Los Angeles Art Adventures

|

For the two days after Ellie’s birthday, I wandered around Los Angeles having little art adventures. I visited two of the MOCA museums (there are 4 locations total); The Broad; the brand new Skyslide 70 floors in the air; and a couple cute shops too. We kick it off with the MOCA Geffen by Little Tokyo.

MOCA Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

The exhibit up at the MOCA was a retrospective from the 1990s. I wasn’t a huge fan of a lot of it, but still interesting to walk around what’s essentially a giant warehouse space turned into art galleries.

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Afterwards, I headed to the other MOCA location (MOCA Broad) in downtown LA right across the street from The Broad. This one was a bit more of a standard contemporary art museum with familiar names like Rothko, Warhol, Cy Twombly, and Dan Flavin.

MOCA Grand Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

MOCA Grand Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

MOCA Grand Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

MOCA Grand Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography MOCA Grand Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

In the afternoon, I drove down to Anaheim to meet up with some friends at the Anaheim Packing District, which is an adorable market building.

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Jen, Michelle, me, Diana, and Connie!

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Picked up some cold brewed tea from Jin in Pasadena. Delicious! And kicked off the next morning with a half grapefruit at Winsome.

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Time to line up nice and early to try and get in to the Infinity Room at The Broad! Check the bottom of the post for more details on the whole process.

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Loved this whole museum, from its architecture to the abundance of large-scale artworks. Such a delight to visit.

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Obligatory Infinity Room selfie. =)

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

After visiting The Broad, I met up with my photographer friend Diana for lunch at Faith & Flower. Diana brought her copy of my Pointe of View book to have signed! <3

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Next, a juice flight from Verve Coffee! They’re actually from Northern California… Santa Cruz, but I never make it down there, so I tried it out in LA instead.

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Look up there! That’s where we’re headed! A clear glass slide on the 70th floor of the U.S. Bank Tower.

Skyspace Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

There goes Diana! Videotaping on the way down.

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

It wasn’t really that terrifying since you’re only on the slide for such a brief time, but it was entertaining! Not sure I’d ever pay the $33 to go again, but the observation deck is kind of nice too, if it’s not too hazy.

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Finally, a little visit to The Last Book Store, which is totally instagram-popular for its book sculptures tucked around the second floor.

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography Los Angeles Arts & Travelogues | Anna Wu Photography

Visit Los Angeles

  • The Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) museum has four locations, and I got to use my SFMOMA reciprocal membership for free admission. The Geffen is a smaller warehouse setting for temporary exhibits, while the Grand is more of the standard flagship museum. You can easily visit both in one afternoon, and you can even make it to The Broad across the street too. Just make sure they’re both open, as MOCA is closed on Tuesdays while The Broad is closed on Mondays.
  • The Broad (rhymes with road) is easily one of my favorite museums. General admission is free to the museum, so you can just show up if you want to visit the main collections. However, if you want to visit Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room which is on the first floor of the museum, you’ll need to be really on top of things to book advanced tickets online, or more likely, if it’s sold out, you’ll need to arrive early to line up outside the museum for the rush line. I would arrive 30 minutes before opening; they’ll let in part of rush line after each timed admission, which means if you don’t make the first two cutoffs you likely won’t get in to the Infinity Room for the day. Once you enter the museum, head straight toward the middle of the first floor, where there’s a tablet kiosk that signs you up for the Infinity Room waitlist. It’ll give you a time estimate and text you when your spot is ready, but don’t be surprised if the estimate is way off. Mine was ready about 40 minutes earlier than it initially said. In the meantime, head upstairs and visit all the other galleries. I love the architecture of the building, all the natural light, and the large scale of many of the art works.
  • The Skyspace Experience just opened the weekend I arrived in LA, so I wanted to check out that glass Skyslide right away! But I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit, especially with the hefty price tag. Basically, you can pay $25 to just go up to the observation deck (and the digital gallery, which isn’t anything special). Or you can pay $33 to also be able to go down the slide. The slide itself is pretty amusing, and not nearly as scary as you might think. But it’s pretty short-lived. We went on a weekday afternoon so there was no line, but it also would be a much less appealing experience if there were a long wait.
  • The Anaheim Packing District (about 30-45 minutes south of LA) is adorable and a great meeting spot if you’re located all over the greater LA area/Orange County. Lots of dining options!
  • There’s no shortage of bubble tea shops in the San Gabriel Valley, but I’m loving the new addition of Jin. Tea leaves imported from Asia and some quality cold brews headline there.
  • Winsome has a cute retro diner vibe. Great for brunch!
  • Faith & Flower: great dining in a beautiful setting.
  • Verve Coffee: a very cute juice flight, beautifully presented. Plus, a cute living wall outside!
  • The Last Bookstore: fun to explore! Don’t miss the hidden book sculptures up on the second floor.

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco but often traveling and working around the world. She creates beautiful, soft, and timeless imagery while capturing the most fleeting of moments. View her work at annawu.com, follow her daily adventures on instagram, or contact her to book your own session today.