Boulder arrives at Los Angeles museum

• Tweet

LOS ANGELES, March 10 (UPI) -- Residents say the newest acquisition by Los Angeles County Museum enjoyed a rock star reception early Saturday morning as the 340-ton boulder rolled into town.

The rock arrived at 4:30 a.m. aboard its 176-wheel transport truck to a crowd of admirers armed with cellphone cameras and noisemakers. The behemoth boulder will be the centerpiece of the art museum's new outdoor installation entitled "Levitated Mass," the Los Angeles Times reported.

When the transport truck broke down for 30 minutes, onlookers jumped at the chance to touch the rock, pressing palms to its protective plastic wrap.

"I came a long way to touch this thing, and it felt very impersonal -- I expected more intimacy from this rock," said M.M. Green, who later used his keys to slash an opening in the plastic wrap. After poking his fingers through the hole, Green smiled. "I'm having chills, if that means anything," he said. "I'm going back for seconds."