This was hands down one of the best out of nowhere experiences I had in a long time and it…read morecompletely blew my mind. Not just was it one of the coolest free things to do with a lot of content to be seen. I so glad I stopped in.

Terrific museum. There are two small buildings, one that offers rotating exhibits and the other, a…read morepermanent collection. I liked how the art was hung, as it was eye level and good lighting. The volunteer staff were very friendly and helpful! One suggestion for the room with the rocks, please have placards made that inform us what the rock is, and where it was found. Looking forward to returning and see more art.

I've been to this library since I was in elementary school. It was one of my favorite places and my…read moreall time favorite library. It was a lot different then. Very kid friends with awe sensory activities and book reading groups. I recently started school. I enjoy a different scene from my warm bedroom especially now in the summer. Studying at this library is not as pleasant as it used to be. It smells really bad in specific areas due to many homeless people. They take up all the study tables and quiet corners. Most of them sit for hours on their phone. Some Sleep for hours. It's not as quiet as other libraries but it's quiet enough to study my online classes. I'm a bit disappointed with how the remodeled. It feels more modern than homie which is no issue just not my vibe. I don't remember the library staff allowing homeless people in when I was a kid unless they looked somewhat well kept and with better hygiene. Anyways if it weren't for the homeless people and smell this library would still be my top favorite. I prefer the signal hill library now but still Billie Jean is a close way from where I live Oh and signal hill library is open on Mondays! Which is great because I study everyday of the week. I don't mean to be mean towards homelessness people. I agree there should be more done but one reality is that not all of them care to work and most are doing drugs. I can see that being of conflict in assisting them with stability. Nevertheless, I will always remember the good memories I had at this library. I practically grew up here.

I call it the Disneyland of botanical gardens. ;) I am a member of the Huntington, and have been…read morecoming for years. It is my absolute favorite Zen spot in the world. I no longer live in the state, but visit every few weeks and make sure to visit the gardens every time. I've painted these gardens over the years and will continue to do so. My favorite gardens are the Rose garden, the Japanese garden and the Chinese garden. This is the perfect date spot as well as a perfect place to walk in the morning amongst nature before the day gets too hot. The children's garden will entertain the littles and they even have a water feature on the hot days. The art pieces throughout the museums are not only beautiful but historical and should not be missed. There is a great coffee shop to grab a cup for your walk and a great gift shop at the exit. There are a couple of quick food options as well. Parking is plentiful- but make reservations! Verdict: perfection- everyone must visit this lovely land at least once in their lifetime.

OMG, I LOVE this place. And the fact that it's free?! Insane. You just need timed tickets, so…read moredefinitely plan ahead. I really liked how the galleries felt curated around different themes instead of just being a giant collection of random contemporary art. There's a ton of mixed media, sculptures, installations, and interactive pieces, so every room feels like there's something different to discover. And yes, I finally got to see the giant table and chairs! You literally feel like you've been shrunk down into a tiny person. It's such a simple concept but ridiculously fun to walk through. I also LOVED the Yoko Ono and Murakami pieces. The Murakami exhibit especially had that colorful, whimsical, almost dreamlike quality that makes you feel like you're walking around inside someone's imagination. The giant balloon flowers were adorable too. Honestly, everything here has this larger-than-life quality. Even when the pieces aren't physically huge, there's something theatrical about the colors, shapes, textures, and way the exhibits are arranged. It feels playful and dramatic without taking itself too seriously. And again, it's FREE. For a free contemporary art museum with this many memorable installations and recognizable artists, I genuinely don't understand how this exists. Such a fun experience and definitely one of my favorite stops in LA.

I visited The Broad again and saw that their permanent collection has remained mostly the same. It…read morewas a little crowded when I went on a Friday with mostly tourists browsing the paintings. The process for obtaining general admission was the same for me as I just had to reserve online. This museum is rather small despite its large exterior, so I'd recommend combining a visit here with The Museum of Contemporary Art across the street if you have time. Currently, there's an opportunity to engage in a wholesome activity outside because of Yoko Ono's "Wish Trees for Los Angeles" installation. You can't miss it because many people have tied their personal wishes on little white paper tags to the branches of the century-old olive trees outside The Broad. Most wishes were written in English, but I also saw some in Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. I'd highly recommend taking the time to read people's wishes and write one of your own. It helped me take time to focus on a few out of many things to feel grateful and hopeful for.

You know, I've worked at two different art museums, and I'm still not what you'd call an "art…read morebuff," ...I'm more of what's you'd call "a lot buff!" *rimshot* Thanks folks, I'll be here all week. Take my wife, please. Boy are my arms tired. I'm pretty sure Grand Central Art Center is my new fave part of downtown Santa Ana. It's part grad student studios/other exhibitions/sales galleries. And, let me tell you, this is one top notch art gallery. Coming from a non-art buff, that means a whole helluva lot, doesn't it? Well, it should - because if I, a person who thinks Damien Hirst is just complete bullshit, then it should mean something to you. I'd say 85% of the works in this gallery caught my attention - a much higher ratio that the rest of the galleries around here. They've got some cutting edge stuff, a lot of trendy stuff and a dash of traditional sorta stuff. The space is top notch too. I love the way the different galleries are setup. But wait...there's more. On this particular art walk night that I went, they had posters of their upcoming exhibitions. Don't you roll your eyes and say "so what." These posters were the best free posters I've ever seen. Printed on fine quality paper with awesome designs. Oh, and FREE. Duh. Thumbs Up: -Non boring art. -If you're lookin' to buy, there is art here you can actually afford. Well, not you, but you over there...you can afford it. -Next to just about everything cool in Downtown Santa Ana. -Free food and drink during art walk! Thumbs Down: -It may end up being my second favorite thing after I finally visit Lola Gaspar across the way.

During the OC Yelp Elite Event here in March, a fascinating piece of artwork caught my eye…read more And no, for those who were there, it was not the Hitler Head teapot. Yes, I agree. W.T.F. Anyways, the husband and I saw a really cool piece of art and inquired about it a few days after the event. The price was right but we had some difficulty actually buying it. Let's just say there was a lack of communication with the curator and it took both my husband and I multiple attempts to buy the piece...over a month later. Whatever. But I would like to add that Alyssa, the curatorial assistant, was very helpful once we were able to finally pick it up. The experience of buying the art was a headache, but I actually really like the gallery. They show very eclectic genres of art and a wide range of contemporary artists - from cult artist "Dark Vomit" (scary!) to Thomas Kinkade (even scarier!). But the stuff in between is really cool. Take an afternoon and go check it out. The Artists Village in Santa Ana is one of the cooler neighborhoods of OC and Grand Central Art Center is, by far, one of the better art centers.

Visited the UC Irvine Langson OCMA at the Segerstrom Center campus today. Honestly, the current…read moreexhibits themselves didn't really impress me, but the facility itself is immaculate and very well-maintained. The front desk staff are also incredibly friendly and helpful, which made for a great welcome. They have useful amenities like lockers available on-site, and there's a huge outdoor patio and bar on the first floor that's perfect for hanging out.parking structure validates 2 hr parking i guess. Verify it though. Pro Tip: Don't bother with the local paid structures. Just park near South Coast Plaza for free and take the short walk over.

Lovely museum! Had to come for a school assignment but it's worth coming back to see new…read moreexhibitions (they are moving locations though). I loved the art they had displayed around this time. Everything was kept well and clean and the gallery staff was super helpful and sweet. And the cherry on top was free admission and free parking (make sure you get your pass validating by a member).

The Getty is one of the top attractions in LA that is complimentary to visit. Last time I visited…read morethem was back in 2010. The parking is $25 before 3PM and $15 after 3. $10 after 6PM but the museum would be closed on the day we were here. We came by around 3:30PM on a Friday. It was still pretty busy. Taking the tram was easy to get up to the Getty and there were restrooms at the parking and at the top where you get off the tram. When we went the north exhibition was closed but there were still plenty to see. Love the irises from Van Gogh... and enjoyed a cup of tea after the museum visit. All in all was a great photo spot with LA and ocean in the back drop. Very pretty gardens and museum collections. Highly recommend checking them out if you're in town.

When I first went to the Getty I referred to it as a palace in the sky, and meant the compliment,…read morein all its absuridity. I was describing the awe of the place as best as I could so I did not leave the place undressed without its glory. As the visits continued, I enjoyed the place but not in the same way. The luster of what was once new had become typical as most things do. Repetition dulls excitement. I went skydiving once, and my attached skydiver averaged 12 drops a day. He must not see skydiving as exciting anymore, but rather just cycles of his work. But I experienced the Getty during twilight on the last day of the Off the 405 concernt series of Summer 26 and I found the experience, simply enchanting. But really, I felt like I was walking Pulk's evening garden on a random midnight summer night dream. And even though I strewn references together from the universe of Shakespeare, the feeling is true. The experiene felt surreal and like nothing I have experienced before. It was a gift from California to me. And thus I write this review because walking the Getty in the Evening is the hope of someone in the world, and I walked that dream. That is no small feat. After having a lovely dinner, I stepped outside to the Summer air that wafts around the height of the Getty. I never felt heat within wind. But here that is what I felt. The breeze was not a reward for an ardous day. It did not carry crispness. The breeze was laced with warmth that did not scold or oppressed like the afternoon heat. It felt like walking through air that had become water at a temperature that was maybe too warm but still felt good. The skin felt the breeze and I did not shiver. I aslo saw the setting of the sun leave behind traces of gold lining below a darkening blue sky. The trees had lost their green. The trees now were black shadows that had dimension to them. The moment is priceless as they say because nature converged to give me a gift of experience something new in California and I only had to pay the 25.00 parking fee. Then I stepped into Getty's famed garden. But before that I passed people picnicking in blankets looking at the city be quiet with twinkling lights. I passed a founatin with russtling water. It was shaped like an inverse leaf, at least to me. It was like seeing water drop from a modern leaf like structure. Like the one's they would have if giants had beautiful jungles to explore. And then I walked deeper into the forest and this is where I felt the proverbial magic of the Getty. The trees had become something different by non-ill moonlight. Like they were present, but hidden by the ascending night. Their face changed. They were softer in evening light. They did not look like they were going to a ball, they did not look they were going to bed, they looked like sages standing in duty, standing in stillness, while knowing they have to say no words to matter and be beauitful in ancient wisdom. Phew! The night continued, but I also want to cover the walk to the museum. I have been to the Getty a few times and I always took the tram. That is the way to get there, I thought. But on this day, I saw a sign that pointed to a 3/4 mile walkway and I took it to diversify my experiene, not knowng that a treasured summary was waiting for me above. And what is neat, is that the walk added the depth of newness to the experience. At one point I sat on a oval bench with no back rest and I sat. I saw a frame made by golden light and branches that showed the mess that is the 405. But seeing it from that place of rest and peace, I was able to appreciate the behemoth as slow moving moth. One side of the freeway was packed filled with cars. I have been a car in that freeway. and have felt its frustrating pace and zig and zags. But the other side had a trickle. Almonst no cars going in that freeway. Well almost no cars in comparison to the other side. And this moment is only one that can be lived in California. And it was golden nature exposing the advances of our technology that made it specifically California. The Getty did not need the press. I just wanted to write a note of summer love to an institution that is bigger than Brandi on ice cream.

This museum is a very neat experience! It is intended for adults, but our little ones had a great…read moretime here too! The whole place is decorated with art and it is very immersive! It's a bit difficult to find parking, but after that's settled, knock 3 times on the door and upon entry, you are greeted and signed in. We were greeted by Sabrina and Alyssa. They were friendly and welcoming and made sure that all of our questions were answered. The whole experience is neat because in such a small area, there are so many things to see, smell, and read! They have their own section of a gift shop as well. I can't wait until they expand their location and I'm so glad they our family had the opportunity to experience the Museum of Make Believe.

A hidden gem (quite literally) in Laguna Beach, the Museum of Make Believe truly lives up to the…read morewhimsy and magic it seeks to bestow upon its travelers. Highly recommend to anyone seeking a trip of puzzle-mystery with a nostalgic edge. Huge shoutout to Sabrina & Sylvan for guiding us along the way and their warm hospitality.

This museum is in a really nice location. It's right next to the beach and you can't beat that. I…read morebought my tickets online and they had a special for 50% off. There's also free parking next to the museum which is a plus. It was my first time at this museum and it's a pretty small museum. When I went, the second floor was closed because there was an event that night. I went to see the Robert Williams exhibit which is on the main floor and there was a lot to see. There's also a lower level with an exhibit for local high school artist which is cool. Although the museum was small I was there for almost an hour. I thought the description of the pieces were very detailed and helped me understand what I was looking at.

Love it here! There are two buildings. It's the building on the right…read more The computers were down on the Saturday I visited, so admission was free. Otherwise, general admission is $15 and admission for seniors is $10. I visited during the Robert Williams exhibit. Great, comprehensive collection of artwork, past and present. Paintings and sculpture, large and small. There's a small gift shop located immediately next to reception. The basement exhibit was artwork created by middle school, up and coming artists. The second floor was an exhibit surrounding paper and books. Although visitors are not allowed to go outdoors, awesome ocean view from the second floor window and patio. You can either take the stairs or elevator. Parking: I parked on the next block. Free, residential street parking.