Places to Go

Did you know that Los Angeles is recognized – repeatedly – as a popular tourist destination? I’m not surprised when I consider the beaches, mountains, theme parks and places (like Hollywood) we have. 

Because of the many things our locale does offer we can easily enjoy a “staycation” – that is taking time off and just seeing the many sites in the LA area instead of leaving to go on “vacation.”

One of the places to visit is the La Brea Tar Pits.  

Now, I have to share with you that I had never been to the La Brea Tar Pits … before this past Saturday. I went with Mary O’Keefe and Charly Shelton and Charly’s two sons. Charly is a paleontologist and has actually worked at the Tar Pits – what a great guide, right?

Traffic was miserable, which was bizarre when juxtaposed against the bubbly tar pits – an example of the new and old.

After parking the car, we made our way to the grounds. The outside is dotted with fenced tar pits, some with models of gigantic mammoths that have been “caught” in the gooey tar. Inside the museum, we had the opportunity to pull on a metal rod that was rooted in tar giving us the chance to feel how tough it was to get out of the goo. On display were the carcasses of several animals that had been reconstructed from excavations from the tar pits. (As an aside, did you know that giant ground sloths were prominent in the Los Angeles area? A carcass is on display at the museum at the La Brea Tar Pits.)

Excavations are ongoing at the Tar Pits. Charly worked at Pit 91, excavating bones and cleaning them. Though finding and collecting big bones are great, paleontologists also collect microfossils – the tiny remains of plants and animals like seeds, twigs, snake bones, bird beaks, insect exoskeletons and fish teeth. These discoveries actually increased the known number of species that got caught in the pits. It also provided data for understanding how climate change affected the habitat in the LA area. 

Charly told me that one day he was working on an excavation and was sitting down for about four hours. He didn’t realize until he tried to stand up that tar had seeped up and surrounded him. He said that two people tried to pull him up but that was a no go. They ended up cutting off a piece of his pants in order for him to become disengaged.

Getting caught in the tar is apparently an easy thing to do! Just remember that next time you head out to the beach and get goo on the bottom of your feet!

The La Brea Tar Pits will close for two years on July 6 while it undergoes maintenance and upgrades.