Any advice greatly appreciated.

1) how long / cost to do the following TAXI trips on a Wednesday?
- Sunset Strip to Getty (10am)?
- Getty to LAX (3-4pm)?

2) i am not crazy about art but interested, how long do i need to spend with the audio guide? and how long should i budget visiting the museum?

3) if i was to hire a car and drive to the Getty, would my luggage be safe in the boot of my car in the getty car park?

I need to catch a flight from LAX at 5pm so the above info will be very helpful in planning my time and not missing my flight.

thanks

Darren (Melbourne, Australia)

I can only answer two of your questions, but that too, will be up for debate on this board

2) You should budget as much time as YOU need personally. Two within our family couldn't have cared less about art, but were very intriqued by the grandeur of the Getty; the architecture and views from the porticos are enough to occupy several hours.

We budgeted an afternoon and probably could have stayed longer.
Again, personal choice.

3)Parking is very secure - well, as secure as any monitored parking lot....
You must call ahead for ressies tho, as IS limited.

You will love it; enjoy!

Darren,
I'll try to help but please remember this is just MY experience. I stayed in a hotel in Beverley Hills and the drive to the Getty was quick and easy (under 15 minutes from hotel to the parking lot). The directions were clear and the entrance and parking very efficient. I arrived at 10AM, signed up for the architecture and garden tour immediately upon arrival. Both tours were excellent and lasted about 45 minutes. I wondered about the exterior (360 degree views from the ocean, the city and the mountains). Enjoyed a great cup of coffee from a cooffee cart and had a bite to eat in the excellent cafeteria. I departed around 3:30PM and didn't even enter any of the museums. I only had a day and evening in the area and wanted to get to Santa Monica for dinner and sunset. On my next visit I will spend more time at the Getty but do not regret my short time there on this last stay in the LA area. Sorry I do not no the time it takes to get to LAX but it's "just up the road". BTW, the parking was in a parking structure and seemed very safe to me. Hope this helps.

Sorry, KNOW not no. Back to English 101.

thanks for the advice.... if anyone else can answer the unanswered questions that would be great too.

As a former LA resident...

1. Hire (rent) a car, definitely. The parking garage is quite safe (there are parking attendants/security always roaming the lot). LA taxis are expensive and unreliable. Especially from a removed fortress as the Getty Center. As for timing-It depends what time of day you are going to the GC. On a weekday, you will be fighting the 405 traffic(colossal)7-11am and 4-10pm. So plan accordingly. (I would estimate 45-60 min from Santa Monica.)

2. I would skip the audio guide unless there is a really interesting exhibit going on. In my museum loving opinion, the Getty Center is more about the setting and the campus than about the art on the walls. The quality of the collection is mediocre. Bear in mind, getting to the center is a 2 tiered process. First you wait in line to get into the parking lot. Then, you buy your tickets and wait in line to take the tram up to the main buildings (prepare for 45 min. commute total to the center) The view from the center is amazing - like being in heaven.

If your flight leaves at 5pm, you want to be returning the car at 3pm and plan for the afternoon traffic (plan on 1- 1 1/4 hours to get there from the Getty- just to be safe) so I would leave for the airport around 1:45.

Its a great experience- not to be missed, they have great outdoor cafe's and a big garden. Have a great time

HI JVS (if you are reading)

Thanks for the detailed reply.

Why do you suggest to drop off the hire car 2hrs before my flight leaves. I am only catching a domestic flight to Vegas ... is it really that necessary to drop the car off that early?

I think I can answer the question regarding timing your arrival at LAX. You should give yourself plenty of time to return the car, first of all. Closing the paperwork on the rental, calculating all costs, etc., etc., etc., take time.

Then you need to get to LAX and prepare for the flight to LAS. If you're flying Southwest, it's a free-for-all open seating system, so arriving early gives you dibs on storage bins. I'm not sure who else flies to LAS from LAX any more, but it's still a good idea to get through security ASAP. Two hours from arriving at rental drop-off is an ample window of time.

RJW is right, it is a long process to return the car. However, if you are just flying to Vegas (I thought maybe it was a more major flight) you maybe dont need to budget as much time. Vegas flights run so often, its more like a bus, so if you miss one-you'll catch the next easily.

hmmm ... maybe i should just catch a taxi from getty to LAX ... seems like i will save some time ... if i was to book a taxi to pick me up at the getty for 5.10pm flight can i rely on the taxi arriving at 3pm ... or is that too risky?

is there a taxi drop off area at the getty?

(the immediate responses on this forum are bery appreciated)

oops - typo - "very appreciated"

Maybe we're not being clear here, so let me restate it:

DO NOT-- I repeat, DO NOT-- COUNT ON RELIABLE CAB SERVICE FROM GETTY TO LAX. The Getty is a rather isolated complex with limited access routes, and even with the more reliable cab companies you are at the mercy of their having cabs to dispatch as well as traffic snarls, etc.

You want to go to the Getty the same day you need to get to LAX, so you're going to have to face it: YOU HAVE TO RENT A CAR.

www.getty.edu They have 2 taxi drop-offs, and direct-phones to cabs, so I think you would not have a problem. A taxi may be helpful in choosing the quickest way to LAX, surface streets or fwy. The rush hour starts at 3 p.m.

The taxi info is useful-- but I think it's still risky. The advantage to the cabs is that they would be able to call for info on problems on the 405 or even on Sepulveda. Still, it's gonna be expensive, and you have to make sure you're down the mountain on the little tram to get to the taxi stand, then you have to make the call, then you have to wait for the cab-- which could be there in 10 minutes or 30. With the car there in the parking garage, at least you can control when you leave the mountain.

OK, I admit it, I'm avoiding work....

A comment on the Getty: The point to the Getty Center is the complex itself, not the art (although they do occasionally have good installations for modern artists like Long Beach video artist Bill Viola), so a spin through the galleries can be accomplished quickly. This gives you more time to marvel at the grandeur of the complex itself (a Richard Maier work), to have a bite at the outdoor café and to stroll the grounds and enjoy the views of the LA Basin (if it's not too hazy).

I think the Getty does reinforce the reputation of LA as a weak town vis-à-vis the visual arts. Truth is, LA has a very vibrant arts scene with some quite worthy museums (LACMA, MOCA, the Norton Simon, Museum of Latin American Art) and galleries (especially the outstanding Bergamot Station collective in Santa Monica-- I'm pushing a sculptress friend to get her new representation there). An artist's tour of LA could be a very full, and very fulfilling, couple of weeks.

Note the you need a parking reservation for the getty unless you visit on Sat and Sun.

You can rent a car in Hollywood from budget.com and return it to LAX. The car return is quick and easy. I have left the Getty at 3:00pm, been at budget at 3:20, and into the airport terminal at 3:30...but this was on a Sunday when traffic is at a minimum. It is an easy drive straight down the freeway but weekday traffic can slow you down.

Is there a web-site to reserve parking at the Getty, please?
This time, I'd like to see the refurbished Getty at Malibu too. Anyone been there? It's not been open the last couple of times. Thank you.

Message for Carrabella:
The website for the Getty is www.getty.edu. It only gives a telephone number to call for parking reservations. There is a nearby parking lot with shuttle service, and does not require reservations. As for the Getty Villa in Malibu, it will reopen in the fall of 2005.

http://www.getty.edu/visit/forms/parking.html

You can reserve a car park for weekdays at the above address. I did and got a confirmation by email pretty quickly.