical Iranian Lion and Sun and American flags the in the Westwood neighborhood on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif. The rally was organized after works spread that the US and Israel had bombed Iran over night, local time.(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
    (
    Genaro Molina
    /
    Los Angeles Times
    )
    Group of people marching with Iranian flags and large banner reading 'CHANGE' featuring the Iranian flag
    Hundreds rally seeking regime change in Iran in the Westwood neighborhood on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif. The rally was organized after works spread that the US and Israel had bombed Iran over night, local time, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei among others.
    (
    Genaro Molina
    /
    Los Angeles Times via Getty Image
    )
    Group of people holding large Iranian flag and protest signs on a city street
    A man walks under the colors if Iran while joining hundreds in a rally seeking regime change in Iran in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif.. on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. The rally was organized after works spread that the US and Israel had bombed Iran over night, local time, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei among others.
    (
    Genaro Molina
    /
    Los Angeles Times via Getty Image
    )

    Downtown Los Angeles

    A person holding a protest sign that reads, "Drop the files. Not the bombs."
    A protester holds a poster reading "drop the files not the bombs" during a demonstration against the war in Iran in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California, on February 28, 2026.
    (
    Etienne Laurent
    /
    AFP via Getty Images
    )
    A crowd gathered in front of a park in a protest. They hold up a sign that reads, "No War, No Iran"
    A crowd gathered at Los Angeles City Hall to protest against United States and Israel bombing Iran on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif. on Feb. 28, 2026. (Photo by Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
    (
    Myung J. Chun
    /
    Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
    )
    A woman with a scarf wrapped around her head holds up a photo of Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
    A protester holds a portrait of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a flag of Iran during a demonstration against the war in Iran in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California, on February 28, 2026.
    (
    Etienne Laurent
    /
    AFP via Getty Images
    )
    Protest signs that read "No New US War in the Middle East."
    Protesters holds placards reading "no new US war in the Middle East" during a demonstration against the war in Iran in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California, on February 28, 2026.
    (
    Etienne Laurent
    /
    AFP via Getty Images
    )
    A man holds a sign that says "War Pig" with a photo of President Trump with pig snout and ears.
    A man holds a sign at Los Angeles City Hall to protest against United States and Israel bombing Iran on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif. on Feb. 28, 2026. (Photo by Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
    (
    Myung J. Chun
    /
    Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
    )

  • Sponsored message
  • Hidden in...a utility box
    As dusk falls, a white woman in white overalls stands beside a model of an open utility box on a sidewalk, revealing an interior with red velvet walls, gold-framed artwork.
    L.A. street artist S.C. Mero stands next to her latest installation in the Arts District, a utility box theater.

    Topline:

    Utility boxes are a popular canvas for public art, but an Los Angeles street artist has taken the idea further — transforming one into a miniature theater.

    Why now: Since S.C. Mero installed the box theater just a few weeks ago, dozens of performers have already reached out and begun using the space, ranging from poets to musicians and clowns.

    The backstory: Mero often transforms overlooked street fixtures into pieces about urban life. A previous installation at the same corner — an oversized mailbox symbolizing the elusiveness of homeownership — stood for about five years.

    Walk through cities around the world and it's easy to spot the trend: utility boxes painted and transformed into public art to spiff up neighborhoods.

    In downtown Los Angeles, street artist S.C. Mero has taken the idea of the utility box as art in a different direction with one she’s installed in the Arts District.

    “Would you like me to open it up and you can see?” she asked on a recent morning.

    At first glance, it looks like an ordinary electrical cabinet — gray and about the size of a refrigerator. But instead of the usual fire-resistant metal, this one is made of wood with a faux concrete base.

    A gray utility box stands closed on a sidewalk near a palm tree and parked cars.
    The box theater incognito.
    (
    Courtesy of S.C. Mero
    )

    She spins two combination locks and pulls open the door.

    A hidden theater

    Inside, instead of a tangle of cables and cords, crushed red velvet covers the walls from top to bottom.

    A gilded clock and gold-framed pictures of two other electrical boxes (“possibly its mother, and its great-grandfather”) adorn the tiny interior, inspired by one of downtown’s oldest movie palaces, the Los Angeles Theatre.

    “The first time I went into that theater, the feeling that I had, I wanted people to have a similar feeling when they opened this up,” she said.

    Like the theater, the box is meant to bring audiences together. Mero invites performers to step inside and since its installation a few weeks ago, some 30 poets, magicians, puppeteers and clowns have reached out about using the space.

    Many are female artists.

    “Maybe it's because of the scale of it, they feel like they can actually have a chance to get inside,” Mero said.

    A tradition of unexpected art

    The box theater sits across the street from the historic American Hotel, an early hub for artists in the neighborhood.

    Jesse Easter, the hotel’s night manager, has a front-row seat to the box theater performances.

    “It was the seminal message of the Arts District is still alive,” he says.

    Easter first arrived in the neighborhood in the 1980s, a blues and rock musician who also professionally installed art.

    He said the Arts District has long been known for unconventional public art. Famously in 1982, artist Dustin Shuler pinned a Cessna airplane to the side of the American Hotel with a 20-foot-long nail.

    “I was one of the people that was in the hotel that saw the room that the nail came down into, went through the brick wall, into the floor and stopped,” Easter recalls.

    Easter says Mero’s installations boldly continue that tradition of guerilla street art in the neighborhood.

    After graduating from USC in 2011, she started to make sculptural works with overlooked street fixtures, exploring issues such as addiction and homelessness.

    An oversized wooden mailbox sculpture labeled “U.S. Mail” stands on a tall post along a sidewalk.
    Before the box theater, there was a giant mailbox.
    (
    Courtesy of S.C. Mero
    )

    Before the theater box, Mero installed an oversized mailbox at the same corner towering over passersby, symbolizing a housing market that remains out of reach for many Angelenos.

    Elsewhere in the Arts District, she has installed a 13-foot-tall parking meter sculpture, commentary on the overwhelming nature of parking in the city.

    Realizing a dream 

    The box theater is perhaps the piece that has invited the most participation.

    A man in a black jacket sits on an open utility box, tuning a guitar in front of the red velvet-lined interior beneath a lit “Electrical Box Theatre” sign.
    Jesse Easter, a musician and night manager at the American Hotel, prepares to perform at the box theater.
    (
    Courtesy of S.C. Mero
    )

    Last week, Mero asked Easter and other local artists to perform there. He played a blues song he wrote more than 40 years ago when he first moved to the Arts District.

    “It was sunset and I was thinking, this kind of is the bookend,” he said.

    Other participants performed spoken word poetry and played saxophone.

    One performer, Mike Cuevas, discovered the theater by accident.

    An Uber driver, Cuevas was waiting for his next delivery order by the box theater as it was being prepped ahead of the night’s performance.

    Mero recalls him getting out of his car to look at what she was doing.

    “He's like, what's going on here? This looks so cool,” Mero said. “He said as he's driving throughout the city, in between his rides, he writes poetry.”

    Cuevas, who goes by the pen name Octane 543(12), left to make a delivery in East L.A., but he said “something in his heart” told him to return that evening.

    After watching others perform, he stepped up to the box and read his poetry in public for the first time, a piece about Latino pride.

    A man gestures while looking at a phone by an open utility box theater with red velvet walls, as two saxophones rest on stands nearby at night.
    Mike Cuevas, aka Mike Octane 543-12, publicly reads his poetry for the first time.
    (
    Courtesy of S.C. Mero
    )

    “Another generation will pass through,” he recited. “And they'll understand why we honor with proud delight, the continuous fight for the history of our brothers and sisters.”

    Cuevas didn’t know Mero by name or anything about her work, but thanks her for giving him a venue.

    “I just felt something beautiful with her art,” Cuevas said. “It's time for me to start expressing myself. She inspired me to do exactly what she's doing but through poetry.”

    He now plans to read again at an open mic in downtown L.A. next week.

    An overture to look inside

    Mero says the project has spoken to her personally, too. Growing up in Minnesota, she loved art as a child but later focused on playing lacrosse and hockey. At USC, she studied public relations.

    “Once I started getting so into art, everyone was kind of shocked,” Mero said. “That's why I really want to encourage people to go inside themselves and see what's there, because you never know.”

    Mero is hoping for a long run for the box theater. The mailbox installation before it stayed up for five years, only toppled, she heard, after skateboarders accidentally ran into it.

    In the meantime, the small theater sits quietly on the sidewalk waiting for its next performer, its exterior starting to collect graffiti like any other utility box.

  • Here's what to know about the Tuesday event
    The City of Los Angeles is seen from  a distance at night. A "blood moon" can be seen in the night sky. Palm trees are in the foreground of the picture. In the background city lights, most prominently from skyscrapers in Downtown Los Angeles can be seen.
    A Super Blue Blood Moon hovers over Los Angeles in 2018.

    Topline:

    A total lunar eclipse is happening this Tuesday. That's when the earth will move directly between the sun and moon, casting a “blood” red color onto the moon.

    What: It's going to be the first lunar eclipse of the year. The process is slated to start around midnight and last until dawn on Tuesday. It’s called the “Blood Moon” because of the red hue the earth’s atmosphere refracts onto the lunar surface as light from the sun passes through it.

    When: Although the eclipse begins around midnight, it won’t reach totality until 3:04 a.m., at which point it will be visible to the naked eye for about an hour. All of Southern California should be able to see it.

    How else can I watch: The Griffith Observatory will be hosting a live virtual broadcast of the celestial event from midnight to dawn.

    What's next: This isn’t the only lunar eclipse happening this year, but it is the only “total eclipse,” according to NASA. Another one is set to occur in August, but it will only be partially visible in North America. A solar eclipse will occur Aug. 12.

  • Where to spot them near LA
    A large blue-gray colored whale pokes its head out of the water with a bright blue sky above.
    An adult gray whale and its calf approach tourists.

    Topline:

    With warm — relative to Alaska — spring waters, migratory rest-stops and great feeding grounds, Los Angeles County’s coast is considered part of the “Blue Highway,” a crucial whale migration corridor and one of the best places to spot the gentle giants.

    What might you see? Cetacean species you may spot in our waters include humpback whales, orcas, blue whales and dolphins. Your best chance, however, is spotting a gray whale. As school-bus-sized gray whales migrate back and forth between Alaska and Baja, they consistently hug LA’s coastline.

    Read on ... for tips on where and how to spot whales near you.

    It’s whale watching season, which always makes me think of the novel Moby-Dick.

    In the book, Captain Ahab chased a whale for vengeance. I recently chased whales off the coast of Los Angeles, but in my case, it was in pursuit of the beauty and majesty of the natural world.

    With warm — relative to Alaska — spring waters, migratory rest-stops and great feeding grounds, Los Angeles County’s coast is considered part of the “Blue Highway,” a crucial whale migration corridor and one of the best places to spot the gentle giants.

    According to Cabrillo Marine Aquarium program director Jim DiPompei, many whales can be seen right in our backyard.

    “There’s a little over 90 species of cetaceans (marine mammals) in the world, and we see about 30% of the species we could possibly see here in Southern California,” DiPompei told The LA Local.

    Cetacean species you may spot in our waters include humpback whales, orcas, blue whales and dolphins. Your best chance, however, is spotting a gray whale. As school bus-sized gray whales migrate back and forth between Alaska and Baja, they consistently hug LA’s coastline.

    But where should you go to actually get a good look at whales? Don’t worry — I got you. Here’s The LA Local guide to cruising the Blue Highway.

    Top spots to watch whales from shore

    Point Vicente Interpretive Center
    31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes
    Free, laid-back, on the mountains!

    At the Point Vicente Interpretive Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, you’ll find an overlook dedicated to whale watching. While this is a great free spot for amateurs to come and look out for whales, this is no playground. Professionals conduct the annual whale census here, tracking the migration of whales.

    This is a great place to bring a picnic basket and some binoculars to relax while scanning the ocean. Even if you don’t spot any whale action, you can visit the free natural history museum inside, which focuses on the region and its most famous inhabitants: whales. Afterward, step outside and chat with a museum docent accompanying the census watch.

    If you want to see whales, stick to the coastal canyons. Canyons aren’t just massive structures above water — they are also mountains beneath the surface, offering depth, cold water and nutrients that attract food for whales. Gray whales tend to follow the canyons to stay away from the dangerous orcas.

    Whale spotting 101

    Whale watching season typically runs from December through May. It peaks from January to March.

    When looking for a whale, try to spot their water mist blowing above the water. Gray whales typically surface for air every five minutes. When they do, they’ll blow out a water mist — that’s your chance to spot and track them until they surface again.

    Get on a boat!

    If you want to get eye-to-eye and really feel a cetacean’s scale, there are plenty of whale-watching cruises. They typically depart from Marina Del Rey, Redondo Beach, Long Beach, San Pedro, Dana Point and almost anywhere with a port.

    Many cruises have a naturalist on board to answer questions and provide expert context to ocean wildlife.

    On my tour departing from Long Beach, we saw five gray whales and a swarm of common dolphins feeding.

    But be warned: If you get seasick easily, this trip might not be for you. On our two-and-half-hour trip, the boat rocked emphatically as we approached feeding sites. It’s fun if you can imagine yourself on a see-saw, but it might not be that enjoyable if that sounds nauseating.

    While boat captains are not allowed to approach the whales too closely due to environmental protections, the whales can approach the boat if they choose. Sometimes the whales seem curious and watch us in return — it’s up to them and how they are feeling.

    Get involved

    Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
    3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro

    If you really catch the whale-watching bug, you’re in luck.

    At the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, they offer a whale-watching naturalist program where you can volunteer and train to be a naturalist on board whale-watching cruises.

    DiPompei said they train anyone over the age of 18 “who’s interested in learning about whales and volunteering their time to be on these whale-watching boats to talk to the general public and to talk to students.”

    This program was started in the 1970s by John Olge, one of the founders of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, with an emphasis on education and showing schoolchildren the beauty of our natural world.

    The aquarium is also a great place to introduce whales to children. With kid-sized exhibits and educational programs throughout the year, it’s an ideal way to show young ones just how big and beautiful our oceans are.