The hook
Yes, it's the most obvious landmark in Los Angeles, and yes, it's genuinely worth it, and it has been free to everyone since 1935 because the man who paid for it insisted.
01Why it's worth it
The atlas usually skips the obvious, but Griffith earns the exception. It's a beautiful 1935 building on the south face of Griffith Park, and admission has been free from day one because the benefactor's will demanded that no one ever be charged to look through the telescope. More people have looked through its Zeiss refractor than any other telescope on Earth. The exhibits are genuinely good, the planetarium is one of the best anywhere, and the terrace hands you the whole city at once, downtown to the ocean, with the Hollywood sign over your shoulder, best at sunset when the lights come up. It's where James Dean scuffled in Rebel Without a Cause. Locals bring their out-of-town guests here and quietly enjoy it themselves.
02How to experience it
It's in Griffith Park above Los Feliz, about six hours from the Bay. The building and grounds are free; the planetarium show has a small charge. Parking is genuinely miserable at peak times, so come early or late, or take the shuttle up. Sunset is the payoff but also the crowd; weeknights are calmer.