Itinerary: Back to School at UCLA
UCLA, the state’s largest university, had humble beginnings. In 1882, the then-State Normal School opened its doors downtown, but UCLA considers its founding to have been in 1919, when the college moved to the site of Los Angeles City College and was renamed the Southern Branch of the University of California.
Classes started on the Westwood campus 10 years later, and by the early ‘30s the school had 10 buildings. Since then, it’s grown to 235 buildings and nearly 36,000 students on the campus’ 419 rolling acres. This weekend, UCLA students will start returning for classes, which resume next week. But there’s plenty for the non-Bruin to see and do on campus and in Westwood.
Friday
Start with a tour of campus. At the admissions office, 1147 Murphy Hall, and the Alumni Center, brochures for self-guided tours are available. To get a guided tour, call (310) 825-8764.
Just outside the Alumni Center is the Bruin statue, the school’s mascot and target of student pranks from cross-town rival USC. Also nearby is the Ackerman Union, a place to grab a snack or deck yourself out in UCLA sportswear at the bookstore.
But it’s not all books and buildings. Don’t miss the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden (the northeast section of campus, near the University Research Library, [310] 443-7041), where 70 works by artists including Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore and Alexander Calder are on display.
In the southeast corner is the seven-acre Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden (near Hilgard Avenue, [310] 825-1260). The 70-year-old garden features 5,000 species of plants, most of them tropical and subtropical. There’s also an outdoor classroom called “The Nest.”
Plan ahead a bit and you can add a stop at the UCLA Hannah Carter Japanese Garden, a half-mile north of UCLA in Bel-Air. The two-acre hillside contains not only plants and waterfalls but carvings dating back 1,000 years. Free tours are available by reservation only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (310) 825-4574.
Saturday
UCLA is also one of Los Angeles’ artistic centers with a performing arts series, multiple theaters and two museums. The UCLA/Fowler Museum of Cultural History (405 Hilgard Ave., Westwood. Open Wednesdays-Sundays, noon-5 p.m.; Thursdays, noon-8 p.m. [310] 825-4361) recently opened three exhibitions, including photography and folk art made from scrap materials.
Try one of Westwood’s new restaurants for dinner, such as Eurochow (1099 Westwood Blvd., [310] 385-1678), Palomino Euro Bistro (10877 Wilshire Blvd., No. 150, [310) 208-1960) or Tanino Ristorante Bar (1043 Westwood Blvd., [310] 208-0444).
Cap the evening with a performance by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in the Royce Hall auditorium. (Tickets, $13 to $45, [310] 825-2101). Royce is one side of UCLA’s original quad, along with Haines Hall, Powell Library and Kinsey Hall. Their Northern Italian Renaissance style of architecture uses lots of red brick, which, while seismically questionable, was extremely popular for academic buildings in the 1920s.
Sunday
Take in a matinee at one of Westwood’s movie palaces, like the Bruin, National or Village, all run by the Mann chain.
Then stroll the galleries of the UCLA/Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center. It has four new shows, including one on Oscar Wilde (see Best Bets on Page 2 for hours and address).
Coming next week: The University of Southern California.