EVENT – Limited tickets left for our LA River Tour!
LA River Tour with Jenny Price – Sunday, July 18th, 2010
FULL TOUR AND PURCHASING INFO HERE
Above, a teaser from the upcoming movie ROCK THE BOAT.
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Learn about the past, present and future of the mighty (!?) L.A. River, PLUS enjoy some fantastic tacos and cream puffs along the way
*This tour is perfect for people of all ages who would like to learn more about the river that once brought fresh water to Los Angeles*
Difficult as it is for Angelenos or anyone else to believe, the Los Angeles River was once a very real flowing river, along the banks of which the city was founded. In 1781, 44 people (Los Pobladores) traveled from Sonora, Mexico to settle along its West bank. For more than 100 years, this 51 mile long river was the sole source of water for the city that grew around it.
Have you ever *really* seen the LA River? Do you ACTUALLY know anything about it? Sure, maybe you’ve passed a concrete slab with an LA River sign… but have you seen where it flows? Do you know the *true* stories of the river’s past and present beyond the fictional details you remember from seeing Chinatown? And what about its future? Sure, everyone in Los Angeles has seen the LA River, and many have heard that it’s being revitalized. But who knows where and what exactly is happening on its banks? There’s much more to the story than meets the eye as you pass from a speeding car while commuting. (more…)
INVITE – PLEASE Come to Our First Birthday Party!!!
SADLY, due to an illness in my family and strangely low ticket sales and an apparent fear of puppets, the birthday party was cancelled. Hopefully we’ll reschedule it again for a future date. :) Thanks to everyone!!!
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This is going to be SUCH a fun event, I can’t wait for you all to join us! For what you would normally pay for two martinis at Musso & Franks, you’ll get a night of BORDER GRILL TRUCK FOOD, DRINKS, CAKE, AND A PIECE OF LA HISTORY! Also, think of it this way… besides having fun, your birthday gift to us will helping us to support the Bob Baker Marionette Theater which is really struggling right now.
What better way to spend an evening than marionettes, alcohol, tacos and birthday cake!?
All tickets include:
- Pre-show mixer sponsored by Karlsson’s Vodka
- Admission to Bob Baker’s “It’s A Musical World” Marionette Show
- Ice Cream and Birthday Cake from Hansen’s Cakes
- Full post-show catering and sangria provided by The Border Grill Truck
- Gourmet soft drinks from Gus’ Grown Up Soda
- Plus… who knows what else! :)
PLEASE come to our birthday party! Pretty please!???
Note: If you use the discount “BROKEPEOPLE” you’ll get the tickets at cost. $30!!! Woo hoo!!!
TO PURCHASE TICKETS, CLICK HERE.
YAY! – HiddenLA Made The Times!
A huge thank you to LA TImes Technology Writer Mark Milian for this nice article about HLA and our Facebook pages! Fantabulous! :)
HLA EVENT – ¡Margaritas & Mexican Wrestling Night!
OFFICIAL FACEBOOK INVITE
We’ve not been posting much lately outside of Facebook, but that’s because we’ve been working on some great stuff for the summer. Here’s just a sample… tickets are now officially available for our first Passport to Mexico ¡Margaritas and Mexican Wrestling Night!
The event will be on Sunday, May 30th from 7-10pm and the $27 ticket price include a few drinks, appetizers, and chunky Mexican guys in spandex costumes. What more could you want on a Sunday night, I ask? Nada, you answer!!! :)
To purchase tickets, click here!
Note: Since this is the first time we’ve done this event we are currently limiting the available tickets to 30. We might open up more slots closer to the date, if possible. We would like to do these kinds of events regularly in the future and just want to make sure we’re always planning each one to run as smoothly and enjoyably as possible for everyone.

AY DIOS MIO! – The Lucha Lords
As previously mentioned, many aspects of Mexican culture are very close to my heart… so when Andrew from Lucha Lords invited us to watch underground Mexican Wrestling on Sunday I was all for it. I may be a girly girl in some ways, but I love that stuff.
CLICK ON EACH THUMBNAIL FOR A LARGER VIEW.


It was an evening of authentic entertainment featuring exactly what I was hoping for… a variety of (often pot-bellied) men in wacky spandex ensembles and masks playing out testosterone-fueled soap operas and combined displays of pain both very real and very faked. My favorite rivalry was between a large man dressed up like Tweety Bird and his archnemesis, a wrestler who looked like a reject from a community theater production of CATS. (Sadly, Tweety lost.) There are no hipster burlesque shows or fanciness to these events (or English, for that matter)… just Lucha Libre at its core, in a room filled with family members cheering on their favorites (sometimes with a bullhorn).
Hosted in a community hall behind a grungy cafe on 7th Street, Lucha Lords feels like the purest form of the spectacle… and it was easy to forget we were still in Los Angeles. It was 100% pure macho cheesy entertainment and one of the most fun things I’ve done in a while. Thanks Andrew! By the way, if you’re up for the adventure the Lucha Lords generally do their thing on Sundays from 7-10pm, but check the web site for full information.
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VIDEO – One Sunday in Los Angeles
Here’s a cool video by HiddenLA fan and devoted LA Kings podcaster Chris Kaliszewski.
Happy Sunday, everybody! :)
OUR FIRST 3-D POST!!! – Jack Laxer at the Getty
CLICK ON THE THREE THUMBNAILS BELOW TO VIEW ANIMATED GIFS. IF YOU’D RATHER VIEW THE IMAGES SIDE BY SIDE, WE’VE POSTED THEM AFTER THE JUMP.
WHAT: Photography in 3-D: Capturing the Built Environment, Photography by Jack Laxer
WHEN: Sunday, April 11, 2010, 3:30pm – 5:30pm
WHERE: Getty Center, Museum Lecture Hall
COST: Course fee $15 (includes 3-D glasses and parking); reservations required. Call (310) 440-7300
My grandmother owned a stereopticon, and as a child I was fascinated by it. I still have it, and it looks *just* like the contraption on the right. Basically, during the early days of photography the stereopticon was an invention that helped people of the late 19th century collect the sights of the world without leaving home… a magical machine displaying the most exotic wonders of the world in 3D so people could fantasize about being there in person. 3D may be all the rage when it comes to watching movies right now, but the art of 3D photography is still more amazing to me somehow.
The other day I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jack Laxer who will be showing his master 3D/stereo photography of Modernist architecture at the Getty this Sunday (complete with 3D glasses provided!) . When he was kind enough to offer me the opportunity to feature some of his work on HiddenLA this week, I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it justice but I knew I was up to the challenge. Since I can’t exactly hand out stereopticans to all of you, I decided to try turning them into animated gifs… and it actually kinda works! Obviously the effect will be much better if you go to his Getty event and check out his work in person with 3D glasses on your face, but this’ll give you a taste. One warning though… before you click on the thumbnails below, just please be sure you aren’t epileptic. Oh, and just know if you haven’t had coffee yet, you probably won’t need any after viewing them. ;)
CLICK ON THUMBNAILS BELOW FOR ANIMATED GIFS
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HLA EVENT – Be Our Accomplice!
What would Neil Patrick Harris do? Well, we can guarantee you that he would tell you to read the following post very carefully and do *exactly* as it says within the next four days, and nobody will get hurt…
HiddenLA and the wonderful people of Accomplice would like to invite you to join us and experience one of the most fun things going on the streets of Hollywood! (Scroll down to read more information.)
For the next four days (March 22-25), use the code HIDDENLA during checkout for a $20 discount on each ticket. While the discount code is valid for any future date, Sunday, April 11th is Accomplice’s official Hidden Los Angeles Day. For that date, Accomplice will ONLY be accepting reservations from HiddenLA fans… 80 people in all. Tickets should go fast so hurry up and RSVP! The show itself features light drinks and food, but we’ll be holding a no-host day-long cocktail gathering for all our participating HLA fans to hang out together and share their experiences when the show is over! Good times. No, seriously, this will definitely be good times. NPH wouldn’t steer you wrong and neither would we. (more…)
EVENT – LA Heritage Day
WHEN: Sunday, April 11th, 2010, 11am-4pm
WHERE: Heritage Square Museum, 3800 Homer Street
COST: Free admission if you download the flyer (you can also click on the image at right and print that) $5 without the flyer. Pink’s will be there, so bring some hot dog money too!
Feel like embracing some of the incredible history surrounding you? Here’s a great chance! On the 11th of April, the LA Heritage Alliance will be hosting the Third Annual LA Heritage Day. There will be tours of fantastic historic homes, a scavenger hunt, and a variety of presentations, readings, performances, and even cooking lessons!
“In an area sometimes perceived as having no ‘real’ history, L.A. Heritage Day is an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about and enjoy the fascinating people, places and events that have shaped Southern California,” said Cindy Olnick, spokesperson for the Los Angeles Conservancy. “It is also a chance to learn about the incredible variety of local preservation groups, museums, libraries and historical societies serving today throughout Los Angeles County.”
Participating organizations include: The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles; American Cinemateque; Arroyo Arts Collective; Beverly Hills Historical Society; California Art Club; City of Los Angeles, Office of Historic Resources; Claremont Heritage; Culinary Historians of Southern California; Cultural Heritage Foundation of Southern California; Culver City Historical Society; Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum; Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society; Friends of La Laguna; Hancock Park / Windsor Square Historical Society; Highland Park Heritage Trust; Historic Adamson House/Malibu Lagoon Museum; Hollywood Heritage; the L.A. Historic Theatre Foundation; Lanterman House Museum; Las Angelitas del Pueblo; Leonis Adobe; Los Angeles City Historical Society; Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust; the Los Angeles Conservancy; Los Encinos Docent Association; Monterey Park City Historical Society; Montebello Historical Society; Muckenthaler Cultural Center; Olmsted District Preservation Association; Point Fermin Lighthouse; Pomona Heritage; Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site; San Fernando Valley Historical Society; Santa Monica Conservancy; Venice Historical Society; Whittier Conservancy; West Adams Heritage Association; Western Educators, Shooters, and Troopers; and William S. Hart Park and Museum
UPDATE – See y’all at 8pm at Musso & Frank!
Two weeks ago we scheduled our first meetup at the Tonga Hut and 20 people showed up. It went so smoothly and was so fun that it was decided to hold a similar event every two weeks at a classic Los Angeles locale and another was scheduled for tonight at Musso & Frank. Originally figuring it would be another 20 people, last weekend I spoke to Musso’s about reserving a booth or two. Ha ha… that was so last week! On our Facebook invite alone we now have 54 people reserved to come and 54 maybes so those two booths would be a little crowded.
I don’t know how many people to truly expect, especially since a lot of people don’t have Facebook, but Jordan (the owner of Musso’s, who has been awesome!) and I have decided that we’re up for the challenge. Please bear with us if you show up and it gets crowded, we’re going to do everything we can to be ready for you. It’s just a strange situation, having our readership go up about 2,000% in one week. Not something that happens very often or that we were expecting.
Moral of the story, I hope to see you tonight. And if when you see me I look a little tired… well, just bear with me. It’s been a crazy week.
**OFFICIAL FACEBOOK EVENT LISTING**
WHEN: Thursday, February 11, 2010, 8pm – 10pm
WHERE: Musso & Frank, 6667 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA (more…)
UPDATE – HLA Martini Night at Musso & Frank
Since this is only our second little meet-up and our site has suddenly blown up on Facebook (almost 10,000 fans and growing!!!) it’s tricky to plan. The last meetup was around 20-25 people… and I’m not sure if this is going to be similar. In the future I will have to work out a reservation system, but we’re not there yet. My main concern at a place like Musso’s is if we reserve tables that stay empty and food-less, they’ll lose out on the income they would make from other diners and we definitely don’t want that! So here’s the plan… I’m reserving the very back three booths on the bar side of Musso’s. We will have nametags there for you so that we can all identify each other as friendly HLA people. As more people show up, we’ll just be playing it by ear if we need to expand to more tables. It may become a floating party… worse things could happen. Also be aware, if enough nice eating and drinking people show up, Musso’s may very well offer us discounts as a sign of their appreciation. Either way, let’s be on our best behavior to be great customers and show our support to this great Los Angeles institution!!!!
Cheers! See ya Thursday!
**OFFICIAL FACEBOOK EVENT LISTING**
WHEN: Thursday, February 11, 2010, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
WHERE: Musso & Frank, 6667 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA
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EVENT – HiddenLA Martini Night at Musso & Frank
**OFFICIAL FACEBOOK EVENT LISTING**
WHEN: Thursday, February 11, 2010, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
WHERE: Musso & Frank, 6667 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA
Our first meetup at the Tonga Hut was so successful, why not hit the ground running and plan another one? In *my* book, the historic Musso & Frank Grill in Hollywood offers the best prohibition-era cocktails in town… so let’s get together and embrace “the depth beneath the shallow” of an old-school martini glass! Their gin martinis and sidecars are awesome!
Parking in the back is pretty cheap with validation. Their food is good… it can get pricey if you order carelessly, but there are very reasonable options. How much you spend is entirely up to you. The bar can get busy and is not always the easiest place to strike up conversations with people, so we will probably look into getting a table for the group. Word on that later.
Photo above: Luis has been working at Musso & Frank since 1956! He’s smiling on the inside about this.
REMINDER- Join Us On Tiki Thursday!
We’ve surpassed 2,000 Facebook Fans in 6 months! Time to celebrate!!!
A little reminder… this Thursday night our first HiddenLA meetup will be happenin’ at the hukilau-riffic Tonga Hut on Victory near Coldwater! YAY! Swing by for a mai tai with us!
NOTE: Happy hour lasts until 8pm: $3 well drinks and $2 domestic beer! BUUUUT… the Tonga Hut will *also* be offering up extra HiddenLA food and drink shot specials! WOO HOO!!!!
***OFFICIAL FACEBOOK EVENT INVITE***
Aaaaand here’s a little music video to getcha in the mood. Come…! to…! the tiki room…!
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EVENT – Get Off Your Butt & Help Your Community!
WHAT: City Labs – a fun one-day fair to browse, discover and connect with 50 local non-profits — organizations doing great things who need your support to maintain sustainability.
WHEN: Saturday, January 23rd, 11am-4pm
WHERE: California Market Center’s Penthouse, 110 East Ninth Street, Downtown
DONATION AT DOOR: $5 per person (includes entry, a free drink, and DIY workshops)
DETAILS: “Join City Labs to answer the call for community service in this great city. With a huge rise in the need for services from non-profits, and a drastic drop in funding and donations, LA’s community organizations need our help Imagine: If a few thousand people each dedicate themselves to 3-5 non-profit groups (signing-up to volunteer, making donations, offering their skills, joining email lists), we’ll have created over 10,000 new volunteers and donations in just one afternoon!!!”
HLA COCKTAIL MEET – Tonga Hut, Thurs, 1/28, 7:15-9:15
UPDATE: We now have an official Facebook Event listing!
Okay, a bunch of you on Facebook expressed interest in getting together for a HiddenLA happy hour of sorts (YAY!) and the 52 year-old local tiki dive known as Tonga Hut came out far ahead of most other favorite local valley bars in our poll… so that’s where we’re going! The next happy hour will be on the other side of the hill… we’ll rotate, just for you. :)
The Tonga Hut is located at12808 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood (818-769-0708). You can park on the street in front, but it’s probably better to just swing around to the parking lot behind the bar.
I’m excited, and I hope you can make it! Either way it’ll be great… if you all do show up we’ll have a blast – it’ll be great to finally be able to start to put 3D faces to the many names I see on here. I’d especially love to talk to those of you who are interested in helping with the charity aspect of this site that I’m working on starting. And hey… if you *don’t* show up, s’okay. I’ll just have a prime opportunity to drown myself in Mai Tais and slur to the bored bartender my pathetic tale of how Los Angeles rejected my party invite and totally stood me up. WAH. A few years of therapy I should be totally okay! No worries!
Seriously, it’d be nice to see ya there though… :)
Sincerely, Lynn
EVENT – Comedy is Dead
Dying is easy. Comedy is difficult. ~ Edmund Gwenn
WHAT: The 9th installment of Comedy is Dead in the historic Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, presented by Duncan Trussell and Hollywood Forever.
WHY: Because hysterically laughing our way to the cemetery is what life’s all about, people! DUH!!!
WHEN: Thursday, January 28th, 2010, Doors open at 8pm – Comedians go on at 9pm sharp
WHERE: Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood (323) 469-1181
PRICE: Admission is $15 and drinks (beer and wine) are $5. PARKING IS FREE. For more information visit www.comedyisdead.info or send an email to comedyisdead@gmail.com or call (310) 909-7965. Tickets are available online at Brown Paper Tickets.
DETAILS: Comedy line-up includes:
Doug Benson (Super High Me, Best Week Ever), Dana Gould (The Simpsons, HBO), Chris Hardwick (Attack Of The Show, Halloween 2), Guy Branum (Chelsea Lately), Nick Kroll (The League, Worst Week), Natasha Leggero (Chelsea Lately, Reno 911), Duncan Trussell (Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO’s Funny Or Die)

SCREENING – Santa With Muscles
I know, I know. Posts have been sparse this month, mainly due to lingering illness and preparations for an overseas holiday (more on that in a few days). I feel like I’ve dropped the ball on passing along so much of the holiday goodness that this town has to offer… gee, I hope this makes up for it! :)
WHAT: Horrible Movie Night screening of the 1996 Hulk Hogan holiday less-than-classic, Santa With Muscles! Whachya gonna do, when Santamania runs wild on YOU?
WHEN: This Thursday, December 17, 8pm (Doors open at 7:15)
WHERE: The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood
PRICE: $8. Includes screening, extra live entertainment, beer, wine, and snacks. RSVP to: horriblemovie@pacbell.net
“…a film so bad, the original screenwriter sued to have his name removed from the credits. This cheesy Christmas disaster features the Hulkster as a millionaire of questionable morals (a stretch –?) who, during a run from the law, is knocked out cold and wakes up thinking he is Santa Claus. He somehow hooks up with an orphanage bedeviled by evil scientists (the head baddie is played by Ed Begley Jr.), and proceeds to do good. You will notice Mila Kunis in one of her first film roles as an orphan. But no rotten movie is complete without the inimitable Clint Howard! This one has got it all.”
TODAY – Echo Park Holiday Shop Hop
WHEN: Today, December 12, from noon to 2am (!)
WHERE: Echo Park. Duh! (More specifically, along Sunset Boulevard between Logan Street and Alvarado)
DETAILS: A day of holiday cheer with shopping specials, performances, and workshops throughout the neighborhood. A fun-filled day of events – you can do your holiday shopping, enjoy great food, drink and entertainment, and support local businesses!
The Echo Park Holiday Parade begins at noon, but other festivities start as early as 10 a.m., with happenings all day and night until 2am! In addition to the festivities, businesses participating in the Echo Park Holiday Shop Hop will be collecting donations for local charities.
Participating vendors include: 826LA, Allston Yacht Club, City Sip LA, Future, K9 Loft, Masa of Echo Park, MediaNoche, Origami Vinyl, Out of the Closet, Rec Center Studio, Stories, The Clinic of Echo Park, The Echo & Echoplex and more!
EVENT – They Might Be Giants Family Show
WHAT: They Might Be Giants Family Show
WHEN: Saturday, November 14th, 3pm
WHERE: Royce Hall, UCLA, 340 Royce Drive
PRICE: $28 adults, $18 kids

EVENT – Noche de los Muertos
Not ready to stop the fiesta? Head out to East LA, amigos!
What: Dia de los Muertos Celebration “Deadly Stylish,” presented by Self Help Graphics
When: Tonight, Monday November 2, from 5-11pm
Where: East Los Angeles Civic Center, 4801 East Third Street
Details: Click on flyer below for larger view.

HiddenLA Invites YOU!
WHAT: Charles Phoenix presents The Bob Baker Halloween Spooktacular! For you Facebookers, see our event invitation here.
WHEN: This Thursday night, October 29th, at 8pm! All ages, but it might be late on a school night for little ones.
WHERE: The Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles 90026
COST: Normally I might look into getting a HiddenLA discount, but Bob Baker’s theater has been in dire jeopardy and his business needs every penny of our support or it will cease to exist. $35 per ticket – purchase them online. Includes Bob’s show, kitsch expert Charles Phoenix, cake, ice cream, plenty of entertainment and Halloween spirit… just all sorts of goodness!
DETAILS: I’d love to get some of our HiddenLA fans together, and what better way to do it than by rallying people to support two of our most iconic, hardworking and fun-loving locals… Charles Phoenix and Bob Baker! ***PLUS THERE WILL BE CAKE AND ICE CREAM!!! YESSSS!!!!***
Let’s assemble a small gang to attend this special *Halloweenie* event THIS THURSDAY NIGHT! It’ll be a treat. I’d love to meet you! From the official Bob Baker invitation:
“Charles Phoenix presents HALLOWEEN at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, Thursday October 29 and Friday October 30 at 8pm. Tickets $35 available at www.charlesphoenix.com
A Halloween Puppet Show Spooktacular featuring dozens of amazing vintage hand-made marionettes. Your host, Charles Phoenix, tells the story of Bob’s colorful life and career with vintage slides and classic film and tv clips. Cake and ice cream in the party room will follow the performance of Spooktacular and an appearance by the Master himself!”







