Beverly Hills

Another trip, another chance to visit an old friend. This week I am in southern California so I reached out to a childhood friend of mine, Terri Yenko.  She lives in Studio City with her husband, Howie and they too are empty-nesters. We met for dinner on the outdoor patio at Xian on N. Canon Drive (right around the corner from Rodeo) which is a Chinese restaurant managed by Cece who is Terri's neighbor.  The food was fabulous and it was so wonderful to see these old friends!

While in town, I stayed at the Beverly Hilton which is close to all the shops on glitzy Rodeo Drive. In the mornings, I walked through the tree-lined neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, not looking for celebrities, but simply to stretch my legs and to enjoy the beautiful architecture and landscaping in this posh neighborhood. The afternoon was spent swimming laps and lounging at the famous pool back at the Hilton.

A must stop for anybody visiting Los Angeles is The Getty Center. (See my earlier blog about Madrid and the top ten art museums in the world and how this makes my list complete. Top Ten Art Museums in the World) The Getty sits on a hill with views of LA and the Pacific. Designed by Richard Meier, the campus consists of the museum, a research institute, conservation institute and is home to the Getty Foundation named for its benefactor, oilman John Paul Getty. The gardens and landscaping are as lovely as the works of art within. I saw an exhibit on tapestries by Rubens, then got lost wandering through the collection of paintings by Rembrandt, Picasso, Monet, and Renoir to name a few.  A real treat was the self-portrait of a laughing Rembrandt.