Skip the Scroll. Read the Story Everyone’s Talking About Today.
Careful curation > endless scrolling: Real voices, unfiltered experiences, curated and delivered daily.
All the Headlines You’ll Talk About at the Next Dinner Party. Arrive informed.
No fluff, just real news, plus a little flavor of home. For free.
Just saying.
Did we already say it’s free?
You’ve read articles so far. Enter your email to keep reading for free
Thank you for registering!
An account was already registered with this email. Please check your inbox for an authentication link.
For the last two years, I have been visiting Los Angeles a few times a year. At first, I came as a tourist, captivated by its glamorous facade, the iconic Hollywood sign perched on a hillside, and walking along sidewalks studded with star names. These days, I walk the Hollywood Walk of Fame sidewalk, not to memorize star names, but to go to the Hollywood farmers market, among the best in the city. I go to the LA Opera, where West Side Story just premiered, and shop at Erewhon (Nowhere spelled backwards), where celebrities buy adaptogenic kefir and CBD oil. I bump into Robin Wright at my wellness studio, where we both do the infrared sauna.
Here, then, is a guide to experiencing Los Angeles beyond its cliches. The Hollywood thread exists (it’s hard to get away from the movie business here), but you can dig deeper into this sunlit city obsessed with holistic wellness, canyon hikes, and well, Pilates.
Go to the opera
I first met Maestro James Conlon, principal conductor of the LA Opera, as a neighbor in New York City when we lived there in the late 90s. Since 2006, he has been the conductor of the LA Opera. This is his last season, and he is making it count by choosing performances that connect to his past and present. When I visited in September, it was in time for the opening of the Broadway musical, West Side Story, transformed into an opera. It is as timeless a tale as LA and shows the city’s cross-cultural influences all in the form of a love story.
James Conlon and the LA Opera (image courtesy: https://jamesconlon.com/photos/on-stage/)
Candlelight Concerts
Busy Week? We Saved You the Good Stuff.
Get the top stories, events & recipes in one tasty email every Friday.
Your afternoon chai needs a friend.
Skip the Scroll. Read the Story Everyone’s Talking About EVERYDAY with our free “India Currents Daily” newsletter.
Candlelight concerts have now become a franchise. Where I live in Bangalore, performers play music ranging from Rahman to SPB. I have been wanting to go to one, but finally managed to see it in LA. In India, this property is promoted by Live Your City, but here in LA, it is by Fever. There were many choices, including one on the music of Arijit Singh, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and others. The one that worked for my daughter’s work timings was called Timeless Classics and included classical music pieces from Mozart, Vivaldi, Beethoven, and more. A bonus was the location of our concert. The Biltmore Theater is where the Oscars were founded in 1927 when an MGM art director grabbed a napkin and sketched the Oscar statue after a luncheon meeting with studio director Louis B. Mayer. To sit in its hallowed ballroom listening to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons was like being part of history, along with the sobering realization that in LA, you cannot get away from Hollywood, no matter what you do.
Concert goers watch a performance by candlelight (image source: Fever Labs Inc.)
The Magic Hour at Black Rabbit Rose
My image of magic shows in India runs to Aladdin and the magic genie type dialogues that go “Khul Ja Sim Sim” and a door opens. The Magic Hour at Black Rabbit Rose is nothing like this. It feels like a glamorous plush boudoir. You walk into this bar/club, have a couple of cocktails, and wait in line to be escorted into an intimate boudoir-like room. The show starts. This being LA, the magicians are good-looking, witty performers, not just dour magicians. There were three on the night I attended. Two men and a woman. They took turns, and their acts were quite different. Sip a cocktail and watch these wizards unentangle closed chains, do things with cards that make your eyes dizzy, and watch a woman eat fire and metal with aplomb, and then proceed to pull them out of her mouth.
Magic Hour at the Black Rabbit Rose – a magic act (image source:blackrabbitrose.com/gallery)
Jiji’s Jazz Club
Orchestrated by Tida Norasingh, Jiji’s Jazz Club is reminiscent of those underground music places where the best talent plays– before they become well known. On the night we visited, the music was mixed with poetry. The crowd was young and idealistic, the sound system good, and the sets lively.
When you visit a city as a parent, as a mom, you end up playing a role. You carry your spice box and attempt to take care of your adult child. These days, though, I discover LA through my daughter. She is a strong modern woman with specific likes and dislikes. So we drive to Malibu to see vineyards, go to art gallery openings, and intimate performances that reveal LA’s creative soul beyond its movie industry bluster. And guess what? It has been a revelation. This is a truly cosmopolitan city, welcoming and warm, with a creative side like no other.
Related
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of India Currents. Any content provided by our bloggers or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, organization, individual or anyone or anything.