More LA

Today we did a bit of culture and then mixed with the masses.

One of the big art collections around these parts is the Getty Center. It's out in the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains but don't let that fool you.

It's big and well designed. However, it's not brash or in your face. Okay, let's go through the day.

We set off with out using the satnav. It was so clearly obvious that the best route was along Santa Monica Boulevard, turn up onto I405 and come off at the appropriate exit. It was really as simple as that. The satnav would have none of that. Regardless of what settings I used it insisted on a different route. It was the same for the return journey. After arriving we parked in the underground parking ramp and made our way up. There was small platform with people waiting for a train that would take us to the Center itself. The train was similar to the ones used on the Docklands Light Railway. Our journey to the centre was quick and we had a wonderful view of I405 with all its traffic. The smog seemed poorer than yesterday. We reached the top of the ride and stepped out into a very modern facility and one that had been designed to house all aspects of art. It is a very magnificent and it's easy to access the series of buildings. The whole environment was calm and relaxed despite there being a large number of people.

The view across the LA basin was quite something. The haze from the smog was worse than yesterday and blocked the view of distant hills even more effectively.

We looked at the paintings from 1600 through to the late 19^th century. What was different was that photography was allowed, not flash though; there were no barriers; you could get really close to the pictures; it was very unusual to be able to get close to old masters and see the brush strokes they put down.

We went through the paintings and after an hour or so we went out and had a coffee. We decided that we would head back to the hotel and go to... the beach!

At the hotel we changed and took a bus down to Santa Monica beach. We went onto the pier and walked around the fair on it. This was a tame affair by UK standards but it was busy. We went down onto the beach itself and walked along for a while. Although there were lots of people it wasn't crowded as there was plenty of space for everyone. We sat on the beach for half-an-hour. The wind was strong but as it was warm we didn't mind. We went along to Venice Beach following the pedestrian path watching the cyclists, runners and skaters. After that we gradually walked back following the roads to the hotel. It must have taken us about three quarters of an hour. We went to an IHOP restaurant next to the hotel for our evening meal and did they serve large portions.

Not much today, just a peaceful wandering day. Tomorrow it's onwards to Soledad.