In search of a new food-and-beverage event for a new experience, I discovered the Los Angeles Wine…read more& Food Festival at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, CA, and immediately purchased two VIP tickets for the Saturday Bite Club. The event was from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and using my better judgment, we took an Uber to and from the location. Arriving about a half hour before the doors opened, the line was quite long for the VIP entry, but once the doors opened, we entered in a matter of five minutes, and the festivities began. The vibe was Pop Culture with patrons of all flavors, and everyone was sporting their personal fashion statement and personality. The place was filled with the non-stop grooves played by the resident DJ, and everyone grooved to the beats as they savored the numerous delicious chef-created bites and chased them with the various whiskeys, tequila shots, cocktails, and brews available for consumption. Notable offerings: King Hawaiian - Soft Pretzel Bites Lior Hillel - Mediterranean Street Corn; and a Pilpelchuma Prawn Uyen Le BBQ Pulled Pork Banh Mi James Bailey - Smoked Pork Lettuce Wrap Javier Lopez - Yellowfin Tuna Tostada; and Compressed Pineapple Michael & Bryan Voltaggio "Voltaggio Brothers" - Wagyu Sloppy Joe; and Matcha Zeppole Rose Previte Maydan - Hummus with Roasted Lamb Shoulder Juan "Billy" Acosta - Carnitas El Momo Okay Inak "Sora Craft Kitchen" - Icli Kofta Kat Turner "Highly Likely" - Shaved Celery Salad Irene Verceles "The Surfing Fox" - Mango Pork Belly Gino Pineda "Dialog Cafe" - Miso Salmon with Miso Butter Lindsay McDonald "All About the Cinnamon" - The Big Poppa Cinnamon Roll Julia Tokarz & Gregory Lay "East Side Cheesecakes" -Cider & Silk Cheesecake Shooter Michel Reed "Poppy & Seed" - Smoked Beef Short Rib Pastrami David Kuo "Fatty Mart" - Chili Wontons; and Pork & Shrimp Dumplings Beverages provided by: Coke, Santa Cruz Mountains vineyard, Germain/Robin Distillery, Argonaut Brandy, Icelandic, Bernardus Winery, Pinhook Distillery, Cyrus Noble Bourdon Whiskey, Knob Creek, Frey Ranch, Peroni Beer, Magna Carta Winery, Lerner Project Winery, Alto Canto Tequila, Coyote Chief Winery, The Vice Winery, Grillin' Time Cocktails, and Brushwood Distillery In addition, lots of swag and discount cards were distributed. Items such as gift bags, bottle openers, pins, shot glasses, canned beverage covers, ballpoint pens, bottle sauces, t-shirts, and even a piercing studio in the VIP area! During the evening, the music played, wine, beer, and cocktails flowed, and the food was abundant. Everyone in attendance was in great spirits, friendly, and on their best behavior. I will definitely attend the coming year.

I went to the Eaaat event at this hangar and it was outstanding They had a few vendors and bar…read moreareas. The restrooms were nice and clean and all the personnel working the event were cool. The only thing I did not like they had run out of food early and they only had 25 good vendors. I felt they needed more vendors for a variety of food. Some good items were just ok and some were good. Easy parking and you had a nice breeze. Very clean place to have an event.

I absolutely love Kulak Ceramic! Their pieces are so amazing, colorful, beautifully crafted and…read morefull of personality. The cups make my coffee time feel extra special every morning. Every time I visit, I find something unique that makes me smile. It's definitely my go-to spot for birthday gifts and Christmas presents. If you're looking for something thoughtful and beautifully made, this is the place! Highly recommend!

Bought several plates and cups from this place and they all broke within 2 weeks. Says they are…read moremicrowave safe but are not! Very fragile and not for everyday use

Wish I could leave an actual review, but for a Time Travel Mart that promises to already be…read morewhenever you are, I'm not actually certain if they're open to regular business anymore? I love the Echo Park Time Travel Mart and wanted to give their Mar Vista location a visit sometime while I'm on the west side. Their hours are pretty limited. Google and Yelp claim Friday to Sunday from 12:00-6:00pm, but buried on their own website it says 2:00-6:00pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays. Not sure which is more up to date. But I've gone out of my way on two separate occasions when the hours overlap, and both times they've been closed anyway. Their website does warn they're often closed during their hours and to call ahead, but I haven't gotten an answer. (I guess because they're usually closed?) So yeah, if you can catch them when they're open, great! But I wouldn't advise going out of your way for it unless you can call in advance and confirm they'll actually be open.

If you're coming because you saw this on instagram, please dont set your expectations too high!!…read more I'm really happy I found this place by chance when strolling through the area. Then I saw it on my IG feed weeks later and all I could think was how content creators over-hype all these hidden gems in LA. I just notice that influencers put an exaggerated spin on spots like these to make them seem a lot bigger or crazier than they actually are for the sake of views. Not to say they aren't worth visiting, but I think the fun part about these kinda shops is discovering it for yourself or that element of surprise. I've just been severely disappointed by some places I've visited that didn't live up to the expectations set by content creators. It's not the businesses fault, but just how social media works these days. Anyways, it's a small shop that you'll probably get through in a few minutes, but definitely worth checking out. I'm so glad I so happened to stumble upon this place by surprise, and I hope that's how you find it too :)

I came with my pup for a recent Popcorn & Pups Movie Night featuring Legally Blonde, and I had no…read moreidea this space even existed until now! The venue is conveniently located right next to the Metro station and has a designated underground parking structure. I had picked up a pizza beforehand, but I also noticed there were food options on-site, including a poke bowl spot and a brewery. The large grassy lawn was perfect for spreading out a blanket and enjoying a picnic before the movie. They also provided complimentary popcorn and candy that evening for the event. It was such a fun, dog-friendly community event, and they even validated parking for attendees that night. I'm looking forward to coming back for more of their summer events. It's a great way to spend an evening with friends, family, and of course, your pup!

It had been decades since I lived in this area, so when I finally came back, it was pretty much…read moreunrecognizable. The place has been gentrified with a train line that drops you off in the heart of Culver City where new shops and restaurants have popped up. Everything is sleek, clean, and new. My excuse to come back here was when I found out through the We Like LA website that there would be a cat themed event. I made sure to check Google Maps ahead of time to see where to park and was glad to see there was underground parking. In addition, I was able to park for free for the first 2 hours because the info booth at the event gave out validation tickets. Just make sure to put your actual ticket in first, then the validation ticket. I know the garage at Ovation does it in the reverse order, so I ended up struggling at the gate for a while just like the driver ahead of me. When I walked up the stairs, I could immediately hear the crowds of people and saw a long line to pet the cats provided by Kitty of Angels, but first I wanted to see what merchandise was there, so I spent a few minutes visiting the tables before finally getting in line. I think I spent an hour waiting only to spend 7 mins. petting the cats. I thought I'd have more time to at least see the new restaurants and shops at the complex, but then my 2 hours of free parking would've been up. I ended up leaving immediately after petting the cats and noticed that the family who were in line behind me did the same thing. As far as festivals go, this was in its infancy. There weren't that many merchandise tables, the food and restrooms were whatever was onsite, and the event was only 2 hours. I think it was for the sake of the cats. That being said, I got in line a little after the event started. I'm fairly sure the long line of people who came after me were turned away. I enjoyed my short time here since I got to visit a place I hadn't been to before, got to spend a little time petting animals, and there were freebies like a headband with cat ears and temporary tattoos. I'm going to make sure to keep a look out now for whatever events they may have coming up.

I don't do many reviews but when I do, I prefer dos xx, whoops, wrong review…read more Not only do I highly recommend this incredibly great surf shop, but I want to say you should only go to Jack's. They are the best in breed when it comes to surfing stores and I can't say eight great things about them. Not only do they carry just about everything you could ever need for your surf experiences, but they donut was class and style. Their inventory is massive and if you can't find what you're looking for here, then you'll never find it anywhere else. You can always tell more about an establishment, doesn't even have to be a surfing shop but any place, hotel, restaurant, airline or where ever it may be by the people that work there. Could even be a Macys or Nordstroms, theatre's or wherever. What tell you the most about a place by the folk that work there. At his location every employee there had a great attitude and knowledge of all surf. Product knowledge that you hadn't even thought of or crossed your mind before. These guys and the teams there are all first rate and world class humans in top of that. I want to especially single out the manager I met today, Zackariah. You couldn't ask for a better guy to be minding the store and Jack's is darn lucky to have him. Zackariah is a high quality work class human and Jacks is darn lucky to have have him. I've never been so impressed by a fellow running a gorgeous store like this or anywhere else. No, I'm not his mother or father or have any relation to him. I'll just a 68 year old guy who was so impressed by Zackariah, what a great biblical name too, that I have to shout this out to all of you potential and probably many customers already established customers. I will never go anywhere else to get gear for my 35 year old son who loves and surfs down in Encinitas, or my 30 year old daughter who's local here to the Santa Monica Bay who does a little surfing too. Zackariah, your employers are so lucky to have a world class guy working for them. I hope your owners read this reach out to give you a call or show some way of telling you you're doing a great job, because you are and your team shows nothing but respect for your leadership. Thank you for making my shopping experience today a memorable one and I look forward to coming back and hopefully it will be on a day you're managing and are there. In the mean time, you're a rockstar and Jack's is so lucky to have you. I hope you hear from them To let you know and possibly even show you their appreciation of you. You deserve it!!! Rock on!! Craig

Came here for shorts for my husband they have tons of options and fair prices. We left happy with 4…read morenew pairs.

Came to this venue to utilize one of their services for the community.. the free beach wheelchair…read morerentals! We came in through the parking lot and was almost haggled to pay even though we were just picking up a wheelchair. You usually call in advance and put your name under to secure one, and give your personal ID after signing a liability form. The lady assisted me quickly and I got the wheelchair. It was larger than I thought and putting in the back of a trunk was impossible, so not going to lie, it was almost a mile trek having to head to the Dockweiler beach nearby. The beach wheelchair however was good and was smooth over the sand, helping me assist my grandpa to the beach and was very efficient. Transferring into the seat is a bit hard, but you can move the arm rails by first raising them and twisting to the side. I noticed the venue hosts so many community events! Definitely worth a visit to come here and enjoy free yoga classes, some movie nights, and other flyers showing what's going on!

Watched the free screening of the "Wade in the Water" documentary, and it was amazing! The…read moredocumentary was very informative and touching to see.

Cool reworked clothing but really expensive for what it is. I know, I know, all of Abbot Kinney is…read more The guy stayed sitting behind the counter frankly looking bored. Didn't say hello or anything. Parking advice: come on the weekdays, it's almost impossible on the weekends.

Saw a post on Instagram that there was a 5 item clothing swap happening at Circular Library in…read moreVenice, California and had to go. Went through my clothes to see what 5 items I wanted to bring. It was a Saturday and the Abbott Kinney streets were bustling with shoppers, tourists and residents. We actually found nearby parking very easily on a Saturday! Stepping into Circular Library we saw a screen printing session to our left! Kept walking through the store where the retail area was full of creative artist's sustainable apparel/fashion on display for purchase on racks and nicely folded on counters. The 5 item clothing swap was in the back upper level. Drop off your items and shop! There were fun finds, cute dogs and great conversations at awesome event. Circular Library has fashion workshops and other amazing events. Check out their website! Oh, I found a very "Dune-esque" charcoal gray tunic that was calling me.

One of the best black box theaters in LA. I've seen two shows here and enjoyed it every time.read more

Got invited to a last minute screening of a couple of Venice Producer/Directors...who just happened…read moreto be friends of ours too! John, Stuart, and Bruno put their feelings on film...as well as their visions! After the films, was a Q & A session - downstairs, where the elite meet and eat. An assortment of brownie bits, cookies, cheese and cracker platters, lots of roasted almonds, and even a surprise Birthday Cake were available to feast on! And along with a tended bar of wines, waters and sodas. A wonderful jazz trio played in the background, and, above head height, there were cartoons being projected on the wall. Saw people we knew, and met friends we didn't know, until we met them. And it was nice to be out and about, (it's been a while) The staff was great, going the extra mile to get a chair for a senior holding a cane. We'll be back!