ExperienceLA Alternative Black Friday Ideas: 2013 Edition

While we think every day is an excellent day to experience Los Angeles, Black Friday may be one of the best times for our non-shoppers out there!  You probably have the day off.  You may be visiting from out of town or have visitors to entertain.  You may have been meaning to check out something, but just haven't had the time! Whether you're filling time, seeking a new adventure or need a little nudge to get out the door, check out some of these ideas we've gathered to help you spend your day out of the stores.

Geeks Who Drink: Doctor Who Pub Quiz at The Complex

With the upcoming Doctor Who 50th anniversary episode, it's likely that many Whovians have been celebrating for weeks, if not months, watching Doctor Who marathons and geeking out to the slow trickle of sneak preview photos and video clips.  It's the kind of behavior that is perfect training for days like Saturday, November 16th when Geeks Who Drink hosted a nation-wide "Don't Blink: A Doctor Who Quiz" night.

My "Cheering" Dalek Doodle during the
Doctor Who Pub Quiz

I want to regale you with a tale of my team's amazing trivia skills and random Doctor Who knowledge.  I want to tell you about how much we studied for this event, memorized the Doctors and the villains and the plot points of new and classic Who, watched countless episodes in marathon stride.  Or to even say we possessed a Doctor Who eidetic memory and didn't need to study.  But...that didn't happen, and it was kind of more fun that way anyway! 

Roy Choi at ALOUD LA

Evan Kleiman and Roy Choi at ALOUD LA Event
on November 13, 2013.  Photo by Gary Leonard. 

Library Foundation of Los Angeles President Ken Brecher opened the L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food event by describing the audience as "truly Los Angeles...truly diverse."  The audience that gathered at ALOUD LA's event last night is a reflection of how Roy Choi, the man behind the new book L.A. Son (co-written with Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan), has not only influenced Los Angeles, but undoubtedly is a part of the pulse that makes Los Angeles tick.

LADOT 2014 Tap Card Design Competition

Are you a LA-based artist/designer that knows Downtown Los Angeles? This might be the competition for you! The City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), in collaboration with Gallery Row Organization (GRO), has just announced their LADOT Tap Card Design Competition.

Free Events for Veterans Day Weekend

There are many ways to celebrate and appreciate veterans and their experiences this upcoming Veterans Day Weekend.  Here are a few (and FREE!) ideas from our calendar that you may want to explore.  Read on to learn more about a festival in the Port of Los Angeles, the reading of Civil War letters from the battlefields, and poetry that inspired Benjamin Britten's great work War Requiem.