What to Love in L.A. This Weekend

Free Festivities: Officially, Whole Foods doesn’t turn 30 until Monday, September 20th, but this weekend Whole Foods stores all across North America and the UK are celebrating with all sorts of birthday festivities. The Whole Foods nearest me is celebrating with raffles throughout the entire weekend. They’ll be raffling off all sorts of things, from goody bags to gift cards to bicycles (oh my!). Other activities going on include Texas-themed barbecues (in honor of the store’s roots in Austin, where the flagship is located), birthday cake, cupcake decorating, wine tastings, various kids events, and more. Find the Whole Foods nearest you to see what’s happening at your store.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Alcohol: If you find yourself craving a drink at 10 pm on a Tuesday night but are low on cash, head to CineSpace in Hollywood. Created by two MTV staffers, CineSpace is a hybrid nightclub, lounge, restaurant, event venue, and movie theater. You could have a full night on the town and never even leave the building. Does that seem wrong? Or so, so right? To quench your thirst, CineSpace offers free vodka every Tuesday from 10 pm to 11 pm. Vodka is my alcohol of choice (must have something to do with my Russian blood) and it tastes even better when I don’t have to pay for it.

CineSpace, 6356 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles; Tuesdays, 10 pm to 2 am.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Extras: If you haven’t heard of Fashion’s Night Out by now, then you must not like shopping very much. If this is the case, my condolences. Before this year, though, Los Angeles shoppers had to sit by while their New York counterparts were plied with free food, drink, and entertainment, all in the name of shopping. No more do Angelenos have to do without. Today, the City of Angels officially hosts its first-ever Fashion’s Night Out. Head to the FNO LA website to check out what’s happening at several key shopping destinations around the city, including the Beverly Center, Melrose Avenue, Abbott Kinney, Robertson Boulevard, West Third Street, and Westfield Topanga. Happy shopping!

Fashion’s Night Out, http://fno.lacity.org; 4-10 pm.

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Movies: If you find yourself near Miracle Mile today around 1 pm, head to LACMA’s Bing Theater to check out this week’s Tuesday matinee, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. You can see this Academy Award-nominated film, which features two of the 20th century’s most iconic performers (Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor, if you’re having a brain sneeze), for only $2. That’s way cheaper than going to the movie theater, and you don’t even have to wait for Netflix to mail it to you. If you’re like me and you take your time getting around to seeing classic movies, $2 is a great motivator for two hours’ entertainment.

Bing Theater, LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles; 1 pm; $2, $1 seniors.

Mini Architecture Tour of N. Rossmore Avenue in Larchmont Village

On my way to cute Larchmont Village (read my review of Larchmont Beauty Center here), I walked along the stretch of North Rossmore Avenue bounded by Melrose Avenue to the north and Beverly Boulevard to the south. Highlighted by City Walks: Los Angeles, the 1920s-era apartment buildings reflect a variety of architectural influences. I particularly liked the art deco elements, as well as the medieval turrets of castle-like 540 N. Rossmore. The El Royale, which has hosted some famous residents, is also located on N. Rossmore. For more information on and photos of the El Royale, check out the Houses of Hancock Park blog. While you’re there, take a look at all of Woody's other great pictures of beautiful Hancock Park architecture. Julia Stein of California Writer also has a great post on the Larchmont Village area.

Here are the highlights of my mini architectural tour.




The above photos are actually of the same building.



*sigh* I would love to live in a castle.

What to Love in L.A. This Weekend

Cheap Deals: If you arrive at the L.A. County Fair this Labor Day weekend between 10 am and 1 pm, admission costs you only $1. Yes, $1! If you don't believe me, watch the fair's promo video above. Since regular adult admission is $17, you should seriously think about setting your alarm. But if 10 am to 1 pm is just too early for some (especially if your family, like mine, includes people who keep vampire hours), the fair is also running specials throughout the day, including discounts on food and beverages and $1 carnival rides from late afternoon to early evening. Just think, spending only $1 on admission means you could get yourself an extra fried Oreo or two. I can feel my arteries clog just thinking about it.

L.A. County Fair, 1101 W. McKinley Avenue, Pomona; Labor Day weekend hours, Sat-Sun: 10 am to midnight, Mon: 10 am to 10 pm; admission $1 from 10 am to 1 pm.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Museums: I hardly need to tell you about how great the Getty is. If you live in L.A., you’ve probably already been there, and if you’re a tourist, the Getty is probably on your list of things to see. The museum regularly features a variety of exhibitions, and as an Angeleno, I always check in from time to time to see what’s showing. The exhibition that caught my eye this time was “From Line to Light: Renaissance Drawing in Florence and Venice,” which features drawings by Titian, Raphael, and a variety of other Italian artists. I like the simplicity of drawings; I find it fascinating what a person can do with only a writing instrument and paper.

Admission to the museum is free, but parking is not ($15). If you’re going to drive, do not go alone, because once you hand over your arm and leg for parking (seriously! $15!) you’re going to need some help getting around the museum.

Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles; Tues–Fri, Sun: 10 am to 5:30 pm, Sat: 10 am to 9 pm; free admission.

Independent L.A.: Larchmont Beauty Center

I have a small obsession with beauty products. Well, maybe a medium, somewhat-higher-than-average obsession with beauty products. Okay, okay, I love them!!! I routinely slather myself with every body and face product there is, and I cleanse, scrub, exfoliate, moisturize, and do anything else there is to do.

Thus, when I entered Larchmont Beauty Center in Larchmont Village, I was in heaven. In one sense, it’s a good thing that I don’t have a job or I would be tempted to spend a paycheck (or two) at this small beauty emporium. Since I put so many products on my skin, I’ve been trying to buy natural/organic stuff. This store has a great selection, including Fresh, Jurlique, California Baby, Burt’s Bees, Ole Henriksen (I’m in marry-me-forever love with Ole’s truth serum), mop, and Tom’s of Maine. If natural/organic isn’t your thing, Larchmont Beauty Center carries many of the salon brands as well. Besides hair and skin care products, you can also find perfumes, nail polish, all kinds of beauty tools, and a small selection of makeup.

The store itself isn’t very big, but the shelves are jam-packed with beauty goodies. The shelf housing what seemed like the entire Kiehl’s product line was even bowing a little. I carefully backed away from that shelf, visualizing a repeat of an unfortunate incident in Hawaii that ended with me showered in small tiki idols (it wasn’t my fault!).

Several products even have testers à la Sephora so you can try them out before buying. I tried some of Jurlique’s Sun Lotion SPF 30+ on my hands. Since I’m deathly pale, I appreciate any product that contains sunscreen. The staff was friendly, and there is a small salon in the back of the store that offers full-salon services such as body treatments, waxing, hair and nails, makeup, and even massage.

If you’re a beauty product junkie, it is quite easy to spend all day in Larchmont Beauty Center, but at least try and drag yourself out after an hour or two. The surrounding shops and restaurants of Larchmont Village are well worth checking out.

Larchmont Beauty Center, 208 North Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles; Mon-Sat: 8:30 am to 8 pm, Sun: 11 am to 6 pm.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Screenings: As part of the Taste of Beverly Hills Food & Wine Festival taking place this weekend, the Paley Center for Media is screening popular TV cooking shows in the museum’s John H. Mitchell Theater. The program, called Who’s Cooking @ Paley Center, kicks off today with Baking with Julia Child, Two Hot Tamales (hosted by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken), and Cooking Live (hosted by Sara Moulton).

Paley Center for Media, 465 North Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills; 12:30 pm, Sept. 1–8; free.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Design: If you want to get a closer look at the fantastical costumes of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010), head to the museum and galleries of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising for its design exhibition on the movie. Featured alongside Colleen Atwood’s original costumes for the film are Alice-inspired clothing and products designed by celebrities, designers, and fashion icons, like Sue Wong, Tom Binns, and Avril Lavigne. Also currently showing at FIDM are “The Art of Television Costume Design,” featuring the work of 2010 Emmy-nominated designers, and “High Style: Perfume and the Haute Couture.”

FIDM Museum & Galleries, 919 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles; Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, exhibition through September 30th; free.

Independent L.A.

It is a well-known fact by now that shopping at chain stores is an entirely different experience than shopping at independent stores. The main difference? Indie stores have character. And how much and what kind usually depends on the store’s neighborhood. For example, an indie bookstore in Los Feliz can feel entirely different than an indie bookstore in Malibu, unlike a Barnes & Noble, which pretty much looks and feels the same wherever you go.

This isn’t to say that I don’t like chain stores. I do. In fact, I love Ann Taylor LOFT (but we won’t talk about how many paychecks I’ve spent there) and the aforementioned B&N. But indie stores are about creating a community, whatever kind of community that is, be it people who like books, food, art, design, etc. As part of the generation that prefers to customize everything to our own tastes, I like it when stores display individuality. It makes the entire experience more personal.

That’s why I’ll be introducing a biweekly feature called “Independent L.A.,” which will showcase great independent stores in L.A., one at a time. My very general criteria? That the store has as few locations as possible and be based in California. I may deviate a time or two, though, to highlight a great store that straddles the line between being an indie store and a full-blown chain. I’d rather be more general than less, since the indie spirit can show up in many places, sometimes unexpectedly. If there’s a great indie store around where you live, leave a comment and let me know why you think it’s so great.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Cheap Comedy: Head to Upright Citizens Brigade tonight to see the improv of the Smokes, who perform weekly at UCB. Only $5 gets you an hour of comedy from several funny people (go here to see the list), including Katie Dippold (writer for Parks and Recreation) and Mr. Sassy Gay Friend himself, Brian Gallivan. If “What are you doing? What, what, what are you doing?” means nothing to you, please head to YouTube and fix this unfortunate situation.

Upright Citizens Brigade, 5919 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, 7 pm, $5.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Festivals: Created in 1951 as a week-long celebration of California’s early settlers, Fiesta La Ballona has morphed into a three-day event that celebrates the community of Culver City. The festival features live music, carnival rides and games ($1 a ride), a community stage featuring local performers, lots of food vendors, a beer and wine garden, a petting zoo, and pony rides. Admission to the festival is free, as is parking. Free entertainment in the heart of Culver City? Yes, please!


Fiesta La Ballona; Veteran’s Park at the intersection of Culver Blvd. and Overland Ave., Culver City; August 27–29, Friday: 4:30 pm to 10 pm, Saturday: 8:30 am to 10 pm, Sunday: 8:30 am to 9 pm; free.

It’s Peter Pan’s Fault, Actually

My roommate recently told me about an article in the New York Times called “What Is It About 20-Somethings?” The article is long and covers a lot of different things, but the main gist is that our twenties may be another developmental stage, like adolescence, though less hormonal (for some, anyway). This might be the explanation, at least according to Clark University psychology professor Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, of why twentysomethings nowadays are taking longer to grow up.

Of course, not every twentysomething is single and living with his/her parents. My 26-year-old best friend, for example, is married, has a decent-paying job, and is currently paying a mortgage on the house she and her husband bought. This inconsistency is a major problem for defining the twenties as a developmental stage (because everybody has to experience it in order for it to be classified as such). (It would have been nice if adolescence had been an optional stage. Just saying.)

Personally, I’ve felt pretty lame at times that I’m approaching my late twenties and I’m not “all set up” (and it’s not for lack of trying). I’ve definitely felt the (self-imposed?) pressure of what Arnett refers to as “the age 30 deadline.” But even if Arnett’s findings don't technically classify the twenties as a developmental stage, it’s nice to see that there are other twentysomethings out there grappling with what it means to be an adult.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Amusement: Celebrate the last days of summer at Pacific Park, located on the Santa Monica Pier. L.A.’s only admission-free amusement park, there are plenty of rides (including the famous Ferris wheel), games, and food stands, not to mention stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. If you want to make this day even easier on your wallet, the park is a great spot to people watch and bask in the sun.

Pacific Ocean Park; 380 Santa Monica Pier; Sun–Thurs, 11 am to 11 pm, and Fri-Sat, 11 am to 12:30 am (hours until 9/7/10); free.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Art: Escape the August heat by heading to the coast today to check out the Santa Monica Museum of Art. Part of the Bergamot Station arts complex, the Santa Monica Museum of Art is a non-collecting museum that features a variety of rotating exhibitions and programs. There is a suggested donation ($5 general admission, $3 for artists, students, and seniors), but technically you can enter for free. Having written that, if you enjoy what you see at the museum, I’m sure any donation you could spare would be greatly appreciated. Oh yeah, and there’s free parking.

Santa Monica Museum of Art, 2525 Michigan Avenue, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm, free.

The Cool Sea Air of Santa Monica Place

Since it’s been so hot here lately (though our summer has been relatively mild compared to the intense muggy heat I could be experiencing in New York), I headed to the cooler sea air of Santa Monica to check out the new Santa Monica Place. Converted from a hulking cement building into a circular open-air mall, the new complex feels much more in tune with the openness of the Third Street Promenade. The dining deck, located on the third level, affords hungry shoppers beautiful views of the ocean.


Nearing the end of its run, I was able to catch The Mannequin Collective during my visit. The Mannequin Collective is a community arts program where one hundred artists, designers, fashion industry leaders, and community members turned mannequins into art. The end result will be a $10,000 scholarship donated to Otis College of Art and Design in the winning designer’s name. I particularly liked Cecilio Ramirez’s mannequin for BCBGMAXAZRIA, called Mme. Quinn, which wore an off-the-shoulder gown made of butterflies. The butterflies represented the transformative power of fashion. I love a good metaphor, and the butterflies were a simple yet meaningful statement. I also loved the classic, feminine lines of the dress.


Marie Tattooinette by Edd McNaboe for Ed Hardy also caught my eye. A representation of Marie Antoinette with an Ed Hardy twist, the contrast between the tattoos and the mannequin’s hoop skirt and white stockings was fun. It made material the modern rock ethos of Sofia Coppola’s 2006 Marie Antoinette.

Officially opened to the public on August 6, Santa Monica Place is still waiting on a few additions. Nordstrom is set to open Friday at 10 am, with a pre-opening beauty bash from 8 am to 10 am. The Market, which will sell artisanal, organic, and gourmet food, will be located on the dining deck and won’t open until early 2011.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Music: The Amoeba Music store on Sunset regularly hosts live music performances. Tonight, Fitz & The Tantrums are the featured act. Fresh off their Sunday performance at Sunset Junction, F&TT are celebrating the release of their new album, Pickin’ Up The Pieces (Dangerbird Records). I won’t lie, when I heard their single “Winds of Change,” I started grooving along in my chair.

Amoeba Music, 6400 Sunset Boulevard, 7 pm, free.

Shakespeare in the Park, Take Two

Having seen David Melville as Iago in Othello, the ISC’s first production of the summer, I was looking forward to seeing what he would do with the role of Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. In Othello, Melville played Iago as more of a comic villain. It was an interesting interpretation, but it made it hard for me to believe that Iago was actually the architect of all the evil that occurred. So, since I knew he liked to play characters more comically, I figured I was in for a good time with such a witty character as Benedick.

And I wasn’t disappointed. The production was very entertaining. And you could tell the actors were having a lot of fun. They even broke the fourth wall several times, all to hilarious effect. At times, the comedy verged on slapstick, as when Beatrice (ISC co-founder and artistic director Melissa Chalsma) wags her head back and forth between Don Pedro and the audience, an exaggerated expression of horrified surprise on her face, after Don Pedro offers himself as her suitor. If Chalsma’s hair were a touch redder, I might have thought Lucille Ball had risen from the grave.

The casting of Beatrice and Benedick was very good, which, to me, is the key to the feel of the play as a whole. The repartee between Melville and Chalsma was sharp and fast, just as Shakespeare brilliantly wrote it.

I'm looking forward to ISC’s next summer season. But you can still catch Much Ado About Nothing if you hurry. The final few productions are happening this Thursday through Sunday at 7 pm in Griffith Park.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Comedy: Laughing makes people happy. Going to see a great lineup of comedians for free helps, too. And what could possibly make you even happier? Free parking. Check out the lineup at the Weekly’s website.

Hollywood Studio Bar & Grill, 6122 W. Sunset Boulevard, 8 pm, free.

Eating on a Budget

As a general consequence of no longer living with your parents, you must learn to provide food for yourself. Takeout is always a fail-safe alternative to cooking (an alternative I chose a lot in college), but when you have to eat on a budget, preparing food yourself is always cheaper.

I manage to keep my food budget pretty low by shopping at a combination of places: the dollar store, farmers’ markets, and Trader Joe’s. With a little forethought and careful shopping, buying good food and keeping to a budget all at the same time is doable.

I kind of stumbled into shopping at the dollar store by accident. There’s a store five minutes from my apartment, and this is where I went a few days after I moved in. If you don’t have a dollar store right around the corner from you, check Dollar Tree and 99 Cents Only for locations. In general, the dollar store is best for pantry staples, like pasta, canned goods, and condiments. I’ve also, surprisingly, bought produce there. You have to be quick, though, since fresh batches of produce will be gone within a day (and if they’ve sat for more than one day, you’re not going to want them anyway). When buying produce, I try to stick to the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides (available as a printable wallet guide or iPhone app at http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php). That means that at the dollar store, I tend to buy only produce in the "Clean 15” category, on which the least amount of pesticides has been used. Included in this category are kiwi, mangos, eggplants, and avocados, all of which I’ve bought at the dollar store. To buy produce in the “Dirty Dozen,” I head to the farmers’ market, where I can get organic.

I’m also lucky enough to live a 15-minute walk from the Farmers Market at Fairfax and W. 3rd Street, so I can buy fresh produce every day of the week if I want to. The first time I went, I budgeted myself $10, just to see what I could get for that much. This is what I bought:

* three yellow peaches
* one Hass avocado
* one ear of sweet white corn
* one red bell pepper
* two large sweet potatoes
* one small honeydew melon
* one large cucumber

I took my cues from what was cheapest, since that’s what’s in season and what would taste the best. I find just having fresh produce in the apartment makes me more creative in my cooking. I can throw together some very simple dishes because the produce tastes so good on its own.

I round out my food supply with some careful shopping at Trader Joe’s. I try to plan what I want to buy before I go, and I always compare prices when faced with lots of choices (like with bread or yogurt). There’s always a lot of great cheap stuff at TJ’s. Overall, though, I find the store’s produce department lacking, so go support your local farmers’ market instead.

And if you have indulgent parents, like I do, who somehow feel sorry for you now that you have to be an adult and feed yourself, a trip home always yields care packages filled with leftovers and whatever else my mom has on hand. While my mom is emptying the contents of the pantry and refrigerator into bags for me, my dad will stand by, joking that he’s keeping tally of what I’m taking and that the bill will be in the mail. *sigh* What I have to put up with to get free food ☺

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Summer Shakespeare: For its second production of the summer (following Othello), the Independent Shakespeare Company is putting on Much Ado About Nothing. This is my favorite Shakespeare comedy, and I can’t wait to go! There are only eight more performances, so hurry up and go see what the L.A. Times calls a “charming revival.”

Thursday–Sunday @ 7 pm through August 29, free admission.

Visiting L.A.’s Blue Whale

Driving around West Hollywood, I’ve passed by the Pacific Design Center lots of times. I’ve always been curious as to what goes on there, so on a warm, sunny day last week, I decided to check it out.


Since it was so beautiful outside, I started at infamous Melrose Place, intending to walk along Melrose Avenue to the PDC. The small street was pretty sedate, which is probably not all that weird for a weekday afternoon. Most of the people I saw were bored men, either husbands/boyfriends waiting for their women or valets waiting for shoppers to pull up. Seeing the men waiting outside of the shops, I felt some sympathy, but really, guys, when your wife/girlfriend says she wants to go shopping and you tag along anyway, you should really be prepared to entertain yourself for a while.


When I turned onto Melrose Avenue, I saw lots of people enjoying the sun and organic coffee and tea at Urth Caffe. Across the street was Kitson, the boutique famous for all its celebrity clientele. Curious, I went in. Besides clothing and shoes, there were also books, personal care items, and tables of jewelry and purses. Of course, I just had to check out the purses. I will probably never spend $400 on a bag, but the looking and drooling were totally free.


Walking up to the behemoth Pacific Design Center, I can see why it’s nicknamed the Blue Whale. MOCA has an outpost in the PDC’s central plaza, and upon opening the door of the small MOCA building, I was assaulted by a cacophony of sounds. I could barely hear the woman behind the front desk welcome me. The exhibition on display consisted of seven separate yet interrelated videos. On the second floor, four videos played in different rooms, each of which had distinct types of seating, ranging from beds to interconnected bus seats. My head buzzing from the constant litany of sounds coming from the ground-floor videos, I quietly left the building and was greeted by sweet, sweet silence (well, by the sounds of construction next door, actually, but it seemed much quieter). As the program explained, the exhibition “attempts to literalize the figurative to the point of abstraction.” A worthwhile endeavor, I’m sure, but the whole thing was way too abstract for this girl.

After MOCA, I walked back into the Blue Whale and wandered around the showrooms. As I moseyed around the first floor, looking at all the gorgeous designs on display, I tried to stay out of the way of all the stylishly dressed people striding around with purpose. The showrooms mainly cater to the professional interior design trade, so the building may not see as many tourists on a day-to-day basis. Still, death by designer-shoe trampling was not on the agenda for the day.

With six floors of showrooms in the main building, there is plenty here at the Pacific Design Center for an interior design junkie to drool over.

Going to the County Fair

When I went to my parents’ house for dinner on Friday, my mom casually mentioned that we should all go to the Ventura County Fair on Saturday. She had been not-so-subtly hinting for the past couple summers about going to one of the county fairs, but my siblings, my dad, and I had usually responded with an unenthusiastic “meh.” But it had been a while since I’d last experienced the unique delights of a county fair, so I told her I was up for it. When my sister also indicated interest in going, it was settled. (My dad usually goes along with Mom’s weekend entertainment plans and he absolutely delights in dragging my brother, who would prefer to remain a hermit, on family outings.) The next day, we piled into the car and headed north to Ventura.


Located at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, right near the beach, the fair had the usual mix of exhibits, vendors, animals, and rides. The smell of greasy, deliciously-bad-for-you fair food wafted on the cool breeze. Navigating past the gauntlet of food booths, we reached the Morgan Horse Show Arena, located at the back of the fairgrounds. As we neared the barns surrounding the arena, the earthier smell of horse replaced the salt and grease. Excited to see the horses, my dad strode on ahead.


Hearing people outside their stalls, several horses poked their heads out to investigate. A chestnut-colored horse named Mikey examined us out of one large brown eye. Another horse, white dappled with brown, her mane plaited in pretty braids, reached out to sniff Dad’s hand. She seemed to quickly lose interest, however, when she found he had no food.


Next, we wandered over to the large livestock area, which housed various types of cattle, goats, and pigs. When we reached the pigs, I whipped out my camera and started cooing at them, exclaiming over how cute they were. I don’t know what it is, but I find their roly-poly bodies, their button-like snouts, and their curlicue tails (which they actually wag like dogs!) absolutely adorable. My brother smirked at me as he watched me go from one pig to the next. “Eew,” my sister said, scrunching up her nose. “How can you think pigs are cute? They’re gross and dirty.”

“Don’t listen to her,” I whispered to a mostly black pig, whose snout was covered in its lunch. “And I always try to eat turkey bacon instead,” I added, as I snapped a picture of his sleeping penmate.


There was a rodeo scheduled for that night in the Grandstand Arena, but by sunset the daytime high of 65 degrees was dropping quickly. Combined with the wind, we would have frozen in the cold metal stands. Anything below 60 is like the depths of winter here. Before we headed out, I capped off the fair by splitting a large funnel cake topped with powdered sugar and raspberry preserves with my sister. It was yummy, greasy, bad-for-you delicious. Just like fair food is supposed to be.

Movies in the Park @thegrovela

Every Thursday night in July and August, the Grove plays free movies as part of its Movies in the Park series. Of course, when I saw the “in the park” part, I was a little confused. Last time I checked, the Grove was an outdoor shopping mall. Did that mean that the movie was taking place in Pan Pacific Park, which is right next to the Grove? Deciding to cut through the shopping complex just in case, I came upon bleachers and a big blow-up movie screen in the middle of the plaza in front of Nordstrom. I figured this was probably what I was looking for.


The movie playing that night was The Twilight Saga: New Moon. It’s embarrassing to actually admit that I went to see this, mostly because I didn’t think the first movie was very good and I refuse to read the books for reasons I’ll explain below. In my defense, I only saw the first one out of curiosity, since it was nearly impossible to ignore all the media buzz surrounding it. In fact, it made me feel old to be clueless about something that was so enormously popular. I remember the whole Harry Potter craze, in which I’d wholeheartedly taken part, breathlessly waiting for the next book/movie to come out.

The first Twilight movie, however, didn’t really impress me. The overload of teenage angst, the long bouts of staring, and Kristen Stewart’s dialogue, which mostly consisted of sputtering, were a bit much. Curious about whether the books were worth reading, I asked my sister, who has devoured all of them, to give me a synopsis of the series. As she related all of the plot’s twists and turns, I knew reading the books would be a frustrating experience, as I have a low tolerance for extreme drama and weak-willed heroines. Yet enough time had passed since I’d seen the first movie to make me curious about the second installment. And besides, it was free. And we all know how I feel about free.

I got to the Grove a little before 7:15, when general seating was supposed to open. You could get in at 6:30 if you ordered food from the picnic menu, provided by several restaurants in the Grove. Determined to keep the whole experience free, I decided waiting around for a bit to get in was just fine with me. At 7:50, they finally let us into the sectioned-off area. Up front, there was an emcee asking the audience Twilight trivia. For each question, a bunch of tweens would eagerly raise their hands, screaming to be called on, sometimes even before the question was done being asked. Once most of the prizes had been given out to those who answered correctly, the emcee announced that he had a lot more T-shirts left over. All of a sudden, a mass of tweens swarmed towards the front and screamed and shouted for the emcee to throw them a shirt. It made me very glad to be up in the bleachers, where I wouldn’t be trampled by some 13-year-old intent on possessing her own piece of Twilight memorabilia.


During the movie, it was clear that there were a lot of Team Jacob fans in the audience, as every time Taylor Lautner took off his shirt, screams and catcalls echoed throughout the plaza. In contrast, there was only a smattering of half-hearted cheering during the one time that Robert Pattinson took off his shirt.

At this point, I don’t think a Twilight movie would be complete without the long angst-ridden stares and “I’ll kill myself if I can’t be with you” dialogue. Still, it wasn’t an unpleasant way to spend a night, even if the highlight was ogling the ripped body of a minor (at the time). And I’ll probably end up seeing the rest of the movies, too, since I’m a sucker for vampire movies (pun intended!). Beware, though: seeing such movies may cause you to cough up cheesy puns for 24 to 48 hours.

Alice in Wonderland is playing next Thursday, with Up concluding the Movies in the Park schedule on August 26th.

Now I See What All the Fuss Is About

Recently, I had to take my car to Ed Little Auto Service in Culver City to get some work done. With time to kill and no car, I thought a walking tour of downtown Culver City would be a great way to pass the time on yet another beautiful day in L.A. But first, having run out the door without breakfast, I headed to Tanner’s Coffee Co., a cute little café just a block away from the auto shop. After giving my order to the friendly woman behind the counter, I perused the latest L.A. Weekly as I sat on a comfy leopard-print couch and enjoyed my breakfast. Everything was great and (yay!) really cheap (only $3.95 for a toasted whole-wheat bagel with cream cheese and a regular-sized café au lait!).


On my way to downtown Culver City, I walked by the Sony Pictures Entertainment lot . . . and kept walking and walking by it (the studio is blocks long). At each entrance I passed (and there were a few), I tried to get a glimpse of anything going on, but sadly I saw nothing. At one point, a Mercedes pulled up to the gate, but I thought it might be somewhat rude to openly gawk at the car in the hopes of finding out if someone famous was inside.


When I finally reached the end of the Sony lot, there was City Hall, in the heart of downtown Culver City. It is one of the prettiest city halls I’ve ever seen. It didn’t give off the vibe of a city hall at all. It almost made me want to work there myself. I’ve always had this fantasy of working someplace beautiful. Wouldn’t it make going to work on Monday so much better?


Other highlights of my mini-tour included the historic Culver Hotel, Culver Studios, the Ivy Substation (a rail terminal that now houses the Actors’ Gang Theater), and the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

In my early days of looking for apartments, I looked at a few places in Culver City and I remember being very unimpressed with the area. I had been hearing what a cultural enclave Culver City was, but I just hadn’t seen what all the fuss was supposed to be about. Now, however, downtown looks great. Cute shops and restaurants line Culver Boulevard, making the street a very inviting place to hang out for a few hours.

Sunday in Pasadena

This past Sunday, I went with a bunch of friends, including my best friend and her husband, to the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. I’ve lived in L.A. for twelve years (minus the eight months I was in New York), yet I’d never been to the museum. It makes me happy that I’m still coming across new things to do while I’m rediscovering L.A.

The ground floor houses all of the European art, spanning the 14th century to the 20th century. Featured near the entrance was a large collection of Edgar Degas pieces. I knew of his paintings, but was unaware that he was also a sculptor. Interestingly, one ballerina sculpture wore a fabric tutu as well as a bodice constructed of a different material. You don’t usually ever see a sculpture with actual clothing on. The sculptures with all their bits hanging out must be so jealous!

There was also a selection of post-Impressionist paintings alongside the Degas collection. Just looking at it, The Mulberry Tree by Vincent van Gogh seems deceptively simple. Yes, it looks like a tree, albeit one translated through the lens of post-Impressionism, but it also looks, well, alive, as if a tree with bold, colorful swirls of leaves actually existed in the real world. The three-dimensional quality of the brushwork made the tree look touchable. But don’t worry, I didn’t actually touch it. I hear they frown on that sort of thing in museums.

Visiting an art museum with my best friend is never a dull experience. She likes art but has no patience for even a whiff of pretension, usually evident to her in overly abstract contemporary work. While I don’t pretend to understand the more abstract concepts of making art, I like to play devil’s advocate with her (and she with me). After bantering back and forth over several different paintings, my friend reached out and gave me a hug, saying, “I’m glad you’re back.” She was one of my biggest supporters when I decided to move to New York, and tirelessly listened to all my indecisive ramblings about the state of my life. I had really missed spending time with her. I hugged her back. “Me too,” I said.

Just Like in Pretty Woman (OK, Maybe Not)

Earlier in the week, I decided to walk over to Rodeo Drive, as I live right by Beverly Hills. It’s a 40-minute walk, but it was beautiful out and exercise is good for you (or so I’ve heard). While I’ve driven by the street before, I’ve never actually walked along it. Living so close, I feel I’d be remiss in my bloggerly duties if I didn’t include this iconic street in my rediscovery of L.A.


On the way, I made a slight detour to what NFT refers to as the Beverly Hills Zoo, aka the house with all the random metal animals in the front yard. With the tall gate, it really did look like the animals were enclosed in a zoo, albeit a wonky zoo with big cats housed with giraffes. The 15-foot-tall giraffe was the first thing I saw as I walked up to the house. As I moved along the gate, I saw all types of animals, though the owners seem to have a thing for big cats. Not wanting to disturb the owners (it is a private house, after all), I quickly snapped a couple of pictures and continued my walk.

When I got to Rodeo Drive, of course I had to take a picture of the Beverly Wilshire, the hotel from Pretty Woman. Dressed slightly differently than Vivian was her first time on Rodeo Drive (you know, jeans, tank top, cardigan), I set out to gawk at all the stores. Outside the Louis Vuitton store, there were purses on a type of motorized conveyor belt, so you’d get a brief glimpse of a beautiful purse before it was whisked away behind a curtain.


I have a confession to make: I’m a purse girl. I wouldn’t say it’s an obsession, I just appreciate a beautifully made purse. (I can practically hear my sister making fun of me as I write that line.) Whenever I pass by a purse store, my eyes will magnetically be drawn to the storefront. To make it look less obvious that I’m ogling the purses, I normally hold onto the arm of whomever I’m walking with, so that I can continue to stare at the purses but not run into anything. Ingenious, right? So when I came to the Coach store on Rodeo, I couldn’t resist going in. Just to look, of course . . . and maybe drool a little.

After I cleaned the slobber off my face, I strolled the rest of the way up Rodeo, then walked down Beverly, the next street over, to look at some less high-end shops. I took the scenic route back to my apartment, strolling along residential streets, admiring the many different types of beautiful houses. I enjoyed my long walk, but by the time I arrived home, my feet were really mad at me. I apologized to them, but said that at least we got to look at some nice purses.

Sisters in L.A.

This past weekend, my sister and I went to one of my favorite L.A. restaurants, Hugo’s. We went to the West Hollywood branch, but the Studio City location is just as good. The first time I went to Hugo’s was in college, when my best friend took me there for my birthday. I remember her telling me that a lot of big people in the entertainment industry ate there. I admit that this made me feel cooler.

I always, always, always get the Pasta Mama when I go to Hugo’s, but I had already been to the one in Studio City with a friend earlier in the week, so I was excited to try something else. Since I could eat breakfast food for every meal of the day, I went for the Papa’s Eggs, which were scrambled with bacon, chicken sausage, scallions, and parsley, with breakfast potatoes on the side. So good! My sister ordered the Eggs Benedict and fell in love. Too bad I was driving, or else I would have ordered some of their yummy sangria.

We walked off our delicious meal in Los Feliz. There was a summer festival going on, and many of the stores were offering great discounts. I dragged my sister into Skylight Books. Ever since I discovered so many great independent stores in New York, I’ve been on the lookout for them in L.A. Alas, I did not buy anything, but I loved the neighborhood feeling of the store.

On Sunday, we went to the Melrose Trading Post, a weekly flea market held in the parking lot of Fairfax High School. Admission is normally $2, but you can get a dollar off by printing a coupon from their site. When we got there, the guy manning the ticket line was moving everyone along with ruthless efficiency. My sister eyed him warily, thinking he wouldn’t be very happy to have to give us discounted admission. When I presented my coupon, he barked, “Smart,” and handed me my ticket. “Did you hear that?” I said as we walked away. “He said I’m smart.” My sister just rolled her eyes.

The market was really big, and there was a lot of interesting stuff. I definitely want to come back when I can spend money. After the market, my sister and I strolled along Melrose Avenue, stopping at Wasteland and a few other stores along the way. We almost got hot dogs at Pink’s, but we were too hungry to wait in the extremely long and slow-moving line. I usually visit really popular L.A. spots on a weekday, since they’re usually a lot less crowded (one of the perks of being jobless). My sister, however, has a pesky job that unfortunately requires her to work weekdays. Weird, right?

Sunbathing, Mansion-Dwelling Turtles Are Kinda Cute

This week was very relaxing. I reconnected with a friend from high school and hung out with some friends in Huntington Beach. Not as much sightseeing this week, but in mid-July I walked around the grounds of Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. Lots of famous movies have been filmed here, including Ghostbusters, Charlie’s Angels, Austin Powers, X-Men, and The Big Lebowski.


The mansion itself is only open for special events, so I was only allowed to walk around the gardens surrounding the house itself. It was pleasantly warm and sunny out (a plus of living in California rather than New York) and the gardens were beautiful. I was able to walk up to the mansion and I peeked inside the windows. I couldn’t really see much, but it looked empty and like there was some refurbishing being done. Through the windows opposite me, I saw another couple of people trying to squint to see what was inside. It must have been difficult, seeing as the windows looked opaque. Points for trying, though.


In the garden right next to the mansion, I saw several turtles in a stone-enclosed pond. I hadn’t seen them the first time I passed the pond, but on my way to look at a sculpture more closely, it was a pleasant surprise to find them there. A few were swimming around the water, but two others were floating around, enjoying the sun with sleepy expressions on their faces, their eyes half-closed. The sunbathers stared at me with mild interest but were too comfortable to care much. It seemed the pond turtles were enjoying the California weather, too.

Both parking and wandering around the gardens were absolutely free, and it was a very enjoyable way to spend a summer afternoon.

My sister is coming to stay with me this weekend! I’m excited to show her where I live and all of the things to do around me.

Crafts + Hollywood

This weekend was beautiful out (yet again ☺). When I was in New York, I wouldn’t be able to sit still when it was nice outside. I always knew that snow or rain or extreme humidity and cold could be around the corner. I never have to worry about that in California. Even if it does rain (for the, like, two days it does out of the year), there are always plenty of other perfectly pleasant days to enjoy yourself outside.


On Saturday, I went to the Renegade Craft Fair at Los Angeles State Historic Park. Both the fair and parking were free, just how I like it. I don’t know about you, but I could spend hours looking around Etsy’s website. I like the love and care that gets put into handmade goods and I always feel good about supporting independent artisans. Of course, Etsy was at the fair, as well as several other local artisans. I liked the Social Grace Designs booth in particular for their delicate, pretty necklaces. There were also lots of other workshops and demonstrations going on.

On Sunday, I headed up to Hollywood and Highland for the “Walk the Walk” festival, celebrating the Hollywood Walk of Fame’s 50th anniversary. Throughout four locations on Hollywood Boulevard, there were a variety of events, including live entertainment and free tours. I was able to tour two theaters, the Egyptian and the Kodak for free. Normally, these two tours would have cost me $20 together. The Kodak tour was one of the last ones allowed before the stage and main theater are closed for renovations. Cirque du Soleil is moving to L.A. and creating a new show based on Hollywood history, and they’re currently retrofitting the stage for their show, to open in September 2011. My sister loves Cirque du Soleil but has never seen them live. She was very excited when I told her. Now I know what to get her for a holiday present!


While I was waiting for the tour of the Egyptian Theatre to begin, I was listening to an 80s cover band, called The Deloreans. I think cover bands are usually pretty hit-or-miss, but these guys were really good. The lead singer was very enthusiastic, jumping down from the platform to interact with people in the crowd. I just had to take a picture.

All in all, attending the festival only cost me $4.95 ($2 for parking and $2.95 at Auntie Anne’s to get my ticket validated). Not bad for hours of entertainment.

Oh Come, All Ye Poor L.A. County Residents

Isn’t it awesome when simply being a resident of California gets you in someplace for free? On weekdays after 5 pm, L.A. County residents get free general admission to all of the L.A. County Museum of Art’s permanent galleries and non-ticketed exhibitions. Since I live nearby, I figured I’d have myself an evening full of (free!) art.

The last time I visited LACMA was in high school, for a school field trip. Walking through the museum, I only recognized the courtyard behind the Ahmanson Building. That made me a little nervous, since at 26 I shouldn’t have trouble remembering things. But no, the change in appearance is actually the result of a ten-year expansion and renovation project known as the Transformation. (Whew!)

Now, I’m a word person, so the appreciation of art can sometimes be beyond me, especially when it comes to contemporary art. But as I’d never seen the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, which was part of the expansion, I wanted to check it out. There were definitely some interesting pieces. I liked Balloon Dog (Blue) by Jeff Koons, which was absolutely huge, as well as a series of plates by Jasper Johns, in which he used catenaries as points of reference. (A catenary is a curve formed by wire, rope, or chain hanging freely from two points. I like to look words up in the dictionary, what can I say ☺.)


My favorite section of LACMA is the Ahmanson Building, which houses the European art. Besides all of the usual lovely suspects, there was an exhibition on the mythological and cultural sources of Wagner’s operas. I love mythology and so was very interested in this exhibition. One particular section was devoted to Achim Freyer’s vision of the Ring Cycle, as put on by the Los Angeles Opera. The displayed costumes were as strange as I’d remembered them to be, having seen one and a half of these operas at L.A. Opera. (Yes, I left during the intermission of one of the operas. But I can explain. Really.)

Since my dad loves opera (he was even a semi-professional opera singer at one point!), he has season tickets to L.A. Opera and I’ve been lucky enough to go to several operas with him. I love listening to the music, and my “ear” has even improved, but I am always interested in the story (a hazard of being a bookworm). When I heard Wagner’s Ring Cycle was based on Norse mythology, I was really excited. But, as I found out, you have to be a serious opera lover to love Wagner. His works tend to be really long, and German, when sung, tends to sound harsh to the ear (exception: The Magic Flute). Combine all of that with Achim Freyer’s extremely abstract set design and costuming, and I found L.A. Opera’s Ring Cycle to be inaccessible. Though I do admire L.A. Opera for taking a risk (after all, my favorite opera was an adaptation of the Old English epic Beowulf).

Even though I’m not a big fan, learning about the inspiration for Wagner’s works was really interesting. The Wagner exhibition at LACMA runs through August 16th.

Shakespeare in the Park

Last Thursday, I saw a free production of Othello at Griffith Park. Not only was the performance free, but the parking was free, too (no small thing to an Angeleno). The play is part of the annual Shakespeare Festival put on by the Independent Shakespeare Co. Previously held at Barnsdall Park, Othello marked the festival’s debut at Griffith Park.

Somehow, throughout my entire English-major career and Shakespeare-loving existence, I have never read Othello or seen it performed live. My only contact with the play (I cringe to admit this) was the teen-oriented “adaptation” O. I have no defense for myself except this: I thought Josh Hartnett was the hottest thing ever.

Unsurprisingly, the ISC’s production of the original play was much better. My favorite performance was David Melville, who played Iago and who also happens to be a co-founder of the ISC. I’ve always thought of Iago as this really evil guy, but Melville’s Iago seemed more light-hearted than I expected. Sure, he’s still jealous, scheming, and manipulative, but hardly sinister, many times playing lines for laughs (though he earned plenty of good-natured “boos” from the audience along the way). Still, I enjoyed Melville’s performance a lot and am excited to see him play Benedick in the company’s production of Much Ado About Nothing (one of my favorite Shakespeare plays) in August.

Performances are at 7 pm, Thursdays through Sundays. Othello will be playing until August 1st and Much Ado begins August 5th.

L.A. for Free/Dirt Cheap

When you think about it, not having a job isn’t so bad. You get to sleep in, miss rush-hour traffic, and you don’t have to deal with any coworkers. It’s not having any money that kinda, well, stinks. But part of moving back from Book Publishing Central (aka New York) means I currently have no job.

So, for now at least, I will have to rediscover L.A. on a very, very, very low budget. And when I say “low,” I mean free.

But I’m not discouraged. Before I moved to New York, I bought a book about free things to do in NYC and made sure to get on the mailing list of every cultural organization I could. When you’re on the lookout for things to do, you’d be surprised what you can find that’s free or cheap. So I have my book about free things to do in L.A. and am all signed up on mailing lists.

And so far, I’m finding a lot of stuff. So I’ll be chronicling it all here, for you, my dear nonexistent readers :)

Settling In

Things have been so crazy since I’ve been back! All of a sudden, there are all these people to hang out with. It’s nice! Throw in a trip to Vegas (Chippendales=amazingness), a Grease sing-a-long, apartment hunting, 4th of July weekend, and South Pacific at the Ahmanson and I’ve had a full month! This has all been amazingly fun, and now that I’ve found a sublet for the summer near Miracle Mile, I’ll be in the thick of it. I promise to post again soon!

Hi

Let me just start by saying that I love New York. I know, I know, this is supposed to be a blog about falling in love with L.A. Let me explain: I’ve spent the past eight months living in New York, immersed in the sights and sounds of one of the greatest cities on earth. My time in New York was amazing and those eight months will always hold a very special place in my life. But this isn’t a love letter to New York, I swear.

Let me start at the beginning(ish). I grew up on the East Coast, naively enjoying what East Coasters call “seasons.” As a teenager, my parents moved us (them, me, my sister and brother) to California, 3,000 miles away. Biiiig transition, but I soon discovered the delights of no humidity or bitter cold. Fast forward to three years after college. I’d been working at an independent publishing house, learning a lot and loving working with books. However, I felt restless. The obvious solution was to run away to New York, where I could conveniently schedule both a possible career advancement (New York is the center of the universe in book publishing land) and a quarter-life crisis. I’m nothing if not practical.

But as amazing as my time in New York was, I felt something was missing: my immediate family and friends. So here I am, back in L.A.

When I left for New York, I was all grumbly and negative about L.A., focusing on the traffic, how long it takes to get everywhere, the heat in the Valley, etc. This blog is about rediscovering what is so great about L.A., why tons of people move here (legally and illegally) every year. L.A. is, after all, an iconic city. But can you really love an icon? Here’s to finding out!