City of Angels

Los Angeles, a place with a lot of history, impressive architecture, several film companies and a multitude of museums!! Let’s check out some more points you can’t miss!

Paramount Pictures: founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor under the name ‘Famous Player Film Company’. In addition to film production and distribution, the company had a cinema network with more than 1,200 screens. Over the years, the company went through many ups and downs, and several name changes, until it reached Paramount Pictures. Today, Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc. and is considered a global leader in entertainment, breaking records in 2001 with the six highest-grossing films in the industry, incluindin Rango, Thor, Kung Fu Panda, Super 8, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Captain America. The company is the fourth oldest studio in the world, behind Universal Studios, Pathé and Gaumont Pictures. The studio, considered an icon of world cinema, is located in Hollywood, and has two types of guided tours, the vip tour (lasting 4.5 hours) and the studio tour (2 hours). Photo are allowed in some places, but inside the scenarios it is prohibited. If you want to know more about the tours and their prices, visit the website.

Warner Bros. Studio: founded in 1923 in Hollywood, by the Polish Warner brothers, is where they began their activity in the cinematographic world in 1904 with the opening of Duquesne Amusement & Supply Company for film distribution. Today, the film studio is located in Burbank, and has three types of tours for its visitors, these being Studio Tour (it is the most basic version, a total of 2 hours of guided tour and free time to explore the final exhibition), Classics' Tour (which focuses on Hollywood’s “Golden Age” films and television shows) and the Deluxe Tour (5-hour VIP tour with access to restricted areas, breakfast and lunch included). During the tours, it is possible to get to know the sets of some series, such as The Big Bang Theory and Friends, and to see objects from some films, such as Batman and Harry Potter. Thet are offered in English, Spanish and French. Taking pictures of some specific places is allowed although filming is prohibited. To learn more about the tours and their prices, visit the website.

Universal Studios Hollywood: opened in 1912 as a movie studio and only in 1915 to visitors with tours on site. However, in 1930, this tour was extinguished. Shortly after the sale of Universal Pictures to the Music Corporation of America in 1964 , the company returned to tour the studio. In 1965, in addition to a movie studio, Universal Studios Hollywood became an amusement park, with the Woody Woodpecker as its mascot. Today, it is dedicated to films and series produced by the company, divided into two areas: Upper Lot and Lower Lot, with attractions for all tastes and ages, such as Jurassic World, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Secret Life of Pets: Off The Leash, Transformers The Ride 3D, Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride, some being different and others identical to the Universal Studios park in Orlando. The complex also has Universal CityWalk, an area dedicated to entertainment (like iFLY), shopping (like Guess Acessories, Universal Studios Store), and food (like Hard Rock Café, Johnny Rockets). The Universal’s Studios Tour lasts 1 hour, can be done in English or Spanish, and shows a real behind-the-scenes look at its locations, such as the Fast and Furious movie, The War of the Worlds, Psycho. If you want to know more, visit the website.

Six Flags Magic Mountain: opened in 1971 by Newhall Land and Farming Company, under the name of Magic Mountain. However, in 1979, the theme park was purchased by Six Flags, changing its name to Six Flags Magic Mountain. The park became well known for the many awards and records it has received over the Years, such as the first looping roller coaster in the world, the Revolution. Magic Mountain has attractions insipired by characters from movies, cartoons and comics, by Warner Bros. in partnership with DC Comics. Aimed at all tastes and ages, the park has several roller coasters, a Looney Tunes themed area for children, and several others attractions that provide a lot of fun. Visit the website for more information.

J. Paul Getty Museum: also just called The Getty, is an art museum divided into the Getty Center and the Getty Villa. In 1954, J. Paul Getty renovated his house, inspired by Roman villas, creating a wing dedicated to his art collection, called the Getty Villa.

Getty Center. Photo: Caderninho da Tia Helo

Getty Center: is the main museum and is located in the Brentwood neighborhood. Its collection is now formed for Western art, since the Ages, featuring furniture, manuscripts, canvases, sculptures, engravings and photographs, works of art by the likes of Rembrandt, Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh, as well as itinerants exhibitions.The museum also has several gardens, the Getty Research Institute (library), the Getty Foundation, the Getty Conservation Institute, administrative offices of the J. Paul Getty Trust, restaurants and coffee kiosks. The Getty Center offers tours at no cost, it is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5:30 pm, and admission is free, but parking is paid.
Getty Villa: reopened in 2006, it has several gardens, an enclosed theater and an open-air theater. The museum exhibits arts from Ancient Greece, Rome and Etruria. It also offers free guided tours with pre-arranged time. Admission is free, however it is necessary to book a time on the website. The Getty Villa is open Wednesday through Monday from 11 am to 3 pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 8 pm. Want to know more about The Getty, visit the website.

Petersen Automative Museum: considered one of the largest automobile museums (run by a non-profit organization specializing in the history of the automobile), it opened in 1994, originally as a branch of the Museum of Natural History, with the mission to ‘explore and present the history of the automobile and its impact in American life and culture, using Los Angeles as the prime example’. In 2000, the museum became an independent entity, becoming the property of the Petersen Automotive Museum Foudation. Currently, the Petersen Automotive Museum has a collection of cars, motorcycles and paths, from models launched from 1886 to today, including the 1886 Benz model (the firt motorized car to work without animal traction). To know more, visit the website.

The Broad: opened in 2015, The Broad is a contemporary art museum located in Downtown LA, near the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broas, the museum has nearly 2,000 pieces, one of the best known being Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Infinity Mirrored Room – The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away’. Admission is free, but reservations are required for a specific time, you may have to wait in line to enter. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, between 10 am to 8 pm. To know more, visit the website. And be sure to check out the museum’s social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

Bradbury Building: a commercial building, located between 304 South and 3rd West avenues, was built in 1893. Conceived by Lewis L. Bradbury, millionaire in the field of gold mining, the building was constructed by architect George H. Wyman and with an original design by Sumner Hunt. Considered an architectural landmark, the Bradbury Building was annexed in 1971 to the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1977. Want to know more about this oldest building in Los Angeles, visit the website.

Los Angeles Union Station: opened in 1939 as a three-day celebration, Los Angeles’ largest railroad terminal was designed with a blend of Spanish colonial architecture, missionary revival and Art Deco, now called Mission Moderne. Also known as LAUS, it was recognized as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1972 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Today, Los Angeles Union Station is considered “the last of the great train stations” and the main railroad station in Los Angeles. To know more, visit the website.