My elementary school grandsons are car fanatics. They can identify the make and model of a car by sight and possess encyclopedic knowledge of automotive trivia. We joined them recently during a weekend excursion to Los Angeles. The highlight of the weekend was a tour of the Petersen Automotive Museum, which is located along Wilshire Boulevard on Museum Row. The building itself is a work of art. The building was originally an old department store. In 2014 and 2015, the museum underwent an extensive $125 million renovation. The building’s façade was redesigned to feature a 100 ton stainless-steel ribbon configuration.
The galleries are spread over multiple floors and include special exhibits and rotating displays. My personal favorite was the collection of iconic movie vehicles like the original DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future, the Batmobile from Batman, Lightening McQueen from Cars, James Bond’s fully equipped Jaguar from Die Another Day, and many more. The kids loved the driving the racing simulators and checking out the high-end automobiles. Beneath the main galleries lies the Vault, which contains over 300 additional vehicles that are even rarer and more extraordinary. It was car nirvana.
We topped off the day by dining at the Tesla Diner on Santa Monica Boulevard. It seemed fitting, even though we weren’t actually driving a Tesla. The two-story diner blends nostalgic 1950s vibes with a silver space-age style façade. Oversized outdoor screens evoke an old-school drive-in movie feel, and robots servers (including Tesla’s Optimus) pop popcorn. Comfort food like hamburgers and hot dogs are served in Cybertruck-shaped boxes.
It was a day that satisfied even the most ardent car enthusiast. And it was pretty fun for us novices too.
