Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Discover new musical talent in NoHo

Hear NoHo is a new festival showcasing emerging musical acts in North Hollywood. On the first Thursday of the month, various businesses in the NoHo Arts District will host different local bands and performers. Admission to all venues is only $10 for the whole evening.

This month's event will be produced in conjunction with the Los Angeles Women in Music Association and features the music of some of Los Angeles’s best emerging female singer-songwriters. Artists will include: Abbot Kinney, Canon, Ready-Set-Go, Steve Bardwil, Two Spot Gobi, and many more!

Purchase a wristband for $10 at your first stop on this self-guided musical tour, and it will get you into all the other concerts that night. Businesses in the NoHo Arts District will have extended business hours, many featuring their own musical events. The fun starts at 6 pm on Thursday, August 6, and goes until 11 pm.

For more info, click here.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Swim in Marion Davies' pool for $1

The new Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica has glamorous Hollywood past. It was originally the beach house that William Randolph Hearst built for Marion Davies back in the 1920's. It's been renovated and reopened as a public pool and recreation center.

Admission is normally $10 to use the pool and facilities, but on Mondays you can get in for just $1. Passes go on sale at 8:30 a.m. and there's no advance purchase for Dollar Splash Mondays.

Docent-led tours of the Beach House are offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays. There are two beach volleyball courts and a beach tennis court. Food is available from the Back on the Beach Café from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from the Take Out Window from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, visit the Beach House website.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Free concert at the Hollywood Bowl

Sorry for the 3-month absence, folks. I almost decided to give up this blog, but for now I'm going to continue with it and try to get more traffic. If you find these posts useful, please tell your friends!

There will be a free concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, October 3. The program, called "Bienvenido Gustavo!", will culminate in the Los Angeles Philharmonic's new conductor, Gustavo Dudamel, leading the LA Phil and the LA Master Chorale in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with fireworks.

Tickets will be available beginning this Saturday, August 1, at noon, from Ticketmaster or at the Bowl box office. For more information, click here.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

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.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

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.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

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.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

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.