With t-minus one week between us and Thanksgiving, we're savoring the flavor of pre-holiday hustle, bustle and family overload. The quiet before the food coma begins now, with art openings, new restaurants, and tons of charity -- since it's not just the season for receiving. But, while we've got you on the subject of unabashed greed, we'll take the opportunity to remind you of our $1K giveaway with Nifty Thrifty (vintage clothing and accessories to die for!), which ends tomorrow.
Before we go any further, we also want to make sure we'll still be seeing you tonight at our Study Break event with Spaphile and Intern Queen. For the unbeatable price of $0, you'll get free spa treatments and career advice from some pretty impressive folks. You can also buy one of our ridiculously amazing gift bags for $5, the proceeds from which will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Can't wait to see your pretty faces!
Now, take a few minutes to fantasize about the weekend via our jam-packed itinerary...
Friday
Start the weekend by exercising your visual literacy at the A Lovely Sort of Death opening at HVW8 Gallery off of Melrose. On view will be art by Joshua Price (a.k.a. Dust La Rock, creative director of Fool's Gold Records) and Chicago's Cody Hudson (a.k.a. Struggle Inc). Then, head west to Beverly Hills to try the just-opened Bel Air Bar + Grill before making your way to the Roxy for a performance by London's own Lianne La Havas.
Later, take in the view -- and savor the free admission -- at Stardust Fridays at Skybar. Wind down your night dancing and stargazing before tripping off home to bed.
Saturday
Life without a car would be pretty near impossible in L.A., so thank your trusty steed with a "name your own price" oil change for charity. That's right, our friends at the Keep-A-Breast foundation have teamed up with three other well-deserving non-profits -- Heal the Bay, Homebody Industries, and Pablove -- to offer oil changes at four different Ford dealerships (they'll change any make). 100 percent of proceeds will benefit the non-profits.
Then, ask your well-oiled machine to take you over to Highland Park for a DIY terrarium & succulent class (and cocktail tasting) at the Arts and Crafts Collaborative. Later, check out new-ish French restaurant Ba, which is just a hop-skip down the street, and spend an hour or so pretending you're in Paris. After dinner, go to Echo Park for Prog Angeles, a fundraiser for 826LA celebrating the music of Yes, King Crimson, and Pink Floyd, respectively. Between the eclipse and the prog rock, we'd say you've seen enough of the dark side of the moon at this juncture. Before you call the night quits, though, check out The Famous, a new craft cocktail bar up the street in Glendale.
Sunday
Sunday morning, meander around the Green Festival downtown. In addition to the over 300 sustainable-minded vendors showing their wares in the fest's marketplace, there will be lots of organic food options and workshops going on as well. After you've done the health thing, drive up the 110 to Hermon Park for a little indulgence in the opposite: a bacon-wrapped charity event. Bring your canned foods or a donation of $5 to get free bacon-wrapped hot dogs--and some other porcine surprises.
Later, go into Hollywood to watch a double feature at the Egyptian as part of the American Cinematheque's New Argentinian Film Festival. Make sure to show up early (6:15 p.m.) to take advantage of free tango lessons before the movies start. The festival is co-sponsored by the organization Wines of Argentina, which is just fine by us. So sit back, pretend you're South America-bound, and imagine the weekend lasting forever.
Check out the fun this weekend:
