Across Exposition Boulevard from the USC campus, south of downtown, is the sizeable
Exposition Park
, one of the most appreciated parks in LA. It retains a real sense of community, bolstered by its function as a favorite lunchtime picnic spot. The
California Science Center
here, off Figueroa Street (daily 10am-5pm; $5;
), contains enjoyable working models and thousands of gadgets - recently improved thanks to a multimillion-dollar renovation, though the museum remains as familiar as other science-and-industry museums around the US. Just outside, an IMAX Theater attracts youthful patrons of nature documentaries, while nearby the
Aerospace Hall
recalls LA's once-dominant industry, though the building is more notable for its architect, Frank Gehry, who affixed a jet plane to its outer wall. Exhibitions on the history, art and culture of America's black communities are at the
California African American Museum
(daily except Mon 10am-5pm; free;
).
The
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
(Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm; $8;
) is the nicest building in the park, with its echoey domes and travertine columns. Its tremendous stock of dinosaur skeletons includes the skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex, and a Diatryma - a huge flightless bird. Other displays include Mayan pyramid murals and the complete contents of a Mexican tomb (albeit a reconstruction). The last major sight in the park is the
LA Coliseum
, familiar as the site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics and for its towering headless statues, and always proposed as the next home for an LA football franchise, if ever the city gets one.
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