Tag: LACMA

LA’s Best Urban Adventures to Safely Explore Now

With beautiful weather on the horizon, it’s time to get out and discover new places to safely explore near Circa. Los Angeles is bustling with urban adventures, from immersive drive-thru entertainment to Instagram-worthy outdoor art installations, gorgeous gardens, and even a decadent drive-thru Fair Food festival. Did you know the LA Zoo just reopened? Many of the animals are endangered species, and support for the zoo helps to save these creatures from extinction. You might even meet a meerkat or two. Please note that many venues require tickets to be purchased in advance. Check websites for details.

Jerry Moss Plaza urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

A Quiet Scene Installation The Music Center 135 N. Grand Ave. Los Angeles 90012

The Music Center is presenting a new public screening and sound installation exhibited on LED screens at the Jerry Moss Plaza, in collaboration with non-profit radio station dublab. The screening includes more than 100 short film finalists and winning entries from A Quiet Scene, an audio-visual project created by pioneering ambient music artists and brothers Roger Eno and Brian Eno. The video project arose from a public competition by record label Deutsche Grammophon in support of the brothers’ first collaborative studio album, Mixing Colours, which was released in 2020.

Stranger Things urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience ROW DTLA 777 Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90021

Attention all Stranger Things fans. It’s time to travel back in time to 1985 and become a Hawkins resident – in real life. Adventure calls, so gather your friends and drive to the Starcourt Mall. Immerse yourself in the thrilling world of Stranger Things, where you will take part in a drive thru experience like no other. Unlock the story of Hawkins in this unique format as you savor some of the best moments from this Netflix series, and maybe even witness some unforeseen and unusual occurrences.

Electric Mile urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Electric Mile Santa Anita Park 285 W Huntington Dr. Arcadia, CA 91007

Explore the Insomniac Worlds on your voyage through Electric Mile, a drive thru audiovisual adventure from the minds behind Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC). Journey through seven unique worlds of Insomniac’s most iconic festivals and brands, including EDC, Beyond Wonderland, Nocturnal Wonderland, Escape, and Countdown, complete with music, lights, art, visual effects, installations, and more, in a COVID-friendly environment.

LACMA Miss Forest urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

LACMA Outdoor Installations 5905 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036

Although LACMA’s indoor galleries are closed and the museum is undergoing a major renovation, three iconic, large-scale outdoor installations – Chris Burden’s Urban Light, Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass, and Yoshitomo Nara’s Miss Forest – are available to view. Miss Forest (LACMA Version) (2020), is Nara’s largest outdoor sculpture to date and the newest iteration in this series. Created for LACMA’s exhibition Yoshitomo Nara, the sculpture is currently installed at the southeast corner of BCAM along Wilshire Boulevard. More details HERE

LACMA Levitated Mass urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Levitated Mass by Michael Heizer

Located in LACMA’s backyard, this ginormous 340 ton chunk of a granite lies over a concrete trench that you can walk through to get a closer view, or stand under the oversized rock. The artist originally conceived of the art piece in 1969, but only recently did he find the right boulder to actualize his vision for this art installation. The boulder was found in Riverside and transported to LACMA in 2012, and has since become a “rock star” in the art world. It’s free to check during LACMA’s operating hours and is a great piece for “forced perspective” shots.

Museum of Dream Space urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Museum of Dream Space Beverly Center 8500 Beverly Blvd. #656 Los Angeles, CA 90048

​Museum of Dream Space (MODS) has reopened with special safety guidelines. MODS is the first museum mainly exhibiting digital art in the United States. The design concept of MODS is inspired by art design from renowned artist Yayoi Kusama (famous for infinite rooms) and the development of digital art. The aim of MODS is to provide an immersive, magical and unique art appreciative experiences to the visitors. The uniqueness of MODS is to break the limitation of physical media, extend the art by digital technology and to provide the largest freedom of visitors experiencing the arts, which realize the physical extension of the arts.

The Huntington Library Chinese Garden urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Huntington Botanical Gardens 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, CA 91108 

New views await in the The Huntington’s Chinese Garden. Visitors can now explore an additional 13 acres of gardens and pavilions in the newly expanded Liu Fang Yuan, the Garden of Flowing Fragrance. In 1903 Henry E. Huntington purchased the San Marino Ranch, a working ranch with citrus groves, nut and fruit orchards, alfalfa crops, a small herd of cows, and poultry. Today, the estate is home to 16 spectacular themed gardens spread across 120 acres, including Desert Garden, Camellia & Rose Gardens, Japanese Garden, Jungle Garden, and Herb Garden. The gardens are open but galleries remain closed. All visitors including members must reserve tickets online in advance.

Lita Albuquerque Red Earth urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Lita Albuquerque Red Earth Huntington Botanical Gardens1151 Oxford Road San Marino, CA 91108 

As part of its Centennial Celebration, The Huntington commissioned an art installation by Los Angeles-based artist Lita Albuquerque. Installed near the southern entrance to the Japanese Garden, Albuquerque’s Red Earth features an approximately six-by-four-foot rock slab coated with bright red pigment and surrounded by bamboo stalks affixed with copper-colored bands. The work contrasts dramatically with the cool greens of the shady bamboo grove and is intended to mark its specific location in time and space. Red Earth incorporates color and light to convey motion and stillness “because only through stillness can we discover the motion of the cosmos,” says Albuquerque.

Fair Food Fest urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Fair Food Fest Rose Bowl Drive Through 1001 Rose Bowl Dr. Pasadena, CA 91103

Fair Foodie Fest is hosting their free drive through event at the Rose Bowl Stadium every weekend through February. Customers can enjoy free admission to a safe no contact drive thru fair experience featuring all of your crave-able fair food favorites for purchase including giant turkey legs, Krispy Kreme donut cheeseburgers, roasted corn, Hawaiian teriyaki chicken pineapple bowls, taco plates, BBQ, and more. Attendees who register and claim their free car entry ticket will receive a free mini powdered sugar funnel cake (limit 1 per car, while supplies last). Free tickets are available HERE  

LA Zoo urban adventures near Circa apartments in Downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens 5333 Zoo Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90027

The LA Zoo is back. And lots of adorable babies were born last year, including a litter of meerkat pups, a baby gorilla, a cute condor chick, and a sweet little bighorn lamb. Come and see how these young ones are growing and thriving. Many of the animal are endangered species, and support for the zoo helps to save these creatures from extinction. Throughout the closure, the zoo continued to provide the 1,400 animals with world-class care, even without visitors and the critical revenue they provide. Advance timed-entry reservation is required for all guests including members.

Photo credits:

Photo #1: Stranger Things

Photo #2: The Music Center

Photo #3: Stranger Things

Photo #4: Electric Mile

Photo #5: LACMA

Photo #6: Levitated Mass Photo by Tom Vinetz

Photo #7: Museum of Dream Space

Photo #8: Huntington Botanical Gardens

Photo #9: Huntington Botanical Gardens

Photo #10: Fair Food Fest

Photo #11: LA Zoo

LA Museums You’ve Never Heard Of, But Need to Check Out Now!

Sure, we all love LACMA. And The Getty Center is always great, especially when you need to entertain out-of-town guests. But sometimes it’s fun to branch out. LA is full of cool, unusual, and off-the-beaten track museums that are definitely worth a visit. From cryptic collections to interactive experiences, neon light tours, and even food museums, you’ll always find something new to discover in LA!

MJT

Museum of Jurassic Technology 9341 Venice Blvd. Culver City, California 90232

The Museum of Jurassic Technology is an educational institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the public appreciation of the Lower Jurassic. This cryptic statement is left uncertain and unexplained. And that’s just the point! The museum contains a provocative mixture of artistic, scientific, ethnographic, and historic, as well as some unclassifiable exhibits, and the diversity of its offerings evokes the cabinets of curiosities that were the 16th-century predecessors of modern natural history museums. The factual claims of many of the museum’s exhibits strain credibility, so take it all in with a grain of salt and have fun!

MONA

Museum of Neon Art 216 S Brand Blvd. Glendale, CA 91204

The Museum of Neon Art (MONA) is the only museum in the world devoted exclusively to art in electric media, exhibiting electric and kinetic fine art, and outstanding examples of historic neon signs, for over three decades. MONA encourages learning, curiosity and expression through the preservation, collection and interpretation of neon, electric and kinetic art. A gateway between scientific principles and artistic expression, Neon illumination integrates electrical technology, creative design, and fundamental concepts of physics and chemistry. MONA hosts Saturday night Neon Cruises–a nighttime bus tour of neon signs, movie marquees and permanent installations of contemporary neon art through Downtown and Hollywood. Buy tickets here.

Desert X1

Desert X

Ready for a road trip? Desert X is a site-specific exhibition that first took place in Spring 2017. Artists from different parts of the world are invited to create work in response to the unique conditions of the Coachella Valley and project their vision based on the extraordinary natural and social history, matchless spectacle of the geologic epic, radical abstraction of the surrounds, and the singular incursions of humans into the seemingly barren landscape.  Desert X will be held from Feb. 9 – Apr. 21, 2019 in the Coachella Valley. Free and open to the public. Plan your visit here.

Museum of Illusions

Museum of Illusions 6751 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028

The Museum of Illusions was founded as a place where visitors could let their imaginations run wild! A great place for friends and family to  express themselves in one-of-a-kind interactive art exhibits that make for a photo opportunity unlike any other. The friendly staff encourages you to take as many photos as you want in front of a wide range of exhibits, from climbing the highest mountain tops in the world, to playing Jack & Rose as the Titanic sinks, or running through the city during a meteor strike! The unique 3D paintings are created by some of the world’s leading artists, with new exhibits being added all the time.

Museum of Death

Museum of Death 6031 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028

The World Famous Museum of Death was founded in June, 1995 when JD Healy and Cathee Shultz decided to fill the void in death education and made death their life’s work. With locations in Hollywood and New Orleans, the Museum of Death houses the world’s largest collection of serial killer artwork, antique funeral ephemera, mortician and coroners instruments, Manson Family memorabilia, pet death taxidermy, crime scene photographs, and more. The Museum of Death experience is a self guided tour lasting approximately 45 minutes to an hour. However, for intrepid souls with the stomach for it, there is no time limit, as there are hundreds of items to see. The museum shop carries a colorful collection of tees, hoodies, tarot cards, buttons, bandanas and other swag, which could give you a jump start on your Valentine’s Day shopping 😉

FIDM

FIDM Fashion & Perfume Museum 919 S. Grand Ave. Suite 250 Los Angeles, CA 90015

You’ll find the Annette Green Perfume Archive on the second floor of FIDM Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in DTLA. Discover a robust collection of fragrance and beauty objects, from luxuriously packaged Lucien Lelong lipsticks to the suggestive glass bottle of Schiaparelli’s Shocking perfume. The FIDM Museum and Library collects, preserves, and interprets fashion objects and support materials with outstanding design merit and fosters student learning, public engagement, and recognition of the creative arts and entertainment industries by providing access to the collections through exhibitions, publications, and other research opportunities.

The Food Space

The Foodie Space Pasadena Museum of California Art 490 Union Street Pasadena, CA 91101

Wait, let me take a pic first! If you’ve ever heard those words or said them yourself before being allowed to dig into your meal, then you’re probably a foodie.The Foodie Space pop up is the serial foodie photo-taker’s wildest dream come true. Imagine colossal glitter fries that you can marry, playing with a giant overflowing noodle bowl of pho, an over-sized tea set mad enough to make Alice jealous, and many more to interact with! Playfully poking fun at society’s obsession with social media and #foodporn, visitors will have a chance to take tons of glorious food pics to their heart’s content. Each interactive exhibit was made by hand by local artists.

Disgusting Food Museum

Disgusting Food Museum A+D  900 E. 4th St. Los Angeles, CA, 90013

The Disgusting Food Museum is not just an exhibit, but a celebration of food from around the world, highlighting how different cultures may or may not view certain things as disgusting. First displayed in Sweden, the collection of 100 plus foods was conceived and curated by psychologist and innovation researcher, Dr. Samuel West, well-known as “Dr. Failure” after the runaway success of his Museum of Failure. Foodies, travelers, and the just plain curious can explore unfamiliar food creations, smell new and face-cringing aromas and take selfies at the far from usual grand finale tasting bar with select creations to sample! Amazing and bizarre Instagrammable moments are endless!