Sierra Madre Playhouse is an intimate theatre house in SM. It is one of SGV's cultural performing…read morearts. It may not be the Lincoln Center but it can hold its own. Folding seats were comfortable. Atmosphere was vibrant. I got a Nutcracker ticket show at an affordable price. Its perfect for kids and the entire family. It's my first time watching a puppet holiday show, so I was curious enough to see it as a bday gift. For a playhouse this size, it's enough to garner four stars. Playhouse staff were cordial and professional. The performance show is only an hour long. Parking was easy. Overall, it's a nice holiday kid show.

My wife and I attended a Cello recital at the Sierra Madre playhouse. The performing artist, Mia…read moreBarcio-Colombo, is the daughter of friends of my wife. The venue is an historic cinema building in downtown Sierra Madre and it has a really cool 50's vibe with the crushed red velvet seating and dated interior. Seating inside is very limited, which makes for a very personal experience. Recital was amazing and I highly recommend this venue!

Stopped by on Friday, 6/19/26 with my boyfriend during dinner time. It was slightly warm that day…read morewith a huge crowd as well. Foods here are expensive per usual. This is my second time here and it has been a while: PROS: - free parking - admission tickets are cheap (cheaper if you buy it wayyy in advanced) - $6 value meal (also have $8, $10, etc.) I took advantage of the $6 value meals CONS: - foods here are way over priced - drinks are also over priced - too hot (bring sun screen) You are allowed to bring any bags (doesn't have to be a clear bag), as long as it's not a huge bag.

So much delicious fooood! And you know we had to visit Zindrew's wontons twice!! We ordered the…read moremild pork and shrimp wontons and the sauce is just so tasty! Love the portions and the friendly service. The cucumber agua fresca from Las Michelaguas was very refreshing and the chamoy rim was delicious! Shared the drink with my boyfriend and it lasted us the entire evening! Sushi Pizzeria was a highlight as well with its hefty sushi slices! Great flavor and great service! I loved Silent Disco last year and it was a bummer that it wasn't brought back this year! It was so much fun and I'm really hoping it comes back! I also would've liked that there'd be more space because the middle lane/section was extremely crowded and compacted. Overall, some logistics to look into, but what a great experience and great time it is!

I know this is past due, but I would like to share some thoughts that me and my partner had…read moreencounter during this event from beginning to end: From the time we had arrived to wait in line to get into the entrance of this event was a total of 2.5 hours being stuck in traffic (poor management on management side). By the time we got to the parking payment portion of this line we were advised that there was a huge call out from staffing that created this dilemma. The worst part was that when the supervisor of this event asked management (who btw is not onsite, but is somewhere else remotely) how many staff members can be called in last minute and management did not even think to consider that nor even attempted to call around to fine replacement. That was told to us from the supervisor. After waiting 2.5 hours, they didn't know how to crowd control people who have already purchase parking tickets and those who will be paying for last minute parking. If it was up to me, I would've provided complimentary parking to not disappoint more guests. The event itself was fine, but I will be honest after that experience my vision of the lights didn't see the magic so take that with a grain of salt. There was nothing special for us, we felt it was a waste of money even though we got the gold pass to exclusive date selection. Everything inside the event literally costs extra money if you wanted to to more than just walk around. We probably won't be considering on going back here anytime.

I've always heard of Santa Anita doing year end themed events. This year a friend of mine invited…read moreme over to check out 2025's winter event. So why not be more present and experience all that I can right? Entrance into the parking lot was very streamlined with the help of the staff ushering folks in a professional manner. I should've bought parking ahead of time as I didn't realize it would be $10 more expensive when I got to the event itself. Overall, I think the event could've been done better at the immersion. It would be hard to set up a winter wonderland in Southern California as it doesn't get that cold, but the only amount of "snow" we got was the fake snow machines we got upon entering the area. The ambience and the photograph setups are what people go for, so I think it's worth going once to check it out. My friends and I got some decently good pics! I would think that the ticket pricing was about right for the event itself. Though, I wouldn't mind paying slightly more to have access to more of the premium amenities like the ice skating and the Ferris wheel be a part of the package. There was a lot more people than I wouldve expected and I think they needed a bigger area to operate in.

Amazingly sweet and kind :) She gave me a lot of mental clarity about the people in my life right…read morenow and what I need to balance for myself going forward. Would highly recommend !!

The reading was incredibly insightful, accurate, and thoughtfully delivered. The interpretations…read morewere clear, intuitive, and deeply resonated with my current situation, offering both clarity and guidance.

When the stars align, two major events occur at the Santa Anita Racetrack: the 626 Night Market and…read moreCal Phil's Festival on the Green. Despite their proximity, it's hard to believe that these events could exist in the same universe, as the two events could not be more different. While the former is overcrowded and unruly, the latter is relatively low-key and calm. Thus, if you're looking for a fun experience but not enthused about battling pushy people and lengthy lines, I'd highly recommend checking out Cal Phil's Festival on the Green. Since this is THE Cal Philharmonic Orchestra, the excellence of the music is indisputable. But, the selection of pieces could probably have been improved to better fit the advertised theme. For a concert entitled "Lights, Camera, Action," I expected more music from iconic movies, as we only heard one piece from Hercules, Jurassic Park, Lawrence of Arabia, Psycho, and Star Wars. Other selections, such as Korngold's Violin Concerto and Shostakovich's Symphony #5, were beautiful, but were less engaging given their disconnect from the night's theme. (The programs for the other concerts in the series seemed to feature a mix of pieces as well, but I can imagine that the musical / pop-oriented concerts allow for more crowd participation.) The setup of the venue is pretty straightforward: closest to the stage are tables; behind the tables are rows of benches; and further back is the eponymous green. While you could score seats closer to the stage, I'd recommend choosing the cheaper lawn seats, as this is the perfect spot to have a boozy picnic with friends before the concert. Just don't forget the corkscrew! Although lawn chairs are helpful, they are certainly not needed as long as you bring blankets or towels to sit on. There is a slight berm along the edges of the venue, so if you want to be elevated / avoid having someone stick their chair right in front of you, then arrive early to stake your spot! We arrived at approximately 6PM and most of the elevated lawn spots had already been claimed. Tickets can be purchased online via Cal Phil or Goldstar. If you choose to purchase food at the venue, you do have several options in the form of food trucks serving ice cream, sliders, and Cajun fare. Obviously, this can't compete with the fare you'd find at the Night Market. And, if you don't bring enough libations, there is a bar that sells various forms of booze, including entire bottles of wine. There is ample parking is available through Gate 6. It costs $15 per car, so it's definitely worth it to carpool. You probably could walk over from somewhere with free parking, but it would certainly take you awhile, especially if you have lots of stuff to carry. Definitely check out Cal Phil's Festival on the Green if you're interested in a fun experience with family and friends. Even if the music isn't your cup of tea, you'll have fun being outdoors and picnicking in good company!

Outdoor on the grass, temperature about 80 and the night sky is clear. Listening to singers,…read morechoral groups and a very talented orchestra perform Andrew Lloyd Webber meets Puccini. Movie scores, play scores and opera all in one evening. The sound system was good and the lighting was well done. One projection screen showed multiple views from the many cameras on stage. Parking is easy and the departure from the lot is easy. Great food and bar. Overall, a fine example of the arts in SoCal. Admittedly, this is a scaled-down version of the Hollywood Bowl experience, but not very scaled down on price with good seats at the A, B and C tables going for $90-120 each and parking at $14. Still, 4-5000 people show up every two weeks during summer. Last night's performance was underwritten by Smith Brothers Restaurants in Pasadena Current Developments in the Financial picture. The orchestra and management ratified a two-year Agreement in June of 2013, including an increase in wages. Performance scale increased from $139 to $142 in the first year, and from $142 to $145 in the second year. Rehearsal scale went from $114 to $116 in the first year, to $116 to $119 in the second year. Health & Welfare contributions also went from 7% to 8% for the duration of the agreement. The orchestra suffered a massive meltdown in the 2012 season, finishing the year owing musicians over $120,000 for three unpaid concerts; management also reneged on their obligations to make payments to the Health and Welfare Fund and the Pension Fund. After a protracted legal fight, including grievances and filings with the National Labor Relations Board, an agreement was reached in May that made all payments owed to the musicians, including late payment penalties, H &W and Pension Fund payments and work dues.

Booked an hour photoshoot session and it was quite the experience. We had 10 people in our…read morephotoshoot and it was so fun. Most places utilize old equipment, not this place. The camera of choice is a canon r6 which provides some of the best full frame images. They even had music playing in the background to make it fun. Overall it was great experience and i will book again

A beautiful place for your kids to grow their love for the arts. The team has set up opportunities…read morefor voice, acting, pod casting and even political/community engagement and more. Great job with a beautiful creative space!

Not worth the $80+ price tag after applicable fees for general weekend admission…read more Driving into World of Illumination was a breeze because we had the first time slot of the day (6pm). No long line to enter as it took us roughly 10 minutes from the entrance to the start of Reindeer Road. The entire drive through experience lasted maybe 15-20 minutes. There is a specific radio station to tune into which pairs with the dancing lights. If this is your first drive through Christmas lights experience, I could see the appeal but there are much better ones around SoCal for almost the same price tag (Nights of Light OC was amazing last year and there were even live actors included, Santa, "snow" etc.). Can't justify the price tag and would personally not recommend this particular Christmas light show.

First off, finding this place was impossible. The instructions said to turn on gate 1 but we came…read morefrom the opposite direction and after circling the mall and Santa Anita park we found gate 1 and the one entrance. Some signage would have been helpful except that only exists at gate 1. 20 minutes of playing find the entrance.. the worst part, we spent more time finding the place than driving the actual lights! We finally check in and slow drive through, it's not busy. We got the $59 pass from Costco but I added the lightning and 3D glasses package so it's a $100 trip, we take my friend and our kids and go! The website says the show is 25-30 minutes? Seriously, no. We started at 8:01 pm this was when we woke the baby up to see the lights and we were done by 8:13 pm. 12 minutes? What a joke. The lights were cool but some of them were broken, kind of ruined the effect for some of the areas, for the price I would at least expected it to be maintained better for the length of their show. C'est la vie. Next year I'll try a different show, but this was less than expected for the price!

Claw Claw LLC can be found in downtown Arcadia, right next door to Boiling Point with free street…read moreparking. Two Sundays ago, my husband and I decided to check out this new claw machine place since we were waiting for our table at Boiling Point (Boiling Point is definitely very busy on a Sunday afternoon. If you go, make sure to sign up for a table right away). We walked over and an employee opened the door for us. We asked her if they were open and she said yes. The time was just a little after 1 pm. Because this was during their grand opening special (it was from June 1- 15), we were able to take advantage of their promotion. The first 20 people of the day can get 5 free tokens with purchase of any tokens. The lady actually told us that she would give us 6 tokens. For the most part, it appears that each of the claw games are 2 tokens each. I have never been good at any of these type of games but we thought it would be fun to play. So my husband ended up purchasing 10 tokens for $5 (and with the 6 we got for free, we were able to play 8 games). My husband was very lucky to win a napa cabbage stuffed toy on his first try but then lost thereafter (lol). The claw would pick up the toy but then drop it right before it would fall into the drop or shoot so it was quite a sad rejection for my husband (I didn't bother to try to play any because I know I can't win these things and also I feel that these type of games are rigged). There were a variety of stuffed toys that you could win, which included some Disney related ones (from Toy Story, but unfortunately those machines were not working on our visit), broccoli, a stuffed cat that looked like a purse, bunny, seahorse and also some smaller stuffed toys near the front counter (also worth 2 tokens to play). The place itself is small. I have seen a few other claw machine places that are bigger. But I think people just come and go rather quickly (as we saw more and more people slowly coming in, most likely probably waiting for their table at Boiling Point too). In the end, we walked away with our napa cabbage stuffed toy and enjoyed ourselves. It was nice to play while we waited for our table, making the time go by faster.

My 1.5-year-old toddler had her very first claw machine experience at Claw Claw, Arcadia…read more With 100 tokens and not-so-great skills , we still managed to get 9 toys!The store is super trendy and the pricing is great -- just 2 tokens per game on all machines. They even have the newest Labubu plushies, and you can exchange the ones you win for bigger prizes! We're so proud of her willingness to share her plushies with others when she got home -- but we think her favorite is definitely the Winnie the Pooh bag, which she refuses to share