Explorations of the City of Angels and the surrounding area.
Los Angeles is, well, interesting to say the least. It has never been high on my list of places I want to see. Las Vegas actually ranked higher than LA on that weird, ever-growing list of mine. LA is notoriously modern, not what I am usually interested in, but I gave it a shot.
I’ll be honest, I basically went to Los Angeles for the Getty Center and Villa. Both are amazing free art museums with large collections. Unfortunately, they are not without controversy. Many of the ancient artifacts were plundered before international regulations against the artifact trade were established. We don’t know much about where many of these pieces originally came from. Some were later found to be illegally looted and had to be returned.
The Getty Center is an art museum holding pieces from the Medieval Times to the present. Great collection.
Now for what I truly came to Los Angeles for, the Getty Villa. This Ancient Roman and Greek art museum is a replica of the House of the Papyri in Herculaneum, one of the towns buried by Vesuvius.
This would have been the Atrium, or entryway. (Check out my post on the Villa San Marco for what an ancient building looks like.)
This would be in the inner peristyle.
This is an awesome replica of a fountain that can be found in Pompeii.
The elevator room has an excellent example of the Roman use of colored marbles and painted arched ceilings. The Romans loved color in their homes.
And now the outer peristyle, which would have served as a garden area to relax in.
The entire outer peristyle would have been decorated.
I absolutely loved this museum. And yes, the romans often had multi-storied homes, at least in the large mansions like this one.
I stayed nearby the Getty Villa in Santa Monica, which is famous for its beach and pier.
The famous Santa Monica Pier.
Which is pretty desolate before 9 am.
I finally made it to the end of the Route 66. Honestly, I haven’t driven the entire route, but most of it anyway. (Check out my post on Route 66.)
Santa Monica beach.
I also went and explored a bit of downtown Los Angeles. While very modern, like much of California, I still found some neat buildings.
The Art Deco Los Angeles Public Library.
Los Angeles’s famous US Bank tower, which is probably only famous because it’s in a zillion movies and TV shows.
I just love all the awesome detail on this building.
This small skyscraper is also pretty neat.
And finally, the Los Angeles City Hall.
Just north of downtown is the El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the oldest sections of Los Angeles. The Spanish founded their town (pueblo) here in 1781. The old plaza was the center of the city until the early 1900s. Today, the plaza and surrounding area has been preserved to tell the story of Spanish and Mexican life here in early Los Angeles.
El Pueblo is centered around this nice little square. There was a band playing and people dancing all around. It was great.
There is definitely a Mexican feel to the area.
There was a lovely little church on the square, Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church.
There is a small narrow street here full of shops and stalls and historic buildings.
This is the Avila Adobe, the oldest house in Los Angeles, built in 1818.
Of course, I stopped in Hollywood as well for a short time.
My first stop in Hollywood was the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Here I found the tomb of Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny.
Honestly, this cemetery was very nice. Many early film and TV stars are buried here.
Probably one of the most filmed mausoleums in the world.
I loved the stained-glass windows in the mausoleum.
Now to the shady Hollywood Blvd. It’s a real tourist trap but I did find a couple of neat buildings.
I liked this one.
And last, the Chinese Theater, the most crowded spot in Hollywood.
Even though Los Angeles is known for its modern buildings and traffic jams, I still found some neat history here. I am still glad that I visited and explored the city and the surrounding area, even though I spent way too much time on the bus. Driving and parking here is a nightmare.
Check out my next update where I visit the San Diego area!
