I went to LA last Sept. I was very excited to see the La Brea tar pits. When I got there, it just looked like a polluted pond. I expected lots of oozing tar and being scared of falling into it. I was very disappointed. Is there a better time to see it?
by 
jamamiss
ANSWERS: 3
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The La Brea Tar Pits are essentially just a polluted pond. They are pits/depressions filled with tar and have a thin layer of water trapped on top. I don't think there is a better time to see them, although if you want to look at tar, you might try going in the middle of a drought when the water level will be lower.
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I first saw the tar pits when a youngster (in the early 1940s) when the whole area was a giant vacant lot with weeds, broken-down fences, tangled barbed wire and trash thrown all around. There used to be 4 airports at the intersection of Fairfax and Wilshire. It wasn't until many years later the place was cleaned up and serious archeological research began. Los Angeles sits on a lot of oil (old photos show oil wells all over the place) and there are many other places where tar oozes from the ground. The Tar Pits are fascinating but you really have to be interested in history and archeology to appreciate their uniqueness. It's not the time that is as important as your basic interest in this type of geography.
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Nope, it is what it is. Sounds like when I went to visit the Statue of Liberty in NY and was so disappointed in how tiny it was...it looks huge in pictures!
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