Picture Perfect

It's quite challenging to get around the vast LA metropolis, so we decided to hire a car for the day in order to get our cultural fix. We drove to the Getty Museum, which houses the amazing artworks of J. Paul Getty, oil tycoon and erstwhile LA playboy. The Getty Centre was opened in 1997 to house his collection, which includes paintings by Van Gogh, Reuben, Titian and Monet.

We caught a tram up to the hilltop museum where we were astounded by the amazing architecture. The four buildings in the complex are a combination of sleek curves and dramatic travertine stone walls, with very modern water features between exhibition halls. We were thoroughly impressed with the extraordinary architecture.

There are also striking gardens around the complex, with zigzagging paths, wrought-iron bridges, and layers of garden features all blending seamlessly.

J. Paul Getty's artwork also includes a collection of Classical antiquities which are housed in the Getty Villa. This is a reconstruction of the Villa dei Papyrii, an ancient Roman villa on the slopes of Vesuvius. It took its inspirations from other Pompeian villas and features as well, even down to the cobbled-stone driveway. The kitchen garden only had plants and herbs grown in Roman times, and the attention to detail in the atrium, indoor and outdoor peristyles was a real treat!

We ended off a great day with a drive up the beautiful Malibu coast. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and we were on a proper holiday. What a luxury!

Livin' LA vida loca!

LA boasts a 75-mile long coastline and has some of the best beaches in America. We stayed in the Marina Del Rey, one of the largest man-made small boat harbors in the world. The view over the fancy yachts was quite a treat to wake up to each morning, and is definitely something we could get used to!

A short walk up the coast from us lies Venice Beach, famous for its chilled, hippy vibe and boardwalk along the beach. Here we encountered 'kush' doctors, guitar-playing Moors on roller skates, weight-lifters from the 1980s and rather posh hobos. It was a bit flea-markety, and tattoos and dreadlocks seemed to be the order of the day, but it was quite fun and very beachy!

A trip to Venice Beach is not complete without some cycling, so we rented bikes and headed down the coast to Santa Monica. This is a more upmarket area, and is strongly characterised by its great pier, complete with theme park and the famous Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

Another typical LA activity is skating along the Venice Boardwalk, so we also hired roller blades and weaved our way through the runners and bikers. I took the stereotype to the next level when I ordered a soft serve ice cream. What a great day at the beach :)

Venice does have some less hippy areas, such as the 2.5 million dollar homes along its canals. We cycled along the narrow paths of the canals, quite taken with the peaceful kitsh and charm of the place...

City of Angels

Daniel's company held its first quarterly board meeting of the year in Los Angeles. Although some of his colleagues may have held some reservations about the distance to be traveled, Daniel and I had no second thoughts about extending his stay and booking me a ticket to accompany him! We spent a glorious week in the second largest city in America, where we wore summer clothes, drove with the air-con on, and even got slightly pink noses!

LA is made up of a lot of city and a lot of beach. The city is typically big, jungle-like and dirty, but not without its own peculiar charm. The suburb of Beverley Hills was a highlight for us, as the stars' sprawling mansions were quite magnificent. And Rodeo Drive was just like in Pretty Woman!

Hollywood was a bit disappointing as it was basically a tacky tourist trap. We managed to forego a souvenir Oscar statue and a photo with a dress-up Spiderman. The Walk of Fame, with its many stars, accounted for lots of bumping around, and the Hollywood sign, although 120 feet long and 15 feet high, is actually quite uninspiring at a distance.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) neither of us was "spotted" in LA, so we were free to explore the cultural and beachy side of the city for the rest of the week.