Urban exploring

I gotta admit part of me dreaded visiting LA. I don't really like big cities. I certainly don't like plastic people. I absolutely hate gridlock traffic.

I encountered all that. But my friend Dustin, a larder manager at the swank Tavern, showed me a cool oasis of nature in the urban jungle.

We hiked a couple trails at Will Rogers State Historical Park . The trail begins just off Sunset Boulevard near Santa Monica. Many parts of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" have been filmed in the area. But those scenes focus on the restaurants and multimillion-dollar houses in the area.

The trail itself is a very easy walk, culminating at Inspiration Point. The view is inspiring, with nice looks at Malibu, Santa Monica, the Pacific Ocean, downtown LA and the mountains in the distance.

To extend the trip, we meandered on a more secluded path for what seemed like hours. It wound near a creek and through suburban neighborhoods. It was odd being in such a huge city but walking on a border with nature.

I guess that's the beauty of the West. Civilization connects with still-wild lands. I never thought I'd see that dichotomy in LA.

The details:
Inspiration Point
Location: Will Rogers State Historical Park, near Sunset and Evans in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Length: 2 miles (can be extended with other trails)
Beginning elevation: 350 feet
Peak elevation: 750 feet
Difficulty (out of 5): 1