The Jetpacker

Los Angeles isn’t really known as a hub of culture… unless you consider break dancing, street racing and bar crawling culture.  Yes, LA has a reputation for being a party town, a place to spot celebrities, a place to see and be seen.  No, you won’t be seen in a library or a museum.

That’s why people who favor an immersive cultural experience tend to visit Boston, Chicago or New York instead.  But one particular museum in LA could change that: the Getty Center.

Located just off the 405 freeway atop the Santa Monica mountains, the Getty Center is a young museum — it opened in 1997 — with an extensive collection of American and European paintings, drawings, sculptures, decorative arts, furniture and photographs from the 17th through the 20th centuries.

When I visited, I overheard an out-of-towner say he had a new appreciation for LA after visiting the Getty Center.  That’s because the museum feels like an oasis away from the typical L.A. flashiness and high-speed chases.  But that doesn’t mean you’ll escape the cult of celebrity at the Getty Center.

Wanna know what $53.9 million looks like?  Check out Van Gogh’s painting called Irises.  It’s one of the most expensive paintings of all time (though it doesn’t compare to Jackson Pollock’s No. 5, 1948, which sold for $140 million).

Irises is the star of the museum’s collection, but the real highlight for visitors is the stunning panoramic view of Los Angeles.  On a clear day (which is rare in LA thanks to the smog) you can see downtown LA to the left and the beach to the right.  Just be careful that a gust of wind doesn’t knock you over the railing into the Cactus Garden below.

Also popular is the 134,000 square-foot Central Garden where visitors descend a zigzag pathway over a stream and walk through an intimate garden that surrounds a pool with a maze of floating azaleas.

The great thing about the museum is that it’s free; you only have to pay $15 to park in the underground garage.  From there, a tram winds up the mountain and drops you off at the front of the museum.

http://www.getty.edu/museum/ — check the schedule for tours and lectures
Hours of operation: 10am-5:30pm Tu-Fri & Sun, 10am-9pm Sat; closed Monday
Free parking after 5pm