La Brea Tar Blitz

L.A. Times' Cecilia Rasmussen explores the history of the La Brea Tar Pits in this week's L.A. Then and Now column.

Yes, the La Brea Tar Pits are a real scientific find, not just a tourist trap. Rasmussen notes that "more than 3.5 million fossils have been extracted from the muck and ooze of the La Brea Tar Pits over the last century."

Rasmussen points out that "La Brea" means the tar, so the name is kind of redundant.

What she doesn't mention is that the La Brea tar isn't confined to that huge pool of muck in front of the Page Museum on Wilshire. Black goo continues to bubble up on sidewalks in the area, not to mention the parking lot across the street -- sometimes so much so that gravel must be sprinkled over the mess.

Even down the street, in the Variety/E!/Spelling TV complex, as I park my car every morning in the underground garage, I notice plenty of black tar oozing through the walls.