The City Escaped: Ojai

One thing that makes life in LA great is how easy it is to get away. A plethora of scenic destinations are just a short drive away.

Recently, I spent two days in Ojai for my cousin's birthday. A 90-minute drive from Hollywood leads to a tiny historic town nestled between orange groves. An enticing scent of orange blossoms fills the air, rolling mountains frame the sky, and positive cosmic energy aligns the chakras. (Ojai supposedly contains more spiritual retreats per capita than any other town in the USA.) Here's an itinerary for enjoying this Southern California oasis, based on how I spent my two days.

Hike to a Waterfall

Rose Valley Falls is a stunning two-tier 300-foot waterfall located in the Topatopa Mountains of the Los Padres National Forest. The 0.8 miles round trip hike is so easy, it's really just a stroll. Rose Valley Falls is the tallest waterfall in the range, and due to Southern California's steady winter rains, it was turned all the way on.

Rain water. #waterfall #ojai #rosevalleyfalls

A post shared by Channing Sargent (@channingsargent) on Feb 23, 2017 at 6:01pm PST

Go Wine Tasting

Downtown Ojai contains a handful of wine tasting rooms, featuring wines from local vineyards. We stepped into The Casa Barranca Winery Tasting Room, located in downtown Ojai's shopping arcade. I entered with the intention to merely taste, but I exited with two bottles: a rose, and a cab. The Majestic Oak Vineyard Tasting Room offers a bewitching courtyard patio, as well as an indoor cellar. The Ojai Vineyard Tasting Room brings the ambience of a vineyard-side tasting room to Downtown Ojai, offering tastes from their extensive cellar.

Go Shopping

The town of Ojai was originally developed in 1874. After a fire destroyed the original western-style town in 1917, the new development matched the Colonial-Revival architecture that was popular at the time. The Spanish-style arcade on Ojai's main drag is a picturesque shopping destination, with independent boutiques and galleries that all cater to the area's artistic sensibilities. Checkout a walking map here.

A post shared by Harmony (@harmingknees) on Jun 30, 2015 at 9:27pm PDT

Drink from a Spring

Natural spring water abounds in Ojai. The community installed a pipe on Rice road called Windmill Spring where you can fill your bottles for a mere $25 donation. The clean, clear taste of the water will promptly turn you into a water snob, touting its healing, spiritual benefits.

Get Aligned at Arrow Heart Yoga

This tiny yoga studio on Roblar drive offers $5 drop-in flow classes that end with a resounding chime on a singing bowl. I left feeling aligned and refreshed, and wishing I lived close enough that Arrow Heart could be my regular yoga studio.

Oh happy day! I'm honored to announce that I'll be joining the @arrowheartyoga family! Join me for my first class there this TUESDAY at 5:30pm. ❤️ #ojai #ojaiyoga #arrowheartyoga #yoga #yogaeverydamnday #143 #arrowheartyogafamily

A post shared by Tiffany Raether (@tiffanyraether) on Aug 1, 2016 at 4:16pm PDT

Be Inspired at Bookends Bookstore

Housed in an old chapel, this is the bookstore of your dreams. It even offers a community knitting project, where you can add your own rows to a scarf. Outside, in a large, grassy yard sits "Addendum," a 1961 Airstream that has been renovated into a bookshop of its own.

Find Stillness at Meditation Mount

The very journey to Meditation Mount is inspiring enough - it requires that you drive through miles of gorgeous orange groves. Five miles east of downtown Ojai, the center, founded in 1971, features a meditation garden with an east-facing overlook of the bluffs of the Topatopa Mountains.

Good for me, since finding joy is the only thing I'm actually good at. #joy #meditationmount #ojai

A post shared by Channing Sargent (@channingsargent) on Feb 24, 2017 at 1:21pm PST

Go Hiking

The Ventura River Valley Preserve contains several hiking trails that run riverside, and offer breathtaking views of the Ojai Valley.

My visit to Ojai was too brief. Should you go, plan to stay for three days, to experience it in full. If places can possess healing powers, Ojai is so potent, it might even be a cure for anything that ails you.

The City Exposed: Western and Fountain on Foot

The distance from my home in East Hollywood to Malo in Silverlake, where I had dinner plans on Saturday night, is 2.6 miles. Too far to drive, by LA standards. But by walkable-city standards? Reasonable. So, I walked.

I haven't walked Los Angeles – I mean, really meandered, or, flaneured, to use the pompous term preferred by literature enthusiasts* – in longer than I can remember. At most, I walk to the market on my street corner, or from my car to, a few feet away, whatever destination I've pre-chosen.

A full-moon, significant for some sort of astrological event, according to my friends who know about such things, illuminated the streets.

Can you tell which light is the moon?

From a car window, the establishments of Western Avenue are almost unrecognizable as anything but a jumble of poorly-designed strip malls.

But on foot they loom, vibrating with detail and color.

 The flow of freeway traffic, observed on-foot from an overpass, is LA's version of The Seine.

A family street-food cart, serving arepas, tamales and pupusas.

*Flâneur (pronounced: [flɑnœʁ]), from the French noun flâneur, means "stroller", "lounger", "saunterer", or "loafer". Flânerie is the act of strolling, with all of its accompanying associations.

The City Escaped: Skiing Utah

 I'm not just from Utah, I am of Utah. Utah is more than my home; it is my heart and hearth. I carry it in my blood, my skin, and my mind. Though I haven't lived there full-time in twenty years, I'm proud and grateful that my family still does. I can escape to its mountains whenever I need, which, the longer I'm gone, is more and more often.

During winter, I ache for snow. I need to see it out the windows, casting my indoor comfort into a warm perspective, as well as to be in it, gliding on it, falling into it.

I woke up on morning with an itch for a snowy mountain. Living in Los Angeles, I could hop in my car and drive to Big Bear Mountain (and I might, before winter is up). But, a two hour drive to a mountain with a peak base snow depth of 60 inches, versus a 1.5 hour flight to a mountain (Brighton Resort) with a peak base snow depth of 117 inches – the choice was clear.

So, I took booked a last-minute flight, mere hours away, with the sole purpose of skiing Utah.

I threw a few days' worth of clothes into my new Chariot Titanic hardcase.

It looks small, and it is, but it's roomier than you think – it can easily fit a pair of size 8 snowboard boots.

Right: I'm learning to snowboard. I've been skiing for 25 years, but I've now spent five full days over the past two years on a snowboard.

Thank you @barefootecooutfitters for the cabin life snowboarding tee! And hiking/camping/backpacking/skiing tee. I will be LIVING in it. #snowboarding #skiing #saltlakecity #parkcity #utah

A photo posted by Channing Sargent (@channingsargent) on Jan 31, 2017 at 9:17am PST

The transition has not been easy. On my last day boarding, just a few days ago, I finally figured out how to turn heel-side to toe-side. The breakthrough felt mountain-shaking.

However, I don't yet know if I'm regular-footed or goofy-footed. That is, do I lead with my left foot or my right foot? The few times I've surfed, I go goofy. When someone pushes me unexpectedly, I catch myself with my right foot (that's goofy). But, I'm pretty comfortable boarding with my left foot forward. An instructor with whom I took a lesson last year insisted I was regular.

Story of my life. I'm regular! I'm goofy. I'm regular. I'm goofy! I want to be accepted but I feel like an outcast. Some talent agents think I'm too average, others say I have too much quirk. I live in Los Angeles, but I keep one foot in Utah. Let's just say I'm two-footed.

Chariot Travelware Titanic Hardcase  ||  Barefoot Eco Outfitters Cabin Life Tee

  

Thank Gods, We're Getting a New Beverly Center

Photo by John Lopez

What excellent news: The Beverly Center, aka one of LA's worst design nightmares, is getting a revamp.

The most aggravating aspect of the current Beverly Center is its lack of pedestrian access. The shopping mall sits on the upper three levels of the eight-story building. A dismal, drop-ceilinged Macy's Men's Store occupies part of the first level, while levels two through five are parking lots. I know from experience that getting in to the shopping mall on foot is an exercise in anger management.

The second most aggravating aspect of The Beverly Center is its lack of sunlight. A shopping mall set in the California sky, it has no windows. The view from up there must be lovely, but how would you know. The structure is so enclosed, you have no idea you're eight stories above Beverly Hills. Hashtag missedopportunity. You may as well be in any nondescript mall in middle America.

Thankfully, Taubman Centers, the company that owns the massive disappointment announced they will unveil a renovation of the Beverly Center on March 7, according to Curbed LA. No news yet on design plans, spearheaded by ltalian firm Studio Fuksas, but fingers crossed, it'll involve some mixed-use, urban development and open space. Oh, and sunlight. Because, after all, this is L.A.

Mom's Apartment

1618 Vista Del Mar reads a hand-written note tacked to the bulletin board above my desk. I only write notes by hand. I had a roommate once who would type notes – reminders, to-do lists, quotes – and then color childlike borders on them with markers before she’d tack them above her desk. A typed, designed note is no longer a note, just as a painting, scanned, printed and rolled into a tube mailer is no longer a painting. The nature has been steamrolled out of it, and now it’s just a poster.

I learned two years ago that when my grandmother gave birth to her first child, my mother, she lived in a building at 1618 Vista Del Mar, right down the street from where I live now. The fact that my mother’s first home on earth was in Hollywood, just a few minute’s walk from the apartment where her daughter would live over a half century later is amazing to me. We’re from Utah. We know mountains and rivers and snow.

Hollywood, City of Dreams, with its constant din of noise and light, its coyote-filled hills, its imported cars and palm trees, A-list Lounges, and sordid motels, is not our territory. It’s been so printed and re-printed, it’s like a poster that you can walk around in. Yet, as it turns out, we’ve got roots here. My grandmother, going into to labor with my mom, took the bus by herself from her apartment to the hospital on Mid-Wilshire – that’s putting down roots.

1618 Vista Del Mar

Below the scrawled 1618 Vista Del Mar note is a blue leather desk organizer, from which stretches a stack of medical bills. I relegated them to the back of the organizer as I’d hoped to do in my mind, but I stood them upright so that I wouldn’t forget the thing one must remember about bills – to pay them. Every time I look at them, I tell myself that I ought to organize them, pay those remaining to be paid, and file them away for good. But there they stand. I may be residing in a city of dreams, but life doesn’t know it.

After all, I’ve got roots here: in front of the medical bills grows a cluster of journal entries that I wrote during my treatment for thyroid cancer. I’ve been tearing the entries out of the journal, because its pages are graphed, and I can’t stand writing on such regimented lines. I’ve been saving them in the organizer, where they obscure the bills. Their edges are torn and frayed, having had a difficult time releasing from the bookbinding. I’ve always had a soft spot for torn paper with its sharp edges turned cloudy. My notes, in addition to being hand-written, are usually scrawled upon torn scraps, their imperfect form reminding me of nature - of mountains, rivers, and snowflakes tacked to the bulletin board above my desk in Hollywood.

After living here for two years, I’d grown to like the neighborhood for its contradictions and justifications, but learning of the nearness of my mother's infant years caused me to love it with a fierce protectiveness. Finding the actual building in which she had lived, still tucked behind that sprawling parking lot south of the sidewalk that is tiled with celebrity names, under the unremitting lights of Hollywood and Vine, was a real full-circle moment. My adoptive city was no longer adoptive – it was a part of me, and while navigating its roads from hardship to health, I had become a part of it.

Weekdays

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I drive to Pacoima, in the San Fernando Valley. From Hollywood, it’s only 15 minutes in good traffic. I teach theatre at a charter school there twice a week. The air is hot and dusty in Pacoima, the streets are wide, and the trees are few.

On Monday and Wednesday mornings, I work out of the LA Weekly offices in Culver City, on the West Side. I have meetings at Culver Studios on these days as well – near enough to be close, but not near enough to make the travel time between them disappear. The air is soft and moist in Culver City, the streets are illustrated with colorful storefronts, and the trees are green and many.

Monday and Wednesday and Thursday evenings I spend at the University of Southern California, in Central L.A., in class or in meetings. The air is dirtier than dust, the streets are crowded, impatient, and the trees are exclusive to campus.

Tuesdays have me at Culver Studios in the morning, and from there I drive to Pacoima in the afternoon, on the 405. The freeway isn’t terrible, in the middle of the day. The drive is quick, and I enjoy the passing view of The Getty, and Laurel Canyon. Is that Laurel Canyon? I’m not sure, but I like it.  Its golden, rolling hills and hiding, curving roads makes me think of filmmakers and actresses.

Thursdays have me driving from Pacoima, after my class, to USC. I check my phone first, to see if the 101 Freeway will be faster than the 5. Silly to drive all the way around if I don’t need to, but often I do. When I don't, I inch past the Hollywood skyline – Capitol Records, Hotel Hollywood, the W, and wish it would all go faster. But just today. After today, don’t move, don’t change. Grow only in spirit, not in size.

I get off at Exposition Boulevard, and am filled with promise at the sight of heavy brick academic structures: The California Science Museum, The Natural History Museum, the lower end of the University, its grandest entrance off the metro line. I turn on Figueroa and park near the Felix the Cat auto dealership. I still don’t know what kind of dealership it is, or why Felix is its mascot. I don’t care, as long as it always remains.

Mondays and Wednesdays, I drive to USC from Culver City. I take Adams usually, sometimes Jefferson. Driving Adams is like navigating a box of crayons. Painted yellow carnicerias and blue mechanic shops, pink party supply shops, magenta-marquied dance halls and vibrant, multi-colored murals in green, overgrown empty lots greet me along the way, like celebratory bystanders of a marathon. Jefferson feels a lot like industrial North Brooklyn, but with faster traffic, and no time to see any of it. Muted red brick, cloudy white commercial glass, and rusted train tracks criss-crossed with nasturtium remind me of the distance I’ve journeyed.

Fridays. Fridays I am asleep.

The City Prolific: Weekend Events October 5 - 6

As minor signs of fall tease us Angelenos with the notion of seasons, my posting of The City Prolific will become less frequent. Festival season has wound down, the outdoor screenings are over, and after Halloween, there just won't be as much going on. This weekend, though, you've got to get out this weekend.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 

Eagle Rock Music Festival

I've gone to the event every year since I've lived here. The first year I attended, in 2008, I fell in love with its community feel. I was new to LA, and was amazed at how diverse it is, and the festival reflected this diversity - children and adults of all demographics took to Colorado blvd to dance, rock out, revel at the art and performances, and eat of the food trucks and festival food. Over the years, the festival has become much more crowded, the acts booked bigger and in more demand, and some of the original community spirit has gotten a little stifled. It's also no longer free - it's now $10. Despite these changes, it is still a great time, and the entry fee goes toward the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, so it's money well spent.

$10

4:00pm - 10:00pm

Colorado Blvd. between Argus Dr. and Eagle Rock Blvd.
Free parking and shuttle service is available at
Eagle Rock Plaza
2700 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041

Aventine Hollywood presents a Kick-Off to Art Loves Fashion Alley Event

Aventine Hollywood, you know that club that used to be the Spot, and the restaurant next door that has the really pretty back patio and a great happy hour? Well, they host cool events, sometimes.  Tonight they present a hosted bar and free head shots (curious to see if this is liquor or an actor's marketing tool) from 5-6 PM, a fashion show starting at 6 PM, an art installation throughout Aventine and the alley behind, live DJs, two outside bars, food, gift bags and more.

5:00pm – 10:00pm

Aventine Hollywood Alley
1607 N. Cahuenga Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028

RSVP here: info@aventinehollywood.com

Zombie Fashion Show and Creature Art Exhibit

Fans of gorey makeup fx rejoice. The Zombie Fashion Show and Creature Art Exhibit hits Lot 613 tonight. Dead models will strut their decaying stuff down the runway. Featuring fifty makeup artists will display their creepy talents, while up to 150 monster mash-ups will be on display as part of the evening's art show.  Live music and a performance from contortionist  Dangerous D will take the stage. Costumes encouraged. Fake blood required.

$10

8:00pm

Lot 613
613 Imperial St.
Downtown

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 

CicLAvia

CicLAvia heads back to where it all started, taking over the streets of Downtown. Grab your bike, your skateboard, your longboard, or your sneaks, and experience the city without cars. It's an incredible time.
Free

9:00am - 4:00pm

Start out at one of five hubs:
MacArthur Park
Chinatown
Mariachi Plaza
Grand Park
African American Firefighter Museum
Check out the map for details.

ONGOING

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

I usually post events $10 and under, but this one deserves a mention despite it's $30 ticket price.  The fifth annual Los Angeles Haunted Hayride opened last night.  Held at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park (yes, there's an old zoo - eerie ruins of concrete animal enclosures and abandoned cages), this year's hayride will see the return of its infamous 'The "In-Between" Dark Maze' and "Purgatory" sideshow attractions, as well as the new "Carving Shack" (guests can pick out a pumpkin and wield some carving tools) and "Death Row" (an interactive room focused on historical death devices), in addition to its historical 'scary-go-round,' freak and magic shows, demonic stilt walkers, and more.

$30 - $55

Griffith Park
4730 Crystal Springs Road

The City Prolific: Weekend Events September 21 - 22

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

Made in LA  Ride III: LA River Edition

Pickles, surfboards and all things bikes! Enjoy a ride along the LA River and learn about places that manufacture and create goodies in LA.  This expedition, open to all cyclists, will pedal through and around Cypress Park and expose riders to businesses that make products right here in Los Angeles. You'll visit Grain Surfboards, Kruegermann Pickle Factory and swrve (stylish urban bicycling apparel designers).

Free

Meet at 10:30a.m., the ride will leave promptly at 11:00 a.m.

LA River Center and Gardens
570 W. Avenue 26
Los Angeles, CA 90065

Venice Beach Music Fest

The Venice Beach Music Fest offers a lineup of free music, art, and dance at LA's quintessential freak show beach. Dance and drink and revel beachside, shop along Abbot Kinney, and wander the canals at sunset.

11:00am - 7:00pm

Windward Plaza Park
1 Windward Avenue
Venice, CA 90291

DUBLAB 14th Anniversary Celebration

DUBLAB celebrates 14 years of sonic adventures, or 14 years of being the guys who throw great parties.

Featuring musical performances, DJ sets, film projections, live screen-printing, food trucks, beer & wine bar, and art activations, this event also serves as the public unveiling of Maker City LA, a new creative hub housed within the downtown design hub, LA Mart.

FREE Before 10pm
$10 donation at the door after / 21+ to attend

8:00pm - 2:00am

Maker City LA
1933 S. Broadway
11th Floor of LA Mart
Los Angeles, CA

75th Annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

The annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (also known as the Zhongqiu Festival or Mooncake Festival) is a tradition that dates back more than 3,000 years. Farmers marking the end of the harvest season in China would gather to gaze at the moon and eat mooncakes, yummy round pastries filled with sweet red bean or lotus seed paste. Tonight, the moon cakes are offered up by local bakeries. Bamboo Lane's Night Market will provide traditional and contemporary edibles, the outdoor baccarat lounge will test your knowledge of the old-timey game, and the craft beer garden will wet your whistle. Telescopes provided by the Griffith Observatory will give everyone a chance to view the harvest moon. Art gallery openings, live cooking demonstrations, craft workshops and a band lineup, curated by Kevin Bronson of Buzzbands.la are the other highlights of the evening.

Free

5pm - 11am

Central and West Plaza
943-951 N. Broadway, Chinatown

ALL WEEKEND

LA County Fair

There's still a few weekends left to go pet a pig and eat a deep fried chocolate covered pickle!

$12 - $19

Saturdays 10 a.m.-midnight
Sundays 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Through September 29

The Fairplex
1101 W. McKinley Ave.

Pomona, CA 91768

The City Prolific: Weekend Events September 14 - 15

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

Grand Park Presents: E.T. Extra Terrestrial

I'm sure I don't need to tell you how well this movie holds up. It's funny, touching, weird, and heartbreaking. And it cemented, early on, my love of Reese's Pieces. Go downtown and watch those bicycles soar over the skyline of Los Angeles. Bring a picnic, but leave the booze at home.

Free

Doors open 5:30pm
Movie begins 8:30pm

Grand Park
210 N Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Beat Swap Meet

Head to Chinatown to dig through the crates of vinyl curated by over 50 record collectors and dealers. DJ's will spin rare selections, and there will be live music performances, as well as local clothing, art and jewelry vendors.

Free w/ a Canned Good

12:00pm - 6:00pm

Chinatown Central Plaza
N Broadway and W College St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

La Brea Music Festival: Summer Garage Jam

A free summer concert on the upper deck of La Brea's Parking Garage, with DJ's, live indie band sets, food trucks, art, and shopping.  (I love when LA parking lots are put to good use. When we have a transit-oriented city, we'll have all these empty parking lots that will need to be repurposed.)

Free with RSVP

1:00pm - 6:00pm

181 South La Brea Avenue
(top deck of the Shepard Fairey parking garage)

2nd Street & La Brea

ALL WEEKEND

L.A. County Fair

Growing up in Salt Lake City, the county fair was one of the most fun thing to do all year. Then, when I spent my summers in Montana as a teenager, the county fair was the biggest, most exciting thing to do all summer. Oh, the memories. I've heard incredible things about the food at the LA County Fair - deep fried chocolate covered pickles? Yum.

$12 - $19

Saturdays 10 a.m.-midnight
Sundays 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Through September 29

The Fairplex
1101 W. McKinley Ave.
Pomona, CA 91768

Follow @LAhappenings for daily event updates.

Heat Wave (Summer isn't Over)

Though the summer season may be rolling to a close, our summer weather has no intention of cooling itself down. In time for FYF and the Los Angeles County Fair, our temperatures have skyrocketed. I, for one, appreciate any reason to get outside of my non-air conditioned office.

Keep these sites bookmarked, for more outdoor opportunities:

Cinespia

Eat | See | Hear

Santa Monica Pier Twilight Concerts

The City Prolific: Weekend Events July 20 - 21

Man, summer in LA is the best. We saw the Psychedelic Furs in concert for free last weekend, in the heart of downtown. It was cool. Like, one of those moments where you look around and realize how happy you are, and how lucky.




SATURDAY, JULY 20

Swimming with Sharks

Champagne specials, squirt gun battles, dj sets, free vodka jello shots and mega uber drunken hipsters. It's a ton of fun.

$10 with RSVP

1pm - 10pm

The Standard Downtown
550 South Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071

Santa Monica Museum of Art Potluck

The Santa Monica Museum of Art hosts this free-admission potluck dinner to celebrate the Metro Expansion taking place at the adjacent Bergamot Station Art Center. They're calling it "Dig the Dig" - clever. The evening brings together construction workers, local business owners, and neighbors with an evening of cocktails, music, and food made by strangers. Admission is free, but RSVP and potluck contribution required.

6:00pm

2525 Michigan Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90404

The City Prolific: Weekend Events July 13 - 14

Last weekend was one of beaches, pools, bicycles, bikinis, and barbecues. Biked up the coast from Manhattan Beach to Venice, swam in the ocean, swam in a rooftop pool, and barbecued in our little backyard.  This weekend will likely be a little more urban (and clothed).

SATURDAY, JULY 13

Saturdays off the 405 presents Pickwick

The Getty Museum presents free outdoor concerts all summer long. This week's performer is Pickwick with DJ Howie Pyro.

Free (Parking $15)

6:00pm to 9:00pm

The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049

NELA Gallery Night

NELA? Wondering what the hell that is? It stands for North East Los Angeles. We cities love our acronyms. Every second Saturday of the month, NELA (aka Eagle Rock and Highland Park) host an open galleries night.

Free

7:00pm - 10:00pm

York Blvd and Thereabouts

Psychedelic Furs at Pershing Square

DUDE! The Psychedelic Furs are playing for FREE in Pershing Square tonight. Need we give you another reason why we love LA? The concert lawn is open to the public at 7:30pm and concerts begin at 8:00pm. There is a beer & wine garden to make up for the fact that you can't bring your own booze. Thanks, Parks and Rec!

Free

8:00 - 10:00pm

Pershing Square
532 S Olive St
Los Angeles 90189

The City Prolific: Weekend Events July 5 - 7

I was in New England last weekend, in the humidity, and under clouds of mosquitos, barbecuing, blowing bubbles, and lighting fireworks. It's a very Americana summer back there.  Back in LA, I've been all about the beach, but it seems, according to this weekend's events, that I ought to shift my leanings toward Downtown.

FRIDAY, JULY 5

Grand Performances Presents a Tribute to Nina Simone

Did you know that there is a large amphitheater on a beautiful man-made pond in a plaza called California, on top of Bunker Hill to which you can ride Angel's Flight?  Did you also know that an organization called Grand Performances holds free outdoor concerts there, to which you can bring a picnic, with beer and wine? If you didn't know all of this, it's probably because California Plaza is nestled between sky scrapers, with no clear pedestrian access - that is, if you're just wandering down Grand Avenue or Olive Street, you'd have no idea it's there, up those stairs and behind those buildings. In any case, Grand Performances offers a lot of great concerts throughout the summer, and tonight's is a tribute to Nina Simone, hosted by KCRW DJ Tom Schnabel.

Free

8:00pm

California Plaza
350 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles 90071

(Avoid driving, if you can since parking is a pain - take the train to 7th Street Metro.)

Friday Night Sing-a-Longs Present Soul Train Classics

Fun! Since you're going downtown for Grand Performances anyway, swing by the Walt Disney Concert Hall to admire the architecture, and the acoustics, along with the sound of your own voice. Friday Night Sing-Alongs provide an opportunity for song birds of all stripes to raise their voices with musical backing by a live band. Tonight's event will lead you through a communal belting of Soul Train Classics.

-The event is FREE. However, tickets are required for this event and are distributed beginning at 6PM on the day of event. One ticket per person waiting in line.
-There is limited seating, so come early.  First come, first served.
-Easy-to-use song sheets are provided.

Free

6:30pm - 8pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall
111 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles 90012

Once again, don't drive - take the train.

Pershing Square Friday Night Flicks Presents Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Or, since you'll be downtown for the soul train sing-along, head over to Pershing Square with your picnic (but no booze), for a screening of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Aside from being one of the best examples of Robert Redford and Paul Newman's legendary screen partnerships, this film also features one of the best (maybe the only?) cinematic uses of the song "Raindrops are Falling on My Head."

8:00pm

Pershing Square
532 S Olive St
Los Angeles 90189

The City Prolific: Weekend Events June 22 - 23

We went to Laguna Beach last weekend for a quick get-away, and its beauty and accessibility from the sprawl of Los Angeles had us falling in love with California all over again. Yesterday, I produced a video for ScottDW at Huntington Beach. Splashing around in the waves with a go-pro - what a great way to spend a day. Now I've got one weekend to catch some Fringe Festival shows, before I head out of town again. Seeing Fever and Wet the Hippo today, with a television writer's panel at the Central Library in between. Tomorrow is CicLAvia, one of my favorite events all year - I won't miss it. Then, more Fringe shows (Lost Moon Radio and more tbd). It is, undeniably, summer.

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

Office Space at Electric Dusk Drive-In

I love that drive-ins are coming back, and now there's one right downtown. Complete with carhops, snack bar, and audio right in your own vehicle. And Office Space is a perfect drive-in movie.

$10-13

8:30pm - 10:00pm

Electric Dusk Drive-In

1000 San Julian St

Los Angeles 90015

Say Anything at Eat | See | Hear

Catch this classic high-school movie at the Santa Monica highschool. John Cusack, *swoon*.

$12-20

5:30pm- Doors open

7pm – Band performs

8:30pm – Movie begins

Street Food Cinema presents Rocky Horror Picture Show

Tim Curry Tim Curry Tim Curry. That is all. Get there early. Bring a picnic. Or don't, since there are food trucks.

$10-15

Doors open 5:30pm  

Live Cast Performance at 6:30pm  

Movie at 8:00pm (sunset)

Street Food Cinema

Exposition Park

700 Exposition Park Dr

Los Angeles 90037

The Man Who Knew Too Much presented by Cinespia

Hitchcock’s gripping suspense story stars Jimmy Stewart, a man who tries to save his family from foreign agents as he dodges the police. With an amazing performance by Doris Day as a mother plunged into danger. One of Hitchcock’s best, and the first movie I ever saw at Cinespia in the cemetery, five years ago.

$10

7:00pm

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

6000 Santa Monica Blvd

Los Angeles 90038

SUNDAY, JUNE 23

CicLAvia

This is my favorite thing to do. No cars, open streets and the opportunity to explore one of the most legendary boulevards in Los Angeles by foot, bike, skates or other non-motorized transport.  Wilshire Boulevard was first carved out as a long path through a barley field in 1895. While its beginnings were humble, this path has transformed into one of the most notable boulevards in all of the United States.

CicLAvia – Iconic Wilshire Boulevard is part of Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. This collaboration, initiated by the Getty, brings together several local arts institutions for a  look at the postwar built environment of the city as a whole, from its famous residential architecture to its vast freeway network. Six miles of car-free, open streets and participants can join the fun at any point along the route.

Free

9:00am - 4:00pm

All along Wilshire Blvd, between 7th Street Metro and La Brea.

Korean BBQ Fest

The fifth annual Korean BBQ Festival cooks up right on Wilshire Boulevard as CicLAvia bikes through Koreatown. There will be food vendors selling Korean hand-rolls, galbi and bulgogi, baby back ribs and more, plus a Beer and Wine Garden for Singha beer and soju cocktails. 

Free

11:00am - 5:00pm

Adjacent to the Radio Korea building

3700 Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles 90010

ALL WEEKEND

Hollywood Fringe Festival

Theatre nerds unite! For the next three weekends, the fourth annual Hollywood Fringe festival takes over nearly every stage in Hollywood, showcasing the imaginings of our flourishing theatre community. You'll see everything from campy cabaret to avant garde dance to inspired drama and yadda yadda. The greatest part is that thousands of Angelenos are spending the next two weekends making live art. I mean, that's just cool.

From the press release:

Venues include both traditional and unorthodox venues; fully equipped theatres, street corners, clubs, bars, and places unexpected. Performances are self-produced by local, national, and international arts companies and independent performers. In the spirit of most Fringes, participation is open and uncensored.

Hollywood is home to dozens of Los Angeles’ premiere theatres and clubs, making it the perfect spot for the festival. The neighborhood has always been a source of unapologetic opinion, underground mentality, and a deep passion for the cutting-edge. The Hollywood Fringe is an immersive festival worthy of the neighborhood’s reputation.

Beat Swap Meet

Dig through crates of vinyl in Chinatown.  Over two  Days, 70+ Invited Record Collectors & Dealers from all over the West Coast and beyond, buy sell & trade: Blues, Boogie, Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Latin, New Wave, Psych, Punk, Rap, Reggae, Rock, Ska, Soul, and World 12′s LP’s & 45′s.  DJ’s spin rare selections from their record collections. There will also be a vendor village featuring clothing, art, & handmade jewelry.  Bring your broken turntable or beat machine, and take it home repaired. 

Free w/ a Canned Good

12:00pm - 6:-00pm

Grand Star Jazz Club

943 N Broadway

Los Angeles 90012