#32: UCLA Planetarium Show

Photo from astro.ucla.edu

Nerd that I am, I went to UCLA's planetarium show on a weekday evening to get schooled on brown dwarves (they're objects in space, silly).

What?? UCLA has a planetarium?!

Yes and it's free on Wednesday evenings. But don't come expecting a Griffith sized planetarium; this thing only holds 50 people.

The show is free and it's an hour long, with the first half being a lecture/slide show and the second half being a look at the constellations and stars on the giant dome screen. Come EARLY because they close the doors right at 8 pm, and the place is packed with beginning Astronomy students getting extra credit. They also don't let you in after they close the doors, so the banging won't help, people. You snooze you lose.

The lecture had the potential to be as dry as Mars, but what made the evening so entertaining was our speaker, who was a UCLA grad student in Astronomy. He kept everyone laughing throughout the hour show..with this subject matter, that's hard to do!

The best part is that after the show you can go to the top floor of the Math and Sciences building and look through their giant telescope. Tonight it was focused on the craters of the moon, and the view was just out of this world.

Photo from http://www.astro.ucla.edu/planetarium/

UCLA Planetarium

#31: The Getty Villa

Photo from tripadvisor

I took Latin in high school and while in class I would sometimes dream about what it would be like to live as a Roman Emperor. You think the mansions in Beverly Hills are big? Roman emperors have baths the size of those houses. So when I came to the Getty Villa in the Pacific Palisades, imagine my delight when I realized that my dream had come to life.

While the art is great, the best part of the Getty Villa is the atmosphere and experiencing what it's like to live as a wealthy Roman. Of course, your villa wouldn't be overrun with tourists taking pictures, but it's close enough.

It goes without saying that the Villa and the regular Getty are must-sees for every tourist and person who lives in L.A.. Bring a camera, wear your best toga, and be prepared for a great day.

Photo from tripadvisor

Visit their website (The Getty Villa) to book free tickets in advance. You need a reservation to see the villa.

#30: Huntington Gardens

A cute little bear in the Children's Garden

Perfectly manicured, spacious, kid friendly, and not a speck of trash in sight--the place reminded me of DIsneyland.

I first came to the Huntington Gardens in San Marino on a Saturday afternoon and spent about three hours meandering through almost every part of the grounds. This was not an easy feat; the place is gigantic. What makes it seem even larger is that the planners decided to lay out what seems like the most convoluted path from A to B. I'm not complaining, though; walking is my specialty.

Chinese Garden

If you only have limited time here, I'd recommend hitting up the Desert gardens, the Japanese Gardens, the children's garden, and the library. The library was especially amazing--you have Isaac Newton's own copy of Opticks on display, as well as the published works and/or notes of Darwin, Einstein, Aristotle, and many others.

Children's Garden

The second time I visited the gardens was for their outdoor concert series. Imagine HUNDREDS of families covering the main lawn of the Huntington (right outside of the library). Man, there were a lot of people there. Good thing the Huntington has a big parking lot! Don't have a membership? You can go with someone who does for just $5.

I loved my trip to the Huntington Gardens, and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't have pollen allergies and likes walking.

Huntington Gardens

Desert Gardens

Children's Garden

At the Garden's Outdoor Concert Series

#29: Museum of Death

Welcome to the jungle. You're gonna Diiieeeee!!!!

As Axl so eloquently put it, you're gonna die. I'm gonna die. We're all gonna die. I hope you don't die before checking out the Museum of Death, though; there is no better way to make you feel alive than a brush with death.

Now here's the test. I'm gonna throw out a few words and I want you to analyze your response:

Dismembered bodies. Embalming. Human cannibalism. Serial Killers.

If your reaction to these words are "Ewww. Gross.", then do yourself a favor and stay away from this stretch of Hollywood. However, if your response is "Oooh!" or "Hmmmm", then DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS PLACE, DON'T LOOK AT PICTURES ON THE INTERNET, just GO SEE IT FOR YOURSELF!

Why, you ask? Because this type of museum is much better experienced with a blank slate. Reading about it and looking at pics takes out all the element of surprise. Take for example, the two-headed ________ they have on display here. Well, half of the stuff on the internet talks about the two headed ___________, so it really wasn't a surprise when I saw it. Ho-hum. If I hadn't read about it beforehand (Don't peek!), my reaction would have been something more along the lines of "Eeegads!".

Same with the messed up drawings done by ____________, the graphic video of ________ and the infamous outfit worn by __________. See? Now I've got you interested. So stop reading now and take yourself to this crazy museum.

The details: It's $15, credit cards accepted, and open until 8. Parking is free, the place is not very busy, and you can easily spend over an hour here. The owners are also quite friendly and have two adorable dogs that roam the museum.

They were having a hearse convention outside!

Check out the license plate.

http://www.museumofdeath.net/

#28: Richie Gaona's Trapeze School

WHAT: My first trapeze class

WHERE: Richie Ganoa's backyard in Woodland Hills

TIME: Sunday morning (our time slot was from 11:30-1, but our class went past 2. Talk about getting your money's worth!)

COST: $45

THE MISSION: Hang upside down on the bar by your knees , let go of the bar, and then let someone catch you on the other side o_O

RESULTS: Mission Successful! Before coming here, I was afraid that I wouldn't even be able to hold onto the bar for more than 3 seconds. So when I completed the knee hang/catch, I was just flabbergasted... And oh-so-proud of myself too! :) The next day I did pay the price: sore muscles, sore neck, a mysterious bruise on my knee and some minor scrapes. It was so worth it, though, and three days later I was feeling like new.

WHAT TO EXPECT: The classes are mixed level with about 10 people total. There were 4 of us "first-timers" on Sunday, and we were given a 10 minute introduction on how to jump off the platform and how to hang upside down. We then took turns hanging upside down on a practice bar that was suspended close to the ground. After the brief run down, we were up up and away.

I didn't think I would get nervous up there on the platform, but I did. For a minute as you're waiting to get harnessed, you don't have anything on and you're standing on a wooden board that's a foot wide. Even with the net below you, it's freaky.

Once you jump, though, it's smooth sailing. We each got to jump about 7 times total. The first few times were just swinging back and forth, which was then followed by a knee hang and then a catch. My legs were shaky each time I finished, but I couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear. This was definitely one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life, and something I am so proud to have done. Once I get up the courage again, I'll take my next class and try the half turn catch.

By the way, Richie is a professional. He has worked with celebrities like Tom Cruise and Jackie Chan for movie stunts and he comes from a long generation of trapeze artists.

Go ahead and book a slot! If I can do it, so can you :)

Richie Gaona's Trapeze School

#27: Royal T

Photo from www.royal-t.org

Gigantic balloon dogs. Creepy octopus woman. Slime drops with eyes oozing down the walls. Royal T in Culver City is a cafe and art space in one. While you gape at the creative jaw dropping art displayed here, you get to be served by sweet waitresses in maid costumes! This is Japanese anime come to life, and it's adorable.

As for the food, I just ordered coffee and flower tea. It was overpriced, but served in cool cups/saucers. I heard the food here was ok--nothing to write home about. The atmosphere and the art, however, are unforgettable.

Photo from pingmag.jp/2008/ 06/25/royalt/

Photo from pingmag.jp/2008/ 06/25/royalt/

Royal T

#26: Los Angeles County Arboretum

Peacocks rule at the Arboretum. You see them everywhere, you accidentally step in their feces, and just when you think you can relax, one sneaks up behind you and lets out a ear shattering squawk. Underneath those pretty feathers are some seriously scary birds!

Despite my frightening feathered friends, I couldn't help falling in love with the Arboretum. It's smaller than Huntington Gardens and less crowded. This translates to a wonderfully intimate time where you really do feel like you've escaped from the big city. The icing on the cake is the Fantasy Island house and lagoon. Da plane! Da plane!

Don't miss the carp, ducks and turtles in the lagoon, and the vine "house". Bring your camera; there are amazing photo opportunities everywhere (hence the tourists with massive lens cameras and the FOUR wedding parties taking pictures).

Brad inside the vine "house"

Beautiful flowers

The House from Fantasy Island

The Lagoon

The Gazebo

Duck, duck...

The Arboretum

#25: La Brea Tar Pits

It's tar. In a pit. With the Jungle Book elephants in it.

Right across the street from the Craft and Folk Art Museum (see #24) lies the hottest tar pit this side of the Rockies. It's hot. Literally.

I didn't bother with the adjoining Page museum (next time!), but the park itself was hardly crowded and made for a nice weekend stroll in the sun. After you're finished, stroll on over to one of the many other museums along this stretch of Wilshire (it's called "Museum Row", after all!).

La Brea Tar Pits

#24: Craft and Folk Art Museum

I admit, at first I was skeptical about the Craft and Folk Art museum...When I hear "craft" and "folk", I imagine tie dye, hemp jackets and dream catchers. I was almost gonna leave after checking out their world-market gift shop, but then spotted the "free admission on Sundays" sign. FREE? I'm there!

"There" turned out to be two rooms on the second and third floor; this museum is tiny. The second floor room held colorful and vibrant art work by Mithila women in India. The third floor was the clincher, though; I was immediately intrigued by the dioramas and art work up there---they that had such an eerily dark quality to them. This is craft/folk art? I love it! Don't miss the "asylum theater". Goosebumps.

You are in luck because from now until the end of the year, this place is FREE on Sundays. Otherwise, you'll have to pay $5, or $3 if you're a student/teacher/veteran. It's worth checking out!

P.S. This weekend only, many museums around L.A. are having free admission. Check it out! http://www.museumsla.org/news.asp

Mithila Art from Indian women

Craft And Folk Art Museum

#23: The Annenberg Space For Photography

The Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City may not be large, but what it contains in its sleek modern space just blew me away. You have until the end of October to catch the current exhibit--Pictures of the Year International. These award winning pictures taken by photo-journalists around the world capture images that are both haunting and heart wrenching.

The exhibit is free, and parking is just a dollar on the weekend. It took less than an hour to see the space. Though small, it is one of my favorite spaces in the city for art. Be sure to catch the movie they play in the beginning containing interviews from the artists.

The Annenberg Space For Photography