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On the second day of our trip we got out the car and headed to the Getty Centre. This museum was funded by oil tycoon Paul Getty and houses his art collection from 1500 onwards. The weather forecast was for cloud and a possibility of rain but we got a beautiful sunny day. Ideal for seeing the buildings and garden of the centre. We arrived about 11.00. After parking the car a small tram takes you up into the hills and into the centre. We arrived just in time for a garden tour. The garden itself is seen as a work of art and it wonderful. Judy, our guide, explained the concepts behind the plan not just of the garden but of the courtyards within the building. The building themselves are coated with blocks of tavertine marble and going round the museum the changing perspectives on the buildings and on the surrounding landscape are always enthrallling. In fact the collection comes second to the buildings and gardens.
After the museum we drove down Sunset Boulevard and came to the Ocean at Santa Monica. Beautiful houses, beautiful tree lined avenues and then very quickly into the Venice Beach area with a decidedly down at heel feel. Moving from the “haves” to the “have nots” doesn’t take very long here.