Greystone Mansion 90210

Looking for a reason to head into the hills above Sunset Blvd. for more than just drive-by gawking at the palatial homes? Wouldn’t it be nice to get out, stretch your legs, and get an up-close-and-personal look at one of these Beverly Hills estates?



Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting illegal trespassing or star stalking. I’m talking about a visit to a public park. Among the handful of publicly accessible green spaces in this SoCal hub of exclusivity is the Greystone Mansion and Park.



Meandering through the mansion’s gardens is a relaxing, even zen-like experience. Nevertheless, my visit ended with a heart pounding, hand trembling adrenaline surge, but I’ll get to that later.



Like most good LA attractions, this place has star quality. Amongst the many films shot here are The Witches of Eastwick , Indecent Proposal, and that Whitney Houston classic Bodyguard. You can admire the mansion’s exterior to your heart’s content. Or, catch a peek of the mansion’s interior through the dusty windows, but the inside is off-limits to the masses. (Remember, this is still Beverly Hills after all!)



Fountains and a manicured gardens stretch down the slope between the parking lot and the mansion. What’s great about the gardens is there’s something to suit everyone’s taste. Permanent gardens include the tiny Apothecary Garden, home to plants with culinary and medicinal uses, and the Eclectic Grass Eden, which offers views of the mansion’s backside from beneath a canopy of acacias.



My personal favorite is the temporary Firesafe,Watersafe Garden (not a typo!) because of its bizarre, postmodern feel. Basically, this ‘garden’ was created using crushed, blue-tinted recycled glass. While ‘sustainable,’ a goal of the garden’s designer, recycled glass is unfortunately not a photosynthesizer. So I’m kind of hoping this doesn’t catch on in the mainstream since that whole oxygen creation thing is a nice side effect of having a garden. But what do I know? I’m not a scientist.



Bring your camera because there are great views of LA’s downtown skyline from the top of the parking lot. Keep in mind, though, that the park is only open until 5p. The hours makes sense considering the park has all the ingredients for a prime midnight makeout spot – something the swanky neighbors would probably prefer not to have in their backyard.

As for my hand-trembling experience, all I can say is remember to put that parking brake on if you happen to park in front of the mansion for a quick photo op. I didn’t take such advice and ended up sprinting after my moving car down Doheny Drive (and yes, I did eventually catch it). Did I mention this happened a mere 6 weeks after back surgery?