Scene Girl
Getty Museum
L.A. is known as a city of shopping, fashion, eating and schmoozing; it’s all people seem to do. However, that can tire even the best of shopping girls. Luckily, there’s the Getty Museum that takes us up and away from the city to give us a little culture.
Created in trust by John Paul Getty with the goal of having a meaningful and attractive collection to as broad an audience as possible, this museum is something everyone should see - and see more than once. It’s affordable enough, having only to pay $7 for parking, that you can come and see the rotating exhibits (we can’t wait to go back in mid-June for Rembrandt).
A small tram takes you from the parking lot 3/4 of a mile up a hill to the museum which consists of several buildings and massive gardens. Spectacular views of the city are to be had from almost everywhere; the beaches of Santa Monica and the towers of downtown can be seen by just moving your head side to side. Simply walking the grounds outside can be a day but there’s so much more which you can discover either on your own or by free guided tours.
If you’re a fan of architecture, you’ll appreciate the thousand year old stones (some with fossils) that make up the buildings or trying to count the 3,200 doors. Garden lovers will appreciate the water maze, the zig-zag pathways, beautiful flowers and the lush grass on which you can nap (which you’ll need after all the hours it’ll take you to see everything). Art lovers will no doubt love the collections here, which range from illuminated manuscripts from the 12th century right up to modern photography. The Decorative Arts exhibit showcased furniture, clocks, tables and more from around the world - including the chair Marie Antoinette sat in to have her hair done. Rooms upon rooms of beautiful furniture dating as far back as the 14th century gave us more than enough ideas on how to decorate our own homes (must get ginormous bed with canopy and gilded towering clock).
Whether you’re with a group or need an afternoon break on your own, this is definitely a place to come and get away from it all, and even get a little inspired.
The Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049–1679
(310) 440-7300
Area: Los Angeles 