A couple miles north of Sunset Blvd in the Palisades lies Paseo Miramar, a five-mile hike that gives you some of the most gobsmacking views of the Pacific Ocean you’ll ever witness.

But first, you must pay a price.

I’m not going to lie to you: the first two miles of this thing — a steep, winding, seemingly endless incline up the canyon, with each corner promising relief that never comes — are going to kick you in the face.  They are going to kick the faces of your friends, your pets, your distant family members, and your unborn children.  Add a ponytail to them and they’d be Steven Segal in Out For Justice. Your suffering is going to be legendary.

But then, after about 45 minutes, something magical happens: your body accepts its fate. And before you know it, the incline levels out, and you’re slaloming down through green tree-tunnels and past wetlands and up through fields of high, honey-colored grass. Finally, you hit the top and there’s a wooden bench waiting for you. You flop down and drink in the views of the rolling Palisades, the muted sprawl of the city, the toy-sized Santa Monica Ferris Wheel in the distance, and that sheet of blue rippling from the crescent edges of the continent.  It’s all yours.

Masochism: it has its upsides.

________________________

WHAT: Hike in the Palisades
WHEN: Good all year round
WHERE: Trail starts at the top of Paseo Miramar Rd
$$$: Free

Check out this unique idea to reinvent city streets through out LA on Sunday mornings: CicLAvia, a group that has previously done this same project in Colombia, successfully if I may add, wants to close down at least three major streets from East LA to West LA on various Sundays this summer and turn them into urban parks. To even attempt to accomplish this plan, they need your vote here. The idea is that they will block off the streets from car traffic from 10am-1pm, only allowing pedestrians, cyclists, families, skateboarders, and anyone else who you would find at a park to enjoy beautiful Sundays mornings outside and in a safe enclosure. They aim to provide this service in areas where parks are extremely lacking, the population is extremely dense, and is near public transportation to allow all to attend. Whether it works or not, it’s a nice idea and feel free to decide for yourself if it deserves your vote! They are currently ranked 53rd and need to be in the top 10 ideas to win the grant.
__________________________

WHAT: CicLAvia’s 7-mile Streets to Parks Project
WHEN: Voting ends March 31st
WHERE: Click here to vote!
$$$: Free

Thanks to a tip from our Twitter (why yes, we do have a Twitter page, you should totally follow us!), we now know about this incredible worldwide event entitled, Obscura Day. If you, like me, have never heard of this day, let me enlighten you: all around the world, people rediscover their city’s weird, wacky, and historical places. For instance in Berkeley on this day, you can get up close and personal with the creepy taxidermy and skeletons of the famous Bone Room and talk to the owner about all the stories he’s collected over the years. And then in St. Petersburg, Russia, you can roam the “tower of griffens” that used to lead to a famous druggist laboratory. But let’s talk about Los Angeles’s event shall we? A group of 50 will meet at the Echo Park Time Travel Mart at 11:30am and take off on the Atlas Obscura Bus to discover the lost land of cane sugar soda pop at Galco’s Soda Pop Stop (with free tastes of course), then a picnic lunch at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park where you can crawl through abandoned lion cages. After lunch, you’ll go to the Velaslavasay Panorama (which I just now realized I lived right across the street from and never even thought twice about and now regret it), where you will experience a “360-degree display of the arctic north” and be able to “explore a carnivorous plant garden” in the back. Finally you’ll end up at a puppetry performance and behind the scenes tour of Bob Baker’s Marionette Theater, apparently the oldest theater of it’s kind in America. Wow. This is definitely a whole new look at LA. I think we win for the most obscure event lineup! RSVP soon, they’re almost full!
______________________

WHAT: Obscura Day 2010 in Los Angeles
WHEN: Saturday, March 20th @ 11:30am
WHERE: Echo Park Time Travel Mart
$$$: $30 when you arrive

“Don’t do it. You’ll get eaten by coyotes.”  This is usually the response I get when I tell people I want to go night-hiking in Griffith Park.  “Nonsense,” I tell them, “I am a large, imposing adult male, not Jessica Simpson’s dog.  Besides, the coyote presence up there is seriously over-reported.”

The first thing I saw when I got there was a coyote.  Cold chillin’ in the parking lot by the merry-go-round. Humans — we only pretend we run this town.

Three times a week for the past few years, the Sierra Club has been leading after-dark hikes up into the mountains between Hollywood and Glendale.  A crowd of 60 or so adventurers gathers in the upper carousel parking lot, where individual groups form based on speed/trail difficulty (I chose a “3+” i.e. “medium” hike.) Then, lead by a central-casting Greek grandfather named Yanni, we were off, twenty silhouettes loping into the darkened hills.

Your eyes adjust to the gloom as you ascend a thin, winding trail, up through what Bob Dylan described as “haunted, frightened trees”, branches stripped by last year’s fires and looking like something from a Tim Burton movie in the moonlight.  You climb under giant fallen logs and bushwhack through overgrowth.  The sound of the freeway gives way to a chorus of chirping crickets and croaking frogs, and then silence — the soundtrack best suited to the spooky majesty of the landscape.  You crest a hill and the entire Los Angeles valley, from downtown to the ocean, opens up below like a massive, glowing cauldron.  “I feel like Batman right now,” you think to myself.  (Seriously, you think that.) Two hours and six miles later, you’re back in the city — sweaty, dusty-streaked and happy.

Don’t be fooled, dear humans; the coyotes know where it’s at.

__________________________________

WHAT: Night Hike
WHEN: Tues, Wed, Thurs, starting at 6:45 PM
WHERE: Griffith Park — meet at the upper carousel parking lot
$$$: Free

Your weekend has officially begun.

Celebrate the end of a shark-infested workweek and pet a few live ones at the resurrected Shark Lagoon Nights.  Find an excuse to sneak out of work or revel in your freelance-society bliss because this one gets started early (6-9pm) and is located at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.

A little bit of a journey for you Angelenos, but definitely worth the trek!  For FREE you can get up close and personal with bamboo sharks and sand tiger sharks, among other sea giants.  Liquid courage is available in the form of various wines and beer (for those feeling a little faint of heart) as well as coffee treats and sugar snacks for a different type of happy hour.  Rotating bands and dj’s perform, according to the night, but be sure to check their calendar before heading to this outdoor escape, just in case the rain STILL hasn’t migrated its way back to Seattle.

_________________________________
WHAT: Shark Lagoon Nights
WHEN: Most Fridays, 6pm-9pm, starting March 5th
WHERE: Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach
$$$: FREE!

Remember back in the 80’s, when no self-respecting action movie could come out without ninjas? We have reached that golden point again, my friends — only now instead of black-clad Asian stereotypes kicking Michael Dudikoff in his blow-dried head, we’ve got a French style of street acrobatics known as Parkour.  It involves sprinting, scrambling up walls, vaulting over obstacles, and generally looking like a complete bad-ass. (See CASINO ROYALE, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, the DISTRICT B-13 flicks… even the space-smurfs in AVATAR are doing it.)

Now if you, like me, are more of an “armchair bad-ass” and don’t want to risk breaking your spine while leaping over the bike-rack outside Taco Bell, The Los Angeles School of Gymnastics has the perfect thing for you: Thursday Night “Intro to Parkour” Classes — where a ridiculously skilled instructor will teach you basic rolls, vaults, and climbs, and the floor is made of nice, cushy padding for when you fall.  There is no size, skill, or experience level requirement (I’ve taken the class before, and was given nothing but warm encouragement and great coaching, despite most of my maneuvers looking like something from “Kung Fu Panda” before the panda learns kung-fu.)

You never know; this time next year, you could be making a dazzling escape down a set of scaffolding while taunting Bruce Willis. Register by emailing pkcali@gmail.com.

_____________________________

WHAT: Parkour Lessons
WHEN: Every Thursday, 8:15 pm – 9:45 pm
WHERE: LA School of Gymnastics
$$$: $15 per class

According to Berlin-native and house-producer, DJ KAOS, the answer is YES!  In a rare U.S. appearance this Saturday night at the Chase Loft Series-February Edition, the dj heavyweight promises to keep the crowd movin and groovin’ until the wee hours to his own version of Chicago-inspired house and disco beats.

Presented by The Chase, EVFA, and MEO, KAOS will be joined by rockin’ resident dj’s: JaseFromOuterSpace and Klassique at Junglerush, a hidden indoor/outdoor venue perfect for late-night dalliances or just a fun night out of the oh-so-predictable Hollywood scene. True to its downtown roots and promotional prowess, this event is one not to be missed.

Annd….that’s not all!  The recession-style OPEN BAR will keep the conversation flowing, not to mention your glass full for a mere $15 until 11pm and $20 thereafter.  I don’t know how much YOU typically spend on cocktails a night, but let me tell you, this is a STEAL in my drink-infused world.

Whether this inspires you late-nighters to at least consider making it in the door before the price increase or you still run a little late due to a last-minute addition to the perfect outfit, $5 more is a small price to pay for fun on the run, so I say let the rationalization takes its natural course. After all, the party will be poppin’ ‘til 3am and if Italians really do do it better, it will be well worth the wait.

_________________________________________________

WHAT: Chase Loft Series-February Edition
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 20th, 10pm-3am
WHERE: Junglerush/EVFA, 542 S Alameda (Cross St. Palmetto)
$$: $15 before 11pm, $20 after with open bar, CASH ONLY

Celebrate all things Jewish this weekend at the Jewlicious Festival 6.0. Yep, ya heard. Whether you’re Jewish or not (or if you just love a potato latke or two), you can attend this celebration and meet some folks, hear some music, chow down, and I guess….get Jewlicious on yo’ ass? There are special guests (speakers, artists, presenters, etc) and it all goes down in Long Beach. FYI: Jewlicious is one of the largest Jewish sleep-overs that isn’t a sleep-away camp. Everyone brings a sleeping bag or air mattress (the event is in the Alpert Jewish Community Center). All Jewlicious-related inquiries may be answered here. Just don’t expect Matisyahu to be there (but expect many other intriguing bands).

__________________________

WHAT: Jewlicious Festival 6.0
WHEN: Friday Feb. 19-21
WHERE: Long Beach
$$$: $36 for students, $75 for non-students

The good loony people at Zombie Joe’s Underground are at it again with the sixth installment of their smash hit play, Urban Death. Every year, a director and a handful of actors get together and come up with 30-40 wordless horror vignettes in this small non profit North Hollywood black box theatre. This year their theme of Once Upon A Nightmare spotlights some of those crazy things that happen in ones head during slumber time. Expect lots of blood, screaming, laughing, skin, and the occasional blue monster.

This being a limited run and a very small theater, it’s suggested that you call ahead of time to make your reservation at 818-202-4120. Get there early for a good seat, and please, for your own sake, don’t sit in the weird side seats. Just take my word for it.

_______________________

WHAT: Urban Death: Once Upon A Nightmare
WHEN: Fridays and Saturdays throughout February, 8:30 pm
WHERE: Zombie Joe’s Underground, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., 91601
$$$: $15

Interested in street food but don’t hit the streets enough? Street Food Festival is for you. Let the street vendors come to you in one convenient location so you can try all the food trucks your co-workers have bragged about and even sample a thing or two you may have seen on Bourdain. In my humble opinion, this kind of thing defeats the purpose of randomly stumbling upon something unique and delicious and to-be-eaten-with-hands, but I guess convenience is key for most fully-functional adults in the world. LA’s first street food fest is not just a food truck fest- no, no, no- there will be authentic LA street food like coconut fritters, Korean chicken wings, and everything you can imagine from a traditional taco truck, as well as vendors from LA’s Breed Street, like barbecoa and pancakes. There will also be vendors of inedible delights like UniqueLA’s pop-up mini-mart, a DIY den to make your own Valentine’s, a Valentine’s food truck themed photo booth, live entertainment, beer and wine bars (hallelujah), and a bike valet. Man, that’s one jam-packed street fest. Of course, the food trucks are the stars of the show- including The Buttermilk Truck, Grilled Cheese Truck, Sweets Truck, Fresser’s, Frysmith, Slice Truck, Flying Pig, Fishlips, many more and hopefully Coolhaus (can you tell which one is my fave?)!! So hit up those beer/wine bars heavily so that you can eat in full denial. It would make an odd Valentine’s date, but an interesting one at the very least.

*Update: Tickets are $5 at the door or presale. Maximum of 60,000 peeps can attend, so get there on time! I’m confused because some places say they are “giving away tickets” but as I far as I can tell you don’t need tickets.

WHAT: LA Street Food Festival
WHEN: Saturday Feb. 13th 11am-5pm
WHERE: LA Center Studios, 500 S Beaudry Ave
$$$: 5 entry + cash for vendors

Come one, come all, donned in your finest whites and perambulate though the streets of downtown tonight in your very own mini (I’m assuming sidewalk) parade! Being the second Thursday of the month, tonight is the downtown artwalk, and it seems that some of the organizers are sending out an open invitation for anyone who would be interested to join them in a living art piece of people. Encouraged props include: musical instruments, stilts, and beauty. Meet them down at Vibiana’s Cathedral, meander down Main to 6th, ending at The Temple of Visions on Spring. Have fun and don’t forget your Tide pens! (Ketchup stains from those hot dog stands are impossible to get out in the morning.)

__________________________________________

WHAT: Downtown Artwalk: Dress In White
WHEN: January 14th, 7pm
WHERE: Vibiana’s Cathedral, 210 South Main St.
$$$: Free!

If you ever find yourself with nothing to do on a Friday night, look no further than the Edison, which is a cool bar on any night but particularly on TGIF because you can drink to the sounds of FDR’s legendary Fireside Chats. I can’t think of a better reason to dress up in my best flapper attire and spend a little more than I should on a classy cocktail. However, even better yet, between 5pm and 7pm those classy cocktails are offered at “vintage prices.” In addition to the smooth sounds of FDR’s voice you can drink to “the sounds of the thirties.” This would be the perfect thing to bring someone from out of town to, or just you and your posse.

WHAT: New Deal Fireside Chats Cocktail Hour
WHEN: Fridays, 5pm-7pm cocktail hour
WHERE: the Edison, downtown
$$$: no cover, but check the dress code*

Bon voyage, dear 2009! You were quite a kick in the pants. Should you feel like kicking your short term memory in the pants for the night, head on down to ye old Alvarado House in Echo Park tonight for an all night dance under sheets, stars, and low basement ceilings rager. Brought to you by the Hang The DJs crew, these parties do not disappoint. Outside is a tented backyard with video projections and Star Wars sheets, inside is a somewhat ramshackle house where you’d sooner assume to see haunted portraits of former owners rather than 100 club kids smarmily dancing and pounding on the ceiling.

This installment features DJs Ana Calderon, Knyfeprty, Aaron Castle amongst others, along with (more) free Colt 45 10 – midnight, cash bar the rest of the night. Be sure to bundle up with lots of layers since it’s primarily outdoors, however the indoor dance room does get pretty sweaty. And don’t plan on going to that early morning church service tomorrow. They look down on hangovers, so I hear.

__________________________
WHAT: HTDJs End Of Year Party
WHEN: Saturday, December 26th, 10pm – 4am
WHERE: The Alvarado House, 1027 N. Alvarado St., Echo Park 90026
$$$: $5

In a move surely masterminded by Dov Charney to sell more winter leggings, the LA parks department has partnered with Spaceland to hold a concert series on an outdoor ice rink.  As they have for the past 12 years the parks department has erected an ice rink in Pershing Square, and this year every Wednesday night Spaceland will hold concerts there through mid January. The first concert is tonight with Salt Petal joined by Boweevil.

Boweevil describes themselves as “an eclectic mix of rock & country with a dash of garage, psych. and punk style.”  So basically it is rock music, and that aint bad.  Salt Petal is a fun and fast band with an adorable lead singer, who sings in both Spanish and English.  She also plays the accordion, and thanks to Mad Men we now know that the accordion might be the sexiest instrument a woman can play.

Spaceland will be hosing concerts at the outdoor rink on Wednesday nights into January, check the LA parks Website for the complete schedule.  Skating is only $6 and renting skates is a mere $2 more, so no excuses.  Fun skating and some good music, fork over the eight bucks.

_____________________
WHAT: Ice Skating Outdoors With Spaceland
WHEN: Wednesdays 8-10pm, today through January 18th, 2010.
WHERE: Pershing Square
$: $8 including skate rental.

Saturday is Repeal day, when President Roosevelt repealed the 18th amendment back in the day so we could get back to drinking, and many  bars will be having drink specials on whiskey and bourbon. One of the more interesting celebrations is the Edison’s repeal day skating party. $25 tickets include ice skating in Pershing Square with complimentary hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts, and Christmas cookies, and then you can walk back to the Edison to sample a part of their barrel of seasonal blend Woodford Reserve bourbon, which has more spice and cinnamon. Yum! There will be more food and drinks offered, of course, and eggnog!

WHAT: The Edison’s Repeal Day Celebration
WHEN: Sat. Dec. 5th 6pm
WHERE: Pershing Square/the Edison downtown
$$$: 25

Anyone who has subscribed to the LA Opera newsletter will have heard about the 110 Project.  For the few of you out there that aren’t totally engrossed in the art music world, here is a little bit about the new opera about LA freeways.  From their website:

Through four central characters, The 110 Project travels through time down the 110 Freeway, from the birth of the space program in Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco in 1939 to downtown Los Angeles at mid-century to the thriving international port of San Pedro in the present day. Based on true stories, historical documents and original material, the opera opens an intimate window onto 70 years in the history and daily life of Los Angeles. When completed, The 110 Project is expected to incorporate the work of multiple composers and librettists. The music draws its influences from freeway sounds as well as cultural and historic source material. The singers are characters, but they also make up a freeway chorus that scats and honks its commentary.

This Saturday, there will be a sneak preview of the freewhelin’ opera at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena.  For those that can’t make Saturday, there will be a repeat performance at the California African American Museum by USC.  There will be an opportunity for the audience to give feedback after both performances.

________________________
WHAT: 110 Project Sneak Preview
WHEN: Saturday, November 21st @ 1pm;  Sunday, November 22nd @ 1pm
WHERE: Pacific Asia Museum (Sat); California African American Museum (Sun)
$$:  PAM – $9 general, $7 students/seniors, (full admission info); CAAM – FREE

Have you ever thought that you would be much better off if you had been in your prime in the 1920’s? I certainly have (red lipstick, coiffed hair, gin bottles…come on)…and here’s our chance to experience the swinging ’20’s in a fast and loose city. Dress in your best tweed, feign a mustache, and muster up all the moxie you can handle for a historic bike ride through downtown L.A. Seriously, this is the best idea ever. Meet at Union Station at 12:30pm and ride through L.A.’s oldest streets and art deco highlights, and end at Royal Clayton’s English Pub for a pint and probably some belly-warming food. Do some killer thrifting this week and you could win Best Period Outfit, Best Bike and Tweed Pairing (awesome!), Most Graceful Mount and Dismount, or Best Facial Hair. I’m thinking cabbie hat, tweed blazer, mustache, perhaps a pipe and pocket watch, and hopefully a matching Paul Frank cruiser/tweed combo. Don’t forget to bring water; must be 18+ to time travel.

WHAT: Tweed, Moxie, and Mustache Ride
WHEN: Sat. Nov. 21st (our own Scarlet’s birthday) 12:30pm
WHERE: Union Station
$$$: free!

Some of you may know who Dave Malki ! and Kris Straub are already, but for those that don’t, you have a great chance to find out.

For those less familiar with their work, you mayhaps will recognize the names of their respective webcomics, Wondermark and Starslip.  Well on top of all that greatness, they have joined forces to create Tweet Me Harder, a “smash hit comedy podblast” crafted by the two gents.  Things to expect:  rapier-sharp witty repartee, rampant exuberance, an appearance by America’s Favorite Funnyman, Dave “Duckman” Kellett, nemesis (perhaps Arch Nemesis, even) Fake Stan Lee, and many, many pandora’s boxes of comedy sure to be opened.

Note to Antarctic scientists: if sunny Southern California is too far away for you, you can also tune in to tweetmeharder.com to watch a live stream of the show.

__________________________
WHAT: Tweet Me Harder LIVE!
WHEN: Saturday, November 14th @ 8pm-10pm
WHERE: The Complex (map)
$$$: FREE!

The Neo Acro Theatre Co. is hosting it’s very own city-wide scavenger hunt. I highly suggest taking advantage of this opportunity! It’s not every day someone else will organize a massive hunt for you! Plus, with teams of five, the entry fee is $25 which means only $5 a person! It’s such a great deal because most of the scavenger events around town cost upwards of $30/person. To sign up, send your name, number, and email address to this e-mail. I’m sure they will accept walk-ins as long as you bring the cash! Entry fees are due on the day of the event at the home base on a sweet little street called Lankershim. You cannot participate unless your entry fee is paid when you arrive! Your team will have 5 hours from noon to 5pm to complete as many of the tasks as possible. And of course the winners will receive some sort of secret prize, maybe a pony. Who knows. But remember, you’re never too old to go on a scavenger hunt!!!
__________________________
WHAT: City-Wide Scavenger Hunt
WHEN: Saturday, November 14th @ 12pm-5pm
WHERE: RSVP to find out!
$$$: $25/team of 5

Save the date of December 6th because GuerrilLA Drive-In is screening The Muppet Christmas Carol for free downtown! We’ve posted about GuerrilLA’s free screenings before, and I think the Muppet’s are a perfect excuse to get a group of friends together, pile into a car with some warm and toasty treats (booze), and prepare for an evening of magical movieness and vegan hot dogs! That’s right, our friends the Frankenstand will be there, as they always are, steaming up vegan sausage with all the fixings- cilantro, cilantro, cilantro. Check out this article in LAWeekly about the drive-in; it really is a guerrilla operation. At the noted time, a car pulls up with electronic equipment, everyone tunes into 104.7 to pick up the movie’s score, and the screening commences on the wall of a downtown building. Sounds like the holiday spirit to me.

WHAT: GuerrilLA Drive-In- The Muppet Christmas Carol
WHEN: 8pm Sunday Dec. 6th
WHERE: 1032 S. Main St. Downtown LA!
$$$: Free! (bring cash for a Wolf dog)