November 2,

I awoke finally feeling like I’m over jet lag and the major time change we did. Jeff said he just was not quite adjusted, but better. We got around and were able to Zoom with our church back in Kansas. In LA we are just a couple of hours behind. So the linkup was on the same day! Yeah!!! We had planned to stay and watch the service, but we became inundated by mosquitoes. We discovered – in Jeff’s sister’s backyard where we were in – a little water work that was the breeding ground for them! So we had to bow out for the service. We are looking forward to seeing them in person.

Around 1030, we went out with Jeff’s sister and her husband, going to the Getty Center. As we were driving there, Jeff and I were both surprised how hazy/smoggy it was. We arrived around 1110. We had made a reservation for 1100 – because they have timed entry due to parking constraints. Once we parked, we boarded the tram up to the Center’s complex. You have to pay for parking but the entry into the complex was free. Little background, as per research:
J. Paul Getty was a very wealthy American Petroleum Industrialist and an avid art and antiquities collector. His collection formed the basis of the J. Paul Getty Museum. He had also established the J. Paul Getty Trust in 1953. When he died in 1976, almost $700 million of his estate was left to the museum. Legal challenges tied it up until 1982 (during which it had nearly doubled in amount). So the trust, now the world’s wealthiest art trust, operates this Getty Center and other Getty institutions. (This is why the admission was free.)

The Getty Center complex was big and consisted of several buildings: a Museum Entrance Hall; Five Pavilions (North, East, South, West and Exhibitions); a Research Institute Exhibition Galleries & Library; an Auditorium; a Trust Administration & Conservation Institute/Foundation. There was also the Museum Courtyard; a Central Garden; a Cactus Garden; and a restaurant area. The center provides several tours on a first come/first serve basis. We four formed a game plan. The first tour we wanted to do did not start until 1215. So we went to an exhibit called “Going Places- Travel in the Middle Ages.” This exhibit was manuscripts from around 1100 to 1500 AD that read of people moving about. The books were in remarkable shape with their calligraphy script and hand painted & gilded pictures. Beautiful! We meandered into the next room with a pottery basin, several glass pieces, stained glass, and sculptures from the Middle Ages.

Then we started the tours. First we did the Collections Tour. Our guide talked on only three paintings, as we had quite a bit of conversation on each piece. After the tour we wandered around a couple of galleries that had some great Impressionism pieces, such as van Gogh’s Irises; and Monet’s Wheatstacks, etc. Next we took a break and had a snack lunch. Jeff and I shared a turkey salad sandwich that cost $18! Yikes!! Then we all went on our second tour of the Central Garden. The garden is considered an artwork and actually registered as such. In fact, any change to the garden has to be approved by the Trust Committee! Robert Irwin – an artist, not a gardener – created the garden. Next was our third and last tour, the Center Architecture Tour. This covered the unique Getty Center layout, buildings, materials used, and design concepts all under the direction of Architect Richard Meier.

I could go into so much more. It was a fascinating place. Jeff and I enjoyed our day here with his sister and husband. We finished around 1615 and boarded the tram, leaving the Getty Center. We went to a close-by Popeyes, bought takeaway dinner and returned to “our” place. Lovely Day… simply living somewhere else.