The Getty Villa Malibu

After 8 years and $275 million, the magnificent Getty Villa is receiving guests again. A ticket is still one of the most sought-after items in the city. Built in 1974 on the edge of a Malibu Bluff with dazzling views of the ocean, was modeled after a 1st-century Roman country house buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79.

The museum's permanent collection of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan artifacts includes more than 1,200 works in 23 galleries arranged by theme, and five additional galleries for changing exhibitions. Exhibits on display range from everyday-life items such as coins, jewelry to modern interactive exhibits that illustrate key moments in the history of ancient Mediterranean.

Highlights include the Statue of a Victorios Youth, a large-scale bronze discovered in an Adriatic shipwreck, kept in a special climate-controlled room to preserve the metal, as well as a beautiful 450-seat open-air amphitheater where visitors can rest. In a hands-on space called the Family Forum, children can partake in art-related activities.

For a more enlightening museum experience, I strongly suggest you rent a $3 GettyGuide audio Player. Admission to the Getty Villa is free, but advance tickets are required; they can be obtained online or by phone (310/440-7300).

Grauman's Chinese Theater

This is one of the world's great movie palaces and one of Hollywood's finest landmarks. Outrageously conceived, with authentic and simulated Chinese embellishments, Grauman's theater was designed to impress. Original Chinese heavenly doves top the facade, and 2 of the theater columns once propped up a Ming dynasty temple.

Visitors by the millions flock to the theater for its famous entry court, where stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Payl Newman, Ginger Rogers and about 160 others set their signatures and hand-/footprints in concrete. And its not always hands and feet : Betty Grable's shapely leg; hoof prints of famous horses; Bob Hope's trademark nose; Whoopi Goldberg's dreadlocks and many more. (310/464-8111)

Griffith Observatory

Made world famous in the film Rebel Without a Cause, Griffith Observatory's bronze domes have been Hollywood Hills landmarks since 1935. Most visitors don't go inside; they come to this spot on the south slope of Mount Hollywood for unparalleled city views. On warm nights, with the lights twinkling below, this is one of the most romantic places in L.A.

The main dome houses a planetarium, where narrated projection shows reveal the stars and planets hidden from the naked eye by the city's lights and smog. Other shows take you on excursions into space to search for extraterrestrial life, or examine the causes of earthquakes and moon-quakes.

The adjacent Hall of Science holds exhibits on galaxies, meteorites, and other cosmic objects, including a telescope trained on the sun, a Foucault pendulum, and earth and moon globes 6 feet in diameter. On clear nights, you can gaze at the heavens through the powerful 12-inch telescope. (323/664-1181).

Author Name : Kenneth Ng