Never a Dull Moment

Last weekend the tutors at Study Hut Redondo found some time to get out and explore Downtown Los Angeles. On Saturday, our group of tutoring veterans piled in to the infamous ‘Study Hut Van’ and headed to Union Station to begin our Urban Scavenger Hunt. After parking, we split in to two teams (girls vs. boys) and loaded the clues and rules, provided by Urban Adventure Quest, on our smart phones and then the race began.

The first clue had us scrambling up and down Olvera Street- A popular fieldtrip destination for high school Spanish Students- in search of a sundial and a statue of King Carlos III of Spain. To solve the next riddle we had to run back to Union Station and play a game of ‘Spot the Difference’ in Richard Wyatt’s City of Dreams mural. At this point the girls’ team took a lead, but some lucky timing catching the train to the next spot closed the gap.

We relaxed on the train, but as soon the doors opened it was an all-out sprint to find the Bradbury Building, the oldest commercial building in the downtown area. From the outside, the Bradbury Building is rather modest and undistinguishable; however the interior reveals a spectacular Victorian Court with a glass ceiling and marble floors. After taking in the view, we used the art and statues to solve the next riddle. Our next clue took us through Grand Central Market and up the Angels Flight, the world’s shortest passenger railway. After climbing to the top of the hill our path took us through some of the many scenic courtyards in the downtown area, complete with reflecting pools and fountains, to the MOCA and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

At this point the two teams were still neck and neck, so we raced off to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. We solved a few riddles about animal statues found on the cathedral grounds and sprinted to the finish line at City Hall. Thanks to some swift sprinting and correct answer choices, the boys’ team was able to pull out the win. After, we went to Philippe’s to celebrate with some original French Dip Sandwiches. It was an awesome escape from our daily routine to explore an area that I never thought could be so beautiful and entertaining.