Saturday, November 27, 2004

cK & Shelley L.A. Tour - Part 2

Visiting the Getty Art Museum and dancing at an L.A. reggae club.

Visiting the Getty Art Museum and dancing at an L.A. reggae club.', 'The windy and rainy weather kept Shelley and I\'s Los Angeles activities indoors. We decided to go to the Getty Museum. It\'s not far from where I live, so it was an easy trip. We hopped on the 720 Metro Rapid bus and then connected to the 761 that took us right through Bel Air neighborhoods and up to the Getty.

Upon arriving at the Getty, we take a walk up some stairs that led us to a tram - a kind of mini-monorail like the one at DisneyWorld. The tram goes up the windy mountain trail leading up to the main Getty complex. The view at the top was fantastic. Even though it was all cloudy and rainy, you could just see that we were at a high elevation. After getting out of the tram, we then walk up the stairs towards the main lobby. Upon entering, Shelley and I grab a Gallery Map and then think about where to start. On the right hand side, there was an orientation theatre that showed a video every 15 minutes or so. We go into that theatre and get and learn about what the gallery has to offer.

After the video, I wanted to get a snack. So I went to the cafe and bought a hot dog, hot chocolate and a huge rice krispy square. Shelley got a tea. We ate that in a covered area, because all the outdoor tables and chairs were wet from the rain. After finishing my snack, Shelley and I started our tour in the North Pavilion where paintings from pre 1600 were on display. The work there was fantastic. Many of the stuff I used to study in art school were here. This period in time of art had a lot of catholic/christian references. What I liked about the Getty was that they made it very easy for the casual art enthusiast to learn about the period and history of the art in a room with these handy placcards that were located in the benches. It was like having your own tour guide. A lot of neat and interesting facts you find in them.

One particular piece of work that Shelley and I enjoyed was "The Arrival of Saint Ursula at Cologne" by Bernardo Daddi. The painting itself was great, the colors, the smoothness, all of that. But what was even cooler was the story behind the painting. According to legend, Saint Ursula was honoured for her devotion of the practice of chastity. So in this painting, her and eleven thousand virgins make a pilgrimidge from Brittany to Rome. They would later end up martyrs upon arriving there.


11,000???........wow....



Another painting I really liked, but I can't remember the name because I did not record it at the time was this one below. It was on the ceiling and has these characters looking down at you. I stood there, just looking up. It was kind of innovative. A different approach.



Shelley and I journeyed through the different eras of paintings. We then came across a Photography exhibit in the West Pavilion. It featured an exhibit called "Close To Home". The photographs were the answer to an ad sent out all over the USA in search for family and any people photos post World War 1. The exhibitors received hundreds of thousands of pics and had to choose a select few to make it into the exhibition. The pictures were telling so many stories. You could really see the broad spectrum of people that make the fabric that is America. Fascinating.

After that exhibit, Shelley and I journeyed to the Exhibitions Pavilion where it was the "Coming of Age In Ancient Greece" exhibit. It was compiled of sculptures and pottery from Greece that composed of young Greeks growing up in a timeline. Shelley and I got one of those gallery headsets to help us learn more about everything that we saw. Only because it was free to use after 4:30pm on Fridays/Saturdays. Usually you have to pay like $2 or something. Those headsets came in real handy, I learned a lot of inside information that I wouldn't have found anywhere written on the cards on the walls.

There was a part in the exhibit that was interactive. A section had a place you could play the common greek child games from those early times such as, "knucklebones" and "spinning the top". I didn\'t do much with those knucklebones, but that spinning top was mad fun! There was also a part where you could dress up like the Greeks did. They had a toga like outfit for a Greek Man, woman, girl child and boy child. I saw that, I had to try the man outfit on. I was useless doing it by myself, so Shelley helped me. After I put it on, I actually liked it. I could imagine myself rolling up to a club wearing one of those toga thingys.

In this particular exhibition, I was not allowed to take pictures. I found that out right at the end when a security guard had seen me taking a snap shot. You can take photos in other parts of the gallery, just not with flash photography.

That was the last item we were going to see at the Getty for tonight. We then walked back to the tram and made our descent home. On the tram, there were some teenage girls that were singing. They seemed like part of a tour group visiting from out of town. They were actually taking requests for songs to sing. I was thinking real hard of a song to suggest, but I didn't think that Ghetto Red Hot by Supercat would be on their repitoire. That would easily draw some blank faces.

When the tram arrived to its end, Shelley and I got to the bus stop. It didn't take even 2 minutes before a bus arrived. We made it back home in great time.

So its Saturday night, its kinda cold outside and the weather is a little blah. What does Shelley want to do? GO DANCING of course!! So I decide to take her to this club that my cousin, Talitha recommended to me called, GABAH's. Every Saturday night, they call it Chocolate Bar where they spin hip hop/r&b/reggae. So we get changed, and I ask my roomates, Dan and Alex to join us. Alex was a bit hesitant. So was Dan, but Shelley kind of convinced him. Alex decided to tag along. When we arrived at the destination of Melrose/Normandie, my roomates decided not to come in. I think the $10 cover charge scared them. They preferred to hit the bar called "Dresden" that was used in the movie "Swingers". My roomates did promise to be back in time to pick us up after the club was over.

Shelley and I go in, pay our $10 cover and check our jackets. ($2.50) We go to the bar and squeeze through people to get a drink. I flag down a bartender and tell her that I want my usual of HPNOTIQ/Hennessey (aka Incredible Hulk). While I am ordering, within minutes some of the local L.A. hoods are offering Shelley a drink and a dance. Shelley complies with them and goes to get her groove on. As I get my drink, I notice it arrives in a glass similar to the one you use to ingest cough syrup. Oh.. and the price? $13. Even in an upscale New York nightclub, I could get that drink in a big glass for $7! I thought that was ridiculous. Its not even 10 minutes and I already spent $25! (+tip)

I gulp my drink and proceed to the dancefloor to move to all 20 minutes of the reggae set they played before they transitioned to hip hop/r&b. I was going to go off the the floor but there were a lot of girls there, dancing too! So why would I leave? I kept bouncing to the beats. A little later, the reggae set came back and I was grooving again. At this time I had no idea where Shelley was, but I was sure that she was fine. If anything, I'd meet her at the end of the night when we picked up our jackets.

When the reggae set ended this time, I was just about to get off the dancefloor when the dj dropped the Snoop Dogg tune --"Drop It Like Its Hot". Man.... I love that tune.. and everyone in the club with me! After that was over I decided to take a breather. The place was full and crazy hot. I went to a more open area and chilled out. It was there where I saw this really beautiful girl that looked like Tatyana Ali from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. So I went up and started talking with her. She told me that she was from Panama and was studying at some college, I couldn't remember the name. But she did however give me more information on other reggae clubs in Los Angeles. I made notes of them in my palm pilot.

Shortly after, Dan and Alex sent me a text message to notify me that they were outside waiting. So I picked up my jacket and went to the dancefloor to search for Shelley. I found her dancing with a guy. I told her that I was going outside to meet Dan and Alex. Shelley then said she's coming and went to retrieve her jacket.

All in all, that Saturday was pretty interesting. A bit of visual arts in the day, and musical arts in the evening.

Getty Entrance	Outdoor Sculpture	Paintings
Shelley Reading Map	More Paintings	Audio Tour Guide
cK in Greek outfit	Singing Girls on Tram	Guy Sleeping on Bus