GPS Tour: Greystone Mansion

DSC00450
Originally uploaded by greenbeangirl74

Taking advantage of the beautiful Saturday and a chance to spend time with my friend Tina we decided to sitesee a la GPS. So we just randomly started looking for places we'd never been. It turned into a fabulous day that concluded at this mansion, after a trip to the Glendale Cemetery and the best view of the Hollywood Sign ever.

As we headed north on the 5 fwy our final stop was the Greystone Mansion. Originally home to the famous Angelinos, the Doheny's (as in Doheny Drive). The oil baron's son built the home (1926-1928) for over $3 million. It was their family home until 1955. AFI called it home from 1969-1982 then it was purchased by the city of Beverly Hills and designated a park.

It is now used for cultural events, weddings, photo shoots, and movie locations. Movies and tv shows to have filmed there include: Gilmore Girls, Spiderman, Spiderman 3, AirForce One, XMEN, Holiday, There Will Be Blood, Rules of Engagement and What Women Want, just to name a few.

The day we went there was a wedding, so we couldn't wander through the house, but the grounds were still spectacular and gardens were regal. You felt like you were on a movie set.

It would be a very fun place to see a concert or a play. Membership begins at just $50. It is a great way to spend the afternoon.

Greystone Mansion
905 Loma Vista Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

GPS Tour: Forest Lawn, Glendale

Hall of The Crucifixion-Resurrection
Originally uploaded by greenbeangirl74

When you think you've seen all there is to see in your area, consult your GPS to make sure. Wanting to take advantage of a beautiful Saturday my former roommate and dear friend Tina and I headed out in the great blue yonder with only our GPS as our guide. LOL. This is roughing it in LA.

The first stop on our random GPS led Tour was the Forest Lawn Cemetary in Glendale. Other stops on the tour were: the Hollywood Sign and Greystone Mansion.

Why stop at a cemetery? Let me tell you.

Forest Lawn in Glendale is more than a cemetery, it is a veritable cultural experience.

In addition to being the final resting place to over 250,000 people, including the largest number of celebrities, it also houses a museum, wedding chapel, art gallery, and an architectural showcase. Forest Lawn is founded on the belief that there is joy in the life after death.

During our trip we visited an amazing mural, The Crucifixion and Resurrection, a stained-glass replica of the Last Supper, and the Plaza of MesoAmerican Heritage - all part of Forest Lawn's permanent collection.

The Last Supper is one of Leonardo da Vinci's greatest works, and the original is now faded and damaged. Hubert Easton commissioned a stained glass artist from Italy to study da Vinci's sketches and recreate his masterpiece in stained glass for his gallery. It is spectacular. Amazing that it survived being shipped.

The Crucifixion and Resurrection murals are housed in the Hall of Crucifixion and Resurrection, built specifically for these amazing works of art.

The Crucifixion, painted by Polish artist Jan Styka, is the largest framed mounted to canvas painting in the world, standing 195' long by 45' high. It is hard to absorb it all, instead you have to break it down piece by piece, element by element to take it all in. Luckily the painting is narrated and important parts are iilluminated for easy finding.

What struck me most about this fantastic work of art was the story of how it came to Forest Lawn. Artist Jan Styka studied in the holy land and had his palette blessed by Pope Leo the XIII before he began his awesome effort to paint the moment of Christ's crucifixion from all perspectives.

However, when it came to America, in 1904, to be shown at an exhibition St. Louis it was lost. Jan was forced to return to Poland without his masterpiece, and he never saw it again. Dr. Huber Eaton, founder of Forest Lawn, decided to find it and get it a permanent home. In 1944 it was found in a warehouse in Chicago wrapped around a telephone pole.

The Resurrection was painted by American Artist, Robert Clark. With it's completion Forest Lawn created a sacred trilogy of the three most significant events in Christ's life - the Last Supper, Crucifixion, and Resurrection.

The Plaza of MesoAmerican Heritage has beautiful sculptures and amazing views.

Never fear, there are also a ton of celebrities to be found at Forest Lawn. In fact, it is the final resting place for the greatest number of celebrities in the world. Here is a small sample of those buried on site. Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Jimmy Stewart, Jean Harlow, Humphrey Bogart, Mary Pickford, Errol Flynn, and Spencer Tracy. George Burns & Gracie Allen, W.C. Fields, Sammy Davis Jr., Walt Disney, Red Skelton, Lon Chaney, Ethel Waters, Alan Ladd, Dick Powell, Ted Knight, Sam Cooke, Joe E. Brown, Nat King Cole, Norma Shearer, Chico Marx, Dorothy Dandridge, Sid Grauman, Casey Stengel, Larry Fine, Aimee Semple McPherson, Louis L'Amour and L. Frank Baum.

However, Forest Lawn employees will not help you find these graves on their expansive grounds. Rather they frown on it and have on occasion confiscated grave maps.

This is not your average cemetery.

Forest Lawn — Glendale
1712 S. Glendale Avenue
Glendale, CA 91205

Cathedral of our Lady of Angels

Church
Originally uploaded by greenbeangirl74

A most unexpected elegance, serenity and peace.

That is what I experienced at the unique downtown cathedral. Built with warm tones to fit in with the tradition and history of the California Missions the church is welcoming, open, and beautiful. It is modern and fit in with the community of people that worship there.

We learned that there are no right angles in its construction to provide an era of mystery and majesty. It is built to withstand an 8.0 earthquake. It was the first Roman Catholic Cathedral to be built in the Western US in 30 years.

It's worth a visit, even if you're not Catholic.
555 W. Temple St, LA, CA 90012

Walt Disney Concert Hall

hall entry great
Originally uploaded by greenbeangirl74

Debbie and I ventured to LA today for a photo day.

Our first stop was at the Disney Concert Hall. This is my favorite building, designed by Frank Gehry.

I learned today that the audio tour is now free. This 90-min tour of the hall, narrated by John Lithgow, gives an overview of the building's design, inspiration, materials, form and function.

We learned that the building was originally to have been made out of stone. That the warm douglas fir used on the interior is only for aesthetics it carries no acoutical value whatsoever. That Gehry designed the carpet specifically for Lillian Disney (still ugly). If you are interested in post-modern design this is a must see.

I was glad that it was slightly overcast today it made photographing the stainless streel structure somewhat easier.

Getty Villa

NOTE: I just went back to the Villa today and took the Orientation tour. There is no need to take both the Architecture and Garden tour and the Orientation tour. They overlap a lot. Instead I recommend getting in line early for the spotlight tour lead by the gallery teachers, not the docents. We showed up at 2:45 for the 3 p.m. tour and it was full. So sad.

June 24, 2007 - On Saturday Ty and I went north to Pacific
Palisades to visit J. Paul Getty's renovated Villa.

It is modeled after the ancient Villa dei Papiri, believed to have been the home of Julius Caesar's father-in-law, buried by the explosion of Mt. Vesuvius. Now the Getty Villa is dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome and Etruria.

The grounds are designed to resemble an archeological site. On the top level there are modern buildings and a cafe with outdoor tables. We travel down into the site the architects built layers of sedementary rock into the canyon walls to represent time as we descend upon the Roman home beautifully restored and alive to tell its story.

The Villa is dedicated to showing life as the romans lived. Built around a large courtyard with small galleries that would have been rooms for the family. The walkways are lined with busts of individuals known by the family, serving as conversation pieces for their guests as they toured the home.

The gardens are spectacular. They have gone to painstaking detail to plant only those flowers and herbs that would have been in existance in Roman times.

We watched a 12 min overview of the building and renovation of the Villa and also took the 40 minute Garden and Architecture Tour. I highly recommend it as a great introduction to the museum and its vision. There are also other tours available that go into greater depth about the collections.

One thing I loved was that every tour is given a receiver and headphones. You can wander up to 100 feet away from your group and still hear what the docent is saying. It gives greater opportunity to explore and not have to travel through the musueum in a clump straining to hear. Great feature.

The museum has 44,000k pieces of antiquity and 1,200 are on display, so no two visits to the Villa will be the same. Log onto getty.edu to request your free tickets. I would plan a few weeks in advance as tickets go quickly. But the great thing about a limited number of tickets per day is that the museum never feels too crowded. We arrived at 11 a.m. and wandered around, took a tour, leisurely strolled through exhibits and ate in the cafe and left around 4 p.m. We didn't feel rushed. It was actually a very relaxing experience.

Parking is $8.

Mission Inn

Sunday, desiring an afternoon drive and something to do we headed out to Riverside to see the famed Mission Inn.

A glorious relic of Spanish architecture the Mission Inn was originally built to be a single family home in 1880, the simple adobe home was soon used to generate extra income for its owners, the Miller family. As money permitted additions were made to make room for more guests.

We signed up for a Mission Inn Museum tour ($12), which is a 75 minute walking tour of the hotel. Be advised you are not allowed to take photos. I was highly disappointed. But we were escorted through the extensive grounds and into many areas that were for guests only. After the tour we got permission from staff to go back through and take photos.

The Inn felt a bit like the Winchester Mystery House as we saw steps and doors that no longer led anywhere and outside walls that were now inside and allies that became an indoor hallway. It is an odd dichotomy of grandeur and areas that seem a bit out of date. The latest owners are working hard to remodel and update the hotel. I imagine its a bit like keeping up with a castle.

The Inn is beautiful and is a character in and of itself. It has presidential connections, art collections from around the world and beautiful Tiffany stained glass in the chapel.

Unless you're an avid architecture fan or photoholic I can't imagine you'd make the trek out to Riverside to see the Mission Inn, but if you're in the area I highly recommend it. It has a great story.

We did not eat there but the hotel boasts of 5 different restaurants. There is a Sunday brunch for $32.

Mission Inn: 3649 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, CA 92501

John Mayer Rocks, Literally

This photo belongs to Irishbrat_77

There is simply nothing better than a starless night in the Hollywood Hills listening to a fantastic musician like John Mayer. He is amazing!!

This is the second time I've seen him in concert and he never disappoints. Unfortunately his set went way too quickly. The really unfortunate thing is that the Rocco De Luca and Ben Folds sets didn't go faster. There were not that great in person. I liked it better in 2004 when Maroon 5 opened for him, that was a concert.

The show started at 6:35 p.m. and the opening acts dragged on forever. John Mayer didn't appear until 8:50ish and he was done by 10 p.m. It seemed like he was on stage for about five minutes.

He opened with Why, Georgia Why, a JM classic. Songes from the new included: I Don't Trust Myself, Gravity, Vultures, Belief, and Dreaming with a Broken Heart. He also played a lot of tried and true favorites like Real World, Bigger Than My Body, Neon, Good Love Is on the Way and The Wheel.

He of course came out for an encore of three songs including Your Body is a Wonderland, which he called his baby. He closed with Waiting on the World to Change.

Overall a very mellow, relaxing set. You don't see John Mayer expecting drama, fireworks or even a lot of banter. It's about the music most specifically his guitar. With my trusty binoculars I could see off to stage left that there were about 30 guitars ready for use. I think he changed for every song and one included the first guitar he bought with his own money. He's an excellent musician.

The night was great! It's always so much fun to people watch in LA. I forget what a plastic bubble we live in down here in So. OC. There are some real characters in LA. It was nice to visit and nice to come home.

Second Row Orchestra

Last night Tina, Janine and I went to the Disney Concert Hall, my favorite Frank Gehry building.

We were given free tickets to the Bernstein Mass. They were fantastic seats, second row orchestra.

The mass was performed by a girl's choir, several celebrants and a partial orchestra. Only half of the participants that Bernstein's orginal score calls for. It is an interesting interpretation of a mass from a Jewish perspective.

In MASS, Bernstein looks at the issue dramatically; it is subtitled "A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers." Bernstein had always been intrigued and awed by the Roman Catholic Mass, finding it (in Latin) moving, mysterious, and eminently theatrical. The piece follows the liturgy exactly, but it is juxtaposed against frequent interruptions and commentaries by the Celebrant and the congregation, much like a running debate. There is stylistic juxtaposition as well, with the Latin text heard electronically through speakers or sung by the chorus, and the interruptions sung in various popular styles including blues and rock-and-roll. On the narrative level, the hour-and-a-half-long piece relates the drama of a Celebrant whose faith is simple and pure at first, but gradually becomes unsustainable under the weight of human misery, corruption, and the trappings of his own power.

The venue is perfect and the pipe organ is spectacular. One of the great things about the Disney Concert Hall is that it is a 360 degree sitting. You can see an experience the music from every vantage point. The acoustics are specifically engineered by Yasuhisa Toyota to be the best. Our seats couldn't have been better. Every time I get free tickets to the symphony they are always second row orchestra. Ok, so its only been two times but I see a pattern developing.

There is something about being that close to the music that is magical and it also stirs my inner onry child. Reminds me of being in catholic school as a kid. I always got in trouble in mass and had to sit next to the nun to make sure I behaved. I don't know what it is but mind goes into overdrive and I think of a million questions, comments and observations. I think its my natural born tendency to rebel.

But once I got my mind settled I was lulled by the beautiful music. There is something so relaxing about an orchestra. Your mind rests and your soul is inspired by the melodies. We had a great time.

Tour of Frank Gehry Buildings in Los Angeles

On Saturday Jeff and I, both architecture fans, took a tour I created of major Frank Gehry buildings in Los Angeles. I wanted the chance to see the evolution of his work. Besides where else in the world is there such a concentration of it, no where I tell you.

I don't have the technical knowledge to explain where he fits into architectural trends, I just like his use of space, imaginative layouts, incorporation of natural light, bright colors and unconventional lines. Frank Gehry is a true pioneer.

Our tour included, in order:

• Loyola Law School - Fritz R. Burns building on 919 Albany St. Gehry worked on this project from 1981 to 1984. The urban campus is wrapped in a barbed wire fence. It's a strange oasis in downtown Los Angeles. The campus is an experiment in modern and postmodern buildings. The bright yellow center of the law school houses classrooms and offices. The most notable features are the three external staircases. The center leads to a greenhouse and the two outer ones resemble fire escapes. Gehry's building is flanked by a glass chapel with visible wood structures inside and a one-room lecture hall with three cement pillars at the door. Even the garage has a steel facing providing a very minimalist look contributing to this very beautiful campus.
  
• Disney Concert Hall - Our second stop was the Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 S Grand Ave. Gehry worked on this from 1989 to 2004. If you're in the area and stop to visit the "symphony of steel" I highly recommend the audio tour. This is the only way to get your parking validated and the opportunity to wander around the entire interior. It's worth it. Make sure that you tour the outside as well as the inside, there are beautiful gardens and a large rose sculpture created for Mrs. Disney. This building has to be my favorite. It is so whimsical. I think it's perfect for the symphony. I think the building was created by the swipes of the conductor's baton. Look at it, its possible.
  
• LA Children's Museum - Our third stop, well drive by, was the Los Angeles Children's museum at 310 N Main St. It was the most boring square building I've ever seen. It was so bad we didn't even stop. We did a slow roll, snubbed our noses at it and moved onto stop number four. Interestingly enough he started building his house at the same as he was working on the museum, 1979. I think all the creative juices went to his house. Then again who knows what kind of limitations were put on him.
  
• Hollywood Library - Our fourth stop was the Hollywood Regional Branch Library on 1623 Ivar Ave, built in 1982. You can tell that he is starting to push the boundaries of space. The interior is bathed in natural sunlight. This building is just steps away from Hollywood Blvd so its a great place to sitesee in. Don't forget to prep your camera for the fantastic view of the Hollywood sign when you get off the 101 North at Hollywood Blvd.
  
• Gehry House - Frank Gehry's house near the corner of Washington Ave and 20th St in Santa Monica. We didn't know exactly where it was but as you travel down the street you can't help but notice it, it doesn't exactly blend in with the Spanish architecture of Santa Monica. We were stopped by a local resident wondering if the house was for sale because there were so many people stopping to take pictures. Jeff thought that Frank might actually still live there. I hope so because I can't imagine who else would want to. It's interesing to look at but it's odd. The house is surrounded by steel boundaries with peeks at the interior through fencing, glass triangles and more experiments with space.

By this time we were starting to get tired, fighting traffic, crazy LA drivers and it was so freaking hot. We were dealing with 80 degree weather, hard to believe it's November. But there were two more stops on the tour, the Chiat Day building and the Venice Beach house. We knew the pay off at the end would be worth it. I mean how much more perfect is an ending at the beach. I was hoping we would time it with the sunset.

• Chiat Day Building - The distinctive Chiat Day Building in Venice, 340 Main St to be exact, built in 1991. The building is located around the corner from Gold's Gym and is in slight state of disrepair. Like the advertising agency housed there it has lost its luster and has seen better days. You can't enter the building or the binoculars to check out the view but they doprovide form and function. The building had to adhere to really strict city guidelines for buildings in the area - limited in height and scale.
  
• The Venice Beach House - The final stop on my Frank Gehry tour of Los Angeles is the Venice Beach house at 2509 Ocean front Walk. Constructed in 1981. It looks like a lifeguard stand. There are lots of outdoor spaces to take in the amazing view of the ocean. I think I was more enamored of the Venice beach than the house built next to it.

We were about 30 minutes too early for the sunset. Maybe you'll time it better if you're in the neighborhood. Make sure you stop at C&O Trattoria. They have the best garlic rolls and at 9 p.m. the entire restaurant stops to sing That's Amore. So fun. It was a great day.

I think one of my favorite things about the day, aside from seeing all of the Gehry buildings was seeing all of Los Angeles. We went from downtown past the Broadway Theatre district to Hollywood and to Santa Monica via West LA. The are so many hidden architectural gems. Also as we were were coming off the 101 on the way to the library we got the best view of the Hollywood sign.

I have to stop and say if you're ever planning a trip or tour you must use Mapquest, which will let you put in up to ten addresses, manually order it and then provide point to point directions. It took all the guess work and frustration out of this endeavor. We didn't back track or get lost once. How amazing is that, if you've ever driven with me you'd know that's a miracle.

Bible and the People at the Huntington

Today Joanna, Erika and went to the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena to see the new installation The Bible and the People in the Boone Gallery.

This new exhibit traces the evolution of the Bible from the 11th Century through today. The written Word of God started hand-written art only available to a select few. While the pages were beautifully adorned the books, chapters and verses were inaccurate and out of order. The most reliable translation was what was passed down from priest to his congregation through an oral message of memorized passages.

We watch its transformation from an isolated word to one possessed by millions. The invention of the printing press exploded the ability to actually have your own copy. It was now something everyone could own in their home, not just visit on Sunday. Now there are many translations, kinds and it exists in most every language on the planet.

It's a fascinating study of how this one book has transformed and metamorphized to meet the needs of those who read it.

After visiting the exhibit we had tea and wandered through the rest of the gardens visiting the new children's garden , checking out the new conservatory and our favorite, the rose garden.

I highly recommend tea at the Huntington, for about $15 you're treated to three different kinds of tea (China Caemon is delicious), and a tasty buffet of cheese, crackers, little sandwiches and all kinds of desserts.

You'll need the walk around the grounds to work off your tea and the rose garden is the perfect place. One of the great things about all of the unexpected rain we've had lately is the flowers are back in bloom. We noticed some unusual names for roses - like mischief, bridesmaid, and sexy girl. Sounds more like screen names than flowers but hey who am I to judge??

So we decided to name some of the roses as follows:

• Erika named a beautiful orange rose - comquat joy. Just because she likes the sound of it.
• Joanna called a stunning pink rose - Oops, because when you make a mistake you blush that exact shade of pink.
• I named the ever popular red rose - Atonement (most of the time a girl gets a red rose is because some guy messed up).

LA Losing a Piece of History

A 4-3 vote from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) defeated years of struggle to save the historic Ambassador Hotel.

For the past eight years conservationists, spearheaded by the L.A. Conservancy, have battled to save the legendary hotel from total demolition. The school board decided to raze the most of the grounds and build a $318.2 million complex for grades K-12.

Conservationists were hoping that the LAUSD would incorporate existing buildings into the their designs for the school and remove only what was necessary. However, the latest vote was that only the renowned night club, The Cocoanut Grove, would be preserved and a committee will decide if other historic locations in the hotel should be saved.

The famous hotel is home to many infamous moments. It is of course where Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 by Sirhan Sirhan. The pantry where the murder occured is one of the locations up for committee decision. Its bungalows were the home-away-from home for many celebrities like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Rudolph Valentino and Albert Einstein. After its closing in 1989 it became a stage for many movies including Pretty Woman and Charlie's Angels 2. It was used so often that it was referred to as Ambassador Studios. The hotel was also home to six Academy Award ceremonies, and was where the Oscar made its debut.

Erika and I saw a performace there last year by Dance Collage that depicted what life would have been like at the hotel in its prime through modern dance. The building itself is an architectural gem with an amazing art deco design.

I am very sad that the battle was lost. I wonder why progress has to be at the expense of history? I think we lose a sense of who we are when this happens. I love history and I love to visit historical places. My active imagination takes me back to what it must have been like in its heyday.

Buildings like the Ambassador Hotel are a part of L.A. culture, a place many argue doesn't have much to begin with. I wish they would let us have one more tour of the place before it is destroyed as an homage to what it was.

On a side note - The L.A. Convervancy offers great walking tours. Go check out some of the great architecture in the city, who knows what will be next on the chopping block.

Night with Norah

Eating tasty food, drinking hot chocolate and listening to Norah Jones under the stars, what a way to spend the evening. She, like Michael Buble, has a soothing voice. My friend Jer described her as adult-level entertainment, and that she is, which is why the Hollywood Bowl is perfect for her.

It was a good show, a mix of her first album and some of her favorite songs. I'm glad she didn't play too much from her current CD, Feels like Home, it's too country. I know that's counter-intuitive to a concert promotion of the new album but who cares.

We paid the big bucks this trip the Bowl to sit in the coveted box seats. We thought it would be a whole new world down where the tables are. It was a new world, but not the one we expected. Normally we sit with the masses up in the bench seating. Your food rests in your lap and you watch the show on the gigantic screens, cause the musicians are about an inch tall. Most everyone is fun and its a great shared experience.

Life in the box seats has its perks. Seats are definitely more comfortable and you don't need to bring your own cushions to keep your butt from going numb. There is also a table to eat on and the entertainment is definitely closer. But is it better? I guess that depends on what's important. They don't tell you that most tables are on a 30-degree angle. Anything we put on our handy pop-up table slid down. Luckily we didn't bring candles or I would have set Joanna on fire.

The boxes themselves are big enough for said table and four chairs. You can't get in or out of the box once you are seated. So if you're sitting in the back corner and need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the concert then everyone has to stand up, one chair, possibly two have to be removed for your exit. It doesn't make you a popular person, especially if you don't know your boxmates. Doesn't make those behind you love you either since now they can't see.

Luckily, Joanna and I didn't have to share a box. However, we were surrounded by some interesting characters. The most interesting would be the drunk couples that showed up an hour and a half late for the show. They were loud, bumbling and stumbling. I'm sure Norah must have heard them from the stage. I'm surprised she didn't remind them that she provides adult-level entertainment, not music for frat parties. They continued to drink through the remainder of the concert and left early. We think that the concert was merely a stop on their bar hop across Hollywood, but why buy expensive seats when the cheap seats, closer to the bar will do?

In the end, it was a cold night in the expensive seats of a really good show. It was nice to feel the cold chill in L.A. beneath both visible stars listening to fabulous music with your best friend. That is life as it is meant to be lived.