Just because you’re confined to your hood with the 405 closure doesn’t mean you have to be bored and lonely
You’d think the world was ending or the apocalypse was near with all this blather about ‘carmaggedon’ -- the closure of highway 405 in Los Angeles. We all know to stay off the roads this weekend. We all know we’re going to be confined to our neighborhoods because the streets are meant to be littered with sluggish SUV’s and pissed off Mercedes owners trying to get from point A — Hollywood – to point B – the beach. But while you’re stuck where you are, why don’t you also try out the motto ‘love the one you’re with?’ Here are some cool things you can do in LA this weekend in your neck of the woods. Carmaggedon be damned — you can still find a man right here at home if you only know where to look.
Hollywood
Remember that scene in Valentine’s Day when Shirley MacLaine is hunting through a movie graveyard to find husband Hector Elizondo? Well, that cool ass graveyard screening she interrupted is called the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, or Cinespia, and it really exists. This Saturday Evil Dead 2 is playing, which should be totally freaky and totally awesome. Pack a picnic, bring some booze and prepare to meet some die-hard movie buffs who actually enjoy being scared. Get there early to park; tickets are $10. WHEN: July 16. Gates open at 7:30.
Los Feliz
Get some culture, you philistines! Enjoy William Shakespeare‘s actual plays (and not just the Kenneth Branagh movie version) of plays like Hamlet, Love’s Labour Lost and The Merry Wives of Windsor in Griffith Park. The shows start at 7 pm and you’ll need a reservation, so bring a picnic, some wine and prepare to get cuddly with the guy you have or, if you’re single, prepare yourself to meet the romantic intellectual you’ve been waiting for. WHEN: Every night this weekend. And it’s FREE.
Redondo Beach
There’s live music going on by the pier, and the dulcet tones of the Air Nat’l Guard Band of the Southwest could potentially draw an eclectic crowd; it is a 50-piece orchestra, after all. WHEN: July 16, 6-8
Orange County
The Orange County Fair is in town! There’s rides, animals, food, extreme sports and a carnival. Live music includes rock darlings The Neon Trees on Saturday and The Pink Floyd Experience on Sunday. You’ll find a wide range of guys here, so beware of thinking he’s older than he actually is! WHEN: July 15-August 14
Santa Monica
So you may not be able to meet the straightest of men at this event, but it’s still cool. Every Saturday at Santa Monica’s Rustic Canyon Recreation Center there’s a movie in the park: this Saturday just so happens to be Singing in the Rain. Terminator 2 it is not, but you’ll still have a good time regardless. Find yourself a GBF and bitch about how hard it can be to date in LA — and then dance under the stars. WHEN: July 16, 7:30.
West Hollywood
Are you ladies ready to find yourself a real writer? Check out inkSlam: LA‘s premier poetry festival on Saturday at the Greenway Court Theatre and have him shower you in a plethora of prose. Cool and cultural. Tickets $5-$20 WHEN: July 16, 11 am-12 am.
Venice, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach & Malibu
What, you actually need something to do here? Get your butt to the beach! Pick up a surfer, build a sand castle, grab some beer and force the hot guy playing guitar on his porch to have house party. Make it happen!
Pasadena
Get ready for the fourth annual Old Pasadena Film Festival. This year the festival is honoring the late, great Elizabeth Taylor, but her films aren’t playing this particular weekend. See Liz and Spencer Tracy in Father of the Bride on Friday night and a guy sexier than Brad Pitt – Steve McQueen — in the Thomas Crown Affair on Saturday. WHEN: July 15 + 16, 8:30 pm.
Laura xo