California Diary | Mount Wilson and the Cosmic Cafe

Cosmic Cafe Mount Wilson Photos

Cosmic Cafe Mount Wilson photos

Right at the top of Mount Wilson, California, is The Cosmic Cafe – a little outdoor eating area with the most spectacular views over Los Angeles.

When we’d read about The Cosmic Cafe back home, a few of the reviews mentioned that the food itself is nothing out of the ordinary – it sells stuff like sandwiches, burgers and chili, so no, you’re probably not going to want to write home about the food – but it was as good an excuse as any to take a trip up a mountain, so we headed up there earlier this week, on our second full day in California.

The drive itself was a little bit hairy, but the views are well worth it: you’re just going to have to take my word for that, though, because these photos totally don’t do it justice – there was some smog over the city which made everything look a bit hazy here, but it was one of those drives where every hairpin bend drew gasps of amazement (and OK, a few of terror) from all of us, so we were really glad we decided to do it. One of the things I like most about LA is the fact that, for all of its built-up-ness (Yes, it’s a word..), you’re never too far from nature: this place was just a short drive from our rental home in San Marino, but it felt like a different state altogether, so great is the contrast.

Oh, and although we really went for the view alone, with the cafe just being a handy destination to plug into the sat nav, the food was actually pretty good, too; so if you ever find yourself at the top of this particular mountain, I can totally recommend the chicken sandwich…