Deck the Zoo: A Visit to the LA Zoo Lights Show

The DWP light festival in Griffith Park is long gone -- thank goodness, it was never that great of a display, and not worth the long waits to see it (although we usually walked it, which was a much better experience). But the holiday lights are back in Griffith Park -- this time as part of the Los Angeles Zoo's new LA Zoo Lights display. And this time, it's worth the crowds.

Held nightly from Nov. 28 to Jan. 4, we went on one of the busiest nights of the year (this Saturday) and yes, it was jam-packed and quickly sold out. Yet it was manageable -- and if anything, made for a lively evening. (If we do go back, though, I will make sure to take us on a weekday night.)

But it's an idea that was overdue -- decorate a portion of the zoo with lively lights and other bright displays. And don't forget the reindeer!

The reindeer (Jingle, Belle, Noel and Velvet) are the only animals on display at the event (the others are tucked away from the night). But that's fine, it's late, and you're not there for the animals. You're there for the lights.

Santa is there too, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 5-7 and again on Dec. 12-23. Themed nights include an "Ugly Holiday Sweater Night" on Dec. 12 and a Toys for Tots night on Dec. 18.

Tickets are $8 each; make sure to reserve them beforehand. On Saturday night, the LA Zoo Lights were sold out by 6:45 p.m. -- and our pals who drove all the way from Orange County had to turn around and go home, sadly. Times are staggered to get in; go here to order.

Here are some pics from our night with the lights:

Find A New Home for the DWP Festival of Lights

What's the deal, Tom LaBonge?

Just a few months ago, we were raving over the councilman, whom we spotted collecting trash outside our church on Easter Sunday.

And there's also his endearing habit of passing out pumpkin bread as made by the cloistered nuns in Hollywood.

But then came LaBonge's decision to pick a fight with the food trucks. Not cool, Tom, leave Kogi and its pals alone!

And now, he's canceled the DWP Festival of Lights.

Blogging.la broke word of the decision:

Unfortunately, this isn’t some sort of mandate against the DWP for rate hikes and an aversion to accountability and transparency, but simply a matter of practicality. From LaBonge’s weekly update: “Due to the cost and amount of time need to halt a major construction project – the installation of a major water line, the River Supply Conduit – as well as the installation of the new zoo parking lot, it is in the public’s best interest to cancel this year’s event.”

However, LaBonge still hopes for “an alternative location for this great, free, family-friendly event,” and to contact his office if you have any ideas.

I know, the Festival of Lights is kinda cheesy -- and definitely not worth waiting in your car for. (We traditionally walk it.) But it's a tradition, and it'll be sad to see it missing this year. Any ideas on where the festival of lights can relocate?

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like the Holidays

Get ready to freak out: The holidays are hurtling right toward us, and there's nothing we can do about it.

Halloween? THIS WEEK. Thanksgiving? ONE MONTH FROM NOW. Christmas? LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AWAY.

You may now hyperventilate.

The realization smacked us on Saturday, as we drove from the Los Angeles Zoo (where we had a nice afternoon, watching the animals and taking in the Halloween-themed displays) back to Los Feliz Blvd. As we drove down the road past the golf course, we noticed that displays for the Department of Water and Power's Holiday Light Festival were already going up in Griffith Park.

That's right -- Halloween isn't until Friday, but the DWP and Griffith Park are already prepping for Christmas.

Even earlier than that, the coffee chains began rolling out their annual Pumpkin flavors; I also picked up my first holiday-themed CoffeeMate flavor (Gingerbread, for the record) this weekend.

Last Week for the Vehicle-Free DWP Festival of Lights

This year, the DWP wisely extended the car-free portion of its annual Festival of Lights in Griffith Park through Dec. 7 -- hopefully a prelude to an inevitable decision to keep the cars out all together.

Maria and Evan met up with his cousin this weekend to walk the route (I had to pass -- I tore something in my foot during the Great Los Angeles Walk, and am currently limping), and all agree that it's the way to go. It's better exercise, you're not breathing in car fumes, and you're actually outside, experiencing the lights and the whole community vibe. (You don't get any of that while in the car, waiting 3-plus hours to drive through what's ultimately a pretty mediocre collection of lights.)

The cars return on Dec. 8, but you can still walk on the pathways after that. Parking for walkers can be found at the L.A. Zoo, or at the parking lots near the Merry-Go-Round. The route is a full mile (about 30 minutes).

The Festival of Lights continues until Dec. 30. Meanwhile, the DWP will hold a mini-fair on Dec. 5, 6 and 7, "featuring information on family activities, healthy nutrition, as well as some tasty treats."

Attention DWP: Ban Cars From the Holiday Light Festival. Now.

I know, I was just ranting the other day about how overrated the DWP Holiday Light Festival at Griffith Park is. But we went ahead and walked it on Friday evening, taking advantage of the ban on cars through Nov. 25. And I gotta say, it's a 100% more pleasurable experience than driving it, or even walking the route while cars are driving through.

Not only is walking the light festival better exercise (not to mention a better environmental move), but it also gives you a chance to actually take in the lights without rushing through. (The canopy of lights at both ends is especially impressive while walking, vs. less spectacular when speeding under it.) Plus, there's a real community vibe to walking the street with hundreds of other Angelenos -- and that easily tops sitting in a car for two hours, stuck in the never-ending line of cars waiting to get in.

What's more, Blogger Toddler and his cousin had a particularly great time, dancing to the holiday music and pointing at the lights. They wouldn't have had that experience in the car.

Of course, that's all now over, as cars are allowed back into the DWP Holiday Light Festival beginning tonight. But let's hope the city realizes what a success the pedestrian-only light festival was, and moves to permanently ban cars next year.

More pics from Friday night:


Canopy of lights -- much cooler when viewed on foot.


City Hall.


My favorite: LAX, and the Theme Building.


150 Years of William Mulholland. There it is. Take it.


Live shot on KABC.

Weekend Pointers

Hollywood Santa Parade: If you like your stars D-list, your Kasems Casey and your parades in Hollywood, then the first annual Hollywood Santa Parade -- the phoenix rising from the ashes of the now-defunct Hollywood Christmas Parade -- is for you.

"Stars" include: Dancing with the Stars' Edyta Sliwinksa, Louis van Amstel, Kym
Johnson, and Alec Mazo; High School Musical's Kaycee Stroh and Olesya Rulin; Entourage's Rex Lee; The Dog Whisperer's Cesar Millan; Cheetah Girls' Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams; Casey and Jean Kasem; Vicki Lawrence; Fred Willard; and Dick Van Patten.

Bob Barker is grand marshall. Parade takes place Sunday, Nov. 25, starting at Hollywood and Orange, traveling east to Vine, south to Sunset Boulevard and then west back to Orange.

Programming Notes: Check out the 1995 documentary "Things That Aren't Here Anymore" Saturday night at 7 p.m. on KCET/Channel 28.

Hosted by the late Ralph Story, the program looks at a variety of vanished Los Angeles icons, from the Brown Derby restaurants to the Red Cars.

Also, fans of Ira Glass' "This American Life" will want to check out KCRW/89.9 FM on Thursday and Friday. The station is running a marathon of "Life" episodes from noon to 5 on both days.

No word on whether any of those episodes will include the interview with Jonathan Gold, who recently recounted his culinary trek down Pico. (An inspiration, as you well know, for last Saturday's Great Los Angeles Walk.

Finally, KTLA is going retro this weekend, with a 60-hour marathon of classic TV shows. Programming will include episodes of black-and-white entries such as "The Jack Benny Program," "The Honeymooners" and "The Munsters," as well as 70s fare like "CHiPs," "Happy Days" and "Wonder Woman," 80s entries such as "Charles in Charge" and "Doogie Howser," and more recent shows including "Friends" and "Fresh Prince of Bel Air."

Station will also air classic kids shows, including "Time for Beany, "Popeye & Friends" and "Underdog." Marathon starts at 10 p.m. tonight and continues until Monday morning.

DWP Festival of Lights: I personally find the Griffith Park event rather sad; the lights are lackluster, particularly if you're stuck in your car for several hours waiting to drive through the display. (I've seen better in small towns.)

Nonetheless, if you're gonna check it out this year, go now, as cars aren't allowed in until Nov. 25. The walk would do ya good, anyway. (BTW, Evan and I got a sneak peak the other day, as we were driving home on Sunday at around 5 p.m. after an afternoon at Shane's Inspiration in Griffith Park. Many of the lights were on... and sorry to say, it looks the same as it does every year. Blogger Toddler was not impressed.)

Lights, On Your Feet

If you've ever braved the drive through the DWP's Griffith Park Festival of Lights, you've probably vowed never to do it again. On most nights, the traffic stretches all the way down Los Feliz Blvd. and even onto the 5. Motorists spend hours creeping their way through Griffith Park -- and let's face it, the light show isn't worth sitting two hours in the car.

That's why we now prefer to walk the route (parking at the zoo), if we go at all. And why we earlier applauded proposals to shut down the route to cars entirely.

Unfortunately, according to the L.A. Times, the DWP wasn't a fan of keeping the cars out. The paper notes the agency's bizarre reasoning:

The residents want the entire event to be pedestrian-only. Festival-goers do have the option of walking now, but they have to share the road with idling cars. So the DWP studied the issue for months.

And the Hall of Fame sentence the report contained was what?

"Transportation officials did voice strong concerns that the walking-only event could generate more traffic and congestion, due to established car-driving patterns and the limited number of parking spaces that are available in the immediate festival area," the DWP report stated.

Huh?
...
The DWP contends that the Los Angeles Zoo parking lot -- adjacent to the festival route -- and other places in the area have just 1,300 parking spaces, but 2,500 to 4,500 cars visit the festival each night.

That's a recipe for a traffic jam, the DWP says.

There's no way that traffic jam could be any worse than the mess that now transpires.

Oh well. The walking option still exists for anyone who doesn't want to spend ALL EVENING in their car just to see a few flashing lights. (If you must insist on using your car, go early -- right after dusk -- on a Tuesday or Wednesday night.)

Also, in one concession to residents, the DWP will make the festival pedestrian-only on Nov. 21 through 25 -- the first five nights.