A Morning in DTLA
“Sometimes all you need is a great friend and a thirst for adventure” - unknown
And a simple lunch between friends turns into more. Starting at The Broad Museum of Contemporary art our morning was as full of possibilities as the myriad reflections in the infinity mirrored room.
With shared laughter, nonstop conversation and at times space to wander and gaze at the thought provoking, mentally challenging art on display we had ourselves a lunch date with a twist.
Starting off with Robert Therrien’s “Under the Table” we had fun trying to reach up on tippy toes to touch the top of the underside of the table or pretend to climb up to one of the chairs.
With much shared laughter and selfies and photos of each other’s shenanigans we set the tone for how our morning would proceed.
At times fun, at times sober and thought provoking we wandered through the third-floor galleries.
Is this a fabric drape? my friend Usha wanted to know if it was soft to touch.
It’s hard to imagine that this stunning drape is constructed of bottle caps, reused aluminum, copper wires, and other materials. El Anatsui, from Ghana has used his skills to present a weave that represents clothing worn on important occasions in their country.
No, I don’t know how it feels since touching was not allowed and a museum guard was close by to ensure the rules were followed.
Another thought-provoking piece of art from Japanese artist Takashi Murakami who is known for promoting pop art in ways unforeseen by American critics and artists.
Robert Rauschenberg Untitled ~ Oil, fabric and newspaper on canvas is what the plaque reads next to the work. What I found the most intriguing was that Eli and Edythe Broad traded a Vincent van Gogh’s drawing to acquire this piece in 1983.
“Everybody has their own America, and then they have pieces of a fantasy America that they think is out there, but they can’t see.” - Andy Warhol. Abstract impressionism using products like Coca Cola and Campbell’s soup cans.
Roy Lichenstein is one of the founders of American Pop Art. Using themes based on imagery founded in advertising and comic books he developed his own brand of Abstract Impressionism.
After making sure that we validated our parking, we walked across to the Disney Concert Hall with the objective of exploring the hidden Blue-Ribbon Garden with its shady nooks, and people enjoying their lunch on the various seating areas scattered around.
I’m glad that @coastallivingwithAchint was with me, otherwise I would have climbed the stairs outside the hall to make my way to the garden. Instead, we went into the lobby and found that we could actually take the elevator on the inside.
The Blue Rose Fountain created by Frank Gehry as a tribute to Lillian Disney blending in her favorite Royal Blue Delft porcelain in the shape of a blooming rose. The beautiful fountain is set against the backdrop of the metallic facade of the concert hall and flowering trees and invites people to stop for selfies and pictures in general.
These trees add a spectacular touch of color against the twisted steel oh so modern facade of the concert hall.
There was some question about potentially riding the Angels Flight railway to head over to the Grand Central Market for a culinary adventure, but we decided to pass on that portion of the plan. Such a smart move.
The whole objective of this morning excursion was to meet for lunch, so we settled on chef Timothy Hollingsworth’s restaurant Otium. I had become a fan of the chef while watching the show Final Table and we quite enjoyed the beautiful restaurant which was full of lunch goers when we walked in.
Remember the parking ticket that we had so religiously validated? Well, the validated discount was only valid for the first 3 hours which was a memory by the time we enjoyed our lunch and lingered over coffee and dessert.
Ah well the extra parking fee was worth it for a fantastic half day full of friendship and wandering.