UnHip LA

Go ride a stagecoach!

Los Encinos State Historic Park

On Sunday, October 19th, Los Encinos State Historic Park in Encino will host a unique living history event. It will be "Stagecoach Day", which celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the start of scheduled stagecoach service in California.

This program will feature an actual stagecoach with horses, traveling the old Overland Mail route (Ventura Blvd) from Campo de Cahuenga in Universal City to Los Encinos and then to the Leonis Adobe in Calabasas. It is scheduled to arrive at Los Encinos around mid day.

In addition, the program at Los Encinos will feature two 19th Century style bands (Los Californios and the Band of the California Battalion), Victorian dancing, a blacksmith, a telegraph office, children’s games, tours of the restored 1849 adobe and participants in authentic Victorian costume.

Pack a picnic and stay the day–admission is free. Old West attire is encouraged (no weapons please)

Los Encinos Website
(Directions, park history and archives of historic photographs)

"Stagecoach Days" are being celebrated throughout the California State Parks system. Ft.Tejon State Historic Park is having their "Overland Mail Day" on Saturday, October 4th.
Print a flier

More recession fun -

On October 4 and 5th, many museums in Los Angeles County will be open for freesies.  Typically a museum free day means way more crowds, but still it’s a fun way to hit a bunch of museums at once.  Here’s the list from www.MuseumsLA.org:

MUSEUMS FREE-FOR-ALL
Free Admission Days October 4 and/or 5, 2008

In a joint effort to welcome diverse communities across Southern California, the Museum Marketing Roundtable announces the fourth annual “Museums Free-For-All” during the weekend of Saturday, October 4, and Sunday, October 5, 2008. The following 24 institutions—exploring art, cultural heritage, natural history and science—will offer free admission to all visitors on one or both dates

Participating Museums:

• Armory Center for the Arts - Both Dates
• Autry National Center - Sunday, October 5th Only
• Bowers Museum - Sunday, Octoher 5th Only
  
• California African American Museum - Both Dates
• California Heritage Museum - Saturday, October 4th Only
• California Science Center - Both Dates
• Craft and Folk Art Museum - Both Dates
• Fowler Museum at UCLA - Both Dates
• The Getty Center - Both Dates
• The Getty Villa (advance tickets required) - Both Dates
• Hammer Museum at UCLA - Both Dates
• Japanese American National Museum - Sunday, October 5th Only
• Los Angeles Fire Harbor Museum - Saturday, October 4th Only
• Los Angeles Fire Museum & Memorial - Both Dates
  
• The Museum of Contemporary Art,
           Los Angeles (MOCA) - Both Dates
• Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA) - Both Dates
• Museum of Tolerance - Sunday, October 5th Only
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - Both Dates
• Norton Simon Museum - Sunday, October 5th Only
• The Paley Center for Media - Both Dates
• Petersen Automotive Museum - Both Dates
• Santa Monica Museum of Art
• Skirball Cultural Center
• Southwest Museum of the American Indian.

I just found out about this funny-sounding event:  the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach has free shark petting every Friday night from 6 pm - 9 pm, with light refreshments and alcoholic beverages available for purchase.  Sounds like it could be a dangerous combo. I called and asked if a lot of people show up and the aquarium said no. The Shark Lagoon is the only area open for free; the rest of the aquarium is closed.  Still, I think this is a great sounding happy hour.  Drink, pet, and then go out on the town.  Long Beach is a fun town.

From the Aquarium’s website  www.aquariumofthepacific.org:

Aquarium Event

Shark Lagoon Nights

The public is invited to get up close with the ocean’s ultimate predators at the Aquarium of the Pacific for FREE during Shark Lagoon Nights. Guests will have the opportunity to touch bamboo sharks and see large sharks such as sandtigers as well as rays in the Aquarium’s Shark Lagoon.

Coffee, hot cocoa, beer, wine, desserts, and snacks are available for purchase.

100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90805
(562) 590-3100

From the Pacific Asia Museum: 

Sunday September 28, 11:00am-5:00pm
Free Family Day - Himalayan Festival We’re celebrating the people of the world’s highest region with the biggest FREE Family Festival of the year! Enjoy hands-on crafts, music, dance, exhibitions, demonstrations, and food and crafts for sale from Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Tibet. The Himalayan Festival is presented in association with the Tibetan Association of Southern California and is made possible in part by the City of Pasadena Arts and Culture Commission and Cultural Affairs Division, Pasadena Art League, Target, Dharma Arts, Tibetan Arts, India Sweets and Spices and Bodhi Tree Bookstore. In-kind support provided by Dolphin Rents, Sierra Club, and Whole Life Times. Special thanks to the volunteers of Pacific Asia Museum’s Himalayan Arts Council and Pakistan Arts Council.

Four days of Korean madness…

The 35th Annual Los Angeles Korean Festival…

September 25 - 28, 2008

with a Korean traditional marketplace, tea ceremony, parade, wrestling demo and

A SENIOR CITIZENS FOLK SONG CONTEST!

www.lakoreanfestival.com 

*** EVENT CANCELLED *** 

This looks like a good opportunity to get some unique items.  From Yelp:

Alternative Art Market
Saturday and Sunday
September 27 - 28
1 until 7 pm

A Harvest of Uniquely Wondrous Curios

T-shirts, Original Art, Pottery, Posters, Jewelry, Handbags, Hats, Home Accessories, Holiday Gifts, Doggie Clothing, And No MMP Guaranteed! (No Mass Manufactured Products)

Plus Live Music Provided by the following:
Remmy (Flamenco reinterpretation)
Hiro (Jazz Keys & Bass)
DJs Sean & Katia
A special super groovin’ intergalactic progressive jazz improve jam band
And two blues bands too!

Come join us in the majestical courtyard at
88 North Fair Oaks (at Holly St.)
Pasadena
(626) 844-8886
http://www.myspace.com/majesticalroof 

For some pics of this majestical place, visit eyelevelpasadena’s discovery of the spot. 

As you may already know, the San Gabriel Valley is full of $15-20, one hour foot massage places.  There are so many places that it’s hard to figure out where to go.  This article covers a few spots.  I’ve  recently visited, two times, a place with the unfortunate name of Exotic Spa, but I was happy with the service.  On my first visit, I got a 30 minute chair massage ($20) and this time I got the one hour foot massage including a 20-minute upper body massage ($20).  They also do a $15/hour foot masage and foot soaking (no upper body).  And finally there’s the combo of combos: a 20 minute chair massage, 30 minute foot massage, and a 10 minute foot soaking for $30, all of which they somehow fit into a one hour time span. 

The place tries hard to be serene and spa-like with a big sign that reads Quiet in both English and Chinese.  The huge flat screen TV played nature shows in mute.  In other foot spas, the TV shows Chinese movies/TV with some volume. The multicolored Christmas lights are a little distracting but still it’s a nice peaceful environment and I felt comfy, cozy, sleepy there.  The first masseuse I had was a man and he had great hands.  This time was a woman whose little fingers were precise and strong, but the man was better.  Too bad I didn’t get their names. I definitely will go back again.  I liked how clean the place was, and I liked how they kept piling warm towels on me.  Parking is easy in the back.  There are two scales in there to weigh yourself, which I found funny. I ate a tootsie roll on the way out. They give you a tea as well.  The crowd was more non-Asian than Asian.  Tip - make an appointment and get one of their frequent visitor cards.

Exotic Spa
702 W Las Tunas Drive
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 281-1730 or (626) 905-0611 

While there, you might also want to eat at the delcious Luscious Dumplings or Vietnam House (7 courses of beef dinner - very good). I also pick up odds and ends at the bargain store there, which surprisingly often has what I need. 

I stumbled upon a $5.40 super treat while in K-town today.  At Han Kook market when you enter, the restaurant to the right has delicious mussels in a white creamy sauce sprinkled with orange fish eggs and chives (excuse my non-foodie language, I really don’t know the names for these things).  It’s similar to a dish that’s frequently found in Japanese restaurants.  I enjoy dislodging the mussel and slurping/chewing it.  Anyhow, I was really surprised to find this dish in a Korean grocery store restaurant.  It was quite tasty and a great deal. Seven or so mussels (in shells) with a miso soup for just $5.40.  I only ate four of the mussles and I was full.  I had also ordered a $4.50 tasty smoothie (strawberry, banana, kiwi) at the froyo/pizza shop on the left side of the plaza.  And I had a great swedish chair massage at Kim’s Chun Ki, which is a Korean department store of sorts and is further down Olympic Boulevard.  The yelpers here rave about Kim’s.

Han Kook Market (LA HK Market)
124 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90004
323-469-8934 or 323-469-0674

Kim’s Home Center
2940 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 386-4882

I wish I had brought my camera.  

I know there are a few art galleries in Alhambra, but I just wind of a few more.  Could Alhambra be becoming the next hip artist spot?  Will gentrification rear its ugly ahead in the SGV?  Honestly, I think Alhambra is big enough that it could take it and still retain its ethnic charms.  From  http://www.yolandagonzalez.com/homepages/events.html

2008

I found out about this via an enewsletter I get from the artist Carol Es whose work I dig. 

**** UPDATE *****

I moseyed on down to this and it was a great show.  I was impressed by the art at both galleries and the abundance of food and drink.  The vibe was very laid-back, cool, but in an SGV-way, not pretentious.  People were nicely, artistically dressed.  I’d say the age range was late 30something and up with a majority being Latino.  Not too many young hipsters milling about.  The galleries are in an industrial park of sorts, alongside clothing and computer manufacturers, and a Mexican restaurant.  I was really surprised that Alhambra had this semblance of an artistic community and was really happy to not have to drive past downtown to get a dose of art.  You could say it was Bergamot Station-light, very light, with two galleries within walking distance of each other.  A jazz band entertained at Howeeduzzit while patrons sat on the grass and enjoyed them.  The weather was beautiful.  Yay Alhambra!