LA Trip Day 1 - The Getty Center

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I'm going to try and blog about our trip to Los Angeles as I sort through our pictures. I'll try to inflict only 20 or so on you all per post. Day 1 is easy because it was only a half day! =) We arrived at LAX around noon, so we just had time to see one thing before driving out to Palm Springs where we were spending the next two days. Michael, Vacation Planner Extraordinaire, picked The Getty as our destination.

 

The Getty is more than a museum; it's an entire complex up on a hill that overlooks the city and the ocean (if you can make it out through the smog...although we had a very clear day, I was shocked at how short the visible horizon was, especially as the day progressed towards sunset).

 

You ride from the parking deck to the top of the hill in a driverless monorail-type electric shuttle. As you progress through the collections, you move from building to building, and walk through various courtyards.

 

This is looking towards the city over the succulent garden. We did not walk all the way out there due to time and temperature considerations...it was cold and windy!

 

The complex is a fascinating conglomeration of museum, event space, and parks. We also had the best museum food ever for lunch!

All the rooms were well-lit with natural light (except where that would have been damaging to the pieces displayed).

 

I won't bore you with lots of pictures of artwork, but here's a sample.

 

These are some irises by Van Gogh, and it was great to be able to stand really close and appreciate the brushstrokes that went into creating this masterpiece. The Getty has an excellent collection of representative works by many famous and talented artists.

 

This hot cocoa stand saved my life, I think. As the sun set, it got even colder, and we wanted to explore the garden area before heading to Palm Springs.

 

There was a very cool hedge maze (though you'd have had to take a swim to navigate it!) which would be gorgeous once it was fully in bloom.

 

These "umbrella trees" were metal structures with flowering vines growing up and over them. They shaded a number of benches.

 

From the sunken garden, there was a wonderfully twisty path that wound back and forth over an artificial stream populated with awesome rocks. At every bend, there was a colorful collection of plants.

 

At the "head" of the stream, the water was cascading down the inside of this recessed half-vase shape. The water originated from the plaza above, through a hole and down into this alcove.

 

Everywhere you were surrounded by great shapes, from the buildings to the trees around them.

With the sunset, it was time for us to shuffle off to Palm Springs! We expected an hour and a half drive, but it ended up being WAY longer due to horrific traffic. It was Saturday, for heaven's sake! LA drivers really like their brakes. Atlanta drivers like to brake suddenly; LA drivers brake CONSTANTLY (even while going uphill). I was pretty well terrified by the time we made it to the dessert proper. I was also exhausted (still getting over the sinus infection, and also HELLO THREE HOUR TIME DIFFERENCE) and fell asleep before I saw the field of windmills on the way. No worries; there was another day of beautiful sunshine to come!

JiffNotes
Day one of the trip, and I'm already properly cultured. =)