Mt. Hollywood
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When I was a kid, Pershing Square downtown was not as slick as it is today. It was just a park with benches. But a classic thing about this park was that it was used, especially on the weekends, by political, religious, and philosophical speakers. They sometimes brought their own podium or soap boxes to give themselves some height in order to speak to their audience.
When I was about 12 years old, there was a preacher who was worth listening to, and who was fairly reasonable in his viewpoints and arguments. However, his main message was that the second coming of Christ was coming, as well as Armageddon, on September 15 at 3:00 pm, Jerusalem time. So he and his followers would climb up Mount Hollywood, the highest point in the City of Los Angeles, on September 15, at 5 am, and wait to see this evil city, and all the sinners within, destroyed. One problem was that he didn’t know what year this was going to happen. But he was very confident about the date, and so they continued to go up every year. How romantic.
No, I never went with them.
But he made me very curious about Mount Hollywood so I found the place. It is the hill behind the Griffith Park Observatory. And it is the highest point in the city of Los Angeles. The views are amazing.
Up there, the wonder of the full moon rising at the same time as the sun sets is easy to see. If I was in town, from about the age of 13 until about the age of 30, I saw most of the full moon rises from the top of Mount Hollywood.
In case you haven’t noticed, the full moon rises at sunset, give or take a few minutes. Every month I would hike the hill to watch, even if the weather didn’t cooperate. If the weather was right, and the time of year was right, and the moon and sun cooperated, as the sun set, and the moon rose, there is the illusion that the horizon tilts.
I also once saw the green flash.
I’m not exactly sure how the green flash works, but it can be seen from Mt Hollywood because you can see the ocean. It’s a flash of brilliant green that happens just as the sun touches the ocean. I feel very privileged to have seen it.
I also got to see a few sunrises, and a few moon sets.
Going in the morning I would meet future city councilman Tom LaBonge, and Charlie Turner, the “mayor” of Mt. Hollywood. And other characters.
I hiked up after midnight a few times. Rode up a passenger on a motorcycle at 2 am. Also, because I thought I was immortal, I hiked up during a lightning storm, or a Los Angeles version of a lightning storm.
There are many animals on Mount Hollywood. Once I saw a wonderful large grandpa size rattlesnake blocking the trail. There are many deer, especially in the early morning. I had a staring contest with a buck deer with large antlers, who was ready to defend the path. I threw rocks behind him, so he felt threatened in that direction and ran up a hill. I wasn’t being especially brave. He was blocking my only way down the hill. One night I was accosted by a pack of coyote. I rode to the top of Mt. Hollywood on horseback. And of course, the most wild beasts of all, the gay guys having sex in the bushes.
On the east side of the mountain, was a garden called Dante’s View. It was the only spot in Griffith Park that the park service allowed non-indigenous plants. Dante Orgolini was an old newspaper guy. In the 40s I think he had something to do with The Hollywood Foreign Press Association that now gives out the Golden Globes.
When he retired his dream was to cultivate a large garden. Somehow, he was able to have that garden on this spot in Griffith Park. It was such a lovely garden. It was a magical place. It was a place that I felt was a refuge.
I hung out with Dante sometimes, helped him when he needed help, carried up plants for him, watered and weeded. And we would have intense, serious conversations about life. He was a lovely man. He was a surrogate father.
He would gallantly kiss the hand of every woman who visited his garden.
Every Sunday morning there was a gathering there, but I never felt the need.
Every year on Dante’s birthday, there was a big party. He would only invite his favorite people, like me. The first year I met the actor Aldo Ray, we talked about his old movies, movies in general, and life. For four or 5 years I would have a time, with a gathering of people who had in common the love of one man, drinking homemade wine, a generous birthday potluck, and talking movies with Aldo Ray.
Then Dante died. I hadn't heard. Charlie Turner, who often helped him, told me that Dante was gone. Charlie tried to keep the garden going, but it wasn’t the same. Dante was the soul.
Many years later Griffith Park caught fire and Dante’s View was gone. I felt full grief, for the garden and for the man. I’ve only been up a few times since.
There are two trails up to Mount Hollywood peak. The last few times I went up, I didn't take the path that went past Dante's View.
After we were emptying nesters, I tried going up a few times in the morning with all the Koreans, but it wasn’t the same.
Once, there was a large new RV parked near the top of the peak, but not visible from the city below. There were antennas pointing up and at the city, and probes drilled into the ground. The RV had no license plates and blacked out windows, and no people in or around it.
Enjoy your own conspiracy theory here.
I stopped going up Mount Hollywood when the city, illegally, against the original charter, started charging for parking to make the hike, and to visit the observatory.