Long weekend in Los Angeles
Apr 19th, 2010, 06:39 PM
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Long weekend in Los Angeles
My husband and I just returned from a long weekend in LA, a trip primarily made to see the Getty Center and to celebrate my 60th birthday. We left Phoenix Friday morning on Southwest and flew in to Burbank, a small, easy to navigate airport. The car rentals are at the airport, only a very short walk from the terminal. Using our Costco membership, a four-day rental was only $60. We drove to Hollywood since it was nearby and the first thing we saw was a crowd surrounding Alan Jackson who was getting a star in the sidewalk that day. We walked around a little bit, surprised at how tacky Hollywood seemed. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant in the mall which was good, but not memorable enough that I remember the name. We left to drive to our VRBO rental in Woodland Hills. We've had very good success with VRBO, but this was not one of them. Apparently, the pictures were taken a couple of years ago and that was the last time anyone had cleaned up the place. Luckily, we weren't spending much time there. After checking in, we drove down Topango Canyon Road to Malibu, parked and walked along the coast watching the surfers. We drove back up north on Malibu Canyon Rd, stopping for a drink at the venerable Stable Lodge Restaurant, then had dinner at Kings Seafood in Calabasas.
The next day we drove south to Malibu again to have lunch at the Beachcomber Restaurant at the Malibu Pier, right on the water. We drove east through Santa Monica, walked down the Santa Monica Pier and arrived at the Getty Center around 5:30. This was Saturday when the Center is open until 9:00 and parking and admission is free. On the spur of the moment we decided to have dinner at the main restaurant, even though we weren't very dressed up. We did look better than the couple next to us in their ball caps, she in short white shorts and he in a tattered t-shirt! It was expensive, but delicious and fueled an almost three hour visit to the museum and grounds which are spectacular. It definitely lives up to all of the hype.
On Sunday we spent four hours at the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena. It was a beautiful day and we had lunch at the cafe and must have walked at least 5 or 6 miles, just skimming the surface of what it had to offer. We were tired when we headed back to Woodland Hills and had a fast-food dinner in Calabasas. Today we stopped at the Getty Villa in Malibu for an hour before heading to the airport. The Getty Villa focuses on ancient Roman and Egyptian relics and has gorgeous grounds and a view of the ocean and an hour is not nearly long enough to see it, but we had a plane to catch. All in all, a nice way to celebrate my birthday.
The next day we drove south to Malibu again to have lunch at the Beachcomber Restaurant at the Malibu Pier, right on the water. We drove east through Santa Monica, walked down the Santa Monica Pier and arrived at the Getty Center around 5:30. This was Saturday when the Center is open until 9:00 and parking and admission is free. On the spur of the moment we decided to have dinner at the main restaurant, even though we weren't very dressed up. We did look better than the couple next to us in their ball caps, she in short white shorts and he in a tattered t-shirt! It was expensive, but delicious and fueled an almost three hour visit to the museum and grounds which are spectacular. It definitely lives up to all of the hype.
On Sunday we spent four hours at the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena. It was a beautiful day and we had lunch at the cafe and must have walked at least 5 or 6 miles, just skimming the surface of what it had to offer. We were tired when we headed back to Woodland Hills and had a fast-food dinner in Calabasas. Today we stopped at the Getty Villa in Malibu for an hour before heading to the airport. The Getty Villa focuses on ancient Roman and Egyptian relics and has gorgeous grounds and a view of the ocean and an hour is not nearly long enough to see it, but we had a plane to catch. All in all, a nice way to celebrate my birthday.
Apr 20th, 2010, 07:25 AM
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We liked the Kings Seafood. It was very busy on Friday night, but we managed to grab a table on the patio. My husband had the clam chowder and I had a lobster roll and they were both good. We weren't very hungry after our stop at the Stable Lodge where we pigged out on their house made potato chips, so we ate lightly, but I would go back again.
