30 before 30: La Brea Tar Pits

As we finished our tour of LACMA we strolled out through the garden to the La Brea Tar Pits. I honestly don’t know what I was expecting, but I have this image of the tar pits from the movie ‘My Girl 2’ and what we saw is nothing like what I had in my head.
Okay, yes the large cement Mammoths falling into the pit are still there. But the 12 foot tall fence to keep people from falling in and the dead fall on the edges of the pit where not what I expected. Why did I think everything around the pit of tar would be green? Probably because Hollywood has corrupted my sense of reality.

The smell, while not overwhelming, is very close to the smell you get when you drive by a crew resurfacing a road. Except you can’t keep driving. The smell sticks with you as you take the 3-5 minute walk around the edge of the pit.

I think the best part was the bubbles. Small bubbles along the shore that looks like someone is boiling the water to bubbles the size of a basketball bursting in the middle of the pit. The larger ones had a sickly green hue to them that I thought was highly appropriate.

So while not the paradise of a tar pit I expected, still worth a look and LACMA was absolutely worth the drive. :)