Catching Up Some More

Not last Thursday, but the Thursday before (February 19), Jody and I went to see the Deaf West Theater/ Center Theatre Group co-production of Pippin at the Mark Taper Forum.

The show was enjoyable, if bumpy; the two actors (one singing, one signing) who played Pippin were great, and Berthe and Catherine and Charlemagne were all wonderful. Unfortunately, the Leading player neither led nor played (I'm really surprised he was even cast), Fastrada was just okay, and the production design was both obtrusive and scattered.

Jody and I were visiting the Music Center (officially known as the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County) for the first time. The Music Center is comprised of three major performing venues: The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Mark Taper Forum, and the Ahmanson Theatre. The first building opened in 1964, and the latter two in 1967.

You might also be interested to know that the three main buildings at the heart of New York's Lincoln Center—Avery Fisher Hall, the New York State Theater (now the David H. Koch Theater), and the Metropolitan Opera House—were opened in 1962, 1964, and 1966, respectively....each building's execution occuring a year or two before its LA counterpart.

The Music Center buildings were all designed by Los Angeles architect Welton Becket. Not to take anything away from Mr. Becket, but do ya think maybe he saw Lincoln Center at some point during his planning process?

Getty? Yup!

My mom and I spent Sunday afternoon at the J. Paul Getty Museum, that bastion of travertine and natural light. It's an exceedingly pleasant place to visit, whether you're interested in art or not. And while we were walking around, I realized why.

The Getty is not so much a museum as a resort.

It was designed by a famous architect.

The grounds are sprawling and pristinely beautiful.

The food is great.

The views are stunning.

The gardens are perfectly manicured.

There's even a pool (although you can't swim in it).

And, of course, there are gift shops everywhere.

Although it's completely different from a resort in one critical respect.

It's free!

(And parking is only eight bucks!)

Trek

This will be a post about the other side of Los Angeles.

Or, better yet, how about the other side of Hollywood?

Or, better still, how about the other side of the Hollywood sign?


Yeah, I know, that was an incredibly lame intro. Cut me some slack, 'k?

I set out today to make what I estimated to be a 2½-hour hike into Griffith Park. I wound up hiking for over 4 hours. Partly because I was enjoying myself, and partly because it took me that long to get even close to where I'd parked my car. (In the end, I called a friend and hitched a ride for the last half mile, because it was well after sunset, and I was afraid my car would be towed.)

I'm pretty damn tuckered out, so I'll expound in future posts: on Griffith Park, on Hollywood land, and on the status of my calves.

But overall it was an amazing day.

The sign looms over town, serving as a navigational aid
(it's always north), and a reminder of LA's colorful past


Road to nowhere


In the valley, someone has created a small monument;
perhaps an offering to the movie gods?