I almost skipped a walk around Runyon Canyon, a park rising from Hollywood up into the hills, dismissing it as too popular and too well-known of an attraction. But one afternoon was so lovely — pleasantly cool, with a sky softened by a few clouds — I couldn’t resist a visit.

The park affords splendid vistas of Los Angeles. The panorama from the aptly named Inspiration Point, for example, encompasses the downtown and the Century City skylines, as well as everything in between. Just up the path, the iconic Hollywood sign comes into view.

As memorable as these sights were, it was the people- and animal-watching that I won’t soon forget. At one point, I noticed a woman with hair dyed a glaring artificial yellow, sporting a chrome jacket and iridescent-purple fish-scale leggings (no city does “athleisure” like L.A.).