L.A. Escapes — "Revenge of the Great Showdowns" Exhibit

One of Scott C.'s "Great Showdowns."

I professed my Scott C. love a few years back. And I'm hardwired to over-geek out over '80s/'90s nostalgia, due to my being a member of whichever generation letter it is that claims 1977 babies. So, Scott's upcoming "Revenge of the Great Showdowns" exhibit dovetails quite neatly with my interests.

L.A. Escapes — LACMA Tuesday Matinees

The Red Balloon, 1pm Tuesday, July 1 @ LACMA

I did a piss-poor job of planning out this summer break. Waited too late to sign up for most of the camps and classes, dragged my feet until their was no more decent air fare, neglected to book rooms in time. As such, it's been a long, languorous few weeks since school let out. (Our regular library-park-mall triangulation has grown tired as hell.) On the bright side, I'm not too bad at unearthing little local distractions to help us bide our time until summer comes to an end. (And, lucky for you, I'm down to share with all my fellow slack-asses out there.)

For instance, LACMA is hosting a month full of family-friendly movies every Tuesday in July. In between checking out the "Fútbol" exhibit and the Calder and Expressionist special collections, you can pop in for 1pm screenings of "The Red Balloon," "My Neighbor Totoro," (a forever favorite!) and Chaplin's "The Kid." Tickets are $2 for members, $4 for non-members. Check out the full line-up here. Oh, and, by the by, if you need more to eat something more substantive than a frou-frou handpie from C+M, you can usually find an embarrassment of food trucks parked along Wilshire Blvd., just across from the restaurant.

L.A. Escapes — Grand Performances

The Fela! Band, performing two Chop and Quench shows, July 18.

Grand Performance's FREE Summer events get underway this Friday (June 13) and I'm already trying to figure out how many energy drinks it's going to take to get me through the next couple of months. Between the Stones Throw Picnic, the Fela-loving Chop and Quench, a tribute to Minnie Riperton and one to Cesária Evora, not to mention, just about every other single performance listed on the line-up...I may as well just set up a tent down at California Plaza.

The entire 2014 Schedule is right here. And all this goodness costs nothing, people! It's time to say a prayer to the parking gods, put that enochlophobia in check and grab the light jacket that's going to save you when the temperature suddenly drops 15 degrees. (As to the latter, I'm crushing on this one right now.)

California Plaza is located in Downtown L.A., not far from MOCA — Grand Ave. and Grand Central Market.  Having attended both daytime and evening performances there in the past, I can say this: If you go during the day, bring sun protection because it gets pretty melty; and, if you go at night, the plaza's cash-only underground parking garage is not nearly the headache you'd expect.

L.A. Escapes — "Gas Giant" at MOCA

After an incredibly sweet Mother's Day visit to the Skirball's Ezra Jack Keats retrospective, I popped over to the Pacific Design Center to see Jacob Hashimoto's "Gas Giant" installation. 

It was my first time at this particular branch of MOCA (it's a shoe box of a space, compared to the PDC's giant crayon-colored complex), and I don't think I want to ever go back again. I want to preserve it in my mind just as it is, filled with hundreds and hundreds of Hashimoto's handmade "kites."

The first floor of the exhibit gives you black, white and turmoil. Upstairs, though, there's color, light and a sense of loftiness. The few patrons who wandered up were all hit with a similar dumbfounded stare, all eyes gazing upward. There are even little stools scattered along the walls for those who want to sit and simply daydream. It is a perfect place to be very still and very quiet.

If you want to experience "Gas Giant," you'd better hurry; the show wraps June 8. Admission is FREE, but there's a $5 suggested donation.

MOCA - Pacific Design Center
8687 Melrose Ave.
West Hollywood

L.A. Escapes — Ezra Jack Keats at the Skirball

From Ezra Jack Keats' "Whistle For Willie."

The iconic artwork of children's author/illustrator, Ezra Jack Keats is now on display at the Skirball Cultural Center, a fact that I'd nearly missed if not for an ad I flipped past in Los Angeles Magazine.

The Westside museum has more than 80 artworks, including original sketches, paintings and collages. Why I haven't spied pennants and billboards to this effect is a mystery to me. Keats' vibrant pinks, oranges and reds hanging from lampposts would easily cheer up commuters cursing cross-town gridlock.

I've loved his books since childhood and, as an adult, I was quick to cop a version of "The Snowy Day" the minute I knew I was having a child of my own. I even have a snapshot from "Whistle For Willie" as my phone's lock screen image (and have secretly harbored a longing to get an EJK-themed tattoo...shhh...don't tell).

"Goggles!", 1969.

For me, Keats' images evoke innocence, simplicity, urbanity and humanity, all while putting sweet little brown faces in the spotlight for a change. Looking through his pages, you can almost hear strains of be-bop, inner-city horns honking and kids laughing. (Growing up, I always just assumed Keats, himself, was a black illustrator. I later learned he was actually a Brooklyn-bred son of Jewish immigrants.)

This exhibit has me wanting to grab a knapsack and go full-on "Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler" (much like I wanted to during the museum's Gary Baseman exhibit).

Check it out before the September 7 close date. Admission is FREE on Thursdays.

Skirball Cultural Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. (***there once was a 405 exit that dropped you off right on the front steps, but you have to exit at Getty Center Dr. and back-track, the last time I checked.)
LA, CA 90049

This Weekend — A $5 Ticket Takes Kids Around The World

"Papa Cloudy" by Akiko McQuerrey.

The annual REDCAT International Children's Film Festival heads into its second week, with screenings all day tomorrow and Sunday. My daughter and I checked out a screening last weekend and were glad we did…parking nightmare notwithstanding (street parking was nonexistent, due to an event being held at nearby Grand Park, Disney Concert Hall parking is $9 cash, up front, and the lot leads you on a labyrinthine quest as you attempt to find the REDCAT lobby entrance).

Each screening is comprised of about six to 10 kid-centric shorts culled from all over the world. They range from animation, to stop-motion, to live action. Some are in English, some are subtitled and a few are wordless. 

In previous years, we've checked out the younger kid fare — cute creatures embarking on silly adventures, or modern-day takes on age-old fables. This year, we opted for a more "big kid" selection. The assortment of shorts in the "Dare to Dream" screening was designated for ages 10 and up. We watched docs about the rigorous daily schedule of a working-class Indian student, a boy in The Netherlands who's bullied for being a ballroom dancer and a selfless Taiwanese boy who's devoted to rescuing and nurturing his country's neglected dogs and cats. There were also two charming animated pieces, courtesy of NPR's StoryCorps, via The Rauch Brothers. Perhaps the most gut-wrenching of all the stories we watched was a bittersweet feature about a gang of homeless kids in Mozambique who are desperate to have a little bit of fun, just for a day. It was the kind of authentic global flavor kids don't typically get from the big screen. For the $5 admission price, I was able to give my kid (and myself) quite a bit of food for thought. 

As the festival continues, there are options for preschoolers, 8+/9+, as well as, All Ages screenings. You and your kids can check out films from Korea, Belgium, Brazil and beyond. It's totally possible to make a day of it, checking out multiple screenings. There's a gourmet snack bar and plenty of seating in the lobby for waiting in between shows. Or, you can take your snacks to the Concert Hall rooftop garden and munch amidst the iconic building's curves and angles. 

Tickets are available online, but theater seating is pretty ample (kids can opt for pillows on the floor) and I was able to buy tix right from the box office without any fuss. 

REDCAT is located on the bottom level of the Roy and Edna Disney Concert Hall

631 W. 2nd St.

Downtown Los Angeles

213.237.2800

Bonus...

Here are a few me-approved, kid-friendly eateries nearby:

Lemonade (walkable)

Grand Central Market (walkable)

Chego (a short drive)

Pie Hole (a short drive)

Guisados (a short-ish drive)

Cafe Habana West, Andale!

I only lived in New York (Queens, that is) for one year and I spent much of that time broker than a joke. I'm talking constant ramen/cereal status. But best believe, come payday, I was heading out to explore the city's restaurants and front with the best of 'em. On more nights than were in any way reasonable, I could be found walking from my Soho office to Nolita's Cafe Habana.

It was teeny, always crodewd and offered little that fit into my then-vegetarian diet. But, oh...the tlacoyo tres marias! That cornmeal cake bursting with goat cheese, beans and sun-dried tomatoes was always well worth my hard-earned shillings (so what if I'd have to bum a token to get back to the outer buroughs afterwards). Just the warm, cheesy, bean-y memory of the meal has me shooting daggers of disgust at the bowl of peanut butter Puffins sitting in front of me. I've been looking for a close approximation ever since I left NYC, but kept coming up with nothing. Until now!

The restaurant just opened a West Coast spot. Sure, it's all the way the friggedy-frig up in Malibu, but I vow to make the trek sooner than later.

There are a ton of pix on Eater LA and it looks laid-back, yet gorgeous. Lush Caribbean vibe aside, the new restaurant will automatically come up short for me, because their (temporary) menu doesn't have ttm!!! (I eat meat now, though, so I'm willing to try new dishes.) There won't be the long waits that afforded an excuse to window-shop at Nolita's exquisite boutiques. There won't be the always amusing site of PYT's huddling around the corner cafe's outdoor benches, trying their best to eat cotija-encrusted corn cobs without losing their aloof miens, or jeopardizing their expensive outfits. And, let's talk about the time I waited outside for a table, only to look up and into the window and lock eyes with a dining Mos Def, who smiled and waved at me! Really, what is the likelihood that I will be able to replicate this dream-like scenario in Malibu?

There's only one way to find out!

3939 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, 310.317.0300.

Wait...If I Keep Doing Cool Stuff Like This, What Will I Whine About?

It's me...and I'm smiling!!! A lot!

Broken Social Scene's show at the Henry Fonda Theater this past Monday was sold out, leaving me out in the cold. As per usual, I (possibly, irrationally) blamed Orange County for my missing out. I pouted, fumed, slammed a few cabinet doors, then resigned myself to my fate.

Then, I got wind of a free in-store at Amoeba Records. Further fuming, as I figured there was no way I could maneuver myself from here to there in time to catch a 6p "show."

I was so blissfully wrong. I made it there in stunning, rush hour-flouting time, parked with relative ease and was able to breeze past the line of kids that went down and the block (not to mention the scads that were already inside waiting patiently in the humid aisles). Thanks to a fairy god-employee who shall remain nameless, my way-back Austin friend, Andy, and I got to stand stage adjacent and revel in the all the multi-instrumental Canadian goodness.

Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning were in good spirits, cracking Justin Bieber jokes, offering unsolicited KISS trivia and aping cheesy rock poses while playing. They introduced new stuff from Forgiveness Rock Record, which debuted that day (this was Tuesday, btw). Insert the usual drill of all the cool kids diligently nodding their heads and feigning extreme interest with material that they hadn't yet memorized. [Can I say...God, how I miss being in a room full of people well under the age of 50 and over the age of 5!!!]

Everybody made with the fist pumps and whoo!-ing, though, when older tracks — "Stars and Sons," "Cause = Time" and "Ibi Dreams of Pavement" — surfaced. I would go on record as saying it was one of the promptest, longest, most heart-felt and un-obligatory seeming in-store performance I've ever seen.

Follow that fantastic freebie up with a slammin'-ass burger across the street at Umami Burger and I felt rejuvenated (a feeling that would soon be sapped by a bleary-eyed solo nighttime drive back down to Orange County).

One great free L.A. show down...one to go!

Born to Rock

In the past year, I've seen Vampire Weekend, Grizzly Bear and Little Joy — three bands my daughter loves listening to in the car and around the house. While I loved each of the concerts (not the least because they were momentary reprieves from my wallflower Mommy status), I was saddened each time that I couldn't bring the little fan. She has yet to see her first rock show.

Next weekend, I aim to change all that. March 14, Kidrockers brings The Watson Twins to L.A.'s Echoplex. The concert series specializes in daytime, family-centric shows, with venues in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, as well. They've booked such acts as Ra Ra Riot, Silversun Pickups and Los Campesinos!, all for little ears to hear. There's even special eats and giveaways — this time around, it's pizza by Two Boots, plus Baby Legs leg/arm warmers and a Daisy Rock Guitar on raffle.

As near as I can tell, there is no boat-rowing, playing knick-knack, or coming around the mountain going on at these concerts. And — though I've never really studied the twins (nor their opener, Choir of Young Believers) — I figure there's no time like the present to get my little homie used to rolling up tissue for her ears and sporting a little plastic wristband.

Being Crafty Is On My To-Do List

I spotted Home Ec. during my last visit to L.A. and wanted to go in, but they were closed.

Browsing around their site, I found out it's a crafting workshop studio that opened last August. (What used to be there? I want to say...a second-hand shoppe.)

Not only can all-thumbs wannabes like me buy designer Heather Ross' fairytale-inspired fabric there...

...they can also enroll in an in-house class to teach them how to make it into something. Funny...I bought some a year ago on an impulse and never imagined it could serve any other function than gathering dust.

March 14's Kid Class: Spring Egg-stravaganza jumped out at me immediately. And I got even more excited when I found out super-cool mom and crafter par excellence, Clare Crespo, was one of the teachers, I was all ready to sign up.

Then I scrolled down the course description and found it was only open to kids 8-12. Boo!

All the same, if you (adults) want to learn embroidery, or modern baby quilt-making, or if you're just in the market for wooden buttons from Japan, check it out.

3 Hours in L.A.*

*Actually, it was more like 2.5 hours, thanks to I-5's congested traffic all the way up the connect-the-dumps stretch from Santa Fe Springs to City of Commerce.

This morning, I threw caution to the wind and journeyed up to L.A. for a haircut. I know, I know...that undermines my project. But I have to look fresh and clean for Saturday night (you'll have to check back this weekend to find out why!)

Factoring in an hour drive each way, I had precious little time to "do me" before I had to be back in Orange County to pick up my daughter from school.

First up was Rudy's Barbershop, where they practically scalped me (just the way I like it), slathered my head with tea tree goodness and sent me on my way. While at Rudy's, I noticed that what I knew to be the historical Vista Theater was now wearing an unsightly new facade and a huge sign that read: Ogden Marsh Cinemas. I shook my head and lamented the stately Vista's loss (even though my Mommy status prevented me from seeing anything other than "The Simpsons Movie" and "Dreamgirls" there). Online investigating after the fact revealed that it was a publicity stunt, left up from last night's premiere of "The Crazies," that small town "28 Days Later"-looking horror flick that wild horses couldn't drag me to.

[Ed. note: How tired was I when I typed this? What I meant to say about the Vista was not that it was gone physically, but bought out by some nameless, faceless chain and, thus, gone spiritually.]

Now, onto the next spot on my whirlwind tour. If you've spent much time east of Hollywood, you may recall Sunset Junction cafe and bakery, Town & Country.

Well, it's now gone (alas, few are likely to be lamenting its loss). My friends and I wanted so badly to like it — nice owner, free parking lot, great people-watching. But comfort food is supposed to bring you...you know, comfort, not consternation. Erroneous orders, slow service, sold-out everything and food that only sounded good were all the norm.

Well, someone must've burned some very potent sage over the space because its new incarnation, Forage, is the kind of place where I'd love to be a regular.

T&C's kitschy, bright colors have been white-washed and the focus is all on the food.

I worked it out with this pork belly sandwich, which — once you managed to penetrate the fierce armor of bread — was mouth-watering. The garlic aoili, crunchy cabbage and fennel pickles were the perfect accents to what I felt to be a stingy portion of Niman Ranch pork (there is never enough pork belly, you guys, especially when it's this good). My sandwich came with an inhale-able potato and cabbage soup that was velvety, rich and savory, despite its Depression Era sound and appearance. My lovely lunch companion, Susan, loved her faro and lentil salad so much, she went back for seconds. The desserts looked all kinds of beautiful, but time was not on my side. We vowed to go back soon and Susan even stopped to tell one of the chefs she was so glad they'd moved in to remove the curse that had been on the building.

BTW, they do a weekly harvest call for for folks to bring in their best seasonal produce to be used in their rotating recipes — everyone from local farmers to area gardeners with bright green thumbs. How cool is that?

I spent my last half-hour poking around Yolk. I went frugal and only bought a copy of the Indie-Rock Coloring Book. (There's too much to say about this purchase, really, so just check the link.)

Here's what I reluctantly left behind...

Slick cups from Marimekko's In Good Company collection. They would make my macchiatos taste so cool. Sigh.

I also passed on their super-soft Mini Rotation toddler shirts...

...and Global Mamas' adorable fair trade dresses...

Let's see...what have I forgotten? I had the requisite "do I know her, or is she on TV?" sighting. And, of course, I saw Silver Lake's shirtless walking guy. Oh, and the drive home afforded me a glimpse at a billboard even more nauseating than a Spearmint Rhino ad. While Toyota's recalling everything, it can go ahead and include that dreadful "Mommy Like" campaign for its Sienna mini-van. As if the pun on the already dreadful phrase "Daddy Like" wasn't bad enough, it's perpetuating the lame mom-as-minivan maven stereotype. Yuck.

A far more pleasant roadside spotting? A "What Would Mma. Romotswe Do?" license plate frame. Too cute.

Man, I need to make trips like this longer and more frequent. (And for the sake of blogging, it might help if I take a fully functioning camera along with me.)

Two by Two...

This weekend, the family met friends at L.A.'s Skirball Center to finally check out their Noah's Ark exhibit, a completely interactive installation designed for kids. As you walk through the huge simulation of the wooden ark, you spot pair after pair of handmade animal creations fashioned out of recycled materials — everything from beanbag chair walruses to vultures made of venetian blinds, whisks and Indian slippers.

Little hands can make thunder, lightning and wind with the crank of a dial, prepare a meal in the galley and even sweep up fake animal poop.

The exhibit has a timed entry; visitors gets two hours to roam around the ark. We arrived half an hour before our slot, so we took the kids to the rooftop, where they could participate in a faux archeological dig. There were tents, little stools, shovels, brushes and "ancient artifacts" buried in sand...the perfect distraction for fidgety kids who would otherwise be whining "when do we see the animals?!"

It's easy to max out your full two-hour time frame because there are so many nooks and crannies to explore. There are puzzles, craft activities, dance and music demos and even animal puppeteers walking through for a meet-and-greet with visitors. We took a two-, four- and five-year-old and the exhibit was a good fit for each of them (though, the adults were probably the most excited).

A word to the wise: Show up a few minutes after the start of your time slot, or go in and head straight for the end and backtrack your way to the beginning. Otherwise, you will find yourself stuck between an elephant and a hard place. The giant statue is a huge obstacle right in the beginning of the dimly-lit entryway and we found it difficult to keep track of the kids amidst all of the other families herding in all at once.

We all left wanting to return soon. It was well worth the admission ($10, adults; $5, kids 3-12). Next time around, though, I plan to break from the pack and check out the museum's Civil Rights Movement photo exhibit.

Oh, and...If you find yourself stuck at this 405-adjacent spot with little low-blood-sugar loonies, don't overlook the museum cafe. I tend to be picky about what we eat and even I was pleasantly surprised. Their kids' menu grilled cheese was whole wheat bread and non-processed cheese and the fruit side was huge slabs of fresh fruit, rather than the usual soupy, wilted cocktail. Plus, if you're lucky, you might even get in a little celeb-sighting while you dine (we spotted the age-defying Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale doling napkins to their boys as we left.