The Broad

The Broad is a contemporary art museum in LA and probably the second most visited after LACMA. Entry to The Broad is free. You have to book a slot to get in. I found out about that and did book on their website. Alas, I missed booking for an incredible installation called Infinity Mirrors by … Continue reading / view photos The Broad

LACMA and La Brea Tar Pits

Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible. Paul Klee. LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is huge. It has everything from contemporary to Etrustan art. Occasionally, I’m pleasantly surprised that I come across a famous painting or sculpture that I’d seen in books or film but never in reality. This … Continue reading / view photos LACMA and La Brea Tar Pits

LA beach baby

Los Angeles was hot. So I decided to head west from downtown to Venice and Santa Monica Beaches. Unlike San Francisco, Los Angeles is not easily walkable. The points of interest are distributed around the city and you need something more than your legs to get around. Most people use cars. However, there are motorised … Continue reading / view photos LA beach baby

Bare chests and lively tops

As I hiked Runyon Canyon Park and the Hollywood Hills, I felt overdressed and under-muscled. I was wearing t-shirt and shorts. But this was too much. Many men were bare-chested with well-developed muscles. Some women wore low-cut, and lively, tops. The area is popular with people in the film industry and, if you’re eagle-eyed, you’ll … Continue reading / view photos Bare chests and lively tops

This is Hollywood!

β€œIn Hollywood if you don’t have a shrink, people think you’re crazy.” Johnny Carson If you go to Los Angeles, you must go to Hollywood! Hollywood was a 30 minute metro ride from my hostel. The small LA metro is quite good but, like buses, suffers from under-investment. This is partly, someone told me, a … Continue reading / view photos This is Hollywood!

The Getty Center

The first place I went to in LA was The Getty Center, which was quite far from my hostel. To save time, I got a taxi. The centrepiece of The Getty Center is the museum, which has an extensive art collection from around the world. The funding for the museum came from J Paul Getty, … Continue reading / view photos The Getty Center

LA LA Land

Goodbye San Francisco, hello Los Angeles! A direct flight took me to Los Angeles and a bus ride from the airport got me to the Freehand hostel. The Freehand hostel is more like a hotel than a hostel. Its lounge, bar and restaurant are open to the public. The dorms are like small booths – … Continue reading / view photos LA LA Land

Berkeley

The University of Berkeley has a campus that seems perfectly designed for studying and reflection. The university is surrounded by mature trees overlooking your every move. If the campus doesn’t inspire students nothing will! A couple of days ago before I visited Berkeley, when I was walking along the San Francisco coast, I met a … Continue reading / view photos Berkeley

Golden Gate Park

The lungs of San Francisco are in Golden Gate Park. I found myself often gravitating towards it. It’s a huge park at the city’s centre. In the park, there is the de Young art museum, a botanical gardens, a Japanese garden, the California Academy of Sciences, a conservatory, buffalo (!), and two windmills (a gift … Continue reading / view photos Golden Gate Park

Angel Island

One of the day trips you can do from San Francisco is to Angel Island, a thirty minute boat ride that passes Alcatraz (the inescapable prison, now closed). Once there, I walked up Mount Livermore – a pleasant two hour circular climb, ascending about 240m. From the top, you get good views of the San … Continue reading / view photos Angel Island