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LOS ANGELES — If your spring break plans include southern California, be aware of two things: 1. It's not that warm there yet, and 2. There are some great indoor things to see there.
One of those indoor things is the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. It's one of the best car museums in the world, and could be interesting to anyone who loves cars, as well as anyone who is not.
Robert E. Petersen started Hot Rod Magazine, adding seven more motor-themed magazines and others including Tiger Beat to his publishing company over the years. He and his wife Margie opened the museum in 1994; in 2015, after they both had passed away, the museum underwent an extensive renovation, including 100 tons of ribbon-looking 14-gauge steel. If someone tells you "you can't miss it," believe them.
Although Wilshire Boulevard is not known for easy parking, the Petersen has its own attached garage, adding $17 to your day's expenses — which, unfortunately, is not bad for the area. I was on a motorcycle and assumed the parking, for two-wheelers that squeeze between the pylons, is free.
Once inside, it doesn't take long to discover how special this place is. I started in the Vault, which adds $25 to the $19.95 admission. Kids are cheaper. The Vault looks like a basic underground parking garage, but is full of cars and motorcycles you won't see anywhere else. There were 1957 Chevrolets and Model T Fords, but I skipped those since cars like that often show up at Utah car shows.
I spent my time on things like Nikita Khrushchev's limousine, and concept cars from auto shows. The Petersen claims there are more than 250 cars in the Vault, and urges visitors to plan 90 minutes to see them all. I stumbled onto Ed Roth's "Outlaw" show car there, just tucked into a corner. That's the difference in the Vault: There are plenty of beautiful, fast, unique vehicles, including race cars, motorcycles and even a moped, but they're just parked in a garage. Most do not have placards explaining what they are or how they got here. They're all good enough to be in a museum exhibit, it's just not their turn.
Once you've taken in all you can in the Vault, docents recommend starting on the third floor of the museum and working your way down.
I followed that advice. Leaving the elevator on the third floor, the halogen lights lead your eye to a 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante. Cars like this are best appreciated in person, up close, so you can take in all the detail, which is impressive for any age car, but especially one built 84 years ago. And that's why you're here, to get up close — without touching, of course.
You're not going to run into anything like these cars at most car shows, or even museums. One example is a 1948 Tucker, one of only 51 built — Francis Ford Coppola directed a movie about the failed company in 1988.
There is a rotating display of TV and movie cars, it is Los Angeles, after all.
A "Scooby-Doo" Mystery Machine, a Lexus from "Black Panther," a "Starsky and Hutch" Ford Torino and a DeLorean from "Back to the Future" were on display. Batmobiles were in the Vault. Most are the exact car used in the movie. As signs at the Petersen point out, vehicles often become characters in a movie.
The Petersen placards also point out how much cars are part of our lives, and that Los Angeles was built around them. Getting there should convince you of that.
The Electric Car exhibit should be interesting to car-minded and non-car-minded alike, and the hypercar exhibit could blow minds with the exorbitant prices and horsepower. There is a temporary exhibit by artist Daniel Arsham, trying to show "eroded" cars, but I spent little time there. They aren't real, after all.
There is a Disney-Pixar "Cars" movie-themed area where kids can learn how cars work and how they are designed. It is hands-on, as are the Forza Motorsport driving simulators.
There is also a café and gift shop. I was there on a Tuesday and crowds were very light. If you've been before, you can go again and see new exhibits since they rotate frequently. The first-floor exhibit is mostly about Tesla, with breakout cars and CEO Elon Musk's childhood highlights on display.
As a car and history buff, I spent five hours at the museum, and could've used one hour more. It's open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. If you're up for a longer stay, but your travel companions aren't, you can send them across the street, to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. It has a café, too, so your only argument could be where to meet for lunch.
