Fridays at the LACMA

I have a new favorite thing to do on Fridays.

It involves wine, picnic blankets, live music, and art.

Does it get any better?

I'd heard about Fridays at the LACMA before,

but due to my AWOL ("always west of Lincoln") inertia,

I had never gone until last Friday.

And it was wonderful.

Brian and I headed out after work,

picked up some wine at Ray's & Stark,

pulled up a seat on the grass,

and hung out and listened to an awesome jazz concert.

I know nothing about jazz,

but I loved listening, and watching all the other people get really into it.

There was even a group of people behind the stage

doing what I can only describe as "interpretive dance."

It was awesome.

I wanted to join in (I'm embarrassing like that),

but Brian was having none of it.

We even got to see the sold-out James Turrell exhibit

(thanks to a friend who got us tickets),

which I can only describe as trippy and completely mind-blowing.

What a genius that guy is.

We followed it up with a dinner at Angelini,

which I have already proclaimed to be 

the best Italian restaurant I've been to stateside.

Brian agreed, so now it's super official.

All around, last Friday was one of those days 

that the effort of planning and going really paid off.

I was just so happy I went and saw and experienced.

There really is a lot out there,

east of Lincoln.

The Getty Villa

So I finally went to the Getty Villa.

And it was...OK.

The museum's collection was nothing to rave about, and there wasn't really any juicy info on the actual Getty family (at least not publicly available, and you know I don't have the patience for guided tours).

I guess I thought it would be more like touring the family house mansion, and less like a museum...kind of like the Frick.  But it was most definitely museum-y.

The gardens were pretty, though.  There was even an herb garden with lavender and rosemary and thyme that smelled like Provence (at least the Provence of my imagination...). 

And there was this pool that I just wanted to jump in.

That guy had the right idea. 

Bottom line:  I'm glad I went; I won't be back.  If you're visiting LA, stick to the Getty Center (and bring a picnic!).


P.S.  This marks the last item left to check off all on the "sights" listed on my L.A. List....Does that mean I'm not a tourist anymore?  That I'm a legit L.A. resident??  I'm kind of a little freaking out!

The LACMA & Ray's

Last Sunday, Brian and I took his parents out to the LACMA for lunch and some art browsing.  It was a gorgeous LA day -- perfect for an outside lunch at Ray's!

Everything we tried at Ray's lived up to the hype.  The chile appetizer and the steak were two of my favorites!  Oh!  And Tabatha was eating a few tables away!  Gotta love a reality-show celeb sighting :)

{loved these giant kitchen sculptures!}

Snow White, the Ballet

{Please excuse me while I gush...}

Saturday night, Leslie and I went to the ballet at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and it was such a treat!

 

We went to see Blanche Niege (Snow White) performed by Ballet Prelojcaj, with costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier (yes!  for reals! ballet + fashion design!).  I don't even have to tell you it was incredible.  So so beautiful.  And not in the Disney Princess way.  At all.  It was raw, sexy, dark, modern.  (I think there was a ballet-style orgy at one point...)

See for yourself:

 

Right?

I left so impressed.  Impressed by the dancers, yes of course (ohmygosh their bodies and their grace and the way Snow White and the Prince's bodies moved like they were somehow part of one being!), but also impressed by the set design, the stunning costumes, the production.  It was all done so well.  The moment where Snow White is lifted through the air by her mother's spirit, or where the seven dwarves dance on a vertical mine wall -- those were so much about the lighting, the effects, the set, but in such a subtle way.  The same way that the choreography managed to blend modern and classic without a hitch.  It was breath-taking.

  

{via}

And I can't even think about the costumes without gasping!  The evil queen wore thigh highs and a bustier (omg she was so amazing).

{via}

And Snow White wore this insane fringe ball gown in the last scene:

 

{via}

White fringe!  I died.  Died.

All this talk is making me want to see it again.  It was really that good!  Plus, our tickets were under $40 a pop!

Seriously people, if you're in LA, take advantage of this show while it's in town.  It's so so worth it.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall

It's been a work-hard-play-hard kind of week (and my aching feet can attest to it).  In the last six days, I've gone to three cocktail parties, a fundraiser for the Creative Visions Foundation (check them out!), an L.A. Phil concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and to top it all off, I got sworn in to the state bar of California!  I'm afraid I didn't get to take many pictures of all the social events, but I do have some pics from the Disney Concert Hall to share!

I've wanted to check this place out since I moved to L.A., so when I saw the Groupon for tickets to "The Hollywood Sound" in my inbox, you bet I clicked that "Buy!" button faster than you can say "the deal is on!"  As you probably could guess, unlike some of my other Groupon purchases (<ahem> the Bar method that expired four months ago), this one turned out to be money well spent.

The Disney Concert Hall itself is absolutely breath-taking.  It was designed by Frank Gehry, who lives in a crazy-cool house he designed right here in Santa Monica (which I will now commence stalking...I will find him if he's findable).  Everywhere you look, the lines of the building soar up, and around, and then plunge down again.  It's so big that it's hard to take it all in.  I am so in awe of Gehry's creativity.

One reason I loved this concert was that all the music was from old(ish) movies (hence the name, "The Hollywood Sound").  Before each set, the composer would explain a bit about what movies the songs came from, and how they fit into Hollywood history - it was so interesting!  Did you know that each movie studio used to have its own orchestra that would record soundtracks?  My favorites were the suites from To Kill a Mockingbird (the piano and flute solos made my heart hurt - the composer said they are supposed to echo the childlike simplicity of the narrator, Scout) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (the organ gave me chills!).  Brian liked "The Hunt" from Planet of the Apes best, and everyone gave a standing ovation after the orchestra played the Superman theme song as an encore (oh Superman...).

The inside seating area is all wood, and the design feels very Scandinavian.  But somehow, despite it's sleek, modern lines and high ceilings, it still feels intimate and warm (there were no pictures allowed in the seating area sadly).  And the "acoustics"?  All I can tell you is that from the perspective of someone who has used the word "acoustics" maybe three times ever, it sounded like I was standing in the middle of the orchestra and they were playing a special concert just for me, and maybe we were in a field with sunshine and fairies involved.  It was that good.

When I was little, every time I went to a museum, I wanted to be a painter; every time I went to the ballet, I wanted to be a ballerina.  I've grown up enough to know that I'll never be a painter, a ballerina, or a concert pianist, but I still leave every performance, every exhibit, every concert, feeling a little more hopeful, a little more optimistic, a little more like a dreamer. Watching artists perform is still the ultimate source of inspiration for me.

The world was a little brighter after the concert today.  I left feeling honored to have had the opportunity to enjoy such talent, and thankful that I live in L.A., where $47 and a 30-minute drive will get me here.

The Getty

The Getty Center just might be my favorite place in L.A.

Next time, I'm bringing a picnic.