Multi-sensory night: The Los Angeles Bach Festival Prism Concert

I came for the lights and I got a whole lot more. Last friday night, I headed to the Prism Concert of the 78th Annual Los Angeles Bach Festival with expectations of fancy technical artistry with lights, but came out with a full appreciation of Bach's musical genius - and much more!

Los Angeles culture goes extreme: Xtreme Sports lesson package giveaway

(Photo: ZJ Boarding House bench in Santa Monica courtesy of LocalPAGES)

As you know, we at ExperienceLA.com are big advocates of local arts, culture and trying out new things in Los Angeles. So, when our friends at LocalPAGES (an L.A.-based online directory for small businesses) asked us to help spread the word about their summer promotion, we were happy to support them.

Rooted in history: Los Angeles Heritage Portal

"Progress" and "change" are often associated with Los Angeles. Many pop-culture trends are set here, from fashion, to health and lifestyle philosophies, to entertainment and so on. Living in Los Angeles, we see change on a daily basis as new homes, buildings and commercial properties go up in all parts of the City and County. Not to mention the fast-paced world in which we now live in makes yesterday seem like a distant memory.

A matter of civic pride

Typically, our XLA blog recounts our staff members' L.A. experiences, or we'll inform you of upcoming, fun events and things to do in and around Los Angeles. Occasionally, we'll provide information relevant to L.A. that's not necessarily about an event, but might include some useful tips for our fellow Angelenos.

And while we are huge supporters of taking public transit as much as possible, we understand that a car is still necessary in some circumstances in L.A. Which brings me to my latest L.A. experience: the broken parking meter. Recently I was meeting a friend at one of our favorite cafes in Studio City. I parked at a meter only to discover it was flashing the "Failed" warning at me.

LA Sparks Make the Playoffs - Win VIP Tickets to Game Two!

Woot Woot.
The Los Angeles Sparks clinched a spot in the 2010 WNBA playoffs and will face the Seattle Storm in the first round, with Game One on Wednesday and Game Two on Saturday. Two lucky winners will receive Row A (That's the row right behind courtside!) tickets to Saturday's game. Enter our ticket giveaway and be right in the action (or at least really close to it!). But hurry! This is giveaway ends Wednesday at 5PM!

Come out and show your support for these amazing LA Ladies. Get 25% Off tickets with our promotional code.

(500) Days of Summer Gets a Key to the City?!

The offbeat romantic dramedy (500) Days of Summer takes viewers on a journey through downtown Los Angeles, primarily through Tom’s many walking tours. And since they opened the Los Angeles doors to people around the world it is only fitting that the cast and crew should literally be able to open every door in the city.

This afternoon at Angels Knoll Park (at 4th Street and Olive Street), the location of the infamous bench scene, the movie stars Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend and more were given a key to the city. And the press, public, and four of us ExperienceLA bloggers were there to see it and enjoy free customized ice cream sandwiches (yum!) curtsey of COOLHAUS, t-shirts and posters. Because this was not just any key –it is big, bright yellow and the top looks like a sun, oh and most importantly it was promised to open every door in the city and Geoffrey Arend seemed determined to walk around the block and try it out.

The city also put a plaque at the base of the bench commemorating its appearance in the film so if you are a fan of the movie or LA I defiantly recommend visiting the park, sitting on the bench and enjoying the view. You could also take a tour of all the (500) Days of Summer sites thanks to the Los Angeles Times which has compiled a list of prominent downtown locations featured in the movie .

So what are you waiting for? Get yourself to that theater, see a movie rich in LA destinations, and then experience the sites yourself. After all you got to enjoy every last bit of summer you get.

Photo provided by Curt Gibbs. Here's a slideshow of more of his photos from today! For more pics see his profile ExperienceLA on flickr.