Thursday, Oct 13

Today saw another 90 miles of progress along the Pacific coast but was focused on two museums.

The first was the stunning Getty Villa just off the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades. This was never designed as a residence but was built to display J. Paul Getty’s art collection. It is inspired by the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum that was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The only art on display is ancient Greek, Roman and Etrurian and the combination of the classical architecture of the villa, the amazing art and the wonderful southern California weather makes a spectacular impact. The displays are impeccable with each gallery carefully styled to match the pieces it contains but the lighting is low so indoor photography is a challenge – probably a deliberate decision. I would rate this as one of the best art museums I have ever visited.

My second stop was the Queen Mary ocean liner that is now moored at the Port of Long Beach. This was a very different experience than the Getty Villa in that much of the ship has been converted to shops, a wedding parlor, restaurants, private event spaces and hotel amenities so that touring the ship is more of a commercial experience than a museum experience. I had expected to see a luxurious ballroom with chandeliers, as shown in movies such as Titanic, but there was nothing like that. There were many areas that had been preserved but, while walking on any level you might suddenly be confronted with something like a modern fitness center that felt completely out of context. Certain parts of the ship were fascinating and the audio tour was quite interesting but the cost, with parking, was $48 and I thought it was a mediocre experience.

The drive was very pleasant at the beginning and end and you can see more highlights of the wonderful Pacific Coast Highway and the map here.

The inner peristyle of the main building at the Getty Villa museum.

The beautiful outer peristyle contains a reflecting pool, statues, and gardens that are use the same plants and designs found in ancient Roman villas.
The size of the Queen Mary can be seen in this shot