Address: 1200 Getty Center Dr Zipcode: 90049 Phone Number: 310-440-7300 Website: http://www.getty.edu For years, visitors to L.A. would throw a decent outfit into their rental car so that after a romp on the beach, they could fathom European antiquities at oil-family billionaire J. Paul Getty’s villa museum in Malibu. Now it’s a hilltop complex in Brentwood, and it’s the setting that’s the must see. The tram up from the parking garage affords a bird’s eye view of the famed 405 freeway that cuts a dramatic swath through the mountains. Once you ascend, the heavenly campus plays shadows and light, with its airy plazas done in Italian travertine stone, and its sweeping vistas of the city. Fourteen galleries of decorative arts include Bernard van Risenburgh’s celebrated Rococo masterpiece Double Desk. Look for James Ensor’s momentous painting _Christ’s Entry Into Brussels _and 20th-century photography from the likes of Man Ray and Alfred Stieglitz. The 134,000-square-foot Central Garden is the heart of the property; soothing bougainvillea arbors lead to its centerpiece azalea pool. The surprisingly good restaurants are yet more scenic havens in which to bask. A library lets you peek at artists’ personal manuscripts and sketchbooks. On arrival, pick up a _Today at the Getty _for guided tour times of exhibitions, architecture, and gardens.
