I’ve grown up in Southern California, about an hour and a half from USC, and one of my favorite things to do in LA is visit the Getty! I first went to the Getty for a field trip in second grade and have been back many times throughout the years. It has been fun visiting as I’ve gotten older and seeing how differently I look at and appreciate all of the art. I love history and I’ve always enjoyed reading the historical background on each of the paintings, and analyzing how the time period affects different artists and their perspectives on various events throughout history.
Our first weekend back this semester my roommates and I all sat down to pick out a fun thing to do in LA and none of them had been to the Getty before, so that’s where we headed! It was super fun showing them around one of my favorite museums. There are rotating exhibits at the Getty so even though I have gone multiple times there is always new stuff to see! We started by walking through the gardens and exploring the grounds which overlook LA. Next time you go look for the cute baby ducks that sometimes hang out in the fountain! We then explored the different galleries which contained sculptures, photographs, paintings, stained glass, pottery, and even historic furniture. We had lunch at the Garden Terrace Cafe this trip, but there are lots of grassy lawns where you can have picnics if you’d rather do that. Make sure to stop by the balconies outside of the East and South Balconies if you’re looking for a good photo op!
There is so much to see at the Getty that I try to focus on different pieces of art each time but two paintings I always make sure to stop by are “Irises” by Vicent Van Gogh and “Fruit Piece” by Jan Van Huysum. I’ve always liked “Irises” because I always feel such wonder as I stand in front of such a famous painting; “Fruit Piece” was one of my favorite paintings when I was little to look at because of the extremely realistic detail making it appear to come off the page.
I will keep this short, and hopefully I didn’t lose you with all of my nerdy excitement over the Getty… But seriously it is so cool. So please go and have a great day exploring the beautiful ground and perusing the famous art!! Also, Admission is free to the Getty Center, you just have to pay for parking if you drive your car there!
Hopefully you add the Getty to your list of fun things to do while in LA!
