Museum Day!

A friend wanted to see the exhibit inspired by Women Hold Up Half the Sky at the Skirball Cultural Center.

The Skirball is at the intersection of Sepulveda and Mullholland in West LA, and I figured since I needed to get a ride in anyways, that I'd bike it (and be thankful that I have the freedom to be able to move around by myself without needing permission from a male relative). The hill's not as steep as one would imagine. It's a solid grade, but not unmanageable.

We were due to meet at two, but I thought since I'd be riding right past it and it's free, I'd stop in at the Getty Museum and check out The Pacific Standard Time exhibit.

In the distance, the Getty

The ride to the Getty's not steep at all ( didn't even have to use my granny gear) and on Sunday, the traffic's light enough that I didn't fear for my life the few times I had to veer way out into the traffic lane to avoid some of the downed trees that the city hasn't gotten around to clearing away after last week's windstorms.

Although parking at the Getty is $15 per auto, it's free for bicycles, so I rolled up, was directed to the bike racks by the super nice staff, and hopped on the tram which took me up to the museum.

I always forget to bring the good camera to the Getty. It's such a gorgeous place with amazing views and cell phone shots just don't do it justice.

View over the dining terrace

Landscape

Fountain in the main courtyard

View from the tram stop

Unfortunately, I didn't leave myself enough time to see the entire exhibit and the grounds, so I guess I need to go back and remember the SLR.

I continued up Sepulveda, and past the Getty it got a bit steeper, but still nothing too terrible. The road's a mess because of the construction. I'm not sure how safe I'd feel doing this ride during the week.

Diesel Hammers

I finally had to break down and use the granny gear on the bike, which dropped my speed to about walking pace, but finally, just as my legs really started to object:

Skirball at last

I guess it doesn't surprise me that the Skirball doesn't have any bike racks. After all, they're at the top of the Sepulveda Pass and this is Los Angeles. Center security told me to chain my bike to the handrails on the stairs.
I managed to find a section that wouldn't impede pedestrian traffic and went into the building to wait for my friend.

We perused the exhibit, which was education and depressing. I knew there was trafficking here in Los Angeles, but they had an audio presentation with victims and it just felt so wrong to hear someone say they were sold to a home in West LA.

After we finished, we decided that we needed something a bit more uplifting, so we went and got some dinner (lucky for my my friend drove, so we threw my bike in the back of her car) and saw Arthur Christmas, which was very cute and sweet. We were the only ones in the theater:

Just like having my own private screening room

When we got out of the movie it was cold, so I was very grateful for the ride home in the heated car.  When I got home, I had to turn on the heat, which I almost never have to do.

It's still cold today, but there's a gorgeous blue sky so I might bundle up and venture out to enjoy the day.  The really good news is that my heel feels fine this morning! I can't run again until the doc clears me, but this is happy!