Overdrive

One of the first shows to open is the Getty's own, called Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future, 1940–1990. It's curated by Wim de Wit and Christopher James Alexander of the Getty Research Institute, and it's huge, with plans, models, archive footage taking us back to the era when LA was taking flight – spreading residential development far and wide, building a state-of-the-art airport, building its aerospace and oil industries, not to mention its pop culture, like Disneyland.

Chris Nichols, author of the "Ask Chris" column in Los Angeles magazine and member of the LA Conservancy's Modern Committee, knows the period as well as anyone. Listen for his review of the show, as well as his unapologetic embrace of onetime ability to drive ones car door to door. Walking – not him!. The 1950s lifestyle was, in his view, "So luxurious, I just love it so much."