The Summer Jazz Night was paaaacked, so get there early if you want a seat or even a standing place…read moreat a tall table. Thanks for Yelp Elite for putting together the "first five" package and hooking us up with the wine and cheese plate. Even in you aren't Yelp Elite, the $14 is well spent to get a delicious, packed cheese and fruit plate, plus two glasses of wine or beer. All proceeds go to Project Angel Food. The music tonight was Pete Escovedo Latin Jazz Orchestra, which is actually a pretty famous group, so extra amazing that this concert is free. They were AH-MAZING! I hate the location being such a touristy, congested spot, but the people watching, especially as they dance, is really quite excellent.

Hollywood & Highland Summer Jazz Nights is hands down the best free jazz series in LA! The line up…read moreis always spectacular featuring the best of the best in jazz music including legends like Pete Escovedo and his Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Poncho Sanchez...and then there's Roberto, the little man who twirls and gyrates his way through the crowd at all the Latin jazz concerts. If you're sitting along the isle he might grab you for a dance, love him! I make it a special point every summer to set everything aside to be part of this lively event. The music is great and so is the crowd, always fun, always very entertaining. If you haven't been here yet, you're missing out, hurry up!

Whole lot of shaken' goin' on... Not Fade Away.. Buddy Holly Band.. Rockin' and fun here at Vintage…read moreVibe at Palm Springs Convention Center. Now up.. Beach Boy Tribute Band.. Sail On.. terrific sounds.

This event is just to celebrate Cal Poly Pomona. The one I went to was the 75th Anniversary one. It…read morewas really fun! Apparently this used to be a yearly event, but then they stopped doing it for 10 years and started it again in 2013. I couldn't go in 2013 so I decided to go this year. During a certain amount of time the tickets are sold cheaper and if you buy later the tickets go up at least $3. I bought my ticket for free during the pre-sale and paid $5 for my sister. The event is open to everyone, but you should try to go with someone who is currently attending the school. Students get a discount so when they buy its free during pre-sale and $5 for regular price. The event is for about two days. The first day is from 5 PM to 10PM (I think) where they had an ice skating rink, snow, a flipbook station (take pictures and then they make a book out of it so when you flip it fast it looks like its moving), and lots of food booths. There's the Polly Trolley and different clubs selling food. I tried the Grilled Cheese ($2 originally, but then they lowered the price the later it got) from the LGBT club (I think that's what they are called) and the Fry Bread with honey and powdered sugar (my friend bought it so I don't know what it cost). The second day they had food trucks one with free coffee, carnival rides, a petting zoo, lots of booths to play games and get free things/food and buy stuff, a Toyota booth (you can enter to win a car if over 18), and a free picture booth. You can also stuff your own Bronco horse for pig, decorate its shirt, and get a birth certificate (kind of like Build-A-Bear) for $15. The event on the second day does from I think 10AM to 9PM and then again from 9PM to 6AM. The 9PM to 6AM is for The Stay Up Till Dawn event which I believe is for charity. I didn't go, but if you did then I believe the Games room was free or you pay a small fee to play unlimited until the event ends. It was loads of fun and I recommend to everyone.

WEHO Pride 2026…read more Before Pride Month officially ends, I could NOT leave without giving WEHO Pride the review it deserves. Some experiences live rent free in your head... and this was one of them. This year was our second year walking with Project Angel Food and somehow it was even more magical than the first. I had the honor of leading the parade with my son (with my husband under the balloon), which meant we got to set the tone from the start--twirling PAF flags, dancing the entire route, hyping up the crowd, and enthusiastically yelling "HAPPY PRIDE!" approximately 500 times (and loving every second of it). As if that wasn't iconic enough, Kym Whitley and Caroline Rhea followed behind us in the car and the crowd absolutely LOST IT every time they rolled through. And can we talk about the KTLA anchors?! They brought amazing energy all day--especially Melvin Robert! We got to chat before the parade and immediately bonded over our matching yellow moment. Coincidence? I think not. One thing WEHO Pride always gets right is the energy. Everywhere you looked there were families, friends, allies, adorable pets, sunshine, rainbow disco vibes, and people genuinely celebrating and showing up for each other. There was laughter, music, dancing, joy, and so much LOVE in the air. WEHO Pride... you did it again!!! Five stars. No notes. Already mentally planning next year's outfit and counting down until year three with Project Angel Food. ‍

WeHo Pride, we're back!…read more And this year was stacked!! From the Out Loud Music Fest featuring Ava Max, Jade, the Pussycat Dolls, Baby Tate, so many greats... including Lizzo making a surprise appearance at the Abbey. Ya gurl comes through every year now! To the Street Fair and Festival itself and the rampant cheer of all things LGBTQIA2s+ and beyond :) As a queer black multi-ethnic, part indigenous, Two spirit individual (he/they) - the history and importance of pride thrives in me and others. From our victories to our struggles, our leather folks, our allies and so many people from all walks of life coming together to be unapologetically truthful to ourselves and in the moment. The Sunday parade is always a good time and as multi-year parade marcher with various orgs including the Leather Contingent of West Hollywood, the Imperial Court of Los Angeles and Hollywood, numerous non-profits and supporter of so many great brands and groups that stretch down Santa Monica Blvd is worth it every single year, but maybe in more sensible shoes then thick cut leather boots. Celebrating small and local businesses via vendors, food spots and the bar life is a must. Motherlode was the hot spot for the bulk of the post parade fun, but absolutely check out personal favorites like Gym Bar, Schmitty's, Trunks and others. Roosterfish we meet again, but a last your VIP unnecessary entrance we had to expel a, "Hard pass!" Music was amazing and hanging out with so many of my chosen fam, fellow leather titleholder siblings, and making plenty of new friends was the vibe and then some. Everyone singing, "Like A Prayer" remixed by Madonna is something that will stay with me for a very long time. And the Mel C. DJ set. Highly recommend a rideshare, LA Metro or carpooling as parking is beyond sparse during this weekend, especially the day of the parade. Portable restrooms throughout the start of the parade on Crescent Heights, all the way down to the Pavilions and Robertson Blvd. Q Tips: Keep an eye on your belongings Be respectful. Be happy Be you! Happy Pride :)

The Fit Expo is an annual must for us in LA, but this year was very disappointing. It was poorly…read moreorganized, with people cutting lines, and the women at the booths lacked customer service skills. There were fewer booths this year.

This event could use some better planning. When you drive into the convention center, there's no…read moresignage telling you where thefitexpo is. You figure it out on your own and then realize you could have parked closer. They soak you for $30 on parking, too. Then you get in line and there is no one guiding the huge crowd. People are forming a looping line around the building. After 30 minutes of waiting, an employee came out and moved the line. She told us that "people without wristbands should hang a left" when they go through the glass doors. Actually, hanging a left brought you to checkins for martial arts shows. The second left brought you to thefitexpo checkin. So that miscommunication got the line all mixed up and people were confused and some waited in the wrong line. We figured it out and got in the right line, but we lost our place and were WAY further back now after waiting 1 hour outside. Aggravating, unprofessional experience. Only one appearance by one employee giving incorrect instructions to hundreds of people. Fortunately, a nice couple recognized us from outside and the woman called us over to get in line with them since she saw we lost our place. They were unhappy with the unorganized mess, too. My advice is to get serious about managing the crowd outside the event. You need way more employees guiding the crowds with accurate information. When you have hundreds of people at an event, this is not an appropriate time for self service, figure it out on your own stuff. I was annoyed before I entered the event. The event itself had some good and bad. There were lots of booths with free samples, which was good. It was a big crowd, but there was a lot of space on the floor, so that was good, as well. Plenty of bathrooms were available. Now for the bad...I wanted to see the powerlifting competition, the bodybuilding competition, strongman, and jiu-jitsu, but everything was going on all at the same time. The schedule they emailed me made it look like the shows were staggered. We had to go back and forth between powerlifting and bodybuilding missing parts of each. That was disappointing. They had photo opportunities with celebrities, which is very popular. We made the rounds and one thing I noticed was that Jay Cutler's booth handled this professionally. He had proper lighting and a woman there to take photos with your phone. I was very happy to have her do it instead of me because I was carrying bags and had to fumble around taking a photo with one hand. None of the other celebrities took it as seriously and didn't do this. They should all do it like Jay did. Elevate the sport and show your fans that you care. Jay impressed me by doing these simple things. I was a little frustrated by the fact that the event didn't seem well managed. There didn't seem to be a lot of celebrities there, either. At past events, celebrities were roaming all over the place. I guess it's changed.

Rain or shine, the parade MUST go on, and this year it rained all night and until 755 am…read more At 800 am, when it was time for the official start of the parade, the rain suddenly stopped, and only a very light sprinkle lasted for less than 10 minutes. The rain, the large crowds, the marching bands, other participants, and, of course, the floats made the 2025 Rose Parade a fun and memorable event. There was no flyover from the B-52 bomber due to the weather, and other minor items were missing from the parade, yet this was a GREAT parade. The LA County Sheriff's Department was out in force as always and provided excellent security for all parade attendees. Everyone was in a festive, positive mood, and no one had any issues with the drizzle. GREAT job to the city of Pasadena and all parade organizers, employees, and volunteers, especially ALL parade participants. Nothing but respect for all of you.

Over the past 30 years, we've annually visited Los Angeles during the Holidays but have never…read morestayed to bring in the New Year, so we've never been to Pasadena's iconic New Year's Day Rose Parade. We've usually admired the beautiful floats from televised productions, as well as the designs, details, and the thousands of volunteers who contribute their time and talents to building the gorgeous floral floats. So, this past August, when I was booking our flights to celebrate Christmas with my relatives, one of them suggested attending the Rose Parade, as it was on his "Bucket List." We agreed to go even though we didn't know which college football teams would be playing in the Rose Bowl Playoff Game, but the game wasn't our focus. Thanks to my eldest brother-in-law for making our first attendance at the Rose Bowl memorable, as he booked Grandstand tickets across from the Norton Simon Museum and secured reserved parking in a lot less than a block from our seating area. Our attendance was indeed not marred by the pouring rain or the cold (well, 54° F is cold for us Hawai'i folks), because everyone around us was wearing ponchos, raincoats, and rain boots or waterproof shoes, since there had been rainstorms throughout SoCal over Christmas through New Year's Day. We enjoyed the equestrian riders (Pā'ū from Hawai'i, cavalrymen, and cowboys/cowgirls), as well as the local, international, and college playoff marching bands. The fans from the respective playoff colleges were respectful, friendly, and enthusiastic. The floral floats were beautiful, and several were even more spectacular when accompanied by fireworks. It was obvious to us how well-organized the parking, seating, and crowd control were as this parade celebrated its 135th Birthday. This year's theme, "The Magic in Teamwork," was well-executed. Despite the rain, thousands of people came from far and near, and we found many others who said this year's parade was their first time attending, even though they're Pasadena residents. They, like us, wondered what took us so long to decide to come to this parade, and we'd been willing to return come rain or shine!

Paleyfest is an annual event that gives a peek into current television entertainment. An…read moreopportunity for fans to get a deeper look into the workings of programming of their favorite streaming shows. The audience is filled with film students to retirees interested in a sneak peak into the minds of the writers, producers and actors of a production of their choice at a price of course. Last year, we attended for the last season of Handmaids Tale and this year, we participated in the first season of Pluribus. As a transplant from DC to CA...I am a huge fan of Pluribus. A must watch. There are DC Metro and surrounding area businesses, especially favorite foodie places that come up in the production often (for those who love food and film). My favorite reference is "The Inn at Little Washington" (often rated a Top 50 restaurant in the US) where I went for a special birthday in my 20's. During the pandemic, there was a featured article on the inn, at a time when people were not dining out as often, the restaurant used mannequin diners so those visiting, did not dine alone. The Pluribus experience; Rhea Seehorn won the Golden Globe for best actress in her lead role as Carol, a former actress in the DC area. If you haven't see it do yourself a favor, it feels timely. Paleyfest is easy to purchase tickets online, a bit on the higher side for television but much of the cast attend. It is well organized inside, with promotion to join as a member. Wolfgang Puck makes prepared food inside to pick up a quick meal. Dolby Theatre has excellent sound and this may be the largest screen you will ever be able to see a streamed show in your lifetime. Note: I have read here some events have been a bust, such as the cast of Yellowstone not showing up etc. We have not experienced this and hope we never do. Go and enjoy your favorite show and cast! #PaleyFest #DolbyTheatre #Hollywood #Pluribus

My first year attending Paleyfest is in the books and it was a success!…read more Paleyfest is a really fun mini fest for fans of television and I'm a huge small screen person. The 42nd Annual William S. Paley Television Festival was held from March 21-29 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. It's a celebration in the best of TV organized by The Paley Center for Media. Weird thing about Paleyfest/Dolby Theater parking, even though you park at the Ovation for the Dolby Theatre, they do not validate. The parking situation then turns out to be the only bad thing here, so Waymo, rideshare, public transport here instead of driving to avoid the hefty parking fee not included with the hefty ticket prices. I went to two panels - Hacks and Severance - both at 730pm weeknights, way above average in content & characters, top tier small screen marvel shows with great writing & hilarious acting. And when they say panels, they mean it. From Severance, Ben Stiller, Dan Erickson, Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette were all there as Executive Producers but then also - the whole cast. It was light and cute and fun! From Hacks, Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul Downs and the rest of the cast. Plus at both panels we got early access to the premiere episodes for each season - it was so fun to watch in a group setting instead of on my couch. Both were well worth it for my friend and I, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves with the Severance panel winning because stellar brought out a marching band. Mic drop. Small critique of the presentations, is the citi card commercial really necessary? it's lovely they are your sponsor, but everyone in attendance also paid and to then sit through a very long commercial was weird. When there was more of a gen z crowd, they booed and groaned very loudly - I giggled at their audacity. When there was a gen x crowd, hushed whispers hit the crowd - I again giggled. Both times I was in the audience for panels though, everyone was very confused by this and it kind of gave corny cringe vibes. Paley Center membership starts at $75 and you get 1 day early access to tickets. I did see some panels sell out this year and in years past quite quickly. Tickets aren't cheap but if this is your jam, it's fun! My friend and I plan on attending next year if the panels suit us!

*** Beautiful day @ the LaBrea Pits.***…read more "Brasilian Day in LA" Festival was held here today from Noon to 5p, 12Sept'09. I met friends, we sat on a blanket under a tented area, listened to live music from five different performers/bands, ate foods from a variety of Brasilian restaurants and caterers, danced on a portable black&white checkered floor, and my boy even played in an inflatable castle with a slide as well. It was festive; food was good; fun for all. There were also promotional tents around. e.g. Delta Airlines to begin nonstop service from LAX to Sao Paulo this December 2009. *** Yes, I think I know where to go Xmas. ***

Another cool event we went to recently! We just happened to be in the Miracle Mile area, going to…read moreLACMA and noticed this festival. Fun, vivid, full of life like Brazil! So, we stopped by on the way to LACMA and on our route back to check it out, hang out, enjoy some food and drinks. Not a lot of sampling going on, but there were many vendors - food, clothes, soccer items, a beer garden, food trucks and a stage with bands, dancers, carnaval atmosphere. Cool and fun! We got crepes on the stick, mine had ham and cheese, my husband got one with chocolate inside. Very good. We also tried their Guarana soda! Pretty cool. Fun event! We're happy we happened to be in the area. Too bad they stop the fun at 6 PM. Bit early, right?