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It’s those little things that go un-noticed and need to be more…well, noticeable.

Mom was in town and stayed with us for 10 days. Originally, it was supposed to be a week, but we begged her to stay a few more and to help sweeten the deal, we took her to the Getty Museum.

Now, your humble host considers himself a fairly refined fellow, but I am remiss in my dutiful and regular museum attendance. When Peanut was younger, we would often go to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and she–and I–loved it. It reminded me of my childhood in Chicago where I often went to museums and galleries and historical places and such. Before I was 10, I had a working knowledge of the Civil War and had been to Gettysburg, Springfield, IL (birthplace of Honest Abe), the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and lots of other cool places. Well–now that I think of it, my daughter has a few under her belt, too.

The Getty Museum, the Getty Center as it is known in L.A. is a monumentally beautiful place. Set high atop a ridge of hills off of the 405 freeway in West Los Angeles, it is an oasis surrounded by the grandiosity of all that is L.A. Travertine Marble construction and architecture that is itself worthy of gawking for hours surround a courtyard that is at once immense and intimate. Water fountains and channels along the sidewalks, allowing water to find its level in the center of the patio surrounded by the four pavilions and the research center.

And the artwork–oh my the artwork. We only saw two pavilions and we found ourselves wanting more–but there wasn’t time. One must go many times. I have no art training, no formal understanding of any of it. But, I loved it. I still see the Dutch paintings in my mind’s eye and of course, I didn’t bring a camera–because I’m fairly oafish and stupid–but at one point, Peanut saw a painting of Christ being taken off the cross. It was a magical moment. You could see her head spinning as she walked up to it and stared. I wanted so badly to capture a photograph of the back of her head, looking up and standing there staring at the painting. It was an extraordinary moment.

We will indeed go back–and soon. Our friend Helene is a docent there and she was kind enough to get us in. If you have not been to the Getty Center, I dare say that it is worth the trip–and I say that to those of you reading this from out of state. If you’re in California and you don’t go? Well….it’s like saying you don’t want to see Yosemite because what’s one more National Park? Refinement for free-well, except for the parking fee of about 15 bucks. But seriously–15 bucks to take a family to discover priceless and beautiful works of art amid a backdrop that is so stellar, it is itself a work of art? Best deal on the West Coast I’d say.

Avail yourself.