Before you judge our cemetery walking habit as morbid or bizarre, let me explain. You see, there aren’t that many pleasant parks in the megalopolis, so cemeteries are simply the nicest places to walk. Green, quiet, and sometimes artistic, they allow us to escape from the urban melee for a little while.
Last week we drove over to Inglewood, a somewhat rough area nearby. Inglewood Memorial Park is probably a bit larger than our two Culver City graveyards, though perhaps not as well-kept. Nevertheless, we had a pleasant walk, near a pond, through mausoleums, and over hill and dale. The cemetery was filled with old-fashioned monuments and majestic statues.
There are several famous people buried here such as Betty Grable, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Ceasar Romero. In the handsome Mausoleum of the Golden West (click here to see a map of the park), you’ll find the crypt of actress Betty Grable (listed on her marker as “Betty Grable James”).
Throughout the 1940’s Betty Grable was 20th Century’s top star and made Technicolor hit movies such as Down Argentine Way (1940), Moon Over Miami (1941), Coney Island (1943), the appropriately titled Pin Up Girl in 1944, and The Dolly Sisters in 1945 with June Haver.
Like some of the other cemeteries we’ve visited, we enjoyed the stained glass windows the most, though there weren’t as many here.
One of these days we will drive back over and wander around some more. In a sprawling metropolis like Los Angeles, you make do with whatever greenery you can find, so we’re lucky to have places like this nearby.
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