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23 September 2012

Michelle's Guide to the J. Paul Getty Museum

Location: off of the PCH in Santa Monica by West Sunset.
Price: free
Parking: at the museum, $15. Or you can drop off at the entrance
Duration: 1.5-3 hours

Located on the cliffs above the PCH and the California coast, this museum was created from the personal collection of J. Paul Getty. He was the richest man in America during his peak in the oil industry and he used his wealth to collect art and artifacts. When he died, he left it for the people of California.
Before you visit, you have to have a ticket printed out online. Good news: it's free! Bad news: parking is $15 (is the museum really "free"??).
You have to print the ticket first because you verify it at the gate. You get a certain time, but I called and they said that I could go up to an hour earlier. That's possibly for the off-season, though.
I was a TA for a classics class and took a few during my undergrad so I have found a love for Greek and Roman history and mythology. To my delight, I found that the collection at the Villa is Greek and Roman artifacts.
My favorite from the permanent collection is the Lansdowne Herakles statue on the first floor. I also liked the gold laurel victory crown/wreath from Olympian games a long time ago.


There also was a temporary exhibit inspired by the last days at Pompeii. They had a couple of casts of people that they found preserved by the debris from Vesuvius, which was cool. And I loved this painting:
The Destruction of Pompeii by John Martin

I'm a fast museum-er so know that you can spend more time if you want. They have guided tours that take 40 minutes, so you can easily spend a few hours if you take your time. If you're interested in Greek and Roman artifacts, spend an afternoon at the Getty Villa!

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