Bergamot Station

Description:

• Once a station for the Red Car trolley line, this industrial space is now home to the Santa Monica Museum of Art, plus two dozen art galleries, a cafe, a bookstore, and offices. Most of the galleries are closed Monday. The train yard is located at the terminus of Michigan Avenue, west of Cloverfield Boulevard.

  The wide variety of exhibits changes often: Julius Shulman's black-and-white photo retrospective of L.A.'s Case Study Houses; a provocative exhibit of Vietnam War propaganda posters from the United States and Vietnam; whimsical furniture constructed entirely of corrugated cardboard. A sampling of offerings includes the Gallery of Functional Art (tel. 310/829-6990), which features one-of-a-kind and limited-edition furniture, lighting, bathroom fixtures, and other functional art pieces, as well as smaller items like jewelry, flatware, ceramics, and glass. The Rosamund Felsen Gallery (tel. 310/828-8488) is well known for showcasing L.A.-based contemporary artists; this is a good place to get a taste of current trends. Track 16 Gallery (tel. 310/264-4678) has exhibitions that range from pop art to avant-garde inventiveness.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2009
•  Very Highly Recommended 2010