Almost the end of our Panama Canal trip. Our ship docked in San Pedro early in the morning, but our flight didn't leave until 8:00pm that night. We rented a car in Long Beach, and drove around to some of the sights in and around Los Angeles that we hadn't visited before. Our first stop (after a long, busy drive through L.A.) was the Getty Center with it's large collection of art, and it's gardens and views overlooking Los Angeles. From the Center, we drove down to Santa Monica to visit the iconic Santa Monica Pier and from there, on to Venice Beach ending with a walk around the beautiful canals of Venice Beach. After that, it was on to LAX for our flight back home, and an end to this wonderful trip from Miami, through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles and all the fascinating stops in between.
The Getty Center "located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, the Center is one of two locations of the J. Paul Getty Museum and draws 1.8 million visitors annually. The Center features pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; and photographs from the 1830s through present day from all over the world."
This very realistic piece stood in the center of the room, and allowed for a close examination of the sculpture. "Saint Ginés de La Jara by Luisa Roldán. (Polychromed wood with glass eyes, about 1692) Roldán (called La Roldana) masterfully worked the hands and feet, sculpting the veins and bones so that they dramatically push against the taut skin. The painting, by her brother-in-law Tomás de Los Arcos, enhances the carving."
One of several ancient books on display. This hand written book featured bold colours and gold leaf in it's illustrations.
The Getty Center is in a beautiful setting, and a peaceful place to visit, although it can get busy.
The gardens of the Center are a work of art themselves. This maze was under maintenance, but would normally be surrounded by water.
A unique feature of the gardens are these living iron "trees".
The cactus garden featured many beautiful plants.
Another feature of the Getty Center are the surrounding views. This is looking East, with downtown Los Angeles too far away (and too hazy) to see. In the closer foreground is the skyline of Century City.
On the Santa Monica Pier. "Pacific Park" features amusement rides and fairground games for the family.
At the end of the pier, we got a good look at the southern part of Santa Monica beach. There is just as much beach to the north of the pier.
Our next stop was the Venice Beach area.
Part of the long "Boardwalk" of Venice Beach. The beach is part of the same beachfront as Santa Monica.
One of the many painted buildings in Venice Beach. We started this trip with the fantastic murals of Wynwood Walls in Miami, and ended with the murals of Venice Beach in Los Angeles.
Our introduction to the canal "streets" of Venice Beach. "More than 100 years ago, developer Abbot Kinney conceived the mad idea of building a "Venice of America," a cultural Valhalla dedicated to the fine arts, complete with canals, gondolas and imported Italian gondoliers. The experiment failed, and the gondoliers went home, but the canals remain and are a splendid place to take a walk."
What an idyllic place to live. Together with the sunshine of southern California, the calm, quiet canals of Venice Beach and the proximity to everything LA has to offer. But...not today. LAX was a quick drive away, so we headed to the airport for our flight back home.
The End