Friday, August 14, 2009

Summer Fun On the Cheap: A Case Study

CoolHaus - Green TeaLast Friday, I had an extraordinary day that just reminded me of all the opportunities of being in Los Angeles, particulary during the summer months. To its summer significance, it began with the City of Los Angeles celebrating/honoring [500] Days of Summer, meeting the actress portraying Summer - Zooey Deschanel - and a very seasonal treat of free ice cream sandwiches from Coolhaus (okay, so in LA, ice cream sandwiches are always seasonal). The entire event was free to the public, taking places in Angels Knoll - a significant location in what is one of my favorite movies this summer.

Grand Performances - HaegumplusAnd one of the best things about the location for this event was that it was next door to California Plaza, home to Grand Performances and their free - yes FREE - midday and evening summer concerts. The ExperienceLA staff and I roamed over to the plaza to see a full crowd enjoying lunch and watching the Korean fusion group Haegumplus. The best part of the show we caught? They do a cover of Michael Jackson's "Beat It".

The midday fun was followed by an evening of All You Can Eat seats at Dodger Stadium. All-You-Can-Eat hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, and popcorn (and drinks of soda and water) at $25 a seat on select days? That's pretty cheap. Especially when it's a fireworks night.

So you can't get free ice cream sandwiches and meet Zooey Deschanel everyday in LA (though that would be quite awesome!), but the truth is that it's those random free events (see Free Events on ExperienceLA) mixed in with the staples of free summer concerts and cheap seats at Dodger stadium (the cheapest tickets are $9-$11) that are so much a part of why Los Angeles is such a great place to be.

Recession? Whatever. No excuses people. LA is waiting for you.

-Charity Tran

1 comment:

Natalie DeJohn said...

I loved this! The events sounded fun, but mostly I loved to hear you emphasize how many opportunities there are in L.A. for (free) fun and adventure. There's always something cool going on, and a lot of times it cost less than five bucks.