Find events, festivals, lectures, gallery openings, family activities, theater and musical performances, and more in the Los Angeles area on these Web sites:

• Los Angeles Weekly
  
• Los Angeles Times calendar section
  
• Huffpost Los Angeles
  
• Experience LA
  
• LosAngeles.com
  
• Flavorpill

Art Scene is an excellent guide to art galleries and museums in Los Angeles, along with up-to-the-minute information on current exhibitions.

Libraries

Los Angeles has a wealth of libraries. To become a patron of a library, you have to present a valid photo ID (eg., passport) along with proof of a current California residential address (OSIP can provide a Letter of Residency, if needed). Most public libraries have programs for toddlers, children, teens, adults and senior citizens.

Los Angeles Public Library
There are 85 branches in the Los Angeles public library system. The County of Los Angeles Public Library is the 6th largest public library system in the United States. The closest LA Public Library to the Getty Center is the Brentwood Library on San Vicente Blvd near Barrington Ave. Also close by is the Westwood library on Glendon Ave. near the Hammer Museum on Santa Monica Blvd, close to the 405.

Santa Monica Public Library
Santa Monica Public Library has five branches. The Montana and Pico Branches are closest to the Getty Center. If you are not a resident of Santa Monica, it costs $25 to apply for a library card.

Art Libraries beyond The Getty

The Huntington

LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles)

UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles)

As the birthplace of the film industry and with its countless beautiful cinemas (like the world famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre), Los Angeles is the perfect location to see a movie. Many films premiere in and open in LA long before they reach the rest of the country.

To find a movie playing in your area:

• Call 777-FILM from any area code in Los Angeles
• Look up listings in a local newspaper, such as the LA Times and the LA Weekly
• Search for movies on one of many commercial movie-times Web sites, including:
  
  
  • Yahoo! Movies
    
  • MoviePhone.com
    
  • LA Weekly's Film Section
    
  • LA Times calendarlive.com

Unique movie-going experiences in Los Angeles:
Cinerama Dome: Historic Dome screen.
Cinespia: Screenings of films in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery during the summer.
Cinespace: Dinner & a movie.

Find a listing of Film festivals in Los Angeles at www.AT-LA.com.

The Getty offers discounted tickets to movies to eligible invited visitors. You can buy the discounted tickets from the Human Resources department at both the Getty Center and Getty Villa locations.

Bookstores with regular readings by authors and poets include Borders, Book Soup, Dutton's Brentwood Books, and A Different Light. Authors frequently appear at the Los Angeles Central Library for its "Aloud" series of lectures, readings, and discussions, and the Hammer Museum hosts authors at its "Hammer Readings" series.

For information about beaches in and around Los Angeles, including weather and surf conditions, link to the excellent Guide to LA Beaches.

Los Angeles has many parks, ranging from local green areas to state and U.S. national parks. The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Web site provides park information, including information about hiking, trails, camping, fishing, horseback riding and recreational sports like swimming, soccer, and baseball.

Los Angeles also has several excellent botanic gardens. The Los Angeles Arboretum is 127 acres of plants from around the world. The Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont focuses on California native plants, providing an excellent introduction to California's natural landscapes.

Los Angeles is home to many professional sports teams, including the LA Dodgers baseball team and the LA Clippers and LA Lakers basketball teams. These games often sell out early, and tickets can be expensive. Tickets are available from a variety of online ticket sellers.

The city also has a Major League Soccer team: the LA Galaxy.

There are many universities and colleges in Los Angeles, each of which has teams competing in almost any sport you can imagine, from diving to field hockey, gymnastics, archery, and more. Many of these teams, such as the USC and UCLA football teams, are nationally recognized and have games that are regularly televised. Visit the various college and university Web sites for more information on their sports teams and their competitions.

Theme Parks
Theme parks are private entertainment complexes that offer arcade games, carousels, roller coasters, and performers, as well as food, drink, and souvenirs. Disneyland is the best-known theme park in Southern California.

Theme parks are crowded places. It is best to arrive early in the day; weekdays are less crowded than weekends. Discount tickets are available to Getty employees and eligible invited visitors through the Recreation Connection Web site.

Theme parks in Southern California:

• Disneyland
• Six Flags Magic Mountain
• Universal Studios
• Knott's Berry Farm

Fairs
Fairs are seasonal expositions of regional products, with games and rides included. They usually highlight local agriculture and farming, and include competitions for things like best cheese, and best cattle, as well as pie-eating and baking competitions. The Los Angeles County Fair occurs every year in the late summer. Other counties in California also have fairs.

Los Angeles is a city with many sightseeing opportunities and both physical and educational activities for children. Visit LA City Search's "Kid-Approved L.A." page for a list of L.A.'s top Kid-approved activities.