It's Your Party, In The Sky If You Want To

       There's been a long standing beef between the two Paparazzi factions in Los Angeles-the ones who crowd LAX and The Grove begging to ask celebrities mundane questions and the other who points their lenses a little higher; beyond our stratosphere. The former definitely gets more television time but so do Pajama Jeans and Latisse. Its a good thing this town is big enough for the two of em. But consider taking a break from your day to day star gazing infatuation and head up to the Griffith Observatory. After a $93 Million dollar renovation it reopened in 2006 as one of the most impressive observatories in the world. Nearly 40,000 sq feet of new public space was added during the 4 year re-construction. My favorite addition is the new state of the art 300 seat Samuel Oschin Planetarium theater. They added a new dome, star projector, digital laser projectors, seats, sound system, and lighting to make it the finest planetarium in the world. They currently have 3 presentations showing that run a few times per day. Another great thing to try is the Star Party(Free). It happens once a month from 2:00pm-9:45pm. It's a chance to look at the sun, moon, visible planets, and other objects, and try out a variety of telescopes. The next one is this Saturday, February 25th, and check their website for upcoming Star Party dates.

      Two other things you shouldn't miss while you're there is the original Zeiss refracting telescope that's been viewed by more than 7 Million people making it the most viewed telescope in the world. It's free and open to the public on clear days/nights. And last but not least is the incredible view of the LA skyline. Take the time to absorb our city skyline from the ocean to East LA, and beyond.

Details:

Website: http://www.griffithobservatory.org/index.html

When: Closed Monday & Tuesday
            Weekdays (Wed-Fri)12 Noon-10pm
            Weekends (Sat & Sun)10am-10pm

Where: 2800 East Observatory Road
             Los Angeles, CA 90027
             (213) 473-0800

Why: Your tax dollars paid for $67.4 Million of the renovation and it goes without saying that any date that includes the term "Celestial" has to end well. And guys, please no Big Dipper jokes. I'm serious!!

Cost: Free; Planetarium shows are $7 for adults and $5 for kids

Tip: Bring comfortable shoes. You'll probably end up parking on the road leading up to the planetarium since their parking lot isn't very big.

The Dark Arts

It's scientifically true that, no matter your ethnic preference, we are all black when the lights go out. Thankfully the same doesn't apply to art. And a happy Black History Month to you too. This Saturday check out the opening reception of In The Dark.Its from 7-10pm at The LA Mart(downtown). In The Dark showcases the work of 17 different artists and displays them in a darkened gallery. All the artists are working with light emitting or reactive materials. ie: LED's, fiber optic cables, luminescent plastics, etc. Some even require viewer participation. In The Dark runs from February 4-March 31, 2012.

Details:

When: The opening reception is this Saturday from 7-10pm, but the exhibit runs through March 31, 2012

Where: LA Mart Bldg., 12th Floor, 1933 S Broadway, Suite #1245, LA, CA 90007

Cost: Free

Why: Most of you were conceived in darkness and look at the art you've become. Bad example. Everything there is better than your best Light Brite creations.

If All the Worlds a Stage Then, Dating is it’s Soap Opera

         Los Angeles and Film go together like hair pulling fights and Basketball Wives. Unknown to many is that LA and Theater go together quite nicely as well; minus the involuntary hair weave removal. Some of our premier theaters are The Mark Taper, The Ahmanson, and The Kirk Douglas Theater. They’re all part of The Center Theater group and offer a great deal for all their shows. It’s called Hot Tix and costs $20. They’re available 3 weeks before the opening of a particular production or the day of the show. You can order them by phone, but if you want to select your seat, you need to go downtown to the box office. It seems unnecessary but if you want a decent seat, I suggest making the extra trip. Now you’re not going to get a premium seat for $20. They’re usually seats off to the side or close to the rear of the theater. Also tickets are limited to two per household per call.  

 

         This is a great way to see some of LA’s best theater. I took my mother to see Fela last week and had an incredible time. Because it was moms, I splurged for an upgraded seat close to the stage Hey! She’s the best date so I wanted to go big. Which brings me to an important point. Not every date should be on a dime. Sometimes it’s important to upgrade the experience. And appearing cheap is not sexy. Hey, I get it. Many of us are the 99% which is why I right about great dates, that won’t break the bank. But, people like to be spoiled from time to time and date splurges can be quite an appetizing aphrodisiac. Just some food for thought. 

Details: 

Website: http://www.centertheatregroup.org

Box Office/Audience Services: 213-628-2772

Where: Downtown and Culver City

Why: It's the Anti-Reality show

Parking: Valet $23, Self Parking $9

When: Show schedules vary

BONUS TIP: On select Tuesday evenings and on Sunday matinees, they have talk backs with the cast after the show. So stick around for a little do it yourself "Inside the Actors Studio". And always check with the box office to confirm.

The Conductor’s hands go up…And they stay there…And they stay there

How many times have you had or overheard this conversation? “LA is so different from New York. In New York there’s so much access to diverse cultural activities.” And then eventually the movie Crash is mentioned, yadah yadah(Did I spell that right?)and the typical comment about no great pizza here. The real truth is LA has plenty of fun and interesting cultural things to do. The difference is here, you gotta seek it out. See New Yorkers, we here on the West Coast have to work for our culture. We’re not so lucky to be spoon-fed, except when eating after a Botox treatment. Don’t judge. When car airbags fail, Botox is a AAA rated last layer of protection. But, let me get back to my job; giving great information on great dates. 

LACMA has a lot to offer when it comes to Art, Film, and Music. All year long they feature free music concerts in the evening. They’re organized into seasons. Some Jazz, Classical, and Latin. Their classical season started today and runs every Sunday at 6pm(Check website for details). While classical may not be for everybody, the fact that it’s free gives you no excuse to not give it a try. If you don’t like it, leave and pat yourself on the back for stepping outside your comfort zone. You get an “A” for effort. “Gold star for Marcus!!” Ok seriously, let me bring it back like a Boomerang ; ) The music along with a stroll through the museum is a fantastic date. And don’t feel like you have to take the art so seriously. Think about having fun trying to think of what the artist’s intentions were and compare. This would be where you’d be pulling things out of your ass. Not literally!! That’s performance art and not recommended for most dates. 

Details:

Website: www.lacma.org

What: Free Concert Series

When: Sundays @ 6pm

Where: LACMA 5905 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles 90036

Why:  Eddie Murphy made listening to classical music in Trading Places look cool.

           There’s still hope for everyone else. Keep hope alive and do something           

           different!!

“It’s Friday night. The party’s just beginning, and all of the madness…”

…is right up the street”. Come join the 99% in Venice the first Friday of every month. And by 99% I mean the entire, uniquely diverse crowd(minus 1%) that gathers once a month to celebrate, eat, enjoy art, people watch, and lets be honest; BE WATCHED. Hey it is LA!! And for the record the 1% includes the weird muscle bound guy on the Venice boardwalk that balances that silver sphere on different parts of his body and the Black Sultan looking guy with a guitar and rollerblades. Yeah they’re unique but doing that all the time; day in and day out? That’s strange. So the 99% means YOU!

            I went with friends last month and had a blast. It reminds me of the Downtown LA Artwalk(I’ll be covering that in an upcoming blog)but with more style and better quality art. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a fan of the LA Artwalk, but First Fridays in Venice has a dash of sex appeal that the gritty art scene downtown doesn’t. No better, no worse; just different. And perfect for a date. Go, enjoy looking in the galleries, eating from the great selection of food trucks, and maybe get in a little shopping. Another great aspect is that you can decide how much of a “dime” date you want it to be. You can enjoy the, sometimes, free wine and snacks(depending on the gallery) or enjoy a fantastic meal at anyone of the incredible restaurants on Abbot Kinney. Those are two cost extremes and the Food Trucks lie right in the middle. Feel free to go “Big” or ”Budget”. If you really want to get creative and add some spice to the date, I like to play a game where: Within 10 minutes whoever has the most conversations with strangers about art, wins a shot/espresso/dessert/foot massage/hand sanitizer(Hey! It’s still Venice!) Bottom line; if you’ve never been, GO! Definitely one of the coolest “Once a Month” events in Los Angeles. 

Details:

http://www.abbotkinney1stfridays.com/ 

When: First Friday of each month

Where: Abbot Kinney(It starts at the corner of Venice and goes North)

Why: Great Art, Fantastic Food, and People Watching AKA Culture, Cuisine, and Comedy; A Date Trifecta ; )

Cupid Is What Cupid Does

         Some say when you’re smitten about another person, you’ve been struck by Cupid’s arrow. And the outcome of that erotic impaling all depends on if you have an HMO, PPO, or Medicaid. Think about it; if Romeo had good mental health care, that love story could’ve ended a lot differently, instead of suicide before he checked all of Juliet’s vitals. Alas good people, I digress. What weighs most on determining the outcome is the courting process. And why not make, “Learning Cupids Tricks” part of it? Grab a good breakfast, some gumption, relaxed breath and go to The Rancho Park Archery Range. Every Saturday at 11am and 2^nd Sunday of each month at 1:30pm,  they offer free archery lessons and equipment rental. One little known fact is this same archery range was built for the 1984 Olympics, and still remains today. The best part is they no longer test for performance enhancing drugs here. So that new Celebrex prescription won’t get in the way of you getting official credit for all of your sharp shooting.

            The goal here is to have some fun, do something different, and chances are you’ll both look equally awkward and laugh at each other. And laughter is some good medicine. Maybe not as cool as Celebrex, but damn good. Let's be realistic here; you have a better chance of leaving more Cupid Hood than Robin Hood. Either way, keep it hood and flex your bow with some “Drive By Cupid Shootings”. By that I mean spread the word to other couples and singles looking to do something different. I would never advocate violence or driving in LA.

           Packing a gourmet lunch from your favorite market could be a nice add on after you finish at The Archery Range. Rancho Park is one of LA's best parks.

            A Big Thanks to Cornelius Smith Jr (AKA Frankie Hubbard from All My Children) for doing field research on this blog. What better combo? Soap Stars and Cupid go together like Pinks Hot Dogs and unnecessary lines.

Details:

When:   Saturdays at 11am(Get there 15-30 min early to make sure you get in)

              2^nd Sunday of every month @ 1:30

Where:  Rancho Park Archery Range

              2459 Motor Ave.
              Los Angeles, CA
              310-839-1516 

              It’s a little tricky to find. See link to map.

              http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=archery+rancho+park&fb=1&gl=us&hq=archery&hnear=0x80c2bba36111dd01:0xf1442b285d26d4b2,Rancho+Park,+Los+Angeles,+CA&cid=0,0,15917042302122382961&ei=e3OtTovSL6XgiAKR97zBAg&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&ved=0CAYQ_BI

Why:   Learning something new together is always fun. And why you’re there why not make a friendly wager for a foot massage for whoever gets closest to hitting a bulls eye after 10 tries.

Cost: FREE

           

A VENICE BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD SMELL JUST AS SWEET

        That is of course if you consider the smell of corn dogs, self produced Hip Hop CDs, and Egyptian Musk incense to be sweet.  If you’ve spent any real time in Venice, you know it’s so much more than a boardwalk and street performers. What we know as Venice, CA was originally won in a coin toss by conservationist Abbott Kinney in 1898. His dream was to create a great ocean side cultural mecca.

         If you walk a few blocks from the beach and take a stroll down Abbot Kinney Blvd, the culture, art, and cuisine ooze from every corner of this bohemian chic neighborhood. And every year on the last Sunday in September, The Abbot Kinney Festival comes alive with over 150,000 people to celebrate all things that make Venice authentically unique. Mr Kinney was a helluvah gambler. My coin tosses may get me a round of drinks, at best. This is a teachable moment; I need wealthier friends to coin toss with. Anyway, from 10am-6m this Sunday the festival brings art, crafts, good food, music, and an environmentally green way of doing things and wraps it neatly in a bow made of hemp. If you have kids, bring them, because the Kidsquad area will keep everyone busy with music sing alongs, games, art, and snack making.

         This date could be a true Tri-Fecta. You can hit the Abott Kinney Festival, walk the Venice Canals, and finish with a beach stroll and a creative Henna tattoo that reads “Got Henna ?”.  Yes you are that cool!

Details:

Website: http://abbotkinney.org/

When: Sunday, September 25^th, 2011 10am-6pm

Where: Abbot Kinney Blvd at Venice Blvd.

Why: Hanging with the Bohemian, Artsy, Tree Hugging, Hipster crowd is fun even if you secretly miss shopping at Mervyns.

Cost: Entrance is free