Los Angeles, Day 3

Started off with a lazy 2 hour breakfast with one of my best friends who I do not see often enough.  The kids came down one by one to say hello and chat.  It was really nice.  Then our activities began.

We started off at LACMA, the modern art museum of Los Angeles.  The new building is fantastic and they are still building more. This photo is of the other building which will be completely covered with solar panels.  Thanks to Eli and Edythe Broad who basically saved LACMA from going under.  The building we were in had large open spaces with red steel and glass ceilings.  We walked through the permanent collection which is what you would expect, Lichenstein, Warhol, Koons, Rushka, Rauschenberg and more.  What I love is the rooms where the work is hung.  On the first floor is a Serra installation  I really prefer his work outside but it is always amazing.  The current exhibit is called the Art of Two Germanys Cold War Cultures. 50 years of art, from Germany, which represents the time of WWII to present. An really well curated exhibit that I found interesting.

After LACMA, we drove over to Joan's on Third.  Joan's on Third is a family run gourmet marketplace. 
You can sit down and have a meal from the menu and salads made that day or you can have a coffee and a cupcake or a scoop of ice cream.  If not, you can always pick up a soup, a homemade salad dressing, a bag of homemade cinnamon sugar pita chips or even a frozen meal with directions on what to do when you get home.  We have seen many places like Joan's on Third in different places around the globe.  Mary's Marvelous, in Amagansett, although all take out, is smaller and has a bit of the same feel.  Melissa's in Cape Town is very similar.  Barefoot Contessa when she was open in East Hampton.  Daylesford Organic in London is also very similar.  All conceptually the same with a different twist. 

That particular street also has a few stores worth walking into.  Noodle Stories ( women's clothing ) and another home furnishing store called OK which my sister-in-law loves. 

Tonight was a night for a home cooked meal.  We went over to Whole Foods in Venice.  There is nothing quite like the grocery stores in California.  They are huge.  They are also a visual sight to behold.  Everything looks so perfect and clean and the produce is generally beautiful.  This particular Whole Foods is impressive.  We got our goodies and I volunteered to cook.  It was a pleasure after eating out the last few weeks.  Butterflied fresh herb rubbed chicken on the grill, grilled asparagus and a big Greek salad. 

The weather was beautiful today too.  Afterward, we went back to the hotel to watch Obama speak.  He is one impressive man.  Tomorrow is another day in beautiful sunny Los Angeles.