Here's Susan in California doing what she loves best - visiting museums (and museum gift stores!) and hanging out with family. REMINDER: Museums can be as fun - or more fun! - than theme parks. SERIOUSLY!!
Her visit starts with Ridge Route Communities Museum... a one-room journey into the past from Native Americans to Hollywood celebs in the rural enclave of Frazier Park, CA. Reminder: When you visit these small museums, talk to the attendants, aka docents! They're the best sources for local histories - fascinating and unexplored. They're typically volunteers who do the job because they LOVE it!
Then there's the amazing Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena with jaw-dropping art, including familiar names such as Picasso and Rembrandt - his self-portrait (below!) is a definite favorite! The grounds are just as amazing. Linger outside? Wander within? Good either way!
Also, on her must-visit list from the LA area - the Getty Museum. The best part is walking the grounds, which include a garden and voluptuous spaces loaded with art. A favorite for many is the European art of the 1200s-1700s. Below: Susan posing in the Getty Courtyard. The PRICE: Free.
OH - and don't forget the incredible Huntington Gardens, in San Marino, just outside LA. Even if you don't like gardens, you'll love this!! Individual vistas rich with plants - the cactus "garden" (it's huge!) Susan's favorite! PLUS - an indoor museum, should you be so inclined. Botanical Gardens | The Huntington
