Midnite Madness: 2023 TCU-Georgia National Championship Game: Los Angeles Trip Photos

Photos by Tom C. "Midnite" Burke

Los Angeles often is referred to by its initials, “LA,” and as the “City of Angels,” because Los Angeles means “the angels” in Spanish. With roughly 3.9 million residents within the city limits as of 202, Los Angeles is the largest city in California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City. It also is one of the world’s most populous megacities. Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic and cultural diversity and being the home of the Hollywood film industry. Los Angeles is the county seat of Los Angeles County, which is the most populous county in the United States with an estimated 9.86 million residents as of 2022.

Located in Simi Valley, California, about an hour outside of Los Angeles, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and museum sits on a majestic hill overlooking the topography of Southern California. The 100-acre campus, with picturesque views reaching out to the Pacific Ocean, lush gardens, and a serene setting, pays tribute to the nation’s 40th president. The library and museum feature highlights of Reagan’s two terms in office, a replica of his Oval Office, and the unique and breath-taking Air Force One Pavilion. In the Pavilion, you can step aboard the same Air Force One that flew President Reagan over 660,000 miles, to 26 foreign countries and 46 U.S. states. In the Pavilion, there also is one of President Reagan’s presidential limousines and a secret service suburban, plus the Marine One helicopter that flew President Johnson. President Reagan and his wife, Nancy, are buried on the grounds of the library and museum.

TCU alums Tom Burke (top photo) and Mary Burke (bottom photo) at the Getty Center, in Los Angeles. The $1.3-billion Getty Center opened to the public on December 16, 1997, and internationally is known for its architecture, gardens and views overlooking Los Angeles. The center sits atop a hill connected to a visitors' parking garage at the bottom of the hill by a three-car, cable-pulled hovertrain people mover. Located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, the center is one of two locations of the J. Paul Getty Museum and draws 1.8 million visitors annually. (The other location is the Getty Villa in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.) The center branch of the museum features pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; and photographs from the 1830s through present day from all over the world. In addition, the museum's collection at the center includes outdoor sculpture displayed on terraces and in gardens and the large Central Garden designed by Robert Irwin. Among the artworks on display is the Vincent van Gogh painting “Irises.” Designed by architect Robert Meier, the campus, which in 2022 is celebrating its 25th anniversary, also houses the Getty research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Foundation and the J. Paul Getty Trust. The center's design included special provisions to address concerns regarding earthquakes and fires.