After the wedding, Kevin and I took a week off to recover from the sleepless nights that lead up to the big day. We decided to hold off on our honeymoon until later in the year and take the week to do the cliché touristy things around our Los Angeles backyard. We figured there’s a good reason why so many newlyweds make a pilgrimage to LA for their honeymoon every year.  It was time to let our true Japanese tourist spirits go to work!   And we can save travel costs this way since we don’t have to worry about flights and lodging.

Both Kevin and I have lived in the LA area pretty much all our lives, but there are so many things in this city that we have not done or experienced. Getty Villa in Malibu was one of those places that we’ve always been interested but never made an effort to visit. After experiencing its beautify, I wondered why we waited for so long!

Although they are both very different in the types of artwork they exhibit, I might like the Villa better than The Getty Center.

It  felt more intimidate and serene, and the gardens are  amazing here.  It reminded me of the many museums that I had the opportunity to visit in Florence.

The entrance to the Villa is free but you have to call in advance to reserve a parking space for $15.

When you visit, make sure to come hungry and check up the cafe.  The food is pretty delicious!  Here’s our Bruschetta Mista with olive tapenade, prosciutto, brie and apricot, and tomato and basil.

My favorite sculpture … it’s called, “Young Satyr with a Theater Mask (Roman A.D. 100-200).”  It looks like a little kid put on the huge theater mask over his head.  You can see his mischievous smile from the opening.  So surreal but humorous.

Totally reminds me of Monet‘s water lilies!

Just being silly by the fountain!

After spending three, blissful hours at Getty Villa, we headed over to the Universal City Walk for a movie (The Avengers) and dinner.  It can’t get more touristy than this!  We stopped by a place called Zen Zone and took a 20-minute water massage (you go inside this capsule bed and the pressure of the water massages your entire body — strange, I know).  We also enjoyed the complimentary oxygen bar, even though we had no idea if it had any positive affect in our bodies.

We ate dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.  The only reason we decided on this place was because of its hush puppies but they were all out by the time we got there.  I was so bummed.  We ended up still staying and we had shrimps, mussels, and mac and cheese.

I love cheesy LA!