Griffith Observatory on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood is a gateway to the stars, offering telescopes, live shows and exhibitions as well as great views of Los Angeles and the Hollywood sign. Built in 1933 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) Project, it is free to the public except for a nominal fee for planetary shows. It was at Griifith that World War II pilots learned celestial navigation and Apollo astronauts trained in the 1960s. On weekends, there's a bus from the Vermont/Sunset Metro station in East Hollywood.

griffithobservatory.org