Out and About in Culver: Culver City ArtWalk 2016

The neighborhood of Culver City is very proud of its own arts district. Driving down Washington Blvd you will see many galleries and studios showcasing today’s generation of artists. Once a year Culver City decides to highlight their arts district with an official “ArtWalk”. If you happened to be at Washington Blvd on October 8th (between Helms and La Cienega Blvd) then you could witness some truly fine pieces of art in Los Angeles.

Out and About in California: Salvation Mountain

Holy crap it is 2016! Which means I have been in Los Angeles for nine months now. Absolute insanity. I still have a job and my future is still looking bright moving out here. But just because I have a professional life doesn’t mean I’ve given up traveling around. This year I resolve to go outside of LA though and explore this vast area we call the West. But we’ll take it one step at a time and stay in the general, Southern California area.

So join me for my first venture of 2016. Join me at SALVATION MOUNTAIN

Out and About in LA: The Huntington Library

As you all know I have been to many, many museums since moving to Los Angeles. I’m a fan of the fine arts and of history as a whole. One place has fallen through the cracks though and that is The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens. Nestled in San Marino, California (close to Pasadena) it is a research and fine art facility formed by railroad tycoon Henry E. Huntington. Thank god for crazy tycoons because The Huntington Library is probably my favorite museum I’ve experienced since moving. It is a sprawling area where if you are sick of the history/art (but why would you?) there is an entire garden to explore with different fauna in zones. Unfortunately at the time of this visit it was off-season for the gardens so everything wasn’t in bloom. But hey, it gives me an enormous excuse to come back and boy will I ever. Even if you aren’t into history or art you have to go out here and experience this place. But here is a preview of what to expect when it comes to the area:

Out and About in LA: Meltdown Comics and Nerdmelt

I have previously covered Meltdown Comics way back when I first moved to Los Angeles. But I felt like I didn’t give them their due especially considering I am a comic book nerd myself. So the other day I went down the the Chris Hardwick runned facility and toured around the whole building. If you are a fans of comics then you’ll love it! If not, well it’s still a pretty cool place to go regardless and you’ll see why by the end. So here is your look at West Hollywood’s gem:

Out and About in LA: The Fisher Museum

It’s time for yet another trip to one of the countless museums in Los Angeles. This time I went all the way to USC to partake in their free art museum called ‘The Fisher Museum of Art’. Just because something is free doesn’t mean it is bad; some of the best art I’ve seen came from free museums. This tiny little building had a pretty neat theme going to show us the dangers of pollution. Several artists made ‘found’ art by taking various pieces of pollution (plastic, toys, trash, etc) from out beaches and oceans and turned it into something beautiful. I wish I had this kind of creativity even when it comes to garbage. Most of the work I ever tried looks like it anyways. Before I bum myself out here is a sample of what is being showcased as you read this:

Out and About in LA: Downtown

So last week I was at the Grand Central Market to try out some food. But that is not all I did that day. I decided to walk a lot of Downtown Los Angeles to see more of my new home. On a very hot day, seriously it was ungodly, I walked from 3rd street to Pico Blvd (a two mile walk) and went to some interesting places. Obviously there is much more to explore in such a city that is still expanding as I type. But hopefully you find some of these places just as fascinating as I did.

Out and About in LA: The LACMA

So a few weeks ago I decided to go to, wait for it, ANOTHER museum! I guess this makes me a snob of the fine arts since I seem to always go to museums. Anyways, I had a lot of fun at the LACMA or ‘The Los Angeles County Museum of Arts’. Probably my favorite of the ones I’ve been to so far. (The Getty had the prettiest layout and landscapes but this had more collections.) I hope you all have fun with some of the sampling I will show below. If you haven’t been, whether a regular in LA or a tourist, I would recommend going when you get the chance.

Out and About in LA: UCLA

I have no plans to going back to college but why not take the opportunity to visit one of the biggest in the country? UCLA is a pretty massive area and I decided to go because they have two (free) museums. The Fowler holds various materials from India, Africa, and the Americas. Meanwhile The Hammer Museum holds modern art from European artists of the 1600s to abstract work from today. Here are some of the highlights of the campus and these two museums:

Out and About in LA: Affair of the Arts

Kind of a low-key affiar this weekend. I’m sure a lot was happening the last weekend of May but didn’t really venture out. Walking so many miles will make you wanna take a break anyways. But Culver City did have a small time art meet up. So I decided to take a walk down and see what was there to offer.

Out and About in LA: Day 3

Kind of a low-key day for me out in the city of angels. Decided to take a tour of one of their museums. It’s not the Louvre or Metropolitan Museum, but the Getty Institute is a very cool place. I especially like the layout where you have to walk outside to get to each building. It is a little small for my taste but there’s still some goodies.

The Getty Museum

   
         

Views Outside The Getty

         

Collections
Heraldic Panel with the Arms of the Eberler Family  

Joke Glass (German)  

Lifting Majine and the Allegory of Death & War by Francesco di Giorgio Marini  

The Temptation of St. Anthony by Lelio Orsi  

  

Bacchanale by Alessandro Magnasco  

The Triumph of Venus by Alessandro Magnasco  

Microscope w/case  

French Porcelain  

Rembrandt Laughing by Rembrandt van Rijn 

Moonlight Landscape with a View of the New Amstel River and Castle Kostverloren by Aert van der Neer 
Self Portrait, Yawning by Joseph Dureux  

Landscape with Lake and Boatman by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot  

Arii Matamoe by Paul Gauguin 

Dinner   

Heard nothing but amazing things about Tito’s Tacos. The hype was worth it cause this was the best Mexican food I’ve ever had. Meat in the burrito was perfectly cooked. And the salsa & gaucamole? Out of this world. Dangerous game to eat out but it is good to know I have great, and cheap, food if I need it.