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W E D N E S D A Y   D E C E M B E R  6

We drove to the airport to rent a reserved car for Philip and drove it back to Paramount, but the car was stinky and stained, so we drove it back to exchange it. They gave Philip an upgrade to a large roomy gas-pig 6 cylinder american-made sedan. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

That night we took Philip to Belmont Shores in Long Beach, a trendy, mostly fairy-dusted (gay) area called Belmont Shores. We had a delicious dinner at Open Sesame , with Lebanese cuisine. (and hot green tea spiked with fresh mint leaves and orange blossom flower water.) We were introduced to the the handsome owner, Ali Kobeissi. Afterwards we introduced Philip to Starbucks tall decaf mocha and walked along the avenue and admired the shop windows and holiday decorations on a mildly warm evening.

We agreed that Long Beach has changed drastically since the 60's when it was trashy, polluted, derelict, full of biker gangs and heavy crime......

T H E  G E T T Y  M U S E U M

T H U R S D A Y  D E CE M B E R  7

The Getty Center, designed by architect Richard Meier, is the $300 million flagship museum of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the largest arts endowment in history (at over $3 billion).[1] It has a seven-story deep underground parking garage with over 1,200 parking spaces. It is located on a hill in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California overlooking Interstate 405 and is open to the public for free (although there is a charge for parking). The Getty Center is high enough that on a clear day, it is possible to see the snow at Big Bear as well as the Pacific Ocean and the entire Los Angeles basin. Much of the buildings and grounds are made of travertine. Other parts are made of white marble. An automated, three-car tram takes passengers to and from the museum.
Meier is an architect who has used a lot of selected architectural ideas from masters of the early- and mid-20th century. The most notable architect his work channels is Le Corbusier, particularly Corbusier's early phase. In fact, Meier is the one architect who has probably built more using Corbusier's ideas than anyone, including Le Corbusier himself. On the other hand, his work also reflects the influences of other master designers such as Mies Van der Rohe, and in some instances Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mexican architect Luis Barragán (without the color).

Meier's palette is mostly white. White has been used in many a landmark architectural buildings throughout history including Cathedrals, the Parthenon, and the white villages of the Mediterranean--in Spain, Italy and Greece.

Meier, in my opinion, captures several archetypal themes with large oversized travertine block walls, Greek-like temples, and the beautiful fountain that that bubbles up like an mythic Oracle then travels to a spillway below, into a womb-like cave in the shape of an ancient female totemic object. I love this building, the collection not so much...

Later in the evening, Philip drove solo to South Pasadena to visit a childhood friend.

Philip at the Getty Museum 2006

S A N T A  M O N I C A  A N D  M A L I B U

F R I D A Y  D E C E M B E R  8

Today we headed to coastal Santa Monica to pick up mail, to visit our old neighborhood and to retrace some of Philip's childhood memories of visits to his grandmother's house in the ritzy part of Santa Monica.

After we left Santa Monica we headed up the coast highway to Malibu with a quick stop at Malibu Village to see the local celebrities and then to a favorite hiking trail along the coast called Solstice Canyon. Alberto and I have spent many happy hours hiking the Santa Monica Mountains and all the wonderful trails that lead to surprising waterfalls, meadows and mountain cliffs. We wanted Philip to see how we spent some of our time in Santa Monica and to show him how close the wild areas were to Los Angeles.

The Santa Monica Mountains are in the California chaparral and woodlands eco-region, and is covered by hundreds of local plant species, some of which are very rare, and others of which have become popular ornamentals. It is host to an immense variety of wildlife, from mountain lions to the endangered steelhead trout. Sadly, there are very few city people who take advantage of this beautiful natural resource so close to Los Angeles.
We like the Solstice Canyon Trail because it's a  2.1 miles round trip, an easy hiking trail that begins at the parking lot. Along the way you will pass the Keller House believed to be the oldest existing stone building in Malibu built in 1865. At the end of the trail is Tropical Terrace once the home of Fred Roberts and the center of the Roberts Ranch. This home which burned to the ground, was designed by Fred Williams (1894-1980), LA's best-known African-American architect. Williams is best known for co-designing the Space Age Theme Building at the center of LAX. Beyond the ruins of the Roberts home are tumbles of giant boulders and waterfalls where we rested and snacked and pondered the fate of the world.

Leaves in a Pool, Solstice Canyon  2006

Santa Monica Mountains 2006

Frank Gehry's home in Santa Monica 2006

Philip's Grandmother lived here

Malibu Village 2006

Malibu Village 2006