On a Clear Day you can see Los Angeles Forever

Dec 16, 2009 by Lisa Newton

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After a long and hard rainy week, yesterday the sky was picture perfect. Indeed, it was one of the clearest days I’ve seen in Los Angeles for a very long time.

Due to this extraordinary circumstance and happenchance, I felt compelled to document just how far one could see toward the horizon here—47 miles to be exact. To capture these golden moments, I had no time to waste as sundown was fast approaching.

So I made haste, and grabbed my Nikon and drove to the closest, highest place possible, in the shortest amount of time. Perched at Mount Saint Mary’s College Chalon Campus, located in the Santa Monica Mountains just above Sunset Blvd., I was able to capture a panoramic view of Los Angeles’ coastline, horizon, mountains, and other points of interest.

What a great location–calm, serene, and the perfect place to take pictures—especially on a day as gorgeous and clear as yesterday.

To give you an idea of the distance of the photographs from my vantage point, the map below includes the various and proximate locations from one to another:

View Los Angeles Crystal Clear in a larger map

These photographs serve as a reminder why so many of us love living in LA. You never know what a new day will bring. Of course, not everything here—or anywhere—is always all good; but when the good is present its sublime.

Each picture is captioned with both a small description of the location and the distance from where I took the photo:

The Getty Center – ⅞ of a mile

This is Wilshire Boulevard – 3.2 miles

In the middle of the picture, you can see Marina del Rey, the smoke stack is El Segundo at the Pacific Ocean’s edge, and the hills are the Palos Verde Peninsula – 22.75 miles

Santa Monica, a ship in the ocean off the Santa Monica Coast, Palos Verdes Peninsula, and South Catalina Island – 48 miles

Sometimes when Travelin’ Local, on a clear day you can see Los Angeles forever.

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Just for fun, SoCal

Barbara Swafford says:

December 17, 2009 at 1:08 am

Hi Lisa,

What a fabulous idea. And what a gorgeous day. I love how you documented the distances on each photo. It’s hard to believe the last photo is showing something 48 miles away.

P.S. Your site is looking awesome. As I’m typing this I’m enjoying your panoramic slide show.