Uncle Traveling Matt: Postcard #2

July 10, 2005

Postcard #2

Really busy here at the moment, bit of a mission to fit in all the things I still want to see in LA around work, but I'm managing. In this post I've got the previously mentioned Long Beach Aquarium update, pictures from South Central, and stuff on today's trip to the Getty Center. But first, check out the L.A. Cityscape Panoramic Montage I made from photos taken at the Getty Center, by clicking the image to the right—it's bitchin'. I've marked in all the relevant locations mentioned in previous posts; btw, the actual Getty Center gardens are off to the right of the picture :)

So on Tuesday I was meant to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific, however due to me being extremely hungover that got deferred to Wednesday. It's a bit of a hike down to Long Beach, as you can see in the panorama above, it's freakin' miles away. This time I took a few pictures of the trip including the Los Angeles Industrial Area (south of Pico/Grand), South Central, Compton and Anaheim. Anaheim is where Disneyland is, however arriving at Disneyland via the freeway you don't actually see the real Anaheim—I have to wonder how many people that actually live in Anaheim can afford to go to Disneyland?

The Aquarium itself is pretty cool, not quite as big as I expected but still pretty sizeable. They had a number of interesting exhibits, including a 2 foot wide spider crap, which I'm sure my little sister would love (normal size craps freak her out ;), a Giant Octopus (the kind that eats sharks) and cool glow in the dark fish, like the ones off Finding Nemo. In addition, there was the area where you can play (pat/stoke as they swim past) with the sharks and stingrays. Personally I think the tank the sharks were in was way too small and kinda cruel, however I guess it was to stop them moving around lots and biting off some child's hand. The sharks felt like sandpaper and the stingrays were a bit strange kinda slimy almost. The stingrays were really cool though, they'd swim up to the surface and let you touch them and flap their wings.

Yesterday I decided to head back down to Westwood to that clothing store I'd checked out the day before. There were a couple of items I wanted to try on, however at the time I was all sandy and sweaty from the beach. After that I was going to visit the Getty Center on the way home. However, they didn't have the jacket I wanted in my size, so she asked if I'd like her to call their Hollywood store to put one on hold. The store was just up from the Hollywood & Highland Subway Station, opposite the Chinese Theatre (where all the movie premieres are), so I said "sweet, all good". I'd just take the bus up to road to Wilshire & Western, catch the train to Hollywood & Highland and back—an hour round trip tops and still heaps of time to see the Getty, all good ;)

Well it didn't exactly work out like that now, did it?! I got the 720 bus to Wilshire & Western no problem, got on the train, the automatic doors closed, and.... nothing, the train didn't go anywhere, then the air-con shuts down & the lights dim, and then more nothing... and I'm going "ok, this is starting to freak me out a bit"... Thirty minutes later... a guy comes on the PA and says there's been an suspicious package found at Vermont & Sunset and an unidentified person found in the tunnels, all the Vermont stations have been shut-down and if you're heading north to catch the Metro Bus to Hollywood & Western and catch the Subway from there. At this I thought, ok take the bus, take the train, still get back in time, no problem. Twenty minutes later the bus turns up, and upon seeing the number of people at Hollywood & Western waiting to catch it the other way, I completely ditch the idea of heading back. So I get on the train at Hollywood & Western, the doors close and... nothing, again?! Arrgghh... trapped in a subway train again, this can't be happening?!. Fortunately, a couple minutes later the driver comes on a says sorry for the delay, the power was out and we head off north (albeit very slowly), and finally get to Hollywood & Highland some 2.5 hours after I started out!! The ironic thing was the distance from where I started to where I finished was only 12km—it would of been just as fast if I had walked!!

Today I visited the Getty Center, straight there, straight back, no side trips, lol! ;) It's been a couple of years since I last visited the Getty, and this time I had the pleasure of being there in summer when all the gardens were in bloom—it was a little bit like stepping into the 1800's with all the ladies walking around the gardens with Parasols! There where a number of new exhibits, or possibility ones a missed last time around, in addition to the Permanent Collection of paintings, sculpture and photography. The two highlights of the visit where: Shrine and Shroud, and The Making of Furniture.

Shrine and Shroud is a collection of detailed Medieval (and earlier Illuminated Manuscripts (in a room so dark, I'm impressed my flash-less photographs came out). The highlight of the exhibit was in addition to these, they also had a page from a 1000 B.C. Egyptian Book and a 400 B.C. edition of the Koran—it's not often you get to stuff that rare or that old for that matter!

The Making of Furniture, which was considerably more interesting that it's name would suggest, showed the reconstruction of the creation a 18th-century French writing table. The exhibit shows the actual 18th century table and three copies made in Paris by contemporary craftsmen, using tools and techniques similar to those employed in the workshop of Jean-FranÇois Oeben, where the original table was made. The constructions show the work of cabinetmaker, bronze founder and the finisher as the table progress through the construction, shaping and decoration stages.

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Posted by Matt at July 10, 2005 5:24 PM