Urban Ninja
Happy New Year! I know that usually sounds like champagne, resolutions and magnum sized hangovers. But this is second New Year’s – the one with dragons, firecrackers and dumplings. Chinese New Year!
If you have never been to LA’s Chinatown, this would be the perfect reason to visit.
Firecracker 5K/10K run/walk (Sunday Feb 13) – whether you need a warmup for the LA marathon or just want to see the neighborhood while getting some exercise, this is a great reason to get out of bed on Sunday. There is also a bike option on Saturday Feb 12 – so if tight spandex is your thing, Saturday is your jam.
Midnight Temple Ceremony (Wednesday Feb 2) – this is the event that officially rings in the New Year. This happens on the eve of Chinese New Year and is filled with lion dancers, firecrackers, and incense to honor the ancestors and bring… MOOLAH. Good Fortune! These celebrations will continue all through the week, but this is the one that begins it all!
Golden Dragon Parade (Saturday Feb 12) – If Chinese New Year was a sporting event, the Golden Dragon would be its mascot. It is not Chinese New Year without the firecrackers and dancing lion and dragon. There is a full day of events – bring the fam and stay all day – see the event calendar here There will be Traditional Chinese Lion Dancers, Jazz Music & food trucks, natch.
but really because 3 + 1 is better than the unlucky number that it adds up to…
Chinatown stop on the Gold Line – Chinatown is a small area & parking can be tough, especially with so many events which will spill into the city streets – so take the subway. It’s the Chinatown stop on the Metro Gold Line & you will be dropped right off into the heart of the action.
This is not the time to try DimSum. If you NEED to have hargao on Chinese New Year, then GO EARLY. After the runners/walkers finish their 5K/10K, they are VERY HUNGY. Must not get in their way.
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Unless you went to Occidental or formerly lived in Silverlake and then had a baby, you probably have no idea where Eagle Rock is. That’s too bad, because there are so many tasty options on the East Side. Breakfast, Cupcakes, BBQ and Belgian Fries: obviously all bases are covered. So, here are a few highlights to whet your palate.
Go on, get your grub on.
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By now we have all heard that Eli Broad is all set to open up his new museum next to the Disney Hall. Oh, you haven’t heard. Well, now you know… and knowing is half the battle (GI Joe!). Well, while we wait for Broad’s vast contemporary art collection to find a new home downtown, let’s slake our thirst for art at all the other museums that LA has to offer — yeah, I said ‘SLAKE’ – what’s up now bitches!
DiscoverLosAngeles.com is offering deep discounts on over 30 of LA’s best Cultural attractions. If your interests are of the musical variety, you can check out the Grammy Museum at LA Live or get 2 for 1 tickets to the LA Opera. If architecture is your thing, you can get tickets to the Mak Center For Art & Architecture at Schindler House to see the Kings Road House by Rudolph Schindler, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s contemporaries and one of the luminaries of California Architecture. The art museum heavies are all there too: LACMA, The Getty (both the marble palace on a hill AND the Villa by the Sea), the Hammer and the Norton Simon.
So, take a look at what they have to offer (only until April 30, 2011) thanks to their many sponsors, and get some culture in your life. Art is the only thing that will keep you sane afterall. Unless you’re an artist, in which case you are already insane.