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If you are close in to the central area, Griffith Park and the adjacent Hollywood Hills offer a lot of hiking opportunities, note that one of the main areas, Runyon Canyon, is currently closed for repairs to a major underground water pipeline. Lots of searchable info on these areas, of course. If willing or able to expand your area, the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains (and national forests) present a wide range of opportunities from casual to extremely rigorous trails.
Off hand, I don't have any L.A. "secret" spots to speak of, living off to the east just into San Bernardino county. Along with the Observatory (Planetarium), there are views overlooking the L.A. basin from several spots in the mountains along Mulholland Highway and some well known businesses (check Yamashiro) but these can be crowded. If you take Mulholland Highway west from the middle of the Cahuenga Pass (that's the primary route between downtown and Hollywood into the San Fernando Valley, the first overlook sports a view of the pass, Hollywood Freeway, Hollywood area, downtown, the Hollywood Bowl facility (not a great view of the bowl itself) and is near a well-known celebrity home. It's not a secret, there will be tour buses popping in and out. Lots of tourists and along wiht the sounds of the urban jungle, you will likely hear local birds and coyotes howling, especially as you get to the evening hours. Something that comes as a surprise to many of the out of area tourists.
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