Getting to the Getty

It’s easy to take the bus to the Getty!

This was the conclusion of an unscientific poll of the many happy people who chose to avail themselves of public transportation to get to Brentwood’s new Getty Center Tuesday to be part of the opening-day hoopla at the center.

Some had never been on a city bus before; others were veteran riders who never drive anywhere. But all agreed that, at least for the next few months while parking reservations remain as hard to get hold of as a Van Gogh for your den, arriving automobile-free to the Getty is the best way to go.

Of the estimated 10,000 people who came to the Getty on opening day, officials estimated that one-quarter arrived by city bus, taxi, tour bus, bicycle or on foot.

Edward and Bernice Solomon, in town from Philadelphia on an elder hostel tour sponsored by the nearby University of Judaism, took a cab from their hotel; some locals also drove part way and cabbed the rest. The Getty has direct phone lines to cab companies set up on the first level of the center’s parking lot, and it’s easy to flag an exiting cab at the drop-off point by the parking entrance.

On city buses, conversations about the Getty’s collection of antiquities and J. Paul Getty’s odd fondness for 17th century furniture were as commonplace as talk of the weather. “I’ve never been on a bus before in L.A., it was great!” said Lois Ewing, who walked with husband Scott from their Sherman Oaks home to the northwest corner of Sepulveda and Ventura boulevards, where they boarded MTA bus line 561 for the ride over the hill to the Getty.

The Ewings decided to try the bus after being told the earliest available parking reservation that fit their schedule was June 28. “I’ve been watching that thing being built all the way from when it started, and I can’t wait that long,” said Lois, who is expecting a baby scheduled to arrive sooner than her Getty parking reservation. (Getty officials say all parking is booked through Jan. 14, but there are late-afternoon spots available between then and March, when reservations become more generally available.)

Artist Sandra Strength and retired banker Stan Penava of Santa Monica rode the Big Blue Bus No. 14 up the hill from Pico Boulevard and Bundy Drive because they don’t own a car--but even if they did, they’d ride the bus to the Getty, they said. “Why not take the bus when you can?” Strength said.

And Joe Orellana, who drove up from Santa Clarita to take the same bus, said the bus ride somehow seemed to heighten the experience. “This feels like a real pilgrimage--first the bus, then the tram,” he mused. “When you get up there, you just want to kiss the ground and say, ‘I’m finally here!’ ”

MTA bus 561, which originates at LAX and goes as far north as Sylmar, leaves Ventura and Sepulveda boulevards every half hour, four minutes before the half hour (9:26 a.m., 9:56 a.m, etc.), for the approximately 20-minute ride to the Getty. There is no parking specifically for bus riders, and most nearby street parking is for two hours only. However, there are some 10-hour parking meters on the east side of Sepulveda a block north of Ventura, and the Sherman Oaks Galleria, situated at the intersection, offers free parking for holiday shoppers through Jan. 1 (you didn’t hear that from us). After the holidays, there is a charge for Galleria parking, and there are few other paid parking lots in the area.

Big Blue Bus No. 14 heads north to the Getty every 15 minutes from several stops, including Centinela-Culver, Centinela-Venice, Bundy-Pico and Bundy-Wilshire. At Bundy-Pico, there was only neighborhood street parking available.

The Brentwood Holiday Inn, 170 N. Church Lane near the Sunset Boulevard exit off the 405, is offering public parking in its lot for $10, with a free shuttle bus to the Getty on the hour. It has about 150 spaces available for public parking per day. Parkers are also invited upstairs to the hotel restaurant for free coffee or a soft drink and a view of the city while they wait for their shuttle. This is the closest hotel to the center, and it is offering a special overnight package for center visitors. Call (310) 476-6411 and ask for the sales or reservations departments.

Getty officials strongly advise against parking in neighborhoods near the center, as there are many restrictions. And, unfortunately, the large and lovely parking lots of the Leo Baeck Temple directly across Sepulveda from the Getty entrance, and the Skirball Cultural Center just up the hill, are not available for Getty parking, paid or otherwise.

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Getting to the Getty

Entrance to the museum is free

Reservations are required to get one of the Getty’s 1,200 parking places; the cost is $5.

Call (310) 440-7300, or (310) 440-7305 for the hearing impaired. Information is in English and Spanish.

Museum hours are Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays.

Reservations aren’t required if you arrive by bus, bicycle or taxi. (Don’t plan to walk; parking in neighboring areas is highly restricted.) On the MTA, bus No. 561 and the Santa Monica Blue Bus No. 14 stop at the front entrance on Sepulveda Boulevard. There is a taxi stop in the parking garage with direct phone lines to cab companies.

Once you arrive, follow signs to the electric tram for the 4 1/2 minute trip to the Getty. Trams arrive every five minutes.