Getty Villa (Malibu)

After a recent $275 million facelift in 2006, the J. Paul Getty Villa Museum, set along a 64 acre canyon above the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, is now the home of the museum's antiquities collection. Over twelve hundred Greek, Roman and Etruscan artifacts, some dated as early as 6500 B.C., are displayed in a reproduction of the large Villa dei Papiri, a Roman country house in Herculaneum (Bay of Naples, Italy), buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Instead of picking a path through ruins, this full-scale reconstruction allows visitors to experience a Roman villa as the original inhabitants lived. Both formal and household herb gardens are planted with species native to the Mediterranean. The entry drive simulates ancient Roman roads, which were paved with large, irregular stones.

In summer classical dramas are performed in a steeply raked amphitheater opposite the museum entrance, where docent-led tours of the gardens and villa architecture begin. A café with indoor and outdoor seating is on the premises, and a museum theater shows a short film about how Getty conceived the museum in 1968, amassed his collection and established a conservation facility to preserve antiquities. Today the villa houses 29 galleries on two levels.

Note: do not confuse the Getty Villa with the much larger Getty Center museum, which is located inland near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and I-405.

Admission by required reservation (advance timed tickets): 310-440-7300 (make sure you ask for tickets to the Getty VILLA museum, since the Getty CENTER also shares this phone number). Open 10am-5pm. Closed Tuesdays and January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving, and December 25. ATM on premises. The villa is one mile north of the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway. Strangely, the museum can be accessed only from the northbound direction of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Click on link:
www.getty.edu

Watch the introductory film about the history of the museum:
www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/videoDetails?cat=4&segid=3729

Paradise Cove Beach & Café (Malibu)

Photo above taken from the fishing pier at Paradise Cove Beach.


Paradise Cove is a secluded beach in Malibu just shy of Zuma Beach. It is one of the few beaches in L.A. where drinking alcohol is permitted. you can bring your beach chairs, blankets, tents and alcoholic beverages and have a party on the sand, or dine at the Paradise Cove Beach Café. They have both indoor as well as outdoor seating right on the sand that affords the option of tables, chairs or even lounge beds. You can walk off a meal on the scenic rock trail and tidepools, and the sunsets are spectacular. Parking is $3 for the first 4 hours (with restaurant validation), or $20 without validation. The café is open 365 days a year – breakfast, lunch and dinner, but be warned that weekend waits for seating can be well over an hour. Try to visit on a week day. 310-457-2503

Placed along the paved road down from the Pacific Coast Highway to the beach are well-spaced trailer homes, mostly double wides with added decks and porches. In spite of the humble pedigree of the structures, prices reflect the reality of California coastal living. One was for sale in 2009 for $2,275,000 (not a typo). Decades ago the television program "The Rockford Files" was shot here. On the show, actor James Garner lived in a trailer adjacent to the pier.