DEATH, GLAMOUR, MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE
AND GIANT DONUTS IN THE SKY – MUST BE LA
By Steve Wright
Modern Museum Marvel
LA may be America ’s pop culture capital, but it has its share of real culture, too. Get your dose by heading to the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains that spectacularly overlook the Pacific Coast Highway, the Getty has a magnificent collection of European paintings, drawings and sculpture, as well as European and American photographs.
Not only is the collection exquisite, so is the structure and grounds.
Architect Richard Meier used 1.2 million square feet of beige, fossilized travertine stone to construct the museum. The stone plays with that famous SoCal sunshine, creating brilliant beams or subtle glows, depending on the time of day.
Access is via a Space-Age feeling, smoothly gliding tram that takes you from the lower level parking to the museum at the top of the hill. If you’ve worked up a hunger after enjoying the collection and visiting the gift shop, there are four places to dine, from a full-service restaurant with excellent fare to a picturesque picnic area.
TOMORROW: Frank Lloyd Rites
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