LACMA Is Not as Bad as Expected

By all accounts the new LACMA is a train wreck.  We took a trip there and it is a mess but not quite as bad as expected.  Still, they should have done better.

There is no explanation anywhere of the work being done and when it can be expected.  Nothing that I saw.  The visitor is just exposed to a mess of construction with no guidance.  By happenstance we found a worker who would explain things to us.  

The new building is nowhere near done.  It wont be done in 2024, I doubt it will be done in 2025.   It does cross over Wilshire Blvd to make use of the space that LACMA owned across the street.  It looks interesting and contrary to what I was told it must have more exhibition space than the older buildings.  If it doesnt then that is a disaster.  Maybe it will have "better" exhibition space.   

The Bing theatre, site of so many happy memories, is gone and our guide explained there will be a new theatre in the basement of the new building.  That is nice, but no one would know this by inspecting the site.

The plaza is a wreck with no space to sit down not associated with the very pretentious but not very good restaurant.  Expensive.  What happened to the place you could sit down and get a salad or a simple hot entry?  All gone.  We ate outside because the inside smelled of grease.  The outside was subjected to jack hammers.  Not pleasant.

Two exhibition spaces were open.  One in the new building from 30 years ago, and the other in a building where the parking lot for the May Co used to be.  Of course the new old building was presentable and has some of the permanent exhibition.  We did not get to the parking lot building.

The Page Museum is still there and is entertaining for a few hours.  Lots of exhibits are out of order. The Bison is still there.  We did not go to the 3D theatre.  The internal rain forest or whatever it is seemed less interesting than I remembered but better than a stick in the eye. The shop is fun but no more Giant Sloth hand puppets.

The Japanese pavilion is closed and no one knows if it will be reopened.

The neighborhood is a wreck.  The businesses look like a tornado hit them.  The Folk and Craft Art museum is still there with a new paint job.  We did not go in.  "The Egg and Eye" is long gone.

We did not go to the Academy Museum.  After the expensive but unpleasant lunch I just wanted to get out of there.

I can see why people are upset but still it should be a suitable space when it is all done.  It did not make a great impression.