We are flying from Sonoma County (using new Horizon Air!) to LA Thursday, 3/22, for a long (4-day) birthday weekend. Here's our plan:

Day 1 (Thursday) - Arrive LAX at 7:45 am; fetch rental car then off to the Getty Museum. Morning looking at exhibits and building/grounds and lunch at the Getty (1 pm reservation). Afternoon at the Farmer's Market at the Grove then maybe the LA Museum if we have time. To our hotel, The Georgian, in Santa Monica. Dinner at Ocean Ave Seafood or ???.

Day 2 (Friday) - Explore downtown: Olvera Street, Union Station, Grand Central Market, Griffen Museum. Probably dinner near hotel in Santa Monica (e.g., Monsoon @ 3rd St Promenade for something different)

Day 3 (Saturday)- Explore all Santa Monica has to offer. Hang out a bit. Dinner at The Penthouse (birthday dinner!)

Day 4 (Sunday) - Leave hotel early and go to Pasadena: Huntington Library & grounds; Gamble House; old town. Late lunch (e.g., Trattoria Tre Venezie); back to LAX for 6 pm departure.

We haven't been in LA for quite a number of years except for conferences at airport hotels. We love architecture, art, beautiful scenery and good food. Your feedback on our itinery would be most appreciated.

I was just at the Getty Center last month and ate lunch at the Restaurant there. The food was fabulous.

Try to go to the Getty Villa if you can (in Malibu). You need to obtain free tickets in advance.

You can read my LA (and San Diego) trip report here:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34966400

Try to join one of more of the free docent-guided tours at the Getty. They are excellent.

Any reason not visiting the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena?
http://www.nortonsimon.org/

We were in LA last September and really enjoyed the Gamble House and Norton Simon in Pasadena. You might also want to check out the canals in Venice Beach and the Chiat Day Building (which has a great sculpture/entranceway by Claes Oldenburg)

Thanks for the feedback. We did want to go to the Getty Villa, but there were no tour spaces available for our dates. Also, we considered the Norton-Simon in Pasadena, but thought that might be too much for the day considering we need to be back at LAX by 4 pm. We will take advantage of the docent-led tours at the Getty. I understand the grounds are quite lovely too. Are we missing anything downtown that we should consider?

Visit the Disney Symphony Hall if you have time when you are downtown and take the self guide tour--very interesting structure inside and out.

FWIW, a friend of mine couldn't get a ticket to the Getty Villa either. He visited the Getty Center, and casually mentioned to the person at the info desk about how disappointed he was that he couldn't visit the Villa. Somehow they managed to give him a Villa ticket for the following day. So, you can consider asking when you're at the Center.

Hi 2d,

Just a few comments to help you minimize your time in our teeth-gnashing traffic:

Day 1 - I would not recommend driving from the Getty Ctr, eastward to the Farmer's Market/Grove and then back west to Santa Monica in one afternoon. (especially after landing at 7:45 am - which means you will have been up since before the crack of dawn). You might want to stay on the Westside (Westwood, Beverly Hills) and have dinner in Santa Monica on that afternoon/evening.

Day 2 - You could hit FM/Grove on your way to or from downtown L.A., and stay in that area for dinner (either downtown or the Grove area), then return to SM later in the evening, when traffic subsides a bit.

If you like architecture, then the Walt Disney Concert Hall is a must. www.wdch.laphil.org

Ivk,

Thanks for the advise about afternoon travel on our first day. Do you have suggestions about things to do in the Westwood/Beverly Hills area. We are not big on shopping so any other activities you might suggest would be appreciated.

2d

2d,

UCLA is in Westwood. There is a scupture garden, and a few museums:
www.happenings.ucla.edu/arts/

Another suggestion would be a coastal drive along PCH.

I'm topping so some West-siders can give you more suggestions.

If you are still looking for ideas for today, the California Heritage Museum has a wonderul exhibit right now www.californiaheritagemuseum.org . It is on Main Street in Santa Monica. The I would suggest driving a few blocks north to Olympic, turning east to 14th and Olympic to have some amazing Mexican food at our favorite, Tacos por Favor (we'll probabl be there today, too).

You could rent bike in Santa Monica and ride to Venice or drive up the coast to Mailbu. My favorite in Malibu is the Adamson House Musuem. 23200 PCH.

oops, I didn't notice the OP is coming in today! I guess they are in their rental car on the 405 right about now.