Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [73]
Turn around, go left on Doheny, right on Sierra Dr, right on Sunset and left on Hillcrest Rd where you can get a good look at Larry King’s house at No 707. From here it’s right on Elevado Ave, right again on Palm Dr where America’s most (in)famous Brit, Simon Cowell, paid $8 million to live at No 717. See those trees and the big hedge north across Sunset? Somewhere behind there is Madonna’s shack (9425 Sunset Blvd). The lady sure values her privacy.
And so do Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, who forked over two-movie-salary’s-worth ($30.5 million, to be exact) for a giant mansion at 1111 Calle Vista Dr. To get there, turn left on Sunset, right on Foothill Rd (which becomes Doheny Rd), then left on Calle Vista and it’s the second compound on your left. The house itself is at the end of a long driveway and there’s just a black iron gate to gawk at. It’s a 13,000-sq-ft mansion with seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms and a pool, so use your imagination. Then go back to Sunset, right and right again on Alpine Dr, where the Cruises used to make do with the mega-shack at No 918. Not much to see there either.
Ok, this is your last chance to snap pictures and it’s a good one. You can see plenty of Dr Phil’s pretty Mediterranean-style villa at 1008 Lexington Rd. It has a tiled roof, lots of flowers, a Rapunzel tower and, at about 11,000 sq ft, is a lot bigger than it looks. That’s it – show’s over. Nothing to see here.
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North of Westwood, Bel Air is a favorite hideaway of stars whose sybaritic homes are generally well hidden behind security gates and dense foliage. Brentwood, west of the I-405 (San Diego Fwy), is only a little less exclusive and home to one of LA’s big attractions, the hilltop Getty Center. Despite a high celeb quotient, it’s pretty low-key and accessible. Marilyn Monroe died in her home at 12305 5th Helena Dr, but more recently Brentwood made headlines when Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were murdered in her condo at 875 Bundy Dr. In the subsequent criminal trial, her husband OJ Simpson was (in)famously acquitted.
GETTY CENTER
In its billion-dollar in-the-clouds perch, high above the city grit and grime, the Getty Center (Map 310-440-7300; www.getty.edu; 1200 Getty Center Dr; admission free; 10am-6pm Sun & Tue-Thu, 10am-9pm Fri & Sat; ) presents triple delights: a stellar art collection (Renaissance to David Hockney), Richard Meier’s cutting-edge architecture, and the visual splendor of seasonally changing gardens. On clear days, you can add breathtaking views of the city and ocean to the list. A great time to visit is in the late afternoon after the crowds have thinned. Sunsets create a remarkable alchemy of light and shadow and are especially magical in winter, when the orange orb drops straight into the Pacific.
Even getting up to the 110-acre ‘campus’ aboard a driverless tram is fun. From the sprawling arrival plaza, a natural flow of walkways, stairs, fountains and courtyards encourages a leisurely wander between galleries, gardens and outdoor cafés. Five buildings hold collections of manuscripts, drawings, photographs, furniture and decorative arts and a strong assortment of pre-20th-century European paintings. Must-sees include Van Gogh’s Irises, Monet’s Wheatstacks, Rembrandt’s The Abduction of Europa and Titian’s Venus and Adonis. Don’t miss the lovely Cactus Garden on the remote South Promontory for those amazing city views.
Tours, lectures and interactive technology, including audioguides ($3), help make the art accessible to all. Children can take a Family Tour, visit the interactive Family Room, borrow a kid-oriented audioguide or browse the special kid bookstore. Concerts, lectures, films and other cultural events are another way they keep things dynamic for locals. Most are free but some require reservations (or try standby).
Admission is free as well, but parking is $8; both Metro Bus 761 Click here and the Big Blue Bus 14 Click here stop at the Getty.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES (UCLA)
Founded in 1919,