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Published: March 18th 2012
The Getty Centre
Matt at the Getty CentreWell we have been quite the tourists in the last 24 hours. Any chance of us thinking that we may just blend in with the locals went out the door as we joined a “hop on hop off” bus tour of Santa Monica and Hollywood. I also need to confess another reason that we stand out is that I fell for the oldest newbie fault of not using sunscreen while on an open top bus - I write this with a face several shades redder than it should be. Hopefully by the time we meet the tour group tomorrow it will have soften a bit; either that or I will have to say I am a welder by trade and forgot to wear my mask.
The bus trip took us out through the Santa Monica area and into Brentwood. This is a picturesque suburb famous for the celebs that live there. It is also where one OJ Simpson drove the infamous white Bronco followed by the LAPD and numerous media helicopters. It was quite weird as the GPS commentary failed just as they were getting to the good bit about OJ and “the bloodied glove” – I thought it must
Bugatti
Custom built and designed Bugatti - $1.7m have been a legal issue until we worked out the commentary jumped as we went through most interchanges. It did bring back memories. It is hard to believe that it is nearly 20 years since that moment changed many lives; I thought of Kato Kaelin, Judge Lance Ito, the late great Johnnie Cochran, A.C Cowlings, the tragedy of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, and endless Larry King Live episodes – maybe my first year at university would have been so much more successful if I had not watched and read so much about this topic.
The GPS commentary was fun – it was like the writer had sat down with a pile of gossip mags to source their information. It was delivered by a man with a strong English accent and we had comments like “it is likely that Brad Pitt stood near that sign” and “so and so wrote an album there” and we were told more than once to “have your cameras ready as celebs will be round the corner”. No celebrity in their right mind would head out to get their morning coffee of walk the dog with a bus bearing down on them trumpeting
that fact for all to hear!
Our first real moment of “the bling” of Beverly Hills and Hollywood was Rodeo Drive. Wow! If ever a street drips money, style and opulence then this is it. It cries out for a Hallensteins and a $2 shop. All the names are there and I am sure many of you will have experienced the thrill of walking this street. This was our first time and it was quite an eye-opener. There was a Bugatti parked outside the store of Iranian fashion designer Bijan – custom coloured to his designs of yellow and black unfortunately he did not live to see the finished automobile. The cynic in me may worry that he caught a glimpse of the price tag - $1.7m. All I know is that there were more people looking at the car than the store.
In Hollywood we “hopped off” to walk the street of stars. My God there are a lot. I am not sure what I expected but after going up and down two streets I was starting to be less impressed by star shapes. It is however a quite wonderful part of the city and everything is
so lively. People were everywhere, photos were being taken, tour buses were being filled and many a person was either trying to make a quick buck or be discovered. I love the disclaimer on the tours of stars houses; “you may see some of the following houses”. I think Hollywood was the first time I felt the sun taking affect and knew my face could be in trouble. Did I go and buy a hat? Nope!
All in all the tour was great fun. We started in near freezing conditions and ended in blistering heat. I had not done such a tour since the early 90s around London in the depths of winter. That time I refused to go below decks and spent the next two days in bed with a head cold. Based on my performance in two tours I feel that if we are to go again I will take sunscreen, a blanket, a First Aid kit and maybe a St Bernard.
Last night we met up with Jonathan and Jessica. I had been put in touch with them through my cousin and it was very nice of them to meet with
Getty Centre
Narelle at the GC us and take us to one of their local restaurants in Brentwood. The Tavern was stunning and had a great feel to it – it was obvious that it was very popular. The food was beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed my local pink snapper. Narelle tried her best to eat all of her dessert – a chef’s take on a Snickers bar! President Obama ate there on a recent trip for and they closed the entire place down – God I love stories like that. Restaurants in LA have also embraced the Farmers’ Markets and the menus are seasonal. The hotel we are staying at proudly display a “zero food miles” menu as the market is right out the door. Jonathan has been a great email contact and has provided a huge amount of information for us to use in the US. Already I have a list for Houston and Dallas, and Chicago is on its way – meeting people while travelling is just great. Jessica is an actress and had come straight from an audition and had another early the next morning. They were wonderful and friendly people and we really enjoyed their company – we will have to
reciprocate one day in the future. So well down Mark for putting us in contact!
Today we have been to the Getty Centre, which was truly amazing. High on a ridge overlooking LA it is a massive site housing one of the world’s great art collections. The artwork and photography is quite stunning. However, just wandering the grounds and seeing the garden is enough. We could have stayed there a day. It was bequeathed to the city and is listed as one of the top 10 attractions in LA – I kept trying to pay for the museum and exhibits but it was all free. It also allows you to get a complete picture of the vast area that is Los Angeles; stretching in all directions it really is huge. Getty left two art centres for LA; one in Malibu (The Villa) and the Centre which we visited. He was quite the visionary and obviously quite the philanthropist.
We made our way across the city by bus – this meant a few stops and changes. My iPhone came into its own as it could tell us where to get off; thanks Ken & Karen! We got there, even after Narelle struck up a conversation with a man in a bus stop who sold us four $1.50 LA bus tokens for $4 and then promptly scuttled off. He was either a man of kindness or one of the worst businessmen in history. I am holding on to the former as the good news was they worked. If he did work for the bus company his settling up at the end of the day must be fun to watch.
We joined in the Friday night crush at many a Santa Monica bar and restaurant before finally choosing a fantastic Italian place. The area is especially busy as on Sunday it is the LA Marathon and the finish line is near to our hotel. In fact the fencing and temporary stands have been erected today. I remembered that Dad will be in the midst of setting up for Round the Bays on Sunday – here they are expecting over 1 million spectators, which means that Dad will rather be at St Heliers! There is a part of me that wishes we could have stayed to watch as our window looks out over Ocean Ave – the other part feels that it could also be bedlam. So maybe I will not feel that bad tomorrow as we head for the hotel near LAX to begin our tour. It begins with drinks at 6pm; I could need a big one! By the time I write my next chapter we will be underway and I will have started to formulate my thoughts on coach tour travelling. Day one is heading to San Diego so not too far. Wish me luck….
*** We are now at the LAX hotel and have met Gordon our Travel Director. All is well and the drinks/ welcome meeting is only hours away. I am half way through the largest can of Fosters I could find at the Liquor store – would you believe 750ml? It is pouring with rain so sightseeing is limited but I have managed to walk to LAX and watch the planes – so boring you say. Well I love it and I got to see the Air NZ 777 arrive with its new black livery. It is so striking and many people came across to watch it head to the gate. Rob Fyth and Air NZ should be impressed with it as it is quite the draw card.
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Chris and Sally
non-member comment
Going Well
Hi Matt and Narelle, we are following your blogs with interest. It seems like only yesterday that you were sipping Heineken and wines in our lounge. Now you are halfway around the world sipping big tins of Fosters. What a life. Great to hear about your adventures. I no longer have to borrow travel books from the library, I will just read your blogs with envy. Very impressed with your literary skills Matt. Did you take a night class in travel writing before you left??? Well done to you both, enjoy the trip, stay safe and we will see you on your return. All best - Chris, Sal and Sean