JPL Open House this weekend

Once a year, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory opens it doors to the public. This year, JPL, located in Pasadena, will be open on Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3, from 9 am to 5 pm.

Take part in interactive spacecraft exhibits, watch science and engineering demonstrations, and talk to many of JPL's scientists and engineers about how spacecraft are sent to other planets, how space technologies are used explore Earth and how researchers are searching for planets beyond our solar system.

Models of several of JPL's Mars rovers, including the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Mars Science Laboratory, will also be exhibited. The annual open house is a fun and educational experience, with special hands-on activities designed for children.

Admission and parking are free. For more information, click here.

Festival of Books this weekend

This weekend is the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, held on the campus of UCLA. According to the official web site, it's the largest and most prestigious book festival in the country. How about that?!

The festival consists of seemingly endless rows of publishers' booths showcases their wares, multiple stages with author panels and entertainment, book signings, and various book-oriented activities for adults and kids. Celebrity authors will be in attendance, as well as celebrities who have written books, including David Baldacci, T.C. Boyle, Michael J. Fox, Arianna Huffington, Alyssa Milano--hundreds of authors in all.

Saturday April 25, from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday, April 26, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is free, but parking at one of the UCLA lots is $9. For more information including directions, click here.

Earth Day at Wilshire Center

Tomorrow is Earth Day! Founded on April 22, 1970, Earth Day marks the beginning of the modern environmental movement and is commemorated annually as a day to learn about and focus on efforts to protect the natural world.

Here in Los Angeles, tomorrow is also the 2nd Annual Wilshire Center Earth Day festival.

The full title of the event is the Wilshire Center Earth Day/Car Free Day, but I'm not sure what the "Car Free" part entails. There are no road closures planned, and I can't find any information about what, if anything, is being done to encourage people to go car-free. I guess if you can do without your car for a day, then go for it!

You'd think they'd at least put some info about how to get to the event using public transportation on the official web site. As it turns out, the Metro Red Line stops about a block away. Get off at the Wilshire/Western stop.

The event itself takes place from 11 am to 2 pm in Wilshire Center, at 3700 Wilshire Blvd. There will be live music, drumming, ethnic dance performances, a farmer's market, a fruit tree giveaway, and electronic waste recycling. Everything is free and open to the public. For more information, click the link above.

Two free art walks this month

Tomorrow is the monthly Downtown Art Walk, which happens on the second Thursday of every month. It's a free, self-guided tour of various arts venues including private galleries, nonprofit arts organizations and many of Los Angeles' major museums.

Park at Athena Parking, a garage at 415 S. Main Street, for only $5 (flat rate, no in and out). Then hop on the Hippodrome, the free shuttle sponsored by Esotouric, those wacky folks who do the crime bus tours. It's a retrofitted 1940's school bus that doubles as a performance venue, entertaining art walk patrons.

Hours are noon to 9 pm. Click here for a map.

The weekend of April 18-19 is the semi-annual Brewery ArtWalk. The Brewery, located in downtown Los Angeles, is the world's largest art colony. Over 100 resident artists participate in the event, opening their homes and studios to the public.

Hours are 11 am to 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday. Admission and parking are free. Click the link above for more information and directions.