On This Day, Eight Years Ago: Griffith Observatory

The Griffith Observatory is located in Los Angeles, California, and from it, there is an amazing view of the Los Angeles Basis, including DTLA. I'm not even sure if it's a functioning observatory, but it is a worthy place for tourists to visit, especially since the Hollywood sign is close by. The observatory's benefactor was Griffith J. Griffith (oooh, yuck), who was a wealthy industrialist in the late 1980s and early 1900s. Per his will, admission is and will remain free.

Griffith was a drunken, crazy son-of-a-bitch, as evidence by him shooting his wife in a drunken fit of paranoid delusion in Santa Monica in 1903. Fortunately, she was not killed, only disfigured and left blind in her right. Mrs. Griffith would be granted a divorce and custody of their teenage son. Mr. Griffith would serve one year and nine months in prison.

Upon his release in prison on December 3, 1906, Griffith returned to his wealth and became a lecturer on prison reform. Years later, he would present the city of Los Angeles with another gift: 1,000 acres along the Los Angeles River. In a weird twist, Griffith was an early adopter of Stolen Valor, as he claimed the title of Colonel, though he never served in the military.

I have only been to the Griffith Observatory once, and that was on November 27, 2015, the day this picture was taken. It was the day after Thanksgiving and, though it was cold and dreary, Ms. Blue Eyes and I had a great time, just like we always do. I am happy to announce that we'll be returning there soon.