| Arts & Entertainment • MOCA |
General Information
| NFT Maps: | 2 & 9 |
| Main Address: | 250 S Grand Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012 |
| Phone: | 213-626-6222 |
| Website: | www.moca.org |
| Hours: | Mon & Fri: 11 am–5 pm; Thurs: 11 pm–8 pm; Sat & Sun: 11 am–6 pm; closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and major holidays |
| Admission: | adults: $12 (valid for all locations on the date of purchase); seniors & students: $7; children under 12: free; Thursdays after 5 pm: free |
Overview
In a city where modern and contemporary generally refer to the latest plastic surgery or BMW, Los Angeles’s Museum of Contemporary Art is a surprisingly refreshing destination. Located downtown in the shadow of the towering California Plaza, the museum sits catty-corner to Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. It is the only LA museum devoted exclusively to contemporary art (post-WWII)—if you’re looking for Cézanne or Klimt, head to LACMA. This main building houses selections from the impressive permanent collection and various special exhibitions, while the two satellite locations—in Little Tokyo and West Hollywood—display large installations and design-focused exhibits, respectively.
Between its three locations, MOCA offers a substantial survey of the art that shaped the latter half of the 20th century, as well as artists of the ‘00s that built reputations in places like the adjacent Chinatown art scene and those experimenting with interactive and digital media. While the museum is often lauded by critics and laymen alike, it was hit hard by the Great Recession and has struggled financially in recent years.
The entrance plaza of MOCA at Grand Avenue sports a massive sculpture by Nancy Rubins, composed mainly of stainless steel airplane parts. Down below, MOCA’s main location is a cavernous space featuring, in part, exhibits culled from its more than 5,000 permanent works, courtesy of art world phenoms like Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Jackson Pollock, Lee Friedlander, Cindy Sherman, Tracy Emin, and Steve McQueen.
It’s also host to larger, traveling exhibitions, many of which include pieces loaned by the museum. MOCA has gained a reputation for mounting innovative retrospectives on contemporary artists and movements that have rarely been explored in such depth. While the museum’s recent Basquiat and Rauschenberg retrospectives were well received, its 2011 show Art in the Streets courted controversy with its focus on graffiti. In 2009-2010, MOCA celebrated its 30th Anniversary with Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty Years, the “largest-ever exhibition of the museum’s world-renowned permanent collection.”
MOCA at the Geffen Contemporary
152 Central Ave, 213-626-6222
Hours & Admission same as Grand Avenue location.
MOCA at the Geffen Contemporary—known as the “Temporary Contemporary” until a cool five mil from namesake David Geffen made it permanent—is a cavernous former police car garage in the heart of Little Tokyo. Past shows have included a 30-year retrospective on installation art in which many of the installations inhabited room-sized areas, and Gregor Schneider’s Dead House Ur in which the artist reconstructed the entire interior of his childhood home. MOCA also uses this space in collaboration with other arts organizations to host gala events; in 2005 it co-hosted the GenArt independent designer runway shows that kicked off LA’s Fashion Week.
Don’t look for prototypical art exhibits here—the Geffen prides itself on wide-open industrial space and is decidedly anti-establishment. In 2007, WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution explored the foundation of feminist art from 1965-80. More recently, 2010’s Mi casa es tu casa examined the contemporary themes of illegal immigration and ethnic identity.
MOCA at the Pacific Design Center
8687 Melrose Ave, 310-289-5223
| Hours: | Tues–Fri: 11 am–5 pm; Sat & Sun: 11 am–6 pm; closed Mondays & major holidays |
| Admission: | Free |
This smaller satellite location in West Hollywood opened in 2001 and is mainly used for exhibits that focus on one artist, architect, designer, or art collective. The museum’s lot at the Pacific Design Center is a separate structure that’s set away from the PDC’s home-décor shops and across an expansive plaza where MOCA loves to throw its big fundraiser parties. This little gallery-like space allows you to cruise through its two floors in about 20 minutes.
How to Get There—Driving
MOCA Grand Avenue: From the 110, exit at 4th Street. Turn left on Grand Avenue. The museum will be on your right.
MOCA at Geffen Contemporary: From the 101, exit at Los Angeles Street. Turn right on Los Angeles Street, then turn left on 1st Street. The museum will be on your left.
MOCA at the Pacific Design Center: From the 10, exit at Robertson Boulevard going north. Turn right on Melrose Avenue, then turn left on San Vicente Boulevard. The Design Center will be on your right. From the 101, exit west on Melrose Avenue. Turn right on San Vicente Boulevard. The Design Center will be on your right.
How to Get There—Public Transit
The MOCA and MOCA at the Geffen Contemporary locations are both accessible from the Silver, Red, or Purple Metro Lines at Civic Center Station. The Station is located at North Hill Street & West 1st Street—one block northeast of MOCA and 6 blocks west of the Geffen Contemporary.
Parking
MOCA Grand Avenue: Parking is available for $9 in the Walt Disney Concert Hall parking garage on Grand Avenue ($20 deposit, $11 refund with MOCA validation). On the weekends, museum members can park in the California Plaza parking garage on Olive Street for a reduced rate of $7.50. Metered street parking is also available on Grand Avenue, 3rd Street, and Hope Street, but you’ll only have two hours, max.
MOCA at Geffen Contemporary: Parking is available at the Advanced Parking Systems garage on Central Avenue for a daily flat rate of $6.50. The public parking lot on Judge John Aiso Street offers an $8 flat rate on weekdays, or $7 after 4 pm and on weekends.
MOCA at the Pacific Design Center: Parking is available in the Pacific Design Center’s lot on Melrose. The first 20 minutes are free, then it’s $1.50 for each block of 15 minutes thereafter with a $13.50 maximum charge per day. Flat rates are available after 6 pm ($6 on Mon-Wed, $9 on Thurs, and $10 Fri-Sat) and on weekends ($7 on Sat from 10 am to 6 pm and all day Sun).
| Arts & Entertainment • LACMA |
General Information
| NFT Maps: | 2 & 6 |
| Address: | 5905 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90036 |
| Phone: | 323-857-6000 |
| Website: | www.lacma.org |
| Hours: | Mon, Tues, Thurs: 11 am—5pm Fri: 11 am—8 pm Sat, Sun: 10 am—7 pm Wed: Closed |
| Admission: | Adults $15, seniors & students $10, children 17 & under are free After 3 pm on weekdays, free to LA County residents. Second Tues of the month, free to all. |
| Annual Membership: | Starts at $50 for individuals. |
Overview
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has been trying hard to get people to visit, recently spending many, many dollars on its campaign for a high-profile Magritte exhibit. Luckily, it looks like it’s worked. More people than ever are visiting the complex, despite a few well-publicized management crises. Its no-holds-barred approach to curating has allowed it to bring in some of the grandest shows in the area, including retrospectives of Klimt, Rivera, and the French Masters. A day is easily lost here; in addition to the Art Museum, the LACMA grounds are also home to a lovely park, the Page Museum, and the rather anticlimactic La Brea Tar Pits, which Angelenos have probably heard of, or perhaps at least smelled.
Early 2008 marked the grand opening of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, or BCAM, which aims to feature in-depth collections by single artists and display works from billionaire Eli Broad’s massive art collection. Two years later, the Resnick Pavilion opened across from BCAM and now showcases special exhibitions. Both buildings are designed by architect Renzo Piano; ride BCAM’s enormous elevator up to the top floors for a nice view of Hollywood.
Visitors to LACMA are greeted by Chris Burden’s installation Urban Light—a geometric display of antique street lamps that has become something of a Mid City landmark. Head to the northwest corner of the campus to see the museum’s newest addition: Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass, a gigantic boulder perched above a descending walkway. Now if only the city would extend the red line to Wilshire and Fairfax to alleviate some of the area’s horrific traffic problems.
LACMA East
The buildings on the east end of the LACMA campus may not be as flashy as the new Renzo Piano structures, but they are home to some fantastic art. The Ahmanson Building is perhaps the most varied, displaying everything from Islamic art to German Expressionism. The Boone Children’s Gallery, as well as the museum’s collection of Korean art, can be found in the Hammer Building. The Art of the Americas Building displays art from the New World, while the Pavilion for Japanese Art is a freestanding building that holds Japanese works from 3000 B.C. to the 20th century.
LACMA is also a great destination on weekend evenings. On Fridays, the museum is open late—until 8 pm—and there’s live jazz in the Times Mirror Central Court starting at 6 pm. You can also hear live chamber music every Sunday at 6 pm in the Bing Theater. Both of these weekly concerts are free. The Bing Theater is also home to regular screenings of classic films, occasionally with a guest speaker. Movie tickets include admission to all of the galleries and cost $10 for the public and $7 for members, seniors, and students. Screenings are every Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm.
LACMA West
In 1998, the Art Deco May Company department store reopened as LACMA West. For a time, the building was home to the museum’s collection of Latin American art, but it is now closed for renovations. The LACMA Board has announced plans to work with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to transform the space into a museum dedicated to the art of movies.
The George C. Page Museum
Located just east of LACMA, the Page Museum is best known as the home of the La Brea Tar Pits. Almost everyone who moves to Los Angeles has heard of the Tar Pits in some context, and most make a pilgrimage at some point, hoping to see something dynamic, something bubbling, something interesting. What you end up seeing, however, is a large pool of tar. It’s about as anticlimactic as it gets. The Tar Pits become exponentially more interesting during an eight-to-ten-week period, usually in July and August, when excavation takes place. It’s during this time that museum-goers can watch paleontologists sift through the tar. The process is painstaking and oddly fascinating, even if it’s hard to escape the feeling that everything cool has already been unearthed.
Inside the Page Museum, it’s possible to view over one million specimens of fossils recovered from the Tar Pits. Among them are saber-toothed cats and mammoths. Sadly, there are no dinosaurs, but many a child has been riveted by the exhibit of the 9,000-year-old La Brea Woman, whose fossil is still the only human remains ever found in the Tar Pits.
Open everyday from 9:30 am until 5 pm. Adults $11, seniors & students $8, and children 5-12 $5. Admission is free on the first Tuesday of every month, excluding July and August.
How to Get There—Driving
From the 10, exit at Fairfax Avenue and drive north. Turn right at Wilshire Boulevard. The museum will be on your left. From the 101 S, exit at Highland and head south to Franklin. Turn right and take Franklin to La Brea. Make a left onto La Brea, and continue south to Wilshire Boulevard. Turn right on Wilshire, and the museum will be on your right.
Parking
There are parking lots on Wilshire, just across from the museum at Spaulding Avenue and at Ogden Drive. These lots charge a flat rate of $10 during the day, but they are free after 7 pm. If you’re lucky, you’ll nab one of the metered spots behind the museum (along 6th Street) that allow 4-hour parking from 8 am until 6 pm. Take lots of quarters with you. If you park in the parking structure, take a moment of silence for the previous parking structure, which featured historically significant murals by Margaret Kilgallen that were torn down. You can imagine what we think of that decision…
How to Get There—Mass Transit
MTA buses 20, 21, 217, and 720 all stop near the museum, on either Wilshire Boulevard or Fairfax Avenue.
| Arts & Entertainment • Getty Center |
General Information
| NFT Map: | 16 |
| Address: | 1200 Getty Center Dr Los Angeles, CA 90049 |
| Phone: | 310-440-7300 |
| Website: | www.getty.edu |
| Hours: | Tues–Fri & Sun: 10 am–5:30 pm Sat: 10 am–9 pm; Summer Fridays: 10 am–9 pm Closed Mondays and major holidays |
| Admission: | free, but parking is $15 |
Overview
Although the Getty stands as one of the most expensive museums in the world to build, it’s free for visitors. Even the $15 parking is a steal by LA standards (if you park in the residential areas you can just walk up to avoid the parking fee). Get in early, get a parking spot, and ride that tram up the hill to one of the most gorgeous places in Southern California. You don’t even need to see one piece of official art to be blown away.
Designed by Richard Meier, the J. Paul Getty Center is a multi-sensory experience. From the building’s amazing architecture to the Robert Irwin garden, which demands but afternoon stroll (or better yet, joining on one of the docent-led tours), the place is a work of art in itself.
Hip programs such as “Saturday Nights at the Getty” offer coolly eclectic music, readings, and screenings. Again, all of which are free. So what are you waiting for?
What to See
Oh, and there’s art, too. The original Getty Museum began as a place for oilman J. Paul Getty to hang his large collection of art. Most art critics agree that although Getty’s collecting habits proved prolific, his purchases were somewhat naïve. Though he never lived to see the museum’s current incarnation, he left behind a staggering trust fund that has allowed the Getty to aggressively add to the collection over the years. The permanent collection includes several Van Goghs, among them the Getty’s highest-profile acquisition, Irises. There are also Rembrandts, Cézannes, and a rare collaboration between Rubens and Brueghel. In addition to the mostly pre-20th-century paintings, the Getty boasts an impressive collection of photography from the late 1830s to the present. The ever-changing special exhibitions are a highlight of any visit to the Getty Center.
It may be impossible to see the entire collection in one visit—three hours is the absolute minimum you should plan on spending at the museum—and then there is the rest of the Getty Center. The Central Garden designed by Robert Irwin is intended to be (and most definitely is) a work of art on its own. The garden’s benches and chairs invite visitors to relax and enjoy the view, which includes the entire Santa Monica Bay. Pay attention to the sound of the stream; Irwin placed rocks from different parts of the world to create different sounds as you descend into the garden. Meier’s building design is also worth much more than a cursory look. The travertine marble used in the construction comes from the same source as that used to build the Coliseum in Rome and, if you look closely, you can sometimes spot fossils trapped inside the stone. Both highly trained aesthetes and novice admirers of beauty and design will notice and appreciate the sparseness and order of Meier’s main buildings in contrast with Irwin’s controlled chaos in the garden, which he re-landscapes seasonally.
If you can score yourself a library card to the research library (good luck!), you’ll have access to one of the most amazing libraries in Los Angeles—from old optical toys like kaleidoscopes to Allan Kaprow’s writings. There’s an eclectic array of magical things here.
Where to Eat
The remote location means that you’re basically limited to the Getty Center’s dining facilities, but luckily the options here are many and all quite good. At the high end, The Restaurant is open for lunch every day and serves dinner from 5 pm until 9 pm on Saturdays. Their menu is market-driven, so it changes frequently and serves healthy, California-style fare. Reservations are suggested and can be made online or by calling 310-440-6810. Same-day reservations are sometimes available through the Visitor Information Desk.
The Café is run by the same management as The Restaurant, making the same high-quality food available in a more casual self-service setting. The Café is open Tuesday—Friday from 11:30 am to 3 pm, Saturdays 11:30 am to 6 pm, and Sundays from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm. Additionally, the Garden Terrace Café is a seasonal self-serve dining facility that overlooks the Central Garden.
There are also several coffee carts around the complex that carry lunch items and snacks. Should you opt to brown-bag it, a picnic area is located at the lower tram station and is open until 30 minutes before closing time.
How to Get There—Driving
Since local streets are often blocked, the best way to get to the Getty is to make your way to the 405 and exit at Getty Center Drive. Follow the signs into the parking garage. Parking is $15, but students with ID park for free. Elevators for the parking garage are all color-coded, making it easy to remember where you’ve parked. Bonus points for Al Gore-lovin’ hybrid drivers: The Getty now has plug-ins for electric cars, so you can juice up your ride while checking out the art.
Once you park your car, you have two options for getting to the Getty Center. You can take the tram, which runs frequently, or you can walk to the top of the hill. Bear in mind that the walk is about a mile and at a very steep incline.
How to Get There—Mass Transit
MTA Bus 761 will drop you off right at the Getty’s entrance on Sepulveda Boulevard.
| Arts & Entertainment • Getty Villa |
General Information
| NFT Map: | 15 |
| Address: | 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 |
| Phone: | 310-440-7300 |
| Website: | www.getty.edu |
| Hours: | Wed–Mon 10 am–5 pm Closed Tuesdays and major holidays. |
| Admission: | Free (advanced, timed tickets required); Parking is $15, or $10 after 5 pm for any evening programs. |
Overview
Here’s some rare truth in advertising. The Getty Villa actually feels like a real villa. Built in the ‘70s, it was the home of the J. Paul Getty Museum before it made its jump to the hilltop structure off the 405. After some remodeling, it’s a it was transformed into a vivid reproduction of the 1st-century Villa del Papiri at Herculaneum in Italy. That means the main building surrounds a massive reflecting pool–filled peristyle (essentially a fancy courtyard with kick-ass columns; don’t worry, we had to look it up too), with gorgeous gardens and plenty of places to take a nice stroll. Inside said column-lined buildings there’s art from ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. An outdoor café and grassy areas that are just begging for a picnic or some lounging add to the whole leisurely Roman vibe. It’s almost like you’re part of the ruling empire all over again. Just don’t get too comfy; we all know what happened to them.
What to See
Naked statues with broken arms, of course. Okay, and much more. The Villa is home to nearly 44,000 antiquities with about 1,200 on display at any time. Beyond the permanent collections, which are arranged by theme to better communicate their history, the Villa’s exhibitions have included studies of glassmaking and architecture. Exhibitions are complemented by play readings, musical performances, demos, and other programs in a 250-seat auditorium or the old-school-like-a-Socratic-fool 450-seat outdoor classical theater. You don’t have to be classically inclined to drop some cash in the gift shop, which sells everything from 24k gold replicas of Roman jewelry to full gladiator getup for the 10-and-under set.
Where to Eat
Naturally, the Café at the Getty Villa specializes in Mediterranean fare: panini, pizzas, pastas, you know the drill. It’s open from 11 am to 3 pm on weekdays and 11 am to 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
If you just need a little nosh, the Espresso Cart near the Café entrance serves up coffee, cold drinks, and quicker food such as sandwiches and to-go salads. Why not get the most out of the great weather? See the Getty website for more information.
How to Get There—Driving
Sorry, you’re going to have to fight your way down the Pacific Coast Highway for this one. Even trickier, you can only enter the Getty Villa by going northbound and being in the right-hand lane of PCH. Just hang on tight and make the turn into the Getty’s parking lot (if you turn into the ocean, you went the wrong way). After that, the on-site parking structure is a snap.
How to Get There—Mass Transit
Los Angeles Metro Bus 534 stops near the Getty Villa entrance on Pacific Coast Highway. Potential Villa visitors should know that walk-ups are not permitted, and if you do take the bus, you must have your ticket to the Getty Villa hole-punched by the driver in order to be admitted. We’re not sure how stringent they are about this policy…but don’t say we didn’t warn you.
| Arts & Entertainment • Greek Theatre |
General Information
| NFT Map: | 4 |
| Address | 2700 N Vermont Ave (in Griffith Park) Los Angeles, CA 90027 |
| Hotline: | 323-665-1927 |
| Administration: | 323-665-5857 |
| Ticketmaster: | 213-480-3232 |
| Website: | www.greektheatrela.com |
Overview
While the Hollywood Bowl will always be LA’s premier outdoor venue, the Greek Theatre is a close second, thanks largely to its gorgeous location. The Greek still leans heavily on safe nostalgia acts, but in recent years, it’s booked more music that those under 30 can appreciate without irony. Tom Jones still plays here, but so do the Flaming Lips, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and others who aren’t pulling down Social Security.
Nestled up in Griffith Park, this sylvan amphitheater always feels cooler and less smoggy than the rest of the city. The Greek Theatre is about a third of the size of the Bowl, and twice as bucolic. If the weather’s right, the sky can be so clear that you might actually be able to impress your date by pointing out Orion and Polaris—forgetting that you’re in LA all together. No wonder the Coachella set is getting hip to the place. The Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie, even Ashlee Simpson have all decided to go Greek during recent tours. None have trashed the place—yet.
How to Get There—Driving
From the 10, exit at Vermont and drive north to Griffith Park. From the 101 heading north, exit at Vermont Avenue. Turn right onto Vermont and follow it into Griffith Park. From the 101 heading south, exit at Vine Street. Go straight under the underpass, and you will be going east on Franklin Avenue. When you reach Western Avenue, turn left. Western will curve to the right and turn into Los Feliz Boulevard. Turn left at Vermont, and follow it into Griffith Park.
Parking
$15 at the Greek Theatre will buy you the stacked parking option (read: you can’t leave until everyone around you does). For $50 you can get valet, allowing you to leave whenever the heck you want. Call 323-665-5857 to make advance reservations 10 am to 6 am Monday through Friday. The Greek has also partnered up with several Los Feliz restaurants to offer “Dine and Ride,” which offers concert-goers parking, dinner, and a shuttle to the show for around $55. Check out the dining options and availability at www.dineandride.com. If you’re really sly, you can score parallel parking along the many side roads around the Greek. This option costs $10 and you can leave whenever you want. Free shuttles will take you from your parking spot to the venue. If you’re making a date of it and you’re game for a stroll, parking on lively, venue-packed Hillhurst is also an option.
How to Get Tickets
The Greek Theatre’s box office only sells tickets in person. They are open Mon-Fri, 12 pm to 6 pm, Saturday 10 am to 4 pm, and are closed on Sunday. Tickets to all events are also available through Ticketmaster: www.ticketmaster.com, 800-745-3000.
| Arts & Entertainment • Hollywood Bowl |
General Information
| NFT Map: | 3 |
| Address: | 2301 N Highland Ave Hollywood, CA 90068 |
| General Information: | 323-850-2000 |
| Website: | www.hollywoodbowl.com |
| Ticketmaster: | 213-480-3232 |
Overview
You know the final scene in Beaches, where the divine Miss M sings Wind Beneath My Wings in that amazingly panoramic concert setting with impeccable acoustics? Yup, that’s the Hollywood Bowl. This historic and beloved concert venue is another wonder of that sweet Hollywood magic. It’s mere yards away from the 101 freeway, yet it feels like another world. Pack up your own food (and booze) take the hike up to the amphitheater seats, and soak up the sounds of Beethoven, something tasty from the Playboy Jazz Festival, or—if you prefer the hipper route—a mature mash-up such as The Decemberists with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
The bowl originally opened in 1922, although its signature “shell” recently endured a much-needed face-lift and debuted with improved acoustics in 2004. The official season runs from June through mid-September when fireworks light up the weekend and some twists on classical tunes (how about Bugs Bunny on Broadway?) make it a welcome event even for the uninitiated. In other words, it’s the place to bring anyone you want to impress—from your parents to that special someone. The program is varied and less expensive than you might think. So much so, it’s almost amazing how many Angelenos haven’t been to the Bowl. Don’t let yourself be one of them.
How to Get There—Driving
The Hollywood Bowl is located on Highland Avenue, just north of Franklin Avenue. From the 10, exit at La Brea, and drive north. Turn right at Franklin Avenue, and head east until you reach Highland Avenue. Make a left turn, and the Bowl will be just ahead on your left. From the 101, exit at Highland Avenue and follow the signs to the Bowl.
Parking
There are a stingy 2,800 on-site parking spaces for an 18,000-seat amphitheater. If that doesn’t stop you from wanting to park, you have to deal with pricey stacked parking lots operated by the Bowl. Parking rates range from $17 to $35. There are many privately run lots open for business when there’s a concert, but skip those rip-offs. The way to do it is by parking at the Hollywood & Highland lot, validating your ticket at mall customer service (or picking up a quick snack), and walking up the hill with your picnic basket. You definitely won’t be alone. It’s cheaper, less difficult for the return trip home, and besides, a little exercise never killed anyone.
How to Get There—Mass Transit
The Park & Ride service, available for all “LA Phil Presents” concerts, lets you park at one of 14 lots around town and ride a shuttle to the Bowl for $5, round-trip (when purchased in advance; on-board purchases cost $10). The Bowl Shuttle service offers free parking at four different locations and a $5 round-trip shuttle every 15 minutes or so starting 2.5 hours before show time. For Park & Ride and Bowl Shuttle information, visit the “Getting to the Bowl” section of www.metro.net.
The MTA Hollywood Bowl Shuttle (line 163) offers non-stop service to and from the Bowl when there’s a concert. Catch the bus at Hollywood and Argyle, steps away from the Hollywood/Vine Metro Rail Red Line stop. The shuttle is free with a round-trip Metro Rail ticket. You can also take the 156 bus from the San Fernando Valley or downtown. 800-266-6883; visit www.mta.net.
Where to Eat
Fill your basket with Trader Joe’s Camembert, dry salami, and a bottle of two-buck-Chuck and join the thousands munching en plein air before the concert. Picnic areas open up to four hours before the concert, and tables are first come-first serve. If DIY is not your thing, the Hollywood Bowl offers a variety of overpriced dining choices, all owned and operated by Patina at the Bowl, part of chef Joachim Splichal’s catering and restaurant empire. Whether it’s lobster and Veuve Clicquot at the exclusive Pool Circle or popcorn from a concession stand, you will find something to simultaneously ease your hunger pangs and the weight of your wallet. The Rooftop Grill offers sit-down service pre-concert, and the two Marketplace outlets sell sushi and other foodie nibbles to go.
Tickets
Subscription series go on sale earlier than individual seats for all “LA Phil Presents” concerts, and subscribers can add individual tickets to their orders before the general public. Individual tickets go on sale in May. Prices in those coveted box seats can approach $100 per person most nights, but the Bowl still offers their famous $1 seats for many concerts. Call the box office at 323-850-2000 or visit www.hollywoodbowl.com. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster.
| Arts & Entertainment • Dolby Theatre |
General Information
| NFT Map: | 3 |
| Address: | 6801 Hollywood Blvd Hollywood, CA 90028 |
| Box Office: | 323-308-6300 |
| Ticketmaster: | 213-480-3232 |
| Website: | www.dolbytheatre.com |
Overview
The Dolby Theatre (formerly the Kodak Theatre) hosts two of Hollywood’s most important events: the Academy Awards and the American Idol finale. It’s location right in the heart of the Hollywood & Highland entertainment complex means that visitors can also engage in another quintessential LA activity: shopping.
Not everything that takes place on its hallowed stage is Oscar-worthy. Kathy Griffin regularly slags on Hollywood phonies in her one-woman shows, and Sesame Street Live is a more typical Dolby attraction. But that’s Hollywood for ya—sometimes you get an Oscar, and sometimes you get Elmo.
Drawbacks that lessen the venue’s cred include seats in the upper levels (the only ones that you can usually afford) raked at an alarmingly high angle and the fact that the red carpet for the Academy Awards actually rolls out through a mall. Those looking for some Hollywood magic are advised to shell out the money for a guided tour (adults $17, students & seniors $12).
The good news? The Hollywood & Highland entertainment complex, which houses the Dolby, is slowly improving with more shops and eateries like the ubiquitous California Pizza Kitchen. And if you want to balance a night of theater with a little trashiness, there’s always Hooters across the street.
How to Get There—Driving
The Dolby Theatre is part of the Hollywood & Highland complex, found—surprise!—at the corner of Hollywood & Highland. From most parts of Los Angeles, the easiest way to reach this behemoth is via the 101 Freeway. Avoid the Highland Avenue exit if you can—it’s always congested. Try the Cahuenga exit and head west on Hollywood Blvd, followed by a right onto Highland. Enter the parking garage via Highland next to the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. From the south, you may want to avoid significant traffic by taking the 10 to La Brea Avenue and heading north. Take La Brea all the way up to Franklin Avenue and turn right, then make another right onto Highland Avenue. Drive south until you reach the entrance for the parking garage.
Parking
The closest parking facility for the Dolby is the Hollywood & Highland parking garage. Escalators from said garage will deliver you virtually to the Dolby Theatre’s doorstep and any merchant in the mall will validate your parking, making it a bargain at just $2 for two hours. (Valet parking is also available for an additional $6.) The parking garage is undoubtedly your best bet, as long as you don’t forget to get validated and you don’t mind the deep, cavernous, and impossibly designed structure.
If you’ve got a little extra time, however, there are several lots that can be entered from Hollywood Boulevard that cater to the tourists who have come to see the Walk of Fame. Rates vary and tend to get more expensive as night falls and nightclubbers come out to play.
How to Get There—Mass Transit
The Metro Red Line stops at the Hollywood/Highland Station. This may actually be the easiest option for people coming from the Valley, especially when Highland Avenue backs up during Hollywood Bowl season. The 156, 212, 217, 312, and 717 buses also stop in the immediate vicinity of the Dolby. Once there, the convenient Holly Trolley can shuttle you around Hollywood between Highland and Vine for a mere dollar (free for LADOT Pass Holders).
How to Get Tickets
The box office at the Dolby Theatre, located on level one of the Hollywood & Highland center, is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm, and on Sundays from 10 am until 4 pm. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster.
| Arts & Entertainment • Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk |
General Information
| NFT Map: | 57 |
| Address: | 100 Universal City Plz Universal City, CA 91608 |
| Box Office: | 818-622-4440 |
| Ticketmaster: | 213-252-8497 |
| Website: | www.citywalkhollywood.com/concerts.php |
Overview
You may not see it at first blush, but the lengthily titled Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk has a pretty rich history. It was originally an outdoor stunt stage for Universal Studios, then it was turned into an outdoor amphitheater hosting the likes of the Grateful Dead and Frank Sinatra before getting a roof in 1982, then a name change and new decor.
After all of that, the 6,000-seat Gibson stands as a medium-sized venue for medium-sized bands (either on their way to stardom or on their way, uh, down). In other words, this is the best place to catch everything from a packaged metal or reggaeton tour to any band that “VH1 Classic Presents” would get behind (think The O’Jays to Ringo Starr). The best thing about the place? Location, location, location. The adjoining Universal CityWalk is bigger than ever, offering plenty of places to eat and drink beforehand, making that whole dinner-and-a-show thing all the easier.
How to Get There—Driving
The Gibson Amphitheatre is located right outside the gates of the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, just off the 101 Freeway. If you are coming from the north, take the 101 S and exit at Lankershim Boulevard. Turn left onto Cahuenga Boulevard and make a left onto Universal Center Drive. From there, head up the hill to the parking facilities. From the south, take the 101 N and exit at Universal Center Drive. Turn right at the first traffic light and drive up the hill to the parking facilities.
Parking
General parking at Universal CityWalk is $15 before 3 pm and $10 thereafter, while preferred parking ranges from $20-$25. Validated valet parking costs $3 for the first hour, $8 for the first 90 minutes, and $3 per half hour thereafter. Without validation, valet parking is $14 for the first half hour and $3 for each half hour after that. Restaurants at Universal CityWalk provide validation for parking, but concession stands inside the Amphitheatre do not. Or, park for free at the Kiss & Ride lot adjacent to the Metro Red Line. Walk across the street from the subway station and get on the free shuttle up the hill to CityWalk, the theme park and Amphitheatre. Make sure to note what time the last shuttle leaves!
How to Get There—Mass Transit
The Universal City Metro Red Line stop is located just across Lankershim Boulevard from the Universal Studios entrance. If you cross the street from the subway station, the free shuttle mentioned above will take you up the hill to CityWalk, the theme park and Amphitheatre.
MTA buses 96, 150, 152, 156, 166, 240, and 750 also run to the Universal City Station.
How to Get Tickets
You can call the box office hotline at 818-622-4440 to hear what shows are playing. Tickets for most events are available through Ticketmaster, the Gibson Amphitheatre Main box office, or the CityWalk box office. The Gibson box office is open Thurs-Mon, 1 pm to 9pm and is closed Tues-Wed. The Universal CityWalk box office is open Sun-Thurs, 1 pm to 8:45 pm and Fri-Sat, from 1 pm to 10:30 pm.
| Arts & Entertainment • Music Center |
General Information
| NFT Map: | 9 |
| Address: | 135 N Grand Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012 |
| Phone: | 213-972-7211 |
| Website: | www.musiccenter.org |
Overview
The Music Center brings world-renowned actors, dancers, and classical musicians to its four main venues in downtown LA. Whether it’s a classic production of La Bohème or a new composition by John Adams, the Music Center’s resident companies add much-appreciated artistic gravitas to the city.
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The curving stainless-steel exterior of Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, erected October 2003, is now an iconic Southland image. The Los Angeles Philharmonic, infused with new energy by its young music director Gustavo Dudamel, routinely sells out the house. Catching a concert in the state-of-the-art auditorium is something everyone in LA should experience at least once. Steep tickets prices are a paltry excuse: $17 can buy you a seat in the choral bench section, where you can look over the musicians’ shoulders and follow along with their scores. These cheap seats are available by phone or at the Grand Avenue box office starting at noon on the Tuesday two weeks before the week of the concert. They sell out within 30 minutes and are not available for all performances. For more information on the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Walt Disney Concert Hall, including schedules and tickets, visit www.laphil.com, or call 323-850-2000.
Under the baton of musical director Grant Gershon, the Grammy-nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale sings everything from avant-garde opera such as 2007’s wildly popular, multimedia “Tristan Project,” to Handel’s Messiah (yes, you can sing along) in a hall that gives new meaning to “surround sound.” $10 Student Rush seats (obstructed view) are available to students with valid ID at the box office two hours before every performance on a cash-only, one-ticket-per-person basis. For Master Chorale schedules and tickets, visit www.lamc.org, or call 213-972-7282.
REDCAT
Short for the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater & Gallery, REDCAT is a slick black-box theater and art gallery operated by the California Institute of the Arts. REDCAT boasts an impressively diverse season of live performances and films highlighting innovative up-and-comers and cutting-edge performance artists from around the world. $10 Student Rush tickets are available at the box office 30 minutes before most performances on a cash-only, one-per-person (with ID) basis. The lobby houses a nice café/bookstore as well as an open gallery space that shows a range of innovative installations. For REDCAT schedules and tickets, visit www.redcat.org, or call 213-237-2800.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
The 3,197-seat Chandler, located on the southern end of the Music Center plaza, is home to the Los Angeles Opera and Music Center Dance programs. LA Opera, led by Plácido Domingo and music director James Conlon, presents greatest hits, new works, and intimate vocal recitals with stars like Renée Fleming. $25 Student and half-price Senior Rush Tickets go on sale from 10–Noon for matinees and 4-6 pm for evening performances on a cash-only, one-per-person basis (with valid ID only). Visit www.laopera.com, or call 213-972-8001 for LA Opera tickets and schedules. The company drew international attention in 2010 when it mounted an innovative production of Wagner’s Ring cycle.
Dance at the Music Center is the organization responsible for bringing famed troupes such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the American Ballet Theatre to the Chandler’s stage. Student and Senior Rush Tickets priced $10–$15 are available at the Chandler box office two hours prior to curtain on a cash-only, one-per-person basis (with valid ID only). For more information, visit www.musiccenter.org, or call 213-972-0711.
Mark Taper Forum & Ahmanson Theatre
Center Theatre Group produces high-profile musicals, dramas, and comedies on the stages of the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre, most of which are on their way to or from Broadway. Purchase tickets for either venue at the Ahmanson’s box office, located on the north end of the Music Center plaza, or buy online. $12 rush tickets (balcony level) are available two hours before most performances on a cash-only, two-per-person basis. The Hot Tix! discount offers a certain percentage of tickets to each show for only $20. For more information on Center Theatre Group, including schedules and tickets, visit www.centertheatregroup.org or call 213-628-2772. Non-affiliated, half-priced ticket consolidators abound, too. Check out Plays411.com or LAStageTix.com for discounts.
Where to Eat/Shop
The Patina Group operates all Music Center restaurants and concessions. Kendall’s Brasserie & Bar, located on N Grand Avenue under the Chandler, has an impressive selection of imported beers and tasty French fare. Both the casual grab-and-go Spotlight Café and the sit-down burger spot Pinot Grill are centrally located between the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Mark Taper Forum. Across First Street, the Walt Disney Concert Hall has a ho-hum sandwich shop in the lobby, so instead we recommend visitors try the wonderfully inventive and delicious meals prepared by super chef Joachim Splichal’s fine-dining flagship, Patina. For more information on Patina’s restaurants, visit www.patinagroup.com. REDCAT’s minimal-yet-cozy Lounge is independently operated and serves snacks, coffee drinks, and cocktails.
The LA Phil Store is located in the Walt Disney Concert Hall lobby and sells gifts for music aficionados and architecture buffs, including T-shirts, jewelry, music recordings, and books. REDCAT, too, has a tiny giftshop specializing in art theory and biographies.
How To Get There—Driving
The Music Center is located in downtown Los Angeles near the intersection of the 110 and the 101 freeways.
Chandler/Ahmanson/Taper (135 N Grand Ave)
110 N and 110 S: Exit Temple, turn left on Temple, right on Grand, then turn right into the Music Center garage.
101 N: Exit at Grand, turn right on Grand, and turn right into the Music Center garage.
101 S: Exit on Temple, turn left on Temple, right on Grand, and turn right into the Music Center garage.
Walt Disney Concert Hall (111 S Grand Ave)
From 110 N: Exit on Fourth, continue straight, turn left on lower Grand, pass Kosciuszko, and turn left into the WDCH parking garage.
From 110 S: Exit at Hill, continue past Temple, turn right on First, left on Olive, right on Kosciuszko, right on lower Grand, and left into the WDCH parking garage.
From 101 N: Exit on Grand before the 110 interchange, turn right on Grand, right on Second, and right into the WDCH parking garage.
From 101 S: Exit at Temple, go straight onto Hope, turn left at Second Place, merge onto Kosciuszko from the middle lane, turn left on lower Grand, and turn left into the WDCH parking garage.
Parking
For self-parking at the Chandler, Ahmanson, or Taper, use the Music Center garage located on Grand Avenue between Temple and 1st Streets. Daytime parking costs $3.50 for every 15 minutes with a $20 maximum, while the evening/event rate (after 4:30 pm for evening performances, two hours prior to matinee performances, and weekends all day) costs $9. Valet parking is available on Hope Street for $23.
The parking area located directly beneath WDCH has two entrances; one on 2nd Street and one on lower Grand Avenue. Valet parking is available on Hope Street for $23.
If you’re buying or picking up tickets for any venue, the box office will validate for 30 minutes of free parking.
Additional parking options are within walking distance. County Lot 17 on Olive Street has parking for $8, DWP charges $5 (enter on Hope Street or 1st Street), or cruise through County Mall Parking VIP-style, with their underground tunnel to the Music Center Garage (enter on Grand Avenue) for $8.
How To Get There—Mass Transit
The Metro Red Line stops at the Civic Center/Tom Bradley Station at First & Hill Streets, two blocks east of the Music Center. Metro Blue, Green, and Gold Lines connect with the Red Line.
Many bus lines stop near the center—consult the service providers listed below for routes and schedules.
MTA: 800-266-6883, www.metro.net
Foothill Transit: 800-743-3463, www.foothilltransit.org
Metrolink: 800-371-5465, www.metrolinktrains.com
Big Blue Bus: 310-451-5444, www.bigbluebus.com
| Arts & Entertainment • The Wiltern Theatre |
General Information
| NFT Map: | 7 |
| Address: | 3790 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90010 |
| Phone: | 213-388-1400 |
| Box Office: | 213-380-5005 |
| Ticketmaster: | 213-480-3232 |
| Website: | www.livenation.comvenues/14361/the-wiltern |
Overview
The Wiltern is undeniably one of LA’s most beloved landmarks, with its trademark blue neon sign and imposing marquee watching over Wilshire Boulevard. With its omnipresent line snaked around the building, the Wiltern looks like the hottest concert venue in town. A $1.5 million renovation in 2002 knocked out the lower level’s 1,200 permanent seats to make room for a first-come, first-served general admission area. So when Death Cab for Cutie or Feist come to town, you can guarantee every indie-loving teenager from LA to the OC will be lined up for that prime pit spot. Don’t worry, there is permanent seating available in the balcony for those who prefer to rock from their chairs.
The building’s Art Deco architecture is so snazzy that the place was declared an official City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, and its moderate size makes it a great place to catch a band before they hit arena status. As the Wiltern is located in the heart of K-town, you can follow up that perfect Black Keys show with some delicious Korean barbeque and raucous karaoke.
How to Get There—Driving
Any number of east-west streets will take you to Western Avenue. The Wiltern is at the corner of Western and Wilshire. From the 10, exit at Western Avenue and drive north until you reach Wilshire Boulevard. The venue will be on your right. From the 101, use the Santa Monica Boulevard/Western Avenue exit and take Western south to Wilshire.
Parking
There are a number of parking lots in the area and limited street parking on and around Wilshire Boulevard. A large parking structure is available right behind the theater, which can be accessed from Oxford or Western. Lots generally charge between $8 and $20.
How to Get There—Mass Transit
The Metro Red Line is a convenient and inexpensive way to reach the Wiltern and avoid paying for parking. The Wilshire/Western station is just across Wilshire from the theatre. A number of buses also access the Wiltern. Bus 720 runs along Wilshire Boulevard, while buses 207 and 357 run on Western Avenue. Routes 18 and 209 also stop near the theater.
How to Get Tickets
Buy tickets online or by phone through Ticketmaster. Or, skip the exorbitant fees and go straight to the box office—it’s open three hours prior to showtimes.
| Arts & Entertainment • Bergamot Station |
General Information
| NFT Map: | 19 |
| Address: | 2525 Michigan Ave Santa Monica, CA 90404 |
| Bergamot Website: | www.bergamotstation.com |
| Hours: | Tues-Fri: 10 am—6pm, Sat: 11 am—5:30 pm, Closed Sun & Mon |
| Admission: | Free |
Overview
Though one of the older fixtures of contemporary art in Los Angeles, Bergamot Station is still its own little “art walk” offering an interesting one-stop artistic experience. Originally a stop on the now nonexistent Red Car trolley system in the early twentieth century. Bergamot Station spent most of the last fifty years in a variety of incarnations from celery-packing facility to ice-making plant. After it was abandoned, the City of Santa Monica wisely saw the area’s potential and asked developer Wayne Black to find an artistic use for the property. Boy, did he. By 1994, Bergamot Station was up and running as the largest art gallery complex and cultural center in Southern California. It now stands as eight acres of ideas, hopes, inspiration, and gratis wine and cheese (when you pop in for one of the many openings, that is).
What to See
Bergamot Station is home to almost forty galleries, each with its own personality. Rose Gallery deals in photographs and has shown a diverse line-up of artists from Manuel Alvarez Bravo to Wim Wenders. Patrick Painter, who shows Bas Jan Ader, is known for posthumously creating “new” works by deceased artists for profit’s sake (undeniably unethical, but money does run the art-world). Track 16 focuses on modern and contemporary art and has featured artists like Karen Finley and Man Ray. The Gallery of Functional Art definitely shows art—but art that often doubles as furniture or lighting. Suzanne Felsen’s unique jewelry is art by any definition of the word. One of the first Bergamot Galleries, the Shoshana Wayne Gallery, showcases artists such as Yoko Ono and Philip Argent. There is an eclectic variety to be seen at Bergamot Station and our advice is to use the complex as it was intended—park and stroll from one gallery to the next. If you keep a brisk pace, you can get through everything in an hour or two, but to get the most out of Bergamot Station, we would suggest spending an entire afternoon.
In addition to the galleries, Bergamot Station has several other tenants of note, including the Santa Monica Museum of Art. This non-collecting museum always features truly unique exhibits. Santa Monica Auctions features live art auctions of works by major artists. Hiromi Paper International is a retail shop that sells just one thing—paper. Hiromi’s papers range from offbeat to exquisite, and most are so gorgeous that it would be a shame to write on them.
Where to Eat
Bergamot Café remains the complex’s only option for breakfast or lunch. It’s open Monday from 9 am until 4 pm, Tuesday through Friday from 9 am until 5 pm, and on Saturday from 10 am until 5 pm. They mainly serve sandwiches and salads. www.bergamotcafe.com.
There are also some excellent restaurants in the area for a more leisurely lunch or a post-gallery dinner.
• Il Moro, 11400 W Olympic Blvd, 310-575-3530. Delicious pastas and Italian entrees.
• LA Farm, 3000 W Olympic Blvd, 310-449-4000. California-style cuisine in a beautiful patio setting.
• Hop Li, 11901 Santa Monica Blvd, 310-268-2463. Your favorite Chinese dishes, with an emphasis on fish and seafood.
How to Get There—Driving
Located on Michigan Avenue in Santa Monica, just east of Cloverfield Boulevard, Bergamot Station is easily accessed from the 10 by exiting at Cloverfield/26th Street. Turn right at the first traffic light, Michigan Avenue, and stay on Michigan until it dead ends. The entrance to Bergamot Station will be on your left.
If you’re taking surface streets, Olympic Boulevard is usually the best bet. Take Olympic to Cloverfield and turn left, then turn left again on Michigan Avenue. Bergamot Station is at the end of the street on the left-hand side.
| Arts & Entertainment • Movie Theaters |
Los Angeles, the world’s other film capital (we tip our hats to prolific Bollywood with awe and respect), is a movie-goer’s paradise, offering a huge assortment of theaters playing old, new, revival foreign, indie, gay, and silent films (and, of course, the rare gay-foreign-silent trifecta). The sprawling range of genres and theaters that cater to the movie-obsessed ensures that whatever your passion, you’re bound to find something in this town to sate your cinematic tastes.
Palaces
Once you make it past the costumed Jack Sparrow and Spider-Man, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (Map 3) really is a sight to be seen, having recently been remodeled and featuring state-of-the-art everything. The ArcLight Hollywood (Map 3) is civilized movie-going at its best with assigned seating, one of the best sound and picture systems in the world, and alcohol friendly 21-and-over screenings (but at a cost: $16 on Friday and Saturday nights; $13.75 otherwise). While the Hollywood location features the historic Cinerama Dome, ArcLight also has branches in Pasadena, Sherman Oaks, and El Segundo. The Bridge: Cinema de Lux (Map 26) offers similar amenities to the Arclight but on the Westside. Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14 (Map 2) is big on swank and style and the new AMC Century 15 (Map 20) is satisfyingly super-sized, though the Saturday-night crowds tend to be, as well. The Vista Theatre (Map 4) in Silver Lake has leg-room galore and a beautiful, if kitschy, Egyptian theme. The AMC Magic Johnson Theatre 15 (Map 10) in Baldwin Hills is also pleasingly palatial.
Jewel-Boxes
If you are of a certain age, it’s possible that your love of film was born in a real theater—not at home in front of the VCR—watching something by Bergman, de Sica, or Renoir. If so, there are a handful of movie houses in LA where you can recapture some of that delicate, old-school thrill—regardless of what contemporary film might be playing. In this category we place the Landmark Regent (Map 20), NuArt (Map 19), and Rialto (Map 34) theatres. The Laemmle Music Hall 3 (Map 6) and Royal (Map 19) theaters, as well as the intimate Aero Theater (Map 18) in Santa Monica, are also excellent in that capacity. Many of these old theaters do not have parking lots, so give yourself extra time.
Shoe Boxes
At $10 or more per ticket, we felt it irresponsible not to mention that some theaters are inherently disappointing in their size or layout. We cast no aspersions on their programming (most of which is beyond reproach), but want you to be prepared for smallish screens and/or unusual spatial configurations at Westside Pavilion Cinemas (Map 23), the Five Star Theaters Los Feliz 3 (Map 4), and the Loews Beverly Center 13 (Map 2).
Independent
Laemmle and Landmark theaters are located throughout the city and can be counted on to play the low-budget, independent, foreign, or controversial film that you’ve been waiting to see. The Five Star Theaters Los Feliz 3 (Map 4) on Vermont screens a nice mix of indie and big-budget pictures, with a Wednesday “Mommy and Me” matinee at 10:30 am.
Bargains
The Academy 6 (Map 35) in Pasadena gives you a second chance to see first-run films you missed a month or so ago, as well as independent/foreign films that you might not have seen at all—tickets are as low as $2 if you go before six o’clock. Seven dollars will buy you admission to a double feature of second-run movies at the somewhat sketchy Vine Theatre (Map 3) (enter at your own risk); the two films are often oddly paired, though—an R-rated thriller and a G-rated animated feature, for instance. Also billing double features—although this movie match-up is strictly revival—is the enduringly popular New Beverly Cinema (Map 2), where for $8, or $6 for seniors and children under 12. You can see two by Godard or a couple of spaghetti westerns.
Specialty
Every summer, the Los Angeles Conservancy presents classic films (Roman Holiday, anyone? North by Northwest?) in the historic theaters downtown on Broadway as part of their “Last Remaining Seats” program (on the web at www.laconservancy.org). For art films, with or without a narrative, check out the current listings at REDCAT (Map 9) at Disney Hall. he Bing Theater at LACMA frequently shows films that correspond to the museum’s many exhibits. LACMA also hosts the occasional film series as well as talks with legendary actors and directors.
Grauman’s Egyptian Theater (Map 3) has been carefully restored to its 1922 grandeur by the folks of American Cinematheque, who also call this famous landmark their home; the theater features a veritable feast of film-geek favorites—director’s cuts, anniversary specials, and films not on video. Summer screenings at Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Map 3) allow film buffs to actually sit on the grave of the matinee idol projected on the screen while enjoying wine and cheese with hundreds of fellow Angelenos (check www.cinespia.org for details). While not technically a theater, Cinespace (Map 3), a bar and restaurant in Hollywood, shows films nightly. Pacific El Capitan (Map 3) theater across from Grauman’s Chinese is a grand old palace owned by Disney and presents Disney films exclusively. Last, but certainly not least, is the historic Silent Movie Theatre (Map 2) on Fairfax. The Bing Theater at LACMA is the only remaining silent theater in the world and has drawn in curious audiences for over sixty years with a bill of pre-talkie films and the murderous legend surrounding the theater. Its programming has been gloriously and eclectically revitalized by the non-profit group Cinefamily; Silent Wednesdays now co-exist with Dennis Hopper marathons and a screening of Beat Street (with original NWA DJ Arabian Prince on the ones and twos during intermission).
| Arts & Entertainment • Museums |
LA’s cultural diversity is reflected by its tremendous array of museums scattered through the city. From dinosaur bones to fairy skeletons, Andy Warhol to Uta Barth, the Abstract Expressionism to Japanese prints, there are plenty of ways to get your ‘edu-tainment’ fix.
Large/City
At the heart of the Miracle Mile is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Map 6), or LACMA, with its comprehensive collection including Renaissance masterpieces, costumes and textiles, and African beadwork. The museum hosts weekly jazz and chamber music concerts and its Bing Theater shows documentaries and revival films. The Page Museum (Map 6), part of the LACMA campus, showcases fossils recovered from the La Brea Tar Pits that bubble nearby. In Brentwood, escape the hellish 405 and ascend by computer-operated tram to the Getty Center (Map 16), a heavenly museum complex perched on a hilltop. The permanent collection includes works by Van Gogh, Cézanne, and Rembrandt, but the museum’s spectacular views, gardens, and architecture steal the show. As it’s one of the city’s few free museums, all you’ll pay for is parking. The Getty’s sister museum, the Getty Villa in Malibu, re-opened its collection of antiquities in the winter of 2006. Downtown’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) (Map 9) owns works by Lichtenstein, Rauschenberg, and Rothko and hosts hip opening-night parties. The The Autry National Center in Griffith Park mounts fascinating exhibits on subjects like the art of rawhide braiding and Jewish life along the Santa Fe Trail. Kids love to visit the creepy-crawly insect zoo at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles (Map 11) in Exposition Park. In San Marino, bask in the glorious gardens at the Huntington (Map 35), but don’t miss the institution’s world-renowned art and rare manuscript collections.
Small Collections
The Norton Simon Museum (Map 34) in Pasadena houses a fine private collection of European, American, and Asian art, including many of the bronze sculptures in Edgar Degas’s Dancer series. Work by famed Harlem Renaissance artist Palmer C. Hayden is on display at the Museum of African American Art (Map 10) in Crenshaw. UCLA’s recently remodeled Hammer Museum (Map 20) shows this year’s cutting-edge artwork alongside last century’s masterpieces. For a family field trip, try the Craft & Folk Art Museum (Map 6) or the Zimmer Children’s Museum (Map 6) on Wilshire’s Museum Row.
Specialty
Confront the past at the Museum of Tolerance (Map 23), where interactive exhibits focus on the Holocaust and the American civil rights movement. The Japanese American National Museum (Map 9) in Little Tokyo hosts taiko drummers, sumi-e lessons, and special exhibitions such as the recent Isamu Noguchi retrospective. Indulge your favorite hot-rod historian at the Petersen Automotive Museum (Map 6) near LACMA. The Los Angeles Police Historical Society (Map 33) displays bullets older than your grandfather, and the photos at the African American Firefighter Museum (Map 9) reveal the role played by black firefighters in the history of Los Angeles. Complete with its very own exit off the 405, the Skirball Cultural Center (Map 54) is a premier Jewish cultural organization that offers socially relevant exhibitions along with regular musical and literary events.
Oddities
Culver City’s Museum of Jurassic Technology (Map 24) is one of the most unique places in the city and home to those aforementioned fairy skeletons and other peculiarities. Next door to the MJT is CLUI (Center for Land Use Interpretation) (Map 24), a great exhibition space dedicated to the theme of land usage across the country. While not technically a museum, the LA County Coroner’s Gift Shop, Skeletons in the Closet (See Shopping, Map 40), is a must-shop experience for the macabre or anyone looking for a chalk body outline beach towel. The Paley Center for Media (Map 1), as implied by the name, is a must see for media fanatics. The Museum of Neon Art (Map 9) is just what it sounds like and expectedly trippy.
| Arts & Entertainment • Bookstores |
General New/Used
LA’s humongous selection of bookstores makes it easy to blow your grocery money on hardcovers, even without a visit to the local Barnes & Noble. As the state’s economy ails, Southern California has seen some of its most beloved bookstores go out of business, including the small independent chain Dutton’s and the legendary Acres of Books in Long Beach. If you love rummaging used book shops, this is a terrific time to spend some scratch in them.
Vroman’s (Map 34) in Pasadena is over a century old, but its collection is as large and current as those of the big chains. Brand Bookshop (Map 51) in Glendale lures customers with its eccentric window display (edible insect cookbook, anyone?) and keeps them turning the pages with over 100,000 used and out-of-print titles in every category imaginable. Across the street, you’ll find Bookfellows, aka Mystery of Imagination (Map 51), which specializes in collectable genre paperbacks (Thrills! Horror! Here and there, unintentionally hilarious smut!) but runs the pulp gamut.
Small New/Used
Skylight Books (Map 4) in Los Feliz has a well-edited collection of literary fiction, travel, local-interest, and film books, a resident kitty cat dozing in the window, and an impressive monthly lineup of literary events. Small World Books (Map 21) in Venice combines a fine selection of new titles with an ideal beachfront location. Downtown’s Caravan Bookstore (Map 9), the last of the old Bookseller’s Row shops, carries rare and out-of-print works. Also downtown, the Last Bookstore attracts a hip clientele by offering coffee and vinyl LPs alongside its large collection of used books. Not ready to buy? Libros Schmibros in Boyle Heights doubles as a lending library.
Specialty
If you’re into something, odds are there’s a bookshop that’ll suit your interests. An intriguing selection of maps, travel guides, and photography books at Distant Lands (Map 34) in Pasadena inspires journeys by plane, train, or armchair. Likewise, West Hollywood’s Traveler’s Bookcase (Map 2) shelves over 14,000 books to stimulate your wanderlust. Eso Won Books (Map 11) in Baldwin Hills specializes in African-American literature and hosts frequent signings. Dawson’s Book Shop (Map 3) in Hollywood is the source for antiquarian books on California history, Western Americana, and photography, and its gallery exhibits the likes of Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Eadweard Muybridge. The sleek Equator Books (Map 21) on Venice’s trendy Abbot-Kinney strip specializes in rare and collectible coffee table tomes on surfing, call girls, and circus freaks.
West Hollywood is a microcosm of LA’s literary scene, supporting a mind-boggling range of special interest bookstores. Cook’s Library (Map 2) on 3rd Street stocks thousands of cookery books for Ferran Adria wannabes. Mystery Pier (Map 2), located on the Sunset Strip, is an antiquarian shop of the highest caliber, stocking first editions of American and British literature with an impressive collection of mystery and true crime titles. You can spend a day meditating in the stacks at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore (Map 2) on Melrose, purveyor of metaphysical titles both new and recycled. Check out the collection of dried herbs and crystal pendants along with the ethereal tomes. On Santa Monica, A Different Light (Map 2) caters to the area’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities. Circus of Books in Silver Lake (Map 4) and West Hollywood (Map 2) has a large collection of gay erotica and pornography as well as zines and more mainstream gay and lesbian books. Storyopolis (Map 56) on Ventura specializes in children’s literature, including rare and collectible titles from the turn of the 20th century. The store’s readings, nifty lithograph collection, art classes, and sock hops (yes, sock hops!) keep kids and parents coming back for more.
Art/Film Books
LA is where art and entertainment collide, and the city’s bookstores gather up the pieces. The eye-popping Taschen (Map 1) store in Beverly Hills, and the newer branch at the Grove, stock the iconoclast publisher’s brand of luxe art tomes and naughty coffee table books. Arcana (Map 18), nuzzled in the ever-gentrifying 3rd Street Promenade, carries a staggering collection of art books dating from Abstract Impressionism to the present, organized by artist and theme. Where Arcana leaves off, Hennessey + Ingalls (Map 18) picks up. With an impressive collection of Renaissance monographs and architecture books, the store has as large a visual-arts collection as you’ll find anywhere. LACMA (Map 6) and the Getty (Map 16) both carry exhibition catalogues and academic art books, and the MOCA bookstore has three locations in addition to its primary downtown residence (Map 9): one at the Pacific Design Center (Map 2), one at Main Street in Santa Monica (Map 12), and another at the Geffen Contemporary (Map 9). Meltdown (Map 2) in West Hollywood is famous for comics and collectibles, but its selection of graphic novels is equally strong. Golden Apple (Map 2) is a sci-fi/comic geek’s private Valhalla— and girls are most definitely allowed. Book Soup (Map 2) on the Sunset Strip boasts the best lineup of readings in the city and floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with art, photography, film, and music-oriented titles.
| Arts & Entertainment • Nightlife |
Overview
Anybody who tells you that nightlife in LA sucks has just been to the wrong places. The city reflects its melting pot populace, and there are bars and clubs for everyone—people who love people and people who hate people, people with bottle service $ and people with a few bucks for a shitty beer, people who love dancing to shitty music and people who love dancing to good music. Hell, there are even bars that cater to people from other American cities, so you can always know where to watch your hometown football team.
Los Angeles is less a single entity than the sum of fifty or so distinct mid-sized cities that can seem nigh impossible to unravel. Neighborhoods and “scenes” rarely correlate, unless you’re say, looking for a skinny jean, PBR-and-Modelo hipster haven (Echo Park) or an ear-splitting club to grab an overpriced shit cocktail and dumb drugs (Hollywood). But despite the geographic disparity Angelenos cut through the Gordian Knot bar culture and excitedly dig out, share, and champion their faves, eventually identifying with their boozeholes of choice with the same seriousness as their political or religious convictions.
Keeping track of dance nights, comedy, live music, and all of the other weird shit that makes up LA nightlife can get complicated. LA Weekly, LA’s premier free paper, is a good place to check for what’s going on, and the LA Times has its Calendar Live section. (Each has an online counterpart, in case you think Craigslist is a fad.) There’s also a honking traffic jam of sites like www.la.com. One namecheck on Daily Candy means your corner bar just got drafted—that’s how hungry everyone is for the next big, pre-approved thing. Is this sounding like finding a needle in a haystack? Well, it is and it isn’t. Consider all of this a childproof toolbox. Rummage, experiment, and find your favorites. Remember: in LA, word of mouth is king, and whatever advice you bought from your guerrilla marketing guru, there’s no faking that funk. But here are some of our suggestions to get things rolling…
LA is a brilliant, weird place, so no matter where you go, you’ll have a story. But if you’re looking for some guidance, here are our suggestions…
Best Dive Bars
If we need to explain what a dive bar is to you, that means that you probably won’t like dive bars. Think: cash only, cheap drinks, bad wine, a pool table, karaoke, a cast of grizzled regulars, and if you’re really lucky, a MegaTouch machine loaded up with dirty photo hunt. Los Feliz has two of the greats, Ye Rustic Inn (Map 4) and the Drawing Room (Map 4). If you’re a dive bar collector of sorts, the Frolic Room (Map 3) is a must-Bukowski drank there, after all. Frank ‘n Hank (Map 8) is dive-bar sparse to the point that it has only one piece of art: a large painting of a naked lady. The Roost (Map 5) is your dive bar in Atwater Village, and Gold Room (Map 5) is your must in Echo Park (there are free tacos, too). It feels weird calling Jumbo’s Clown Room (Map 4) a dive, because the pole dancers are insanely talented. But the weird clown pictures and cheap beer are 100% dive. More westerly, Cozy Inn (Map 24) has shuffleboard, a good jukebox, and pool. Up in the valley, there’s the Foxfire Room (Map 56), with a sweet-ass jukebox, and the dangerously strong tiki stylings of Tonga Hut (Map 48).
Best Outdoor Spaces
Constant sun and an average outdoor temperature of 72 degrees mean that many LA bars drag their tables outside. One of the best places is Golden Road Brewing (Map 51), where the indoor/outdoor space has plenty of games and lots of delicious brews. The très rive gauche Figaro Bistrot (Map 4) on Vermont in Los Feliz lines up ‘round marble tables to squeeze in thirsty hipsters. Malo (Map 4) on Sunset has an industrial-looking, surprisingly intimate outdoor seating area with heating lamps. For stargazing through your beer goggles, the rooftop bar at The Standard (Map 9) needs to be experienced once. The Red Lion Tavern (Map 5) does the German beer garden thing right, while Idle Hour (Map 56) gives you fancy outdoor cocktails on the edge of NoHo. And for those down near the beaches, Abigaile (Map 29) is a must-the former brewer of Stone is cookin’ up beer there.
Best Lounges
In a city where image is reality, the larger-than-life style of LA’s clubs tends to squash the urban reign of the almighty bar. Dives often seem a bit lost amid the velvet rope-gawking, and the current Cahuenga fascination distracts from simpler watering holes. What emerges is LA’s answer to compromise: the lounge. What passes for a stylish alternative in other cities is the modest choice in LA. But a solid lounge is a beautiful thing no matter what city it’s in, and LA has some truly solid ones. Many lounge-prone Angelenos migrate from the velvet ropes of Hollywood Boulevard to Sunset, where they stumble into The Well (Map 3). Modish warmth is key to this lounge’s hip brown-and-black design and tall leather banquettes; with a killer juke mix and a smooth transition from lowkey hangout to loud and lively late night spot, it’s a big draw. The Brig (Map 21) on Abbot Kinney in Venice is a chic, sleekly illuminated mod dream. As swanky as it is (down to the bathrooms), it’s still a laid-back lounge where the cocktails and pool, not the celebrities, pull rank. If you’re looking for something dressed up with a touch of seedy, Jones (Map 2) in WeHo is a good bet. The elegant wraparound bar gives way to bathrooms plastered in inelegant Polaroids of naughty-bit flashing patrons. Probably the most well known local lounge, The Dresden Room (Map 4) solidified its fame with a cameo in 1996’s prerequisite LA film Swingers, and comes with its very own lounge act. Say hi to Marty and Elayne when you go. They’re sweethearts.
Best Beer Selection
If you scoff at light lager swill, there are plenty of options. If you’re a beer cynic, places such as Father’s Office (Map 18, 24), with 30 microbrews on tap, and The Library Alehouse (Map 18), coming in right behind with 29 on tap, are all the conversion you’ll need. Oh, and don’t worry if you’re stuck in Hollywood, it’s not all clubs and vodka tonics—Blue Palms Brewhouse (Map 3) keeps you well-sudsed along the Walk of Fame. Burbank has made a worthy addition to the beer snob scene with Tony’s Darts Away (Map 49), serving a wide array of (and only) beers brewed in California, with a heavy IPA bias. But their sister restaurant, Mohawk Bend (Map 5), has a wider selection. For a bottle shop where you can take away or drink on the premises, we’ll direct you to another Echo Park spot—Sunset Beer (Map 5). For local breweries, there’s the big, outdoor-game laden Golden Road Brewing (Map 51), smaller-but-tasty Eagle Rock Brewery (Map 51), Angel City (Map 9), and Craftsman Brewing, which is your local brewery for sours. It doesn’t have its own tap room, but pretty much rules the beer selection at pizza joint Maximiliano (Map 33).
Best Milieu
Decor varies greatly among LA’s proud gin joints. Drop by the Bigfoot Lodge (Map 5) in Atwater to swig down a few beers while you cozy up to Smokey the Bear. The owner of Tiki-Ti (Map 4) in Los Feliz is so dedicated to keeping up his mini-Polynesian paradise that patrons will find the bar closed when he’s in the islands “doing research.” Try Oldfields (Map 24) for a retro-speakeasy vibe and killer scotchy-scotchscotch. For upscale chic, Casa del Mar (Map 18) in Santa Monica delivers with a grand lobby/bar serving drinks with grand price tags. Of all the bars doing that “look at our immaculate old-timey interior” thing, Melrose Umbrella Company (Map 2) is possibly our favorite-it’s just enough without being too much. Or if “too much” is your preference, you should see No Vacancy (Map 3) at least once—it can get douchey thanks to the H-wood location, but you enter through a goddamn hidden staircase under a bed. The Edison (Map 9) downtown takes boiler-room chic to a new, drunken level with its historically accurate industrial vibe—just beware of the gate-keeping bouncers who hold a staunch no-tennis-shoes policy. Or, just get with the program, you slob.
Best Dancing
So you think you can dance? Whether you shake your moneymaker to salsa, hip-hop, techno, or reggae, there is someplace for everyone to get down in Los Angeles. For hot and sweaty Havana nights, it doesn’t get more authentic than Hollywood’s El Floridita (Map 3) salsa club, located in a shady strip mall on Fountain and Vine. Downtown’s legendary Mayan (Map 9) doubles as a concert venue and an exclusive salsa club with a strict dress code—call ahead for details. Over in the 90069, Boys Town boasts a plethora of gay dance clubs known for, um, stiff drinks, um, throbbing music, and Schwarzenegger-esque bartenders. Some of the most popular include Factory (Map 2), The Abbey (Map 2), Micky’s (Map 2), and Rage (Map 2). For less hype, head to Los Feliz’s Akbar (Map 4) to find a LGBT-friendly crowd and a chill Eastside vibe. Central Hollywood has replaced the Strip as the hotspot for club-hopping millennials, short-run celebrities, and indie fauxhemians. Cinespace (Map 3), Avalon (Map 3), and Bardot (Map 3) are all popular dance spots within one two-block radius. If electro and dub are your style, The Echo’s (Map 5) hipster-attracting Dub Club on Wednesdays in Silver Lake is a plaid-flaunting good time. For a wild night out on the cheap, check out La Plaza (Map 2) on La Brea, with DJs spinning ranchero music and fabulous Latina drag-queen performances at 10 pm and midnight on the weekends.
Best Music
Out-of-work musicians are almost as plentiful in Los Angeles as out-of-work actors. Lucky for them, LA draws more than enough stadium-filling performances to help them keep the dream alive while offering plenty of smallish venues where they can showcase their talent. If you want your music grand, orchestral, and outdoors, then head to The Hollywood Bowl (Map 3). Pack a picnic, a blanket, and your significant other and head on up for a stunning view and some outstanding acoustics. The Bowl plays host to rock shows, classic bands, an impressive Independence Day fireworks show, and the occasional Garrison Keillor radio performance. Another panoramic outdoor attraction is the Greek Theatre (Map 4), a gorgeous venue in Griffith Park showcasing a lot of nostalgia acts and a recent current of freshness. On the Sunset Strip, the dependable House of Blues (Map 2) draws in big names. Local institutions like the Whisky A Go-Go (Map 2) and the Viper Room (Map 2) draw crowds for their reputations alone, while offering a mix of both established and undiscovered bands. Some adventurous performers and voyeurs take their chances at Mr. T’s Bowl (Map 33), a seedy former bowling alley in Highland Park. For the freshest indie bands and underground rock, try the Troubadour (Map 2). The Wiltern (Map 7) and the El Rey Theatre (Map 6) in mid-Wilshire are local favorites for catching bigger bands at a smaller venue, while The Satellite (Map 5) in Silver Lake and The Echo (Map 5) in Echo Park bring in locals and music insiders with more alternative live music. The Hotel Cafe (Map 3) is undoubtedly LA’s best loved acoustic venue, with a cozy New York vibe and some impressive names performing nightly. For live music that doesn’t overpower the pub atmosphere, Molly Malone’s (Map 2) is a deservedly popular spot. It’s a great place to see a wide range of great bands (from alt rock to reggae) and then shoot some darts. Those with more, ahem, evolved tastes can often be caught taking in a Friday night performance at the Getty (Map 16), or a live music-silent film combo at The Cinefamily (Map 2). The famous, cavernous Amoeba Music (Map 3) packs in locals with (free!) live in-store performances—check their marquee for upcoming shows from surprisingly big names. DJs are people, too. Some people even consider them musicians. The most eclectic slate of DJs spins at Verdugo (Map 36), and the crowd is wildly different from night to night.
| Arts & Entertainment • Restaurants |
Overview
When it’s feedin’ time, Los Angeles is a city of many juxtapositions. Hence, some genius invented “fusion” to please every palate and satisfy the giant melting pot that makes up this town. LA is also where “Californian” cuisine was born, and it involves a lot more than avocado, trust. The city borrows many of its flavors from the neighbors. With Mexico next door, sliding-scale “authentic” south-of-the-border dishes are served up in hundreds of restaurants citywide. The Pacific lapping at our sandy shores brings with it a strong Asian influence. Dim sum palaces, Korean barbecue joints, and hidden Thai gems are daily adventures here. And the sushi—it’s the best in (dare we say) the world. In addition, California’s abundant agriculture provides us with loads of fresh produce year-round from local purveyors. Many restaurants have made their name on having the freshest and localest. Not to worry, there’s plenty of meat. Angelenos don’t eat? Please. Ever heard of bacon?
Eating Old
Taix (Map 5) on Sunset in Echo Park has been serving up French country cuisine at peasant prices since 1927; now with hipster background music. Down the road is Langer’s (Map 8), putting New York pastrami to shame since 1947. Philippe the Original (Map 9) still serves its famous French dip sandwiches at long tables on a sawdust-covered dining room floor. During the inevitable exodus from a Staples Center event, don’t pass up the Original Pantry Café (Map 9), a 24-hour diner that claims to have never closed its doors since opening more than 80 years ago, a feat that includes changing locations. Musso & Frank Grill (Map 3) has been operating since Hollywood was a thumb-sucking infant (1919), serving some of the city’s best martinis—the food’s no good, but you’re there to Bukowski it up. The paper-hatted staff behind the counter at Apple Pan (Map 23) has been dishing out hickory burgers and pie since 1947. The Galley (Map 18) is supposedly Santa Monica’s oldest restaurant, serving steaks and seafood since 1934. Legend has it that Orson Welles once ate 18 hot dogs in one sitting at Pink’s (Map 2) on La Brea—it’s not true, but hundreds line up daily to challenge the portly auteur’s record.
Eating Cheap
Why make the drive down south when there are so many independent taquerias throughout LA? Many starving actors quell the hunger pangs at a number of hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Some of our favorite eats are the ¡Loteria! Grill (Map 2) and Poquito Mas (Maps 49, 50). If neither of these do it for you, just drive around for a while, peeling your eyes for the ubiquitous taco truck. There are blogs dedicated to tracking these mobile coches saborosos, and you won’t find a cheaper meal north of the border. If you are so stuffed that you think you’re not seeing the bill correctly following a filling, yet inexpensive meal, you’re most likely at one of the several Versailles (Maps 6, 24, 27, 53) restaurants serving up authentic Cuban food: go pork or go home. Still, our hands-down favorite for cheap eats is Zankou Chicken (Maps 4, 47, 51), an Armenian, cash-only mini-chain with the most delectable poultry you will ever taste served with garlic sauce and pita, fast.
Eating Hip
If any city does hip, it’s Los Angeles, though unfortunately the style sometimes seems to weaken the food. Recommended here are restaurants that are both hip and delicious. Head to Lazy Ox (Map 9) Downtown to enjoy scrumptious and hearty food from around the world, on plates both small and large. Barbrix (Map 5) in Silver Lake has so many tiny menu items to sample (along with a large selection of unusual wines by the glass) that you may have to be carried to your Prius. Bouchon (Map 1) in Beverly Hills is for those who’ve already arrived, or who are pretending very well. If you’re still on your way, West Hollywood’s Lucques (Map 2) is an excellent compromise. Animal (Map 2) has rock stars in the kitchen and the dining room, and brunch on the outdoor patio at Malo (Map 4) is quite cool. Also still fashionable and delicious is Pizzeria Mozza (Map 3), a hive of fabulosity and actual eating of carbs. If you’re down Beach Cities way, MB Post is the place to be (Map 27).
Eating Late
In a city that needs its beauty sleep, only a few of LA’s restaurants stay open for the late-night pangs. Fred 62 (Map 4) on Vermont serves starving hipsters burgers, Asian noodles, gooey desserts, and damned good coffee 24 hours a day. For a late-night diner experience, head to the pop-art-fabulous Swingers (Map 2) on Beverly Boulevard or the historic Canter’s Deli (Map 2) on Fairfax, and bag some cheesecake for the morning after. If you’ve just returned from Paris and are used to eating bistro-style at midnight, drive over the hill to Studio City’s Firefly (Map 56) for très magnifique, if pricey, food and a lovely outdoor seating area.
Eating Ethnic
Often, but not always, the best ethnic restaurants are situated in the corresponding ethnic neighborhoods. A wealth of Ethiopian restaurants line Fairfax, just south of Olympic Boulevard; our favorite is Nyala Ethiopian Cuisine (Map 6), wherein dishes like doro wat and injera can be sampled for less than $7 during the daily lunch buffet. The affordable four-course dinner at Armenian restaurant Carousel (Map 51) in East Hollywood is not to be missed. South Los Angeles is home to some of the city’s best soul and Cajun food; for gumbo try Harold & Belle’s (Map 11) on Jefferson. Our tummies rumble just thinking about Koreatown. For an interactive and highly satisfying group dining experience, try one of the many Korean barbecue restaurants—we like Soot Bull Jeep (Map 8) on the cheap side and Dong Il Jang (Map 8) on the posh end. Don’t worry if you can’t read Korean; the menus have pictures that you can point to for ordering ease. In Little Tokyo, Sushi-Gen (Map 9) can’t be beat.
Eating Meat
From duck to filet mignon, from free-range chicken to, like we said, bacon, we love to eat meat in the US of A. And California is an absolute hotbed of it: foie gras may technically be illegal, but we absolutely still know where to find it (but you’ll have to find out for yourself). For beef, try old-school Taylor’s (Map 8) in Koreatown, schmoozy Mastro (Map 1) in Beverly Hills, or over-the-top British Tam O’Shanter (Map 5) in Atwater for prime rib. For strictly German-style brats, give the Red Lion Tavern (Map 5) in Silver Lake a try, or go to Wurstkuche (Map 9) downtown if fillings like rattlesnake and apple are more your speed. Let’s not forget fish: Downtown’s Water Grill (Map 9) is an upscale seafood destination, as is Crustacean (Map 1) in Beverly Hills. And for some pork, Asian-style? Get pork broth ramen, with a side of pork, at Santouka (multiple locations).
Eating Meatless
With an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits in California, we like to go meatless once in a while. For this crunchy dining experience we’ll head to Real Food Daily (Map 2), a chain of organic, vegan restaurants serving a huge menu of tempeh, tofu, and stunning weekly specials. À Votré Sante (Map 16) in Brentwood has been dishing up vegetarian specialties since the 1980s, and they’ve managed to plump up their menu without resorting to imitation meat. To really own your veggie roots at Home (Map 4) in Los Feliz, order the yogurt, fruit, and granola concoction titled “My Sister the Tree Hugger.” For the culturally adventurous yank, Paru’s (Map 4) is a bounty of all-veggie Indian fare.
| Arts & Entertainment • Shopping |
Overview
It’s been said there are four seasons in Los Angeles: spring, summer, fall, and awards season. With an intimidating index of outdoor malls and boutique-rich neighborhoods, Angelenos take full advantage of their city’s balmy shopping weather. Although the fashion vanguard of New York, London, and Milan tend to condescend to LA designers, Los Angeles has long been the birthplace of trends thanks to the influence of film and television. The relationship is symbiotic, with celebrities moonlighting as designers and local stylists and designers achieving star status. People around the world can open a magazine on any given day and see what Paris, Kim, or Miley is wearing as she schleps shopping bags and a triple non-fat macchiato down Robertson Boulevard and understand: They’re just like us! Shop on.
Shopping Districts
Los Angeles has wonderful shopping malls, but thankfully they’re not a credit card-wielder’s only option. In fact, LA has a surprising number of neighborhood shopping drags that feature lively, locally owned businesses, should the whole “United States of Generica” thing get you down.
Downtown: Whether you’re looking for flowers, textiles, toys, or jewelry, downtown has a district devoted to whatever your pleasure (i.e., poison) may be. The LA Fashion District (formerly called the “Garment District”) is home to more than Santee Alley’s knock-off handbags and shoes: it serves as the city’s nucleus of showrooms, distributors, designers, and working fashion professionals. You’ll also find an overwhelming assortment of fabrics for fashion or home design, flowers, produce, and housewares. This merchandise Mecca is located between 6th Street to the north, the 10 Freeway to the south, Main Street to the west, and San Pedro Street to the east. Good luck finding parking.
East on Sunset Boulevard from Los Feliz to Echo Park, a flotilla of stores has begun to form. The furniture and decor options range from proper antiques through vintage to just plain old junk, but prices are still better than what you’d find in similarly themed venues to the west (how ya doin’, La Brea). You’ll also find several indie clothing boutiques that allow Eastside hipsters access to their designer duds without the fatal indignity of being seen at Fred Segal.
Los Feliz Village is the square mile (or so) delineated by Los Feliz Boulevard, Hillhurst Avenue, Vermont Avenue, and Hollywood Boulevard. In recent years, a rash of press excitement turned it from “America’s hippest neighborhood” into its most-hyped. The din has died down a bit, though new cafés and boutiques still open. There are still enough family-owned restaurants and beloved local landmarks to keep it grounded.
Larchmont Boulevard, between Beverly and 1st Streets, is Hancock Park’s friendly, low-key commercial area. A delightful place to shop for books, gifts, wine, and women’s clothing, it is made all the more pleasant by the number of restaurants offering sidewalk seating for proper people-watching. Not to be missed, the farmers’ market on Sundays always draws a crowd.
Fairfax High School is an appropriate buffer between the two cliques that make up the shopping district known as Melrose Avenue. Stretching from La Brea to Fairfax, the eastern portion of Melrose is a nexus of tourists, tattoo shops, Harley riders, and vintage t-shirt outlets. West of Fairfax and until La Cienega, however, Melrose beckons the rich, the popular, and the unrepentant with the siren call of posh boutiques, including Tarina Tarantino (Map 2) and Fred Segal (Maps 2, 18).
Running parallel to Melrose to the south are two of LA’s most established shopping districts: West 3rd Street and Beverly Ave. 3rd Street has attracted fashion-forward boutiques like Milk (Map 2) and EM & Co. (Map 2), which have made a home alongside LA pioneer Trina Turk (Map 2). On Beverly, cool furniture shops accompany the cutting-edge fashion of boutiques like Beige (Map 2). Both streets lead into the city’s gargantuan shopping cartel that is the Grove, meaning you can shop the hippest undiscovered designers and still lunch at Johnny Rockets if you want.
Just past the once-popular, now obsolete Beverly Center is the played-out Robertson Boulevard, a shopping area killed by the hubris of one too many Hilton & co. sightings at Kitson. Home to an American Apparel (Map 2) and the still-trendy Madison (Map 2), Robertson maintains its status in part due to its paparazzi mainstay, the Ivy restaurant.
No survey of Los Angeles shopping would be complete without at least a mention of the venerable Rodeo Drive. Known perhaps best for its cameo alongside Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, Rodeo is home to the old guard: Giorgio Armani (Map 1), Gucci (Map 1), and Chanel (Map 1) all have boutiques here. You may not be able to buy anything, but you’re guaranteed to see at least one celebrity (someone like Larry King), a handful of expensive sports cars, and a constant stream of gaping tourists.
On the West Side, shopping feels like a birthright (or part of the 401K), with areas like Montana Avenue accommodating Santa Monica’s upper crust. The blocks between 7th and 17th Streets feature upscale boutiques selling sweaters, chic clothes for men and women, children’s apparel and jewelry. If you don’t mind the myriad homeless population, throngs of teens on first dates, or the dodgy street performers (and, really, they’re not trying to bug you), the 3rd Street Promenade (Map 18) in Santa Monica is a popular outdoor shopping area with pretty much anything you’re looking to buy. For an artsy and laid-back shopping day, head to Abbot Kinney in Venice, where fancy furniture stores vie with surf shops and galleries for your attention and your dollar.
Over the hill in Studio City, Tujunga Avenue south of Moorpark keeps it real and local; it’s another good spot for shoes, gifts, cards, and lazy weekend meals. Originally made famous by musicians Frank Zappa and Tom Petty, Ventura Boulevard isn’t just for Valley Girls anymore. It’s quickly become the SFV’s answer to its popular West Hollywood and Beverly Hills counterparts with some of the hippest boutiques, cafés, and spas in Los Angeles.
Clothing
Fred Segal (Maps 2, 18) (with stores on Melrose and on Broadway in Santa Monica) is, for many, the arbiter dicta of Los Angeles style. Even those who don’t wear their high-end threads have to admit that their cosmetics and apothecary departments are exceptional. The store is actually a collection of boutiques, with the notable Ron Herman (Maps 1, 2, 16) carrying everything from Earnest Sewn jeans to C&C California tanks. Aside from the longstanding hegemony of Fred Segal, LA is home to countless intriguing boutiques and retail outlets.
All of the standard department stores have outposts in Los Angeles, including Saks Fifth Avenue (Map 1), Nordstrom (Map 2), Bloomingdale’s (Map 55), Barney’s (Map 1), and Neiman Marcus (Map 1), among countless others. Many locals hit up the the Grove at Farmers Market (Map 2) for a mix of department-store looks and shabby-chic trends from Anthropologie (Map 1) and Michael Stars (Maps 2, 18, 27). The neighboring Beverly Center (Map 2) offers shoppers an eight-level behemoth mall with retail favorites like Politix (Map 2) and Ben Sherman (Map 2).
Although not a shopping district in its own right, the Hollywood stretch of La Brea is home to some of LA’s most popular stores, including Jet Rag (Map 2), a vintage landmark, and American Rag (Map 2), featuring both vintage and new designer finds. Also on La Brea, Buffalo Exchange (Map 54) lets you buy and sell fashionable cast-offs and trendy accessories. Just remember to stay off La Brea after 4 pm They’ll tow you, stat.
It can be said that Angelenos are just as preoccupied with their underclothing, and what better way for a girl to show off her Pilates-toned bod and year-round tan (or spray tan) than with sexy offerings from Agent Provocateur (Map 2) on Melrose or Trashy Lingerie (Map 2) on La Cienega. Or replicate the designer look with a Pussycat Dolls getup from the flagship Frederick’s of Hollywood (Map 3) on Hollywood Blvd.
Housewares
Face-lifts are not relegated to bodily makeovers in Los Angeles—locals are constantly updating their pricey digs with furnishings from the city’s many houseware and furniture shops. And there is no one dominant style in architecture—or interior design—so finding stuff that looks like “you” isn’t too difficult a task. Finding it at a reasonable price is another matter entirely.
Those with fat wallets will enjoy their visit to H.D. Buttercup (Map 24) at the Helms Bakery. It’s got tens of thousands of square feet filled with beautiful furniture and other elegant household items, from the spatial geniuses who brought you ABC Carpet in New York. Berbere Imports (Map 10), also in the neighborhood, is a one-stop shop for teak furniture, Moroccan lamps, stone Buddhas, and terra cotta urns. On La Brea between Melrose and Wilshire are funky yet elegant furniture shops.
The folks at Liz’s Antique Hardware (Map 2) can locate or recreate any doorknob or hinge you show them. Koontz Hardware (Map 2) in West Hollywood has everything from dishtowels to chainsaws packed into its Santa Monica Boulevard store. Rehab Vintage (Map 2) on Beverly is the go-to shop for lovers of steel furniture and clean lines. Yuppie professionals pass lazy Sundays shopping for furniture and housewares at local favorites Crate & Barrel (Map 2) at the Grove. Meanwhile, over the hill, Studio City’s Bedfellows (Map 56) offers swanky furnishings for the boudoir.
The western stretch of Melrose is home to pure houseware porn; with designer bathtubs and tiles cozying up next to lush carpets, you’ll need a second mortgage to finance your new lifestyle. The Pacific Design Center (Map 2) houses the crème de la crème of home furnishings, featuring top designers and avant-garde flourishes.
Music
The enormous Amoeba Music (Map 3) on Sunset and Cahuenga has two floors of every type of music, DVD, and band-related geegaw you can imagine. Don’t be intimidated by the long line—Amoeba is a well-oiled machine, with 20+ clerks and seasoned locals who know the drill. Counterpoint Records and Books (Map 3) is a local indie favorite. Canterbury Record Shop (Map 34) in Pasadena and Silver Lake’s Rockaway Records (Map 5) also offer inspired rummaging along the new-used continuum.
Food
Surfas (Map 24) in West LA has an impressive wholesale stock of imported gourmet food and restaurant supplies that is open to the public (but let’s just keep that between us, capiche?). Wildly popular and tasty is the French-style take-home deli and catering at Joan’s on Third (Map 2).
The final proof of a neighborhood’s gentrification comes in the form of a gourmet cheese store. Thus, the Cheese Store of Silver Lake (Map 4) joins Say Cheese (Map 5), Bristol Farms (Maps 2, 20), and the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills (Map 1) in carrying everything from Abbaye to Humboldt Fog along with wine, gourmet foods, and other ways of impressing your to-good-for-you date. For those exalted occasions when Two Buck Chuck simply will not do, Silver Lake Wine (Map 5) and Larchmont Village Wine & Cheese (Map 7) are invaluable resources for good grape. The Oaks Gourmet (Map 3) on Bronson is two-fold as a source for great meats, wines, and cheeses alongside an amazing sit-down restaurant that’s been there for years.
Home to the aforemocked Two Buck Chuck, Trader Joe’s is a Southern California institution with numerous locations wherein each and every item on the shelf is handpicked, sampled, and sold at a no-kidding reasonable price. The Hollywood/Ivar Farmers Market (Map 3) is a Sunday tradition, where locals stock up on organic veggies and fresh hummus while enjoying live music from Rastafarians and other performers. Last, but certainly not least (if we said it was least, it would beat us up), is downtown’s Grand Central Market (Map 9), located on Broadway near 4th Street, which has been bustling with a diverse crowd ever since it opened in 1917.
Flea Markets & Sample Sales
Call it a flea market and you’re likely to give away your East Coast roots. True Southern Californians refer to this Sunday afternoon activity by its regional name: swap meet. Call it what you will; there is no shortage of options to keep everyone from eBay dweebs to vintage-furniture hounds happy. Perhaps the biggest and best known local swap meet, Pasadena’s Rose Bowl Flea Market (Map 34) isn’t for amateurs. Every second Sunday of the month (rain or shine), the flea market opens at 5 a.m. for large crowds eager to stock up on antiques, vintage clothes, and plenty of beef jerky. If you want to start smaller, Fairfax High School hosts the Melrose Trading Post (Map 2) every Sunday at the corner of Fairfax and Melrose. For just a $2 entrance fee, it’s less pressure than the Rose Bowl, and you’re more likely to find locals hocking new designer duds they can’t fit in their closet anymore, or their burgeoning jewelry or t-shirt lines. And you can hit up Jet Rag (Map 2) on your way home—the vintage store holds a $1 parking-lot sale every Sunday, for those about to get down on the cement and dig for bargains. The Venice Beach Boardwalk (Map 21) is a standard tourist trap, complete with street performers, beggars, ripoff souvenir shops and ribald t-shirts, but you’ve got to see it at least once.
Sample sales may seem a tad intimidating for the non-fashion-industry population, but can be well worth the time if you keep your ear to the ground and your cash at the ready. Some sample sales live up to the name and only offer sample sizes (usually a teeny size 2 or 4 and a size 6 shoe), but this isn’t always the case. Some of the most popular local organizers are Sassy City Chicks (www.sassycitychicks.com), Fashion Co-Op (www.fashioncoop.com), and Billion Dollar Babes (www.bdbshop.com), each hosting a number of events locally. Consult their websites for more information about dates, times, and tickets.
As home to many designer showrooms, factories, and distributors, downtown Los Angeles is an excellent source for impromptu sample sales and designer co-ops. Check the California Market Center (Map 9) (www.californiamarketcenter.com) where some showrooms sell to the general public on the last Friday of the month.
FYI: Some sample sales have dressing rooms and accept credit cards, and some do not—so if you really want those half-price Chip & Pepper jeans, leave your modesty at home and pack the cashola.