Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Travel ::: :LA Day 5
Our fifth and last day in Los Angels, we were determined to squeeze in both Santa Monica and Malibu before our 9 pm Redye back to New York.
We checked out of our West Hollywood apartment at 10 am and took the drive to Santa Monica to get breakfast near the water.
We ended up grabbing a bite the Georgian Hotel on Ocean Drive because it had outdoor seating...
...and my favorite view; Palm Trees! Oh how I miss seeing these everywhere I go.
How amazing do those houses look?!
My life would be complete if I could live in one of those bungalows, right on the beach.
My life would be complete if I could live in one of those bungalows, right on the beach.
I imagine I'd wake up every morning a little after the sun, open all the windows while making my morning coffee, and let the breeze billow in...ahhhh. After spending the day at the beach basking in the sun, I'd go on a hike, followed by errands and preparing an amazing and fresh dinner. Capped off with a cocktail and going to sleep to the sound of waves.
There's a great walkway that expands the length of Santa Monica that has an amazing view above the beach (this is where I would take my walks).
After breakfast, we made our way to the infamous end of Route 66; the Santa Monica Pier.
You can see it wayyy in the distance above.
We finally made it to Playland!
And also Pacific Park.
Looking down at the crystal blue water over the railing of the pier.
His view.
Her view.
It was a peaceful morning on the pier, probably less crowded because it was Monday. Definitely an ideal place to start your day; in the sun and admiring the ocean and the surrounding nature.
(A small pit stop to use the bathroom and admire the Malibu side of the ocean)
We decided to head to Malibu at about 1 pm and check out the Getty Villa.
When we rolled up to the gated entrance of the estate, the guard asks if we had tickets. Unfortunately, we had not looked into the box office before heading to Malibu after Santa Monica. Nervous that we were not going to be able to enter the campus, the guard smiled and pulled out two tickets from his coat and offered them to us for free in exchange for paying for the parking (which was only $12 for an unlimited stay).
I have to say, we had a certain kind of luck in California with things like this unlike we have experienced in New York. I think there's a reason why people head out West to find gold, get rich or become famous, there's a spontaneous serendipity in the air that just causes things to just happen (the free Hollywood Bowl tickets, the flash mob engagement etc) in the snap of a finger.
The Getty Villa is an estate owned by oil tycoon J. Paul Getty adjacent to his home in the Pacific Palisades.
In 1974, Getty opened his Villa to the public as a center of education focused on the arts and culture of ancient Greece, Rome and Etruria.
The Villa's architecture was designed by Robert E. Langdon and Ernest C. Wilson.
And was inspired by the Villa of Papyri of Herculaneum.
The garden at the center of the Villa, is most definitely the star of the campus.
The shrubbery, fruit trees and roses are kept meticulously by a team of gardeners all year long.
Unfortunately, the fountains were mandated to be turned off because of the drought occurring during the summer.
One of the many talented gardeners at work.
This sculpture of Venus had a sign encouraging visitors to touch her and feel the dynamic of the anatomy replicated in the stone.
You can tell from pictures above, that a certain someone had a lot of fun with this exhibit.
We walked the Getty grounds for 3 hours, grabbed ice coffee and a snack at the cafe on campus and made our way back towards Hollywood. Some would say it was because I left my camera charger in our Air B&B, I'm going to say it was to take one last drive down Sunset.
The Wildfox Couture Flagship store.
Smoke shops and tattoo parlors; so Hollywood.
Before returning our rental car to the agency, we made our first and final stop at an In & Out Burger. It was a must on our list of things to do, and even though we only were able to fit it in right before the airport, it was the best last minute Los Angles treat we could get our hands (and mouths) on.
Edward-Fry-Hands.
The entire long weekend, ended up feeling like a whole week in the best way!
I left this trip feeling revived and satisfied that we were able to see and do so much in just five days. Next time I would love to stay longer and do all the other things on my list that I saved for another trip :)
- Stephanie
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