This past weekend I headed up to LA to check out a few of the must-see museums. In the two days I was in L.A. I hit the Getty Center, the Getty Villa, The Broad, and LACMA. What I love about SoCal museums is that the museum itself could be considered a work of art. It’s not just about the works inside the museum, but about what houses the works of art.

THE L.A. ART SCENE : 4 museums, 2 days

I’ve always had a love for contemporary art and architecture, though my family is much more interested in the traditional renaissance paintings. I remember growing up going to Chicago’s Art Institute and skipping over the contemporary art because “I could do that at home.” Something about the traditional bores me. I of course appreciate the brush strokes and the details, but none of it really makes me sit back and think, “what are you talking about?”

STOP 1: The Broad

That’s why I was so excited to have the opportunity to go to LA’s newest art museum on the block: The Broad. You may have seen Jeff Koon’s Balloon Dog (blue) or Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Roomsplashed all over social media. It opened six months ago and trying to get in is a crazy experience. I did make it however and all I can say is that I loved it so much that I bought a hat!

The closest thing we have to the Broad in San Diego is the Contemporary Art Museum and their pieces aren’t nearly as interesting or famous. I could have literally spent all day sitting and analyzing the pieces but unfortunately there was a lot more to see!

STOP 2: LACMA (or Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

You might recognize this from the movie “No Strings Attached” movie or by the fact that it is a Los Angeles icon. I was pretty bummed that part of it was being restored (my inner photographer was suffering), but I was able to snap a few quick pics!

The LACMA is definitely a more traditional museum equipped with quite a few Picassos, dark rooms with abundant paintings, and art from all over the world.

STOP 3: The Getty Center 

This was actually my second visit to the Getty Center (the first time being about five years ago in high school), but I think I could come back here fifty times and never get tired of walking around. The architecture itself is something to sit back and appreciate. It’s one of two Getty Campuses. The Center is actually the expansion of the original museum and is home to a few gardens, look out points, and of course art. If I had to describe it, I would say that while the art genres are similar to those of LACMA, the ambiance is completely different!

STOP 4: The Getty Villa

The last stop was to the original Getty Museum at the Getty Villa. I fell in love with the gardens and charm of the home that had been turned into a museum. If the center’s theme was “California modern” I would say the villa’s theme was “roman chic.”

My favorite part of the villa was the herb garden which brought me back to my childhood of planted olive trees, basil, and grape vines.

Now for the travel hack: If you’re like me and you love weekend trips, you might come across the packing problem. You don’t want to overpack for a two day affair. Something I live by is change out the top and pants but find something that matches the bag and shoes as to take up as little space as possible! Bags and shoes surprisingly always take up the most space!

Thanks for reading about my trip featuring the L.A. ART SCENE. Which museum would you be most interested in visiting?