Better leave the oils at home, Brueghel Jr.

You can draw and reproduce--artworks, that is--but no art materials other than pencil and sketchbook are permitted inside the galleries.

* At 862 feet above sea level, the Getty Center was designed with Kodak moments in mind. Bring a camera with film to capture rare panoramas of L.A., from Mt. Baldy to Catalina. You can shoot indoors at the museum as well, but you must use existing light, as no flash photography is permitted.

* You might want to bring binoculars, since there are no 25 cents-a-minute telescopes to take in the Brentwood backyard vistas. (Warning: Rehearse a response to “Daddy, why do those people need more than one tennis court?”)

* Pack a lunch. By the lower tram station is a picnic area with a sweeping view of the center rising above you.

* Obligatory El Nino watch: If it’s looking wicked, bring umbrellas or rain gear; you’ll still want to (and kind of have to) go outside.

* There is a coat/bag check available in the Entrance Hall at no charge.