Trips: The Getty Villa

“The best things in life are free.”

I know that saying always seems too good to be true, but sometimes it really is. For just 10 bucks for parking, you can experience the wonders of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. Who said going to Malibu was going to be expensive? It was last Sunday that we visited The Getty Villa in Malibu, California for the second time.

The second time, you ask. Well, we had to go back and try out Ashton here, who hasn’t gone out much since his acquisition. But honestly, I just had to go back because the first shots I took of the Villa weren’t as good as I hoped it would be (I set the ISO to 1600 by accident and the photos didn’t really turn out as well as I hoped).

Moving on; The Getty Villa houses 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities, of which over 1,200 are currently on view as their permanent collection. They also have a wide variety of changing exhibits which ca be viewed in their six galleries. Currently on display are the first contemporary art project of the Villa; Jim Dine: Poet Singing (The Flowering Sheets), and a trio of exhibitions that “explore issues surrounding the conservation and interpretation of ancient art;” Reconstructing Identity: A Statue of a God from Dresden, Fragment to Vase: Approaches to Ceramic Restoration, and The Getty Commodus: Roman Portraits and Modern Copies. Unfortunately, the Villa doesn’t allow photography on their changing exhibits but they do allow photography on their permanent collections.

Being in the Villa feels like you are in another era and being quite interested in this area myself; I loved it! The Villa is actually modeled after a first-century Roman country house, called the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy. The Villa dei Papiri was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79, much of which remains unexcavated. I remember recalling a show in The History Channel about said eruption and how the people under the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius where “preserved” by the ashes when it erupted; with many of the people frozen in mid-action. As I recall, much has not been excavated but they did say that many of the artifacts that they found there where well-preserved.

The Outer Peristyle of the Villa, is perhaps the most dramatic place to behold. It showcases a few busts placed strategically all over the place with two statues in the pool (the one pointing up one of my favorites as is Hermes, the messenger and the god of war). The columns lining the Outer Peristyle are what I imagined it would be back in the day.

Beside the Villa, there is also a garden that showcases various herbs and shrubs found in that era. A lot of water fountains and statues can also be found in the garden.

To see more photos click here.


Info: Getty.edu
Photos: betterthanezraH

Trips: L.A. Live

L.A. Live, located in Downtown Los Angeles is a one of a kind entertainment campus adjacent to the Staples Center. L.A. Live features the Nokia Plaza, Nokia Theatre, the Grammy Museum, the ESPN Network, and a variety of shops and restaurants.

I rate my experience a three out of five stars. The light show wasn't that good either. There was an NBA game that night, too. Although I didn't see any players, not that I would recognize one! hehehehe

More photos here.

Trips: The Getty Center

The Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is the current home of part of the J. Paul Getty Museum; The Getty Villa is in Malibu. The museum's permanent collection includes "pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; and 19th- and 20th-century American and European photographs" The Center opened on December 16, 1997, with Richard Meier as the architect.

The 134,000-square-foot (12,400 m2) Central Garden at the Getty Center is the work of artist Robert Irwin[18]. Planning for the garden began in 1992, construction started in 1996, and the garden was completed in December 1997.

I was at the Getty Center last Saturday because we had to meet there for my photography class. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to visit the other collections of J. Paul Getty (he has Vincent Van Gogh's painting Irises). I did see the photography exhibit of the renowned photographer Carleton Watkins in the first floor gallery, with photos from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The Center has a permanent exhibit and a Changing Exhibit of the different collections.

Most of our time was spent at the Central Garden where we where "let lose" to take photographs to show on our class in Tuesday. I had many opportunities for macro shots but I could only do as much since I didn't have a macro lens yet but hopefully, I will (crossing my fingers).

Entrance to The Getty Center is free but parking is $10 per car. Of course, you can always opt to go via the Metro Rapid Line 761, which stops at the main gate on Sepulveda Boulevard.

I give my abbreviated trip four stars. I will definitely visit the Center again!

For more photos visit my Flickr collection HERE.

Location
The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive in Los Angeles, California
Hours
Tuesday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Info: Wikipedia.org, Getty.edu

Trips: Lake Shrine

The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine is a garden dedicated to Paramahansa Yogananda in 1950. was an Indian yogi and guru who introduced many westerners to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga.

The Lake Shrine as it is popularly known, is a peaceful garden where you can sit, relax, and meditate. We went there last Sunday because I wanted to see the place and take photos. As soon as I entered its sanctum, I was amazed at how beautiful and peaceful the garden was.

I saw a person walking on his bare feet, someone meditating in the yoga position, and a few people just sitting and absorbing the beauty of the place.

The garden basically surrounds the natural spring fed lake. A Windmill Chapel, an authentic reproduction of a 16th century Dutch windmill, houses their meditation room.

Gandhi World Peace Memorial

Golden Lotus Archway

Buddha in the Japanese Garden

Lake Shrine Benches

The Sunken Garden

Grotto

Wishing Well

For more photos visit my flickr photostream.

Location
Self-Realization Fellowship Temple - Lake Shrine
17190 Sunset Boulevard
Pacific Palisades, California 90272-3099
Telephone: (310) 454-4114

Entrance is free
My Rating: 3 STARS

Info
Lake Shrine Temple
Wikipedia

Food Friday: Porto's Cheese Rolls

Heaven. This flaky pastry filled with cheese is purely heaven! We bought a dozen of these delicious bits of heaven at Porto's Bakery, possibly the best bakery in California!

Sinking my teeth into its flaky goodness is something that I want to experience again and again and again...

I know I'm sounding overly dramatic but these cheese rolls are yummy! They take me back to the time in high school when we would race to the canteen and buy the 5 PHP cheese bread fresh from the oven [read SU Cafeteria]. I know good old cheese bread cannot compete with Porto's cheese rolls but the memories and friendship are everlasting.

Porto's Bakery
Glendale Location
315 North Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91203
tel. (818) 956-5996
fax (818) 956-0696

Burbank Location
3614 W Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 846-9100

Trips: Japanese Garden

Last Sunday was the first time that I used my Nikon D40 SLR camera. I know, I know, I'm not that good yet and I still lack the expertise to manipulate the shutter speed and the f-stops (aperture) but I am getting there!

We went to The Japanese Gardens in Van Nuys, California and we enjoyed the whole excursion. At $3.00 per person, not only was it affordable but it was worth it! This post will turn out to be a photo post and I hope you will enjoy my photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Suiho En, the garden of water and fragrance is a 6.5 acre authentic Japanese garden fashioned after “stroll gardens” constructed during the 18th and 19th centuries for Japanese Feudal lords. The Garden Creator, Dr. Kawana designed more than one dozen major Japanese gardens in the United States, including botanical gardens at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, San Diego's Balboa Park and gardens in Denver, Chicago, Memphis, Minneapolis, and the largest Japanese garden in the United States - the 14 acre garden in St. Louis. He pioneered the design of traditional Japanese gardens which utilized plants native to the area of the garden.

For my whole album please visit Secret Fantasy.

Location:
The Japanese Gardens
6100 Woodley Ave, Van Nuys, California, 91406
Tel 818 756 8166 • Fax 818 756 9648
Info: The Japanese Garden