I remember being in 6th grade and my classroom windows faced the mountains about an hour drive away. Taken for granted back then since I grew up that it was common. Now I look back and think, Damn, why didn't I appreciate that view? Well, actually I did. Most days you could barely see the mountains or the outline. First you seen a layer a foothills then the high mountain peaks behind them. On a semi good day you could see the foothill fairly cleary, but the just the image of the mountains. Then we'd get the Santa Ana winds come thru that everyone hated so bad but you know what? That's the days would could actually see how close we were to the mountains since the wind blew the smog away. But it didn't take long to come back.
What was really cool was after a rain storm, later that day or next day after the clouds split, you could have 75-80 degree weather but the mountain is covered in snow that looks as if you reach out and grab a snowball off of it.
Also back then, driving down the freeway under the Hollywood sign up on the hillside many days you could miss it the smog was so thick.
I hear it's nowhere near that bad anymore.
