2016-12-24 Christmas Eve
【Aiden in English】
What's in Los Angeles? Now that I think about it, all it seems to be is a city with a name and beaches. This year's Christmas break for school was the shortest on record. The students received nine days off and were all required to return on January 2nd, the following Monday after the New Year of 2107. Not only does it force the students to think about school more often, but it also makes us want the most out of the vacation, which ironically makes it all less of a vacation. Therefore, there isn't much of a bright side to this year's ending. Yet Mother is never quite bored on Christmas since we always appear to be making a mad dash out of the country. This time, we are heading to L.A., which is not as far as others may expect. But seriously, what's in L.A.? Well, for one, there's an observatory. The Griffith Observatory sits at a reasonably large Mount Hollywood, a feature and landmark on the West Coast. It is an enormous scientific area that involves looking at the stars. Nowadays, it has been converted into a museum. Being quite interested in space and celestial science, the museum provided a lot of fascinating proven theories and the history of the universe, including a long corridor of Cosmic Connection mapping the timeline from the Big Bang. There was a complete rundown on meteorites, comets, and the planets in our solar system in a giant exhibition room following the hallway, where people stared up at models of each planet. Interestingly enough, I don't think the observatory did one for Pluto. A complete periodic table room was next, with a sample of every element within each small box. I don't know about other people, but isn't Mercury evil for us? Half of the elements are very reactive to the air. Therefore, I wasn't entirely thrilled about a picture beside it. Nevertheless, what intrigued me the most was the outside view. We could see the bright sun shining down on the L.A. skyscrapers and the endless, packed houses. Turning around, however, it was the famous, cinematic Hollywood Sign. Sitting on the side of the tallest Mount Lee in the area, it stood out from the countryside, like a celebrity at a party. Every movie about an earthquake, war, zombie apocalypse, alien abduction, etc., usually has this sign shaken to the ground, blown up, torn apart, run over, or vandalized. Even some movies with romance or deeper meanings have the Hollywood Sign as a symbol. And other than a biting wind, seeing the sign was a perfect day. I find it odd that one of the famous American symbols was simply a sign, supported in bars and slapped on the side of a hill. Yet, I can finally say I saw it in person, which is a feat that has eluded me for a long time. Even if the Griffith Observatory didn't allow its visitors to look at the stars or the wonders above on Christmas Eve, it still showed me an American wonder, the one that is down to earth and as stunning as the stars. 【红霞译】 洛杉矶“天使城”是啥玩艺？让我想一下，就其名称便可看出它是座城市，少不了海滩。
今年圣诞节假期可谓有史以来最短的一次，学生们前后仅能享用短短的九天休息时间，2017阳历年元旦过后次日即星期一立刻返校报到，这么做无非迫使大家铭记课业在身，敦促我们赶紧收心尽忠本分，结果让原来欠长的假日愈发短得可怜，岁末日子真不过瘾。
然而母亲对圣诞节从未感到无聊，因为我们总是风尘仆仆奔赴国外度假，今年赶在这个节骨眼上，全家干脆集结加利福尼亚“火炉”洛杉矶，并非像其他人想象得那么远。 但说真的，洛杉矶到底有什么？ 噢对了，天文台。
格里菲斯“强主”天文台坐落在相对较高的好莱坞“冬青灌木林”山上，也就是通常人们所说的西海岸边，那里有大片地盘被用来科学观测天宇行星，如今早已转化成博物馆，若对天体科学感兴趣的话，该博物馆提供许多丰富多彩的宇宙理论及其自然史演变过程，长长的宇宙连接走廊甚至展示出大爆炸时间表，通道尽端巨大展厅中陈设太阳系各种陨石、彗星及行星模型供游人参观，耐人寻味的是天文台好像并没有把冥王星纳入其中。
接下来可以浏览的还有完整周期表展厅，每一个化学元素狭小橱窗里都有样品出示，我不知道别人作何感想，水银不是非常有害而多半化学元素还能与空气发生反应吗？所以让我跟这些玩艺拍照怎么会开心起来。不管说什么最吸引我的倒是户外景致，明媚的阳光把洛杉矶林立栉比的高楼大厦照耀得美轮美奂；转过身来，出镜率极高的著名“好莱坞” 标志夺人眼球，它矗立于附近最高峰李“林地”山腰间，如同聚会中闪亮登场的当红明星一样堪称郊外奇葩，该字样时常夹杂在有关地震、战争、僵尸来袭、外星人绑架等相关场景中，极尽颠覆摧毁粉碎袭击或破坏之能事，不过有些浪漫乃至寓意深刻的电影也使用这一字样，要不是冷风飕飕，今天当该属于观望好莱坞标志的大好日子。 我十分惊讶地发觉，如此代表美国人心声的东西竟是一块宛如酒吧横匾被钉到岩石上的标牌，但我总算承认自己亲眼看到并完成了梦寐以求的夙愿，即使圣诞前夜格里菲斯天文台提前关闭望远镜致使观众难于遨游天空，我依旧欣赏到具有美利坚特色的人文作品，一个像星星闪亮近在咫尺的奇异景观。
Christmas Eve in History(历史上的平安夜): 2015 Christmas Eve @ CGCC(2015年神州基督教会平安夜) 2014 Christmas Eve @ CGCC(2014年神州基督教会平安夜) 2013: Trivia over the Indian Ocean(印度洋上百科知识问答) 2012: Puerto Montt the City of Roses, Chile(智利泥港—玫瑰之城) 2009: 新西兰首都惠灵顿(Capital Wellington, NZ)  Departure Rain in PHL (阴雨天离开费城机场)
 Alluvial Fan, an Accumulation of Sediments over Califonia
(加州冲积扇·沉积物的堆积 12-24-2016)  Canyon Landform vs Esplanade Sandstone
(峡谷地貌—滨海砂岩 12-24-2016)  Aerial View of Mural-like Ground (鸟瞰壁画般地面)
 Sierra Nevada Mountains (内华达“雪山”山脉)
 Bear River Reservoir Nestled in the Sierra Mountains
(坐落在内华达山脉的熊河水库)
 Sky over Los Angeles (洛杉矶上空)
 White Mountains of CA & NV, a Triangular Fault-Block Mtn Range Facing the Sierra Nevada across the Upper Owens Valley
(加州和内华达州的白山·三角断块山脉，与欧文斯“高贵”河谷上游隔河相望)
 Patchwork Farmland (斑驳的农田)
 Maywood & City of Commerce, Los Angeles County
(洛杉矶郡梅伍德“林中空地”和商业城 12-24-2016)  Los Angeles River, a Historic Flood-Control Channel
(洛杉矶河·历史悠久的防洪渠)
 LAX Control Tower & Theme Bldg
(洛杉矶国际机场·控制塔和主题建筑)  LAX Gateway Pylon Project
(洛杉矶国际机场电缆塔架项目·通往洛杉矶的门户)  Interstate 110 near LAX, the Harbor Freeway
(洛杉矶国际机场附近的110号州际公路·海港高速公路) 
Wilshire Grand Center, the Tallest Bldg in Los Angeles & the US West of Chicago (威尔希尔“柳树地”大中心·洛杉矶和芝加哥“野洋葱”以西美国最高的建筑 12-24-2016)
 Mt. Hollywood Tunnel (好莱坞山隧道)
 Central Los Angeles & Industrial Areas Overlooked from Griffith Observatory
(从格里菲斯天文台鸟瞰洛杉矶市中心和工业区 12-24-2016)
 Downtown LA Opposite Griffith Observatory
(格里菲斯天文台对面的洛杉矶市中心)  Planetariums (天文馆 12-24-2016)
Rotunda a Prime Example of the Observatory's Overall Art Deco Design, Blending Classical & Beaux-Arts Elements (圆顶大厅·天文台整体装饰艺术设计的典范，融合了古典和美术元素)  Hugo Ballin Murals, Depicting Celestial Mythology & Scientific Advancement
(雨果·巴林“智慧·富裕”壁画——描绘天体神话和科学进步)  Foucault Pendulum, the 1st Laboratory Demonstration of the Earth's Rotation about the Planet Spinning on Its Axis
(傅科“人民统治者”摆·地球自转的首次实验室演示，证明行星绕地轴自转)  Periodic Table (《元素周期表》 12-24-2016)
 Cosmic Connection (宇宙连接)
 Gunther Depths of Space Exhibits, Including over a Million Galaxies, Ranging in Distance from Millions to Billions of Light Years
(冈瑟“斗士”《太空深处》展厅·包含超过一百万个星系，距离从数百万光年到数十亿光年不等 12-24-2016)  Hollywood Sign on Mount Lee
(李山·好莱坞标志 12-24-2016)  Christmas Eve Party (圣诞夜聚会 12-24-2016)
 Potluck (百乐餐 12-24-2016)
 Spanish Villa (西班牙式庄园)
Crosslink(相关博文): USA(出游美国)
8th Grade(初中三年级) |
