Media Relations

August 10, 2018

Rodeo Realty’s Northridge agent Betty Galvan hosting annual blood drive

Rodeo Realty’s Northridge agent Betty Galvan has once again partnered up with the City of Hope Blood Donor Center to host a blood drive.

Galvan, who lost her brother to Leukemia five years ago, has made the drive an annual event.

This year, the drive is scheduled for Sunday, September 16. Drive hours are from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The event is open to the public and will be held in the parking lot of Rodeo Realty’s Northridge office located at 9338 Reseda Blvd.

You can schedule your life-saving appointment today by calling the City of Hope Blood Donor Center at 626.218.7171 or visit www.idonateblood4hope.org. Use sponsor code: RNN when searching for the blood drive online.

All donors will receive a $5 In-N-Out gift card.

August 10, 2018

Rodeo Realty's Michael MacDermott and Jennifer Meyers Co-Sponsor Golf Tournament to Help Jewish National Fund

The Jewish National Fund had its 28^th Annual JNF Golf Classic on Monday, July 30. The yearly event was held at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.

For the second year in a row, agents Jennifer Meyers and Michael MacDermott of Rodeo Realty Beverly Hills, co-sponsored the 4th golf hole for the tournament. They along with Meyers’ friend, Josh Friedson who flew from Maryland, contributed to the non-profit organization.

Rodeo Realty also contributed to the event by providing water and caps!

“Thank you again Syd for providing me with the hats to give out and Rodeo Realty water bottles,” said Meyers.

According to the Executive Director of the Jewish National Fund Louis Rosenberg, the event was a great success and raised $330,000!

Thanks to agents Jennifer Meyers and Michael MacDermott for taking the time to give back to the community and organization.

“This tournament is a signature event for JNF and is an important part of our fundraising campaign and outreach in the community,” said Rosenberg.

August 10, 2018

The Best Escape Rooms In Los Angeles

Escape rooms are popping up in just about every major US city, and thanks to Hollywood’s stacks of storytellers and set designers, the trend’s infiltrated LA as well. There are now dozens of places throughout the city where teams of players can solve puzzles and use clues to escape a (temporarily) locked and painstakingly themed room before the timer runs out.

The premise might sound challenging at first, but escape rooms are some of the coolest things to do in LA; they’re seriously fun for groups of friends or as team-building for a small company, or as a date that’ll let you know whether or not you can actually trust the person you swiped right for. We tested a slew of rooms across the city to come up with the following checklist of must-try escape experiences in LA — gather up a few of your favorite people, and start sleuthin’.

(Note: New rooms open constantly, sometimes taking the place of others, so call ahead to make sure the one you want to do is still around.)

Stash House

Koreatown
Standout room: There’s only one
In a nondescript K-town building, you’ll be initiated into a drug gang by a crew expecting you and your teammates to find all the baggies of dope and flush ‘em down a toilet in a locked room before the cops bash down the door. Totally immersive and entirely on-theme, Stash House is the rare escape room with replay value, thanks to an in-game decision that sends various groups in different directions.

60 Out Echo Park

Echo Park
Standout room: The Cartel
60Out is a multiple-location franchise spread across the city, and their Echo Park location’s completely devoted to a game they call “The Cartel: DEA Undercover.” It’s almost the opposite of Stash House, in that you’re an undercover agent who needs to escape from the drug gang you’ve infiltrated. Our group got gummed up on some pretty frustrating stuff in this room, but the experience ends with a bang that makes it all worthwhile.

Evil Genius

Mid-City
Standout Rooms: Occam’s Apartment/Norcross Art Gallery
The two escape rooms at Evil Genius can be played back-to-back — and that’s what you’re going to want to do, since the story (involving an art thief framing you) crosses over between them. The rooms might look bare-bones, but that’s part of the appeal: keys, clues, and even doors are hidden in ingenius spots.

ESCRooms

North Hollywood
Standout Room: Nuclear Option
Full disclosure: Thrillist contributor Wilder Shaw and his dad are the guys behind this new escape room, which is located in two shipping containers behind a small theater in North Hollywood. It’s not just nepotism that locked their spot on the list, though: the room’s full of pop-culture in-jokes and the setup (you’re tasked with disarming a nuclear weapon) is one that’s perfect for the escape room countdown trope. Just try not to MacGruber yourself.

QuestRoom

Koreatown
Standout Room: Red Giant
Though their Cannibal’s Den room is also pretty great, QuestRoom’s Red Giant has got a big ‘ol twist that would be terrible to give away, but literally breaks just about every rule of escape room protocol, and makes it a total must-play. The Indiana Jones-esque story (and the very, very cool special effects that go along with it) are presented in a way that’s as immersive as possible; you’re definitely going to Instagram your adventure-seeker photo when you’re done.

Get The F Out Room

Downtown
Standout Room: The Virus
Both of the rooms at Get The F Out are fun, but The Virus gets our pick over the more challenging Experiment for its interesting method of clue-giving: with a real-live person acting a part that totally makes sense in the story, sitting in the room with you. You and your team are scientists who’ve been exposed to a deadly virus and are tasked with finding an anecdote in time; there’s some high-tech sorcery hidden throughout, as well as some low-tech puzzles that take serious brainpower to solve.

Hatch Escape

Mid-City
Standout Room: Lab Rat
Lab Rat unquestionably has the highest production value of any of the rooms we’ve mentioned so far. You’ll start off locked in a cage in which you are the rats being experimented on by an evil doctor, and (if you can get out of that first section, which is harder than it seems), you’ll be thrown into a madcap maze that takes true teamwork to solve.

Virtual Room

Hollywood
Standout Room: Chapter I
Bordering on being a tourist trap, Virtual Room is also LA’s first all-virtual-reality escape room (as you can probably tell by the name), which gives it sort of a more kid-friendly appeal than some of its competitors. This also gives it the ability to transport you and your team to different worlds, which is part of the fun as you solve puzzles involving dinosaurs, mummies, and the gravity on the Moon. Note: There are multiple experiences here, and your team will have to choose between them on the spot.

60Out Hollywood

Hollywood
Standout Room: Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle
60Out’s Hollywood location has three rotating rooms — and, when it first opened, the Jumanji room seemed like just a temporary promotional tie in to the (actually pretty good) Rock reboot. It’s become semi-permanent, though, and the fact of the matter is it’s actually one of the best escape rooms in LA, with stunning set design, slick special effects, and puzzles that require different players to take on different avatars from the movie. Clever!

Catalina Room Escape

Avalon
Standout Room: There’s only one
The appeal of this one-room business lies in its simplicity. It’s on Catalina Island, which means it’s not going to be as sophisticated as its mainland counterparts, but if you’re on the island and are an escape room aficionado it’s totally worth your time: the puzzles’ homemade feel are refreshing after the whammo-bammo aspect of some of the other rooms, and there’s a strong logical element that’ll make you proud of each clue you get correct.

The Basement

Sylmar
Standout Room: The Courtyard
Escape room enthusiasts rightly love all four of the Basement rooms for their attention to detail and their serial story, which keeps adding new “chapters” as the business expands. The latest, room “The Courtyard,” is a tech-and-actor-heavy offering that’s fully immersive, and continues the story of Edward Tandy — a man with a peculiar love of taxidermy. Beware: he may be coming for you.

Maze Rooms Hollywood

Hollywood
Standout Room: World of Illusions
Similar to 60Out, Maze Rooms are actually all individually owned rooms under the same umbrella, so there’s not really a standard of greatness across the board. That said, one that most escape enthusiasts can agree on is World Of Illusions, with circus and magic tropes playing a part in challenging, technologically impressive puzzles.

Story courtesy of Thrillist.

August 9, 2018

Weekend Events: August 10 – 12

Los Angeles provides no limit of things to do, some awesome and some not so awesome. Since time is precious in this fast paced city we curate a list of things to do in Los Angeles for every weekend that’ll help you decide how you want to spend your limited supply of attention (not to mention dollars!).

This weekend, from Friday, August 10 to Sunday, August 12, features Summer of Salsa, Frida Kahlo Under the Stars, Angel City Brewery’s 6th Annual Avocado Festival, Smorgasburg LA’s Ice Cream Alley, Burbank Comedy Festival, KCRW’s Backyard Parry series, and MUCH more.

Enjoy!

Friday August 10th, 2018

1. British artist Lucy Sparrow has transformed the second floor of the Standard in DTLA into Sparrow Mart a supermarket art wonderland fill with over 31,000 adorable felt-covered food replicas all for sale. Part art installation, store and loads of photo worthy moments, Sparrow Mart open Aug 1-31 (closed on Mondays) is free to attend on a first come first serve basis. FREE

2. The 4th annual free Summer of Salsa concert series happening at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes will host some of the city’s best salsa and Cuban bands one Friday evening each month now through September. This month the The Arsenio Rodriguez Project will heat up the dance floor. FREE

3. The world’s largest Korean culture convention KCON stops in Los Angeles from August 10 to 12 for a celebration of music, Korean pop culture, workshops, meet-and-greets, and more.

4. Star Wars A New Hope will be screened at the Hollywood Bowl, with a live accompaniment by the Los Angeles Philharmonic this Saturday. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

5. Enjoy a vintage-style summer evening watching a drive-in movie during San Fernando Valley Summer Drive-In Movie Nights at the Lake Balboa Complex. Each evening will offer food trucks, a 26-player arcade game truck, laser tag, silent disco headphone party and family board games all included in your ticket price. Continuing the series is a screening of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure on Friday and Selena on Saturday.

6. The 626 Night Market is back for its seventh season at Santa Anita Park. Happening again August 10 to 12, the event features over 250 vendors selling crafts, merchandise, art, music and a massive selection of food from local restaurants, food trucks and more.

7. The Room screens at The Egyptian this Friday with an introduction by writer-director Tommy Wiseau. The event includes a special merchandise marketplace, photo ops with Tommy and more.

8. Summer Nights in the Garden returns to the Natural History Museum this weekend. Sip garden-inspired cocktails, listen to live music, take garden tours and more. FREE

9. In conjunction with NHM’s Summer Nights in the Garden, California African American Museum will host Summer Night Extended Hours this Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. FREE

10. KCRW Summer Nights takes over Union Station with KCRW DJs Raul Campos and Anthony Valadez. FREE

11. ICA LA will host a happy hour tour of Norm Laich’s current exhibit This Brush for Hire, led by Laich himself. The tour will be followed by light refreshments and a pop-up shop by Mandujano Cell. FREE

12. Shakespeare By The Sea will once again offer a ten-week program of admission-free performances. The series continues with a performance of The Winter’s Tale on Friday and The Merry Wives of Windsor on Sunday both set in different locations. FREE

13. The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum will host Late Night Fridays where guests can enjoy free general admission from 5 to 8 p.m. and gain access to special activities, 3D movies, behind-the-scenes tours, live excavations, and more. FREE

14. For over 30 years, Grand Performances has offered a variety of performance events at California Plaza, for free. Their 2018 summer series runs June 1 through August 18. This Friday HipHop/Electronic: First Peoples, New Voices. FREE

15. See Hershey Felder as Beethoven at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The one-man shows will depict the iconic composer’s story through music and monologue. Hershey Felder: Beethoven will run from July 26 to August 19. Hershey Felder: Beethoven will run from July 26 to August 19. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

16. WP24 by Wolfgang Puck’s Summer Supper + Show returns every Friday and Saturday, July through August, with a Asian-inspired dinner at WP24 by Wolfgang Puck followed by a movie screening on the private 26th floor hotel rooftop. This weekend they’ll screen Mama Mia!

17. Back for the 15th year in a row, The Independent Shakespeare Co. presents Shakespeare in the Parkat the Old Zoo in Griffith Park with free performances of A Mid Summer Nights Dream and Titus Andronicus Friday through Sunday. FREE

18. The Roadium in Torrance presents Classic Drive-in Movies every Friday night in August and the first Friday of September. Each family-friendly event features classic films projected on the screen tower. Continuing the series is a screening of American Graffiti.

19. Tanabata Festival aka “Star Festival” returns to Hinoki & The Bird, August 10 and 11 with a five-course Chef’s tasting menu with specialty drink pairings and a Tanzaku ribbon experience.

20. The Music Center’s annual Dance DTLA series is back for 2018 with a series of Friday-night events at Grand Park. This week features Dance DTLA, an evening dedicated to disco from 7 to 11 p.m.. FREE

21. Are you a Chase bank customer? Got a freebie you might want to know about. Coolhaus is teaming with the Forum and Chase to hand out free ice cream sandwiches to Chase customers on Fridays all summer long. Locations will change every Friday, and the offer is ice cream sandwich per cardholder. Get more info here.

22. 260LA will host an Outdoor Voices sample sale August 8-12 with men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, activewear, and accessories all at a discount.

23. Barnsdall Fridays returns to Barnsdall Art Park for the tenth year in a row, with evening tastings of boutique wines and music from KCRW DJs perched atop a hill with incredible city views.

24. Beyond the Streets is a fully immersive exhibition of street and graffiti art comprised of over 30 artist in a massive 40,000+ square feet exhibits. Artist are an eclectic mix of street and beyond including Retna, Shepard Fairey, Kenny Scharf Dennis Hopper and Jenny Holzer. Open Tuesday through Sunday this week. Open Tuesday through Sunday this week. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

25. Rooftop Cinema Club returns to the rooftops of LEVEL in DTLA and NeueHouse in Hollywood with multiple screenings this week that include Donnie Darko, Chinatown and more.

Saturday August 11th, 2018

26. Frida Kahlo Under the Stars with Gregorio Luke comes to LA Plaza de Culturas y Artes on Saturday. The evening dedicated to the iconic artist will feature a kaleidoscopic portrait of Frida Kahlo, with more than 300 slides of her paintings and documentary photographs, as well as rare film footage.

27. Angel City Brewery’s 6th Annual Avocado Festival takes place August 11-12, celebrating the state fruit with music, food, and limited release Avocado Ale.

28. KCRW’s Summer Nights ongoing Backyard Party series will feature a solo acoustic performance by Jim James and KCRW DJs Liza Richardson and Chris Douridas will spin tunes all night. A selection of food trucks curated by KCRW’s Evan Kleiman will also be available, along with record collectors and dealers hand-selected by Beats Swap Meet. FREE

29. Bruce Lurie Gallery will hold an opening reception from 6-9 p.m. for “Street Meat !!!”, a group show highlighting influential and talented street and pop artists from Banksy, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Shepard Fairey to Thrashbird, Le Fou, John Paul Fauves and more. On view August 11 through September 5. This Saturday is also Culver City Arts Districts Second Saturday where galleries stay open from 4-6 p.m. for evening viewings and special events. FREE

30. The Silverlake Flea-Night Market taking place every Saturday from 5-10 p.m. all summer long features a plethora of local, independent sellers that offer vintage clothing, art, rare vinyl, crafts, and much more.

31. Los Angeles City Council member Mitch O’Farrell will host a free movie screening of Wonder Woman at Echo Park Lake this Saturday. FREE

32. de Plume will be transformed by Laurie Shapiro into a stunning forrest of intricately painted flowers made to represent the vagina. Titled “All Yoni Is Love,” the exhibit features stylized large paintings, reflective mylar, and hanging orbs of light is made to celebrate the beauty and power of all woman. On view August 11 through September 1 with an opening reception this Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m.. FREE

33 Marina Movie Nights returns to Burton Chace Park in Marina del Rey for free Saturday-night screenings of beloved musicals. The series concludes with Grease with swing dancing offered to the public. FREE

34. Nisei Week Japanese Festival (Aug 11-12) returns to the streets of Little Tokyo, beaming with food, culture, entertainment, a grand parade and more. FREE Also happening during Nisei Week is the 10th Annual Tanabata Festival on August 11-12. The family friendly weekend will explore the historic neighborhood of Little Tokyo, participate in workshops and games, shop unique vendor booths, and enjoy live entertainment. FREE

35. The Empire Strikes Back will be screened at the Hollywood Bowl, with a live accompaniment by the Los Angeles Philharmonic this Saturday.

36. Looking for a spot to view this weekend’s Perseid meteor shower? The City of Glendale Community Services & Parks Department is hosting a Meteor Madness viewing party at Deukmejian Wilderness Park this Saturday night, featuring astronomy-themed snacks and drinks. Free to attend. Follow this link for info on reserving a spot to the event. FREE

37. Eat|See|Hear returns for 2018 with a screening of Inglorious Basterds at The Autry Museum. Select screenings are discounted via Goldstar. DISCOUNTED

38. For the sixth year in a row, Malibu Country Mart is throwing a block party celebrating summer through a plethora of activities and fun for the whole family, including a petting zoo, free carnival treats, live entertaining, henna tattoos, tarot card readings, hair braiding, and much more.

39. The Actors’ Gang will once gain bring back Free Shakespeare in the Park for Families with a production of Much Ado About Avengers an original play inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and the characters of Marvel’s Avengers. Taking place at Media Park in Culver City, the 45 minute, all‐ages production will run every Saturday and Sunday this month through August 26. FREE

40. Get to know abut the famous and infamous watering holes and haunts of Pasadena during the Old Pasadena Historic Pub Tour. This guided walking tour will take guests through Pasadena’s original downtown including stops distinctive for their history, architecture, and beer.

41. Street Food Cinema returns this weekend with a screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World at Verdugo Park in Glendale and Pretty Woman at Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades. Select screenings are discounted via Goldstar. DISCOUNTED

42. Gallery 30 South in Pasadena recently extended their limited engagement exhibition “Pop Sequentialism Ver. 2.0” through August 26. The popular exhibit features rare, first appearances of important comic characters from the archives of Ray Zone and much more. FREE

43. Enjoy a summer movie night at Warner Ranch Park in Woodland Hills when Movies on the Greenwith a screening of Coco. FREE

44. August is National Panini Month. Celebrate at Pirolo’s Panino located on Melrose Avenue where all panino’s will be specially priced at just $5 this Saturday!

45. Head to Heritage Fine Wines in Beverly Hills for A Rooftop Rendezvous. Get a taste of delicious California wines and bubbly paired with decadent bites while enjoying the summer sunset as a live jazz band sets the mood.

46. FUTRA presents KINETIC, a two-day multimedia event featuring 40 visual artists, performers, and musicians taking place at Jason Vass Gallery in the Arts District of DTLA.

Sunday August 12th, 2018

47. Fans of ice cream can head down Ice Cream Alley, a special area of Smorgasburg LA dedicated to showcasing the best of local ice cream and sweet treats, all in one place.

48. Celebrate canines during Dog Days of Summer at the Hammer Museum. Enjoy a family matinee screening of Old Yeller for free this Sunday. FREE

49. If you’ve been waiting to find a great deal on film and Hollywood-related memorabilia, look no further, as the Hollywood Heritage Museum is holding a special summer clearance sale on Sunday.

50. Check out LACMA’s latest exhibition, 3D: Double Vision an interactive exhibit that explores the art and illusion of 3D.

51. Come experience the history of Boyle Heights and its Jewish roots through a special walking tour this Sunday. The tour explores locations that share the story of how an immigrant community came together during the first half of the twentieth century. Locations visited will include the original location of Canter’s Deli, The Breed Street Shul, The Old Mount Sinai Clinic, multiple Jewish labor socialist organizing locations, and much more.

52. The Burbank Comedy Festival taking place across five different venues will host 200 performers from around the globe for five days (August 12-18) of nonstop funny business. The festival kicks off with Jeff Garlin this Sunday!

53. Escape the summer heat during Jazz on the Lawn, a series of free summer concerts at Santa Monica’s Gandara Park every Sunday in August. In addition to live music there will be free dance lessons, food trucks and picnic games. FREE

54. Debbie Allen teaches ‘Dance Sundays’ free dance lessons at The Wallis. The series concludes with “Break the Floor Hip Hop”. FREE

55. Ray’s & Stark Bar, located on the LACMA campus, offers Lobster & Rosé now till September 3. Executive Chef Fernando Darin has masterfully curated lobster dishes and paired them with Domaine de Cala rosé. Menu items include Lobster Salad, Lobster Fettuccine with burrata, and Wood-Fired Whole Lobster with corn on the cobb, potato salad and béarnaise sauce.

56. The 1st Annual Valley Pride Festival, taking place in North Hollywood this Sunday is a block party style celebration for both the LGBT community and the community at large.

57. E.P. & L.P. in West Hollywood continues their stylish cinema series Melrose Rooftop Theatre with a screening of Sleepless in Seattle.

58. Outdoor theater Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, located in Topanga Canyon summer 2018 season begins on June 2 with a performance of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

59. Two Dykes and a Mic is a monthly LGBTQ comedy show that highlights female comedians. This Sunday at The Virgil. FREE

60. Free museum days: Museum of Latin American Art and Craft and Folk Art Museum (pay what you can)

Schedule provided by We Like LA.

August 8, 2018

The Best Places To Travel To This September

September is a phenomenally underrated month for travel. People seem to disqualify it because they associate it with childhood anxiety about summer ending and going back to school. Sure, summer is over on paper, but September ushers in that all-too-brief summer vacay sweet spot where surge pricing has ended while sunshine, festival season, and warm nights remain. In places all over the country and the world, September vacations mean cheaper prices, better weather, and smaller crowds. Here are the best of ‘em, for your consideration:

Acadia National Park, Maine

Coastal Maine is home to one of the smaller national parks, Acadia, which bills itself as the site with the least light pollution east of the Mississippi River. Accordingly, you must go there for the Acadia Night Sky Festival (September 5-9). Astronomers both amateur and professional come together with the rest of the locals to stargaze, and to partake in other sources of good clean fun like artwork contests and telescope raffles. September (and October, fine) is already the best time of year to visit Acadia, since the crowds have thinned and the weather is becoming brisk, as people who hike are wont to say. I don’t even really like hiking that much, but I liked hiking in Acadia.

OIA, SANTORINI, GREECE | © ALLARD SCHAGER/MOMENT/GETTY IMAGES

The Cyclades, Greece

Obviously the Greek Islands are ridiculous levels of beautiful any time of year, but they get so hot in the summer months and, depending on where you go, unnatural levels of crowded. As someone who grew up visiting these, I can think of no specific reason why they’d be more enjoyable in the pits of summer than the off-season. Try Santorini or Mykonos if you want something a bit more lively, but if you’d rather spend a week eating fresh octopus in a sleepy fishing village with a population of a few dozen, choose from a number of (my favorite) under-the-radar Greek islands. By the by, the proper pronunciation of “gyro” is “YEE-ro,” and the proper way to serve one is with the fries on the inside, the way they’re done here.

Glens Falls, New York

For nearly 50 years, this city on the edge of the Adirondacks has held the Adirondack Balloon Festival, a hot-air balloon extravaganza that looks straight out of a children’s book. There could be as many as 100 balloons aloft at once, and after dark you’ll still see 30 or so lift off for the “moonglow,” which everyone watches by flashlight. This year’s festival runs September 20-23, and there’s also a craft fair that funds Good Shit in the local community like scholarships and service projects. You’ve also got the Saratoga Wine & Food Festival (September 7-9) and the World’s Largest Garage Sale(September 29-30) which is expected to draw more than 500 vendors. And look, regardless of your feelings for bric-a-brac or balloons, you’re in upstate New York in early autumn — you know this is the right call.

HUMANTAY LAKE, CUSCO, PERU | ANNA GORIN/MOMENT/SHUTTERSTOCK

Machu Picchu, Peru

The Salkantay Trek is basically a less famous but more awesome alternative to the Inca Trail, and September is one of the best times to hike it. Your best option is probably the five-day trek; make sure to first give yourself a couple of days in Cusco to acclimate to the altitude, though you’ll be heartened to know that I neglected to take any medication for it (aside from coca leaf tea, which you will be offered and should drink) and threw up but twice. Salkantay Trekking will set you up with guides (if yours are Oscar and/or Willie, please pass on my regards); meals (like, way more good food than a human could conceivably eat in one sitting, ever); horses (to carry some of your stuff, though you can ride them if you need a break at any point); and accommodations (you can sleep in one of those glass igloos that got trendy when Iceland did) for comfortably under $500, total.

Breckenridge, Colorado

Oh, did you think Breckenridge was only good for skiing in the winter? Because same, and I’m actually from Colorado so this is likely much more embarrassing for me than it is for you. If you are of legal drinking age, you should strongly consider visiting Breckenridge in September for Breckenridge Oktoberfest. What’s advertised as the largest street party in the Rocky Mountains will run from September 7-9. If you can stay for a week, you should, not only to enjoy walking around the adorable downtown but to take advantage of the Breckenridge Wine Classic from September 13-16.

Puerto Rico

September will mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria’s landfall on the island of Puerto Rico. It will be a historic and deeply moving time to be there, when you can enjoy steeply discounted hotels and airfare, and lounge on Puerto Rico’s most beautiful beaches free of crowds. September indeed falls during hurricane season in the Caribbean, but it spans June through November, so barring any actual Maria-sized event you can expect a safe trip. Walk through Old San Juan and eat mofongo and salsa dance in the street and look at the bioluminescent bay under a new moon. The overwhelming majority of Puerto Rico is open for business, and that business should be you.

Kentucky

For starters, September means the return of the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festivalto Bardstown from the 12th to the 16th. Each of those six days is loaded with bourbon tastings, mixology classes, art displays, car shows, and/or food vendors, which works out to like, 746 things to do in total. The events are a mix of ticketed and free, and there is a designated Family Fun Area with train rides to distract the children while you enjoy your jazz and cigars. Then, less than an hour away, from September 22-23 you have Louisville’s Bourbon & Beyond, a bourbon, music, and food festival headlined this year by John Mayer, Lenny Kravitz, Robert Plant, and Sting. And despite the theme, it’s open to anyone aged 5 and up.

Story by Thrillist.

August 7, 2018

LA's History Of Food-Shaped Restaurants

After decades of dashed hopes and broken promises, Tail o’ the Pup, Los Angeles’s famous hot dog-shaped hot dog stand, will finally reopen.

The last we heard, this gem of novelty architecture was heading to the Valley Relics Museum in Chatsworth, where it would be on display but wouldn’t dish out franks.

Now, just in time for National Mustard Day (yes, it’s a holiday and it happens the first Saturday in August) comes word that the 1933 Group has acquired the landmark — and plans to bring it back as a restaurant.

Two customers eat at Eddie Blake’s Tail o’ the Pup, a famous hot dog stand located at 300 N. La Cienega Boulevard. (David Clarke from the Security Pacific National Bank Collection via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

The 1933 Group owns a bunch of bars around town — Bigfoot, Sassafrass, Thirsty Crow, Oldfield’s, a few others — all themed, often with a heavy vintage vibe. These are the folks who restored Highland Park Bowl to its Jazz Age splendor, resurrected the Idle Hour, a once popular North Hollywood bar and restaurant shaped like a giant barrel, and are in the midst of revamping the Formosa Cafe in West Hollywood. They respect the history of the venues they acquire and they seem to know what they’re doing, so fingers crossed that they’ll treat Tail o’ the Pup with the care it deserves.

The Idle Hour in North Hollywood was built in 1941 and renovated in 2015. (Photo by Mike Hume/Flickr Creative Commons)

Built in 1946, Tail o’ the Pup operated (not always at the same location) until 2005. After shuttering, it spent years moldering in storage facilities including a Torrance warehouse and a Lake Elsinore salvage yard.

Excited about eating at this landmark? You can thank Alison Martino, who runs Vintage Los Angeles. According to Los Angeles magazine, she spent years searching for the stand then working with the family of Tail o’ the Pup founder Eddie Blake to get it back. Now, the 1933 Group is looking for a new home for the Pup, somewhere street-facing in West Hollywood or Hollywood, near the stand’s original location.

Tail o’ the Pup is one of L.A.’s most famous examples of “programmatic architecture” — buildings designed to look like food, animals or other items — but it’s hardly the only one. Southern California has a rich history of buildings shaped like boots, owls, toads, pigs, airplanes and more. In fact, we were ground zero for the bizarre building boom.

The giant donut on the roof of Randy’s Donuts is adorned with a mini Space Shuttle on October 11, 2012 in Inglewood. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

The trend reached its apex in the early 20th century. Motoring was still a new pastime and business owners wanted to catch the eye of passing drivers. Unhampered by modern building codes, they threw up these cool and kooky structures.

Sadly, most have been demolished. You can still see a few, including the famous Randy’s Donuts and a couple of old Chili Bowl locations

Fortunately, Southern California’s rich history of novelty architecture remains well documented.

The Toed Inn, shaped like a frog, was originally located on on Channel Road in Santa Monica. After it was damaged by a flood in 1938, it was moved to 12008 Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood. (1920) (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

Shaped like an owl, the Hoot Owl Cafe had a head that rotated, blinking eyes made from Buick headlamps and a sign that read: “Hoot hoot, I scream.” It was designed by Roy Hattrup in 1926 – 27 and for more than 50 years, his wife, Tillie, ran it. It was originally located in Rosemead but was moved to two subsequent locations, both in South Gate, before being demolished in 1979. (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

“There was an old woman, who lived in a shoe; she had so many children, she didn’t know what to do.” Apparently, she opened the Mother Goose Pantry at 1951 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena. (1928) (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

Launched in 1931 by former amateur boxer Art Whizin, the Chili Bowl chain had 22 outposts at its peak. Each building was round and shaped like a chili bowl with 26 stools around a circular counter where diners could get the signature dish: an open-faced burger blanketed with chili. This 1937 photo shows the original Chili Bowl, located at 3012 Crenshaw Boulevard. (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

Although the exact L.A. location of The Airplane Café is unknown, the airplane-shaped restaurant came with wings, a propeller and wheels, although it rested on raised slabs of wood. (circa 1924) (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

Originally built as an ice cream parlor with an oversized ice cream cone at each corner, the building became the Feed Rack restaurant during the Depression. Notice the sign: “Hello, Oldtimer! Are you hungry? Stop and get some coffee & donuts. They are on us.” (circa 1930) (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

The Teepee was a popular ice cream stand in Long Beach on 2nd St. at Covina Ave, 1931. During this time, the swastika was commonly displayed as a positive symbol before the Nazi Party adopted it and gave it its hateful connotations. (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

Located at 1124 Vine St. in Hollywood, the Hollywood Flower Pot is both the name of this flower shop and an accurate description of its facade. (1930) (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

The Pig Cafe was built in 1934 near La Brea and Rosewood avenues in Hollywood. (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

This photo of the Sphinx Realty Company, located at 537 N. Fairfax Ave. across from where Fairfax High School now stands, supposedly dates to 1920, so it’s too early for it to have been inspired by the Egyptology craze that swept the U.S. after Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered in 1922. Notice the signs listing nearby properties for sale. Back then you could buy a six-bedroom, corner stucco house for $7,200. (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

A giant grand piano marks the entrance of the California Piano Supply Co., which was renamed the Big Red Piano in the 1960s. (circa 1920s – ’30s) (Photograph via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

Shaped like a blimp (aka a zeppelin), the Zep Diner was located at 515 W. Florence Ave. near Figueroa St. (1931) (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

As its name suggests, the Tamale, located at 6421 Whittier Blvd. in East L.A., specialized in Mexican food as well as hamburgers, chili, malted milk and something called “Spanish delight.” The structure went on to become Charley’s Beauty Salon in 2001. (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

Shaped like a milk can, the Cream Can sold buttermilk (5 cents), orange juice, root beer and other beverages. (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

Cars exit The Donut Hole drive-in restaurant, located on Elliot Avenue at Amar Road in La Puente, on January 4, 1983. (Herald-Examiner Collection/Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

1934: Exterior view of the first Brown Derby restaurant at Wilshire Blvd. and Alexandria Ave., with its large “Eat in the Hat” neon sign atop the dome. There were four Brown Derby restaurants — in Beverly Hills, Los Feliz, Hollywood and Wilshire — but only this one, the original was shaped like a bowler hat. It was first located at 3427 Wilshire Blvd. but in 1937 was moved one block over to 3347 Wilshire Blvd. (Works Progress Administration Collection/Los Angeles Public Library)

Picketers protest in front of the Brown Derby Restaurant on Wilshire Blvd., in 1980, hoping to prevent the restaurant from being razed and replaced by a high-rise. The restaurant had suddenly closed its doors after paying and dismissing employees. In September of 1980, it was torn down and replaced with a parking lot and later a strip mall with a domed structure on the third floor of the building, to resemble the original hat-shaped building. (Mike Mullen/Herald-Examiner Collection/Los Angeles Public Library)

Article courtesy of LAist.

August 6, 2018

TV Shows You Should Watch Before The End Of Summer

This summer might not have had Game of Thrones, but it wasn’t lost by any means. Already we’ve seen Pose, Ryan Murphy’s groundbreaking TV series; Succession, HBO’s strong answer to Billions; and The Staircase, which enjoyed a much-anticipated update on Netflix. And that’s to say nothing of the other top-tier shows, movies, books, albums, and podcasts that have been out! Oof. We get it. There’s been a lot to see, and, yes, there’s lots more on the way. To make some of your decisions easier, we’ve flagged a few highlights to see before fall — what’s Game of Thrones again?

The Sinner (USA)

Premiere date: August 1
Reason to be excited: Sadly, Jessica Biel is returning only as an executive producer. Silver lining: The brilliant Carrie Coon (The Leftovers) will take over as leading lady. Her reviews are in, and so far, they make The Sinner sound like it won’t be a one-hit wonder. (“Coon’s enigmatic performance never fails to intrigue,” says Mashable. “This is the one case where the only need for a critic is to remind you to watch,” adds the Washington Post.) For Season 2, the crime drama unspools a mostly unconnected, new story — save for familiar face Det. Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) — about an 11-year-old boy who poisons his parents and watches them die. Awful, yes, but as the show’s tagline teases, “The sins of a child are never his alone.” Buckle up for another riveting whydunit. [Trailer]

Random Acts of Flyness (HBO)

Premiere date: August 3
Reason to be excited: Random Acts of Flyness has been billed as a “late-night show,” and while it will feature sketches and special guests (like Whoopi Goldberg and Gillian Jacobs), none of it will be anything like what you’re used to. (And thank God. Sorry, Jimmys.) Instead of your average desk bits, this six-episode series, from artist Terence Nance, will showcase “interconnected vignettes that make the series a unique mix of vérité documentary, musical performances, surrealist melodrama, and humorous animation” — all about “the beauty and ugliness of contemporary American life.” To which we say, yes please! [Trailer]

Better Call Saul (AMC)

Premiere date: August 6
Reason to be excited: Season 4 will be all about (slight spoiler for the uninitiated) the fallout from Chuck’s death, and how it compels those left behind to be better or… worse! Bring on the Saul. [Trailer]

Lodge 49 (AMC)

Premiere date: August 6
Reason to be excited: From Jim Gavin (Middle Men) and Peter Ocko (The Office), Lodge 49 follows a Cali surfer named Dud (Wyatt Russell, aka that guy from the weird Black Mirror video game episode) who’s trying to recover from the death of his dad and the downfall of their family business. He happens upon a local fraternity — the titular lodge — which may or may not help solve all his problems. Godspeed, Dud. [Trailer]

Insecure (HBO)

Premiere date: August 12
Reason to be excited: More mirror rap sessions! More Daniel! More relationship drama? We’ll see — stay in the know with our Season 3 dossier.

Disenchantment (Netflix)

Premiere date: August 17
Reason to be excited: It’s Matt Groening’s latest creation. The series, about “the misadventures of a hard-drinking princess (Abbi Jacobson), her feisty elf companion (Nat Faxon), and her personal demon (Eric André),” has been positioned, aptly, as the love child of The Simpsons and Game of Thrones. Or the fantasy version of Futurama. Either way, it might just scratch your Westeros itch — in a loving send-up kind of way.

Rob Riggle’s Ski Master Academy (Sony Crackle)

Premiere date: August 23
Reason to be excited: Bear traps. Explosions. NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher. This beautifully dumb show, about Rob Riggle (aka Pow! Guy) and a bunch of campers learning how not to look like assholes while riding jet skis, apparently has it all. So if you’re hunting for your next offbeat (heavy on the offbeat) comedy, look no further. [Trailer]

Ghoul (Netflix)

Premiere date: August 24
Reason to be excited: It’s Netflix’s first horror series out of India! Co-produced by Blumhouse (Insidious, Get Out), Ghoul follows “a prisoner who arrives at a remote military interrogation center and turns the tables on his interrogators, exposing their most shameful secrets.” And, yes, it looks creepy as hell. [Trailer]

The Innocents (Netflix)

Premiere date: August 24
Reason to be excited: This British saga has been teased as a sci-fi Romeo & Juliet — although Romeo & Mystique might be more like it, because this Juliet is a freaking shape-shifter. [Trailer]

Jack Ryan (Amazon Prime)

Premiere date: August 31
Reason to be excited: If your favorite John Krasinski is Action John Krasinski (see: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi), this should be right up your alley. From Carlton Cuse (Lost, Colony), this Tom Clancy-inspired TV show puts Krasinski in the title role as a modern-day, up-and-coming CIA analyst thrust into his first field assignment. We’re confident this character is better at Call of Duty-ing than Jim Halpert because Jack Ryan has already been renewed for Season 2. [Trailer]

Ozark (Netflix)

Premiere date: August 31
Reason to be excited: More Serious Jason Bateman! After barely surviving a stressful move to the Ozarks, his character and his family, the Byrdes, will have to dig in their heels and learn how to run a freaking riverboat casino. “In Season 2, [the Byrdes have] kind of gone from the shadows into the light a little bit. There’s this idea that Marty’s enemies, the Snells and the cartel, are now his partners,” Ozark‘s Chris Mundy teased us last year. “[Season 2 is] more about capitalism and what you do to win, the difference between things that are legal and illegal, ethical and unethical. Are the Byrdes going to own this new life?” If you need a Season 1 refresher, we’ve got you covered. [Trailer]

Story courtesy of Thrillist.

August 4, 2018

Economic update for the week ending August 4, 2018

157,000 new jobs added in July – The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 157,000 new jobs were added in July. This was below the 193,000 expected by analysts, but still a healthy number. In the last 12 months, job gains have averaged 203,000 a month. Wage growth, which is an indicator of inflation risk, showed average hourly wages growing by 2.7% over the past 12 months. The unemployment rate dropped to near historic lows of 3.9%, down from 4% in June. While more wage growth would be nice, 2.7% won’t put much pressure on The Fed to raise rates to combat inflation risks. Usually, with unemployment so low you would see wage growth at 3% or more. Wages have been stubborn to rise, which has kept inflation in check and interest rates historically low–especially with such robust growth.

Strong corporate earnings overshadowed trade fears this week – With over 30% of companies reporting second quarter earnings, this earnings season is turning out mostly positive. Most companies posted results that beat expectations. While Tech stocks sunk last week after Facebook reported disappointing earnings, they soared this week after Apple’s earnings were reported. Apple became the first company to have a valuation of over $1 trillion. China and the U.S. both stepped up tariffs on more products, while The U.S. and The European Union edged toward a trade deal. Trade fears probably are the reason stocks did not rally much higher on such strong earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 25,462.08, up slightly from 25,451.06 last week. It is up 3% year-to-date. The S&P 500 closed the week at 2,840.30, up from 2,818.82 last week. It’s up 6.2% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed the week at 7,812.01, up from 7,737.43 last week. It’s up 13.2% year-to-date.

Treasury Bond Yields unchanged this week – The 10-year Treasury bond closed the week yielding 2.95%, almost unchanged from 2.96% last week. The 30-year Treasury bond yield ended the week at 3.09%, unchanged from 3.09% last week. We watch bond rates because mortgage rates follow bond rates.

Mortgage rates slightly higher for the week – The August 2, 2018 Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 4.60%, up slightly from 4.54% last week. The 15-year fixed was 4.08%, up slightly from 4.02% last week. The 5-year ARM was 3.93%, up slightly from 3.87% last week.

Have a great weekend!

Syd

August 3, 2018

Some of The Best Whole Foods 365 Products

Whole Foods is an absolute wonderland of edible treats. And while it’s tempting to put everything in your cart, it’s also foolish. First of all, that poor shopping cart is gonna collapse and there’ll be a serious mess. But savvy Whole Foods shoppers know that you can find affordable and delicious food within the store’s own brand: 365 Everyday Value. Not everything with the 365 label on it is organic, but plenty of it is, and it’s often competitively priced.

To help you find the best 365 Everyday Value eats to take with you to the cashier, Thrillist asked a whole lot of serious Whole Foods fans/famed food Instagrammers to tell them their favorite products.

365 Everyday Value Organic Almond Milk Unsweetened

“This almond milk in the 32 ounce container doesn’t have to be refrigerated until it’s open, so I like to keep several in the pantry as backups since almond milk goes fast in this kitchen. The texture of the almond milk stays smooth, so it’s great for coffee, golden, and matcha lattes.” Sarah J. Gim, founder, @TheDelicious

365 Everyday Value Almond Butter

“As a dietitian, I think it’s important to provide awareness around added sugars in our everyday foods — this especially counts for nut butters! Nut butters should have two ingredients or less and no added oils. The Whole Foods 365 almond butter (unsweetened) contains only dry roasted almonds and sea salt.” Rachael DeVaux, RD, CPT, @Rachaelsgoodeats

365 Everyday Value Bite-Sized Wheat Squares Cereal

“I’m a huge fan of this cereal. It’s sodium free and contains 100% whole grains, which not only makes it a great source of fiber, but it helps to slow digestion and keep you fuller longer. (Throw in a handful of berries for a touch more sweetness… and fiber!) At $2.99 for a 14oz box, you’re getting quite a few meals (or snacks) for less than a dollar each!” Caitlyn Elf, @caitsplate

365 Everyday Value Freeze Dried Strawberry Slices

“Absolutely love the versatility of freeze dried fruit! You can add it to granola for a sweet crunch, toss it into chia pudding or smoothies for extra fruit flavor, or even roll the outside of homemade energy balls with it for extra crunch — just delicious!” Marie Reginato, @marie.reginato

365 Everyday Value Organic Grade A Maple Syrup

“You will not find anything but 100% pure maple syrup in my house, because life is too short to buy anything else. I adore Whole Foods maple syrup because it’s both organic and totally affordable! You pay the same price (or even less) for a bottle of this top-notch organic maple syrup than you would for another non-organic variety at any other store! We use this maple syrup on top of our fair share of pancakes and waffles; I have four kids ages 7 and under, and those are their two most requested breakfast foods! I also love using maple syrup as a wholesome, vegan sweetener in our favorite baked goods!” Laura Sandford, founder, JoyFoodSunshine

365 Everyday Value Organic Riced Cauliflower

“The 365 frozen organic cauliflower rice is always stocked in my freezer. It makes for the perfect low-carb rice alternative, [and is perfect] to grab for a weeknight dinner.”Lexi Davidson, founder, Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

365 Everyday Value Magnesium Cherry Fizz

“When I discovered this at Whole Foods I became quickly obsessed. I take a scoop and have it with my water as my nighttime elixir every night. It helps me wind down and get ready for bed. I also drink it during the day if I’m feeling extra stressed — it calms me down almost immediately!” Remi Ishizuka, @rrayyme

365 Everyday Value Organic Cracked Black Pepper Turkey Breast

“This is one of my favorite items to buy as a protein source to build easy and healthy lunches for the week. It’s organic turkey and made with vinegar, salt, and honey instead of nitrates as a preservative. The cracked black pepper adds just enough flavor without being too salty!” — May Zhu, MBA, RDN, founder, Nutrition Happens

365 Everyday Value Extra Hot Habanero Sauce

“I’m a huge fan of spicy foods, and habanero is my favorite type of pepper. This hot sauce gives a nice little kick to everything, but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. I like to add hot sauce to everything from eggs to homemade tacos, and even sometimes pasta!” Carina Wolff, @kalememaybe

365 Everyday Value Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

“Coconut oil is my favorite dairy-free pantry staple. I use it to bake dairy-free treats, put it in my coffee in the morning, and make delicious frostings and spreads! Since I use it so frequently, the quality of the coconut oil I purchase really matters to me. This unrefined coconut oil is my favorite because it has an ultra-creamy texture, unbeatable taste, and is 100% organic (which I care about a great deal when it comes to products we use often)!” Rachael DeVaux, RD, CPT, @Rachaelsgoodeats

365 Everyday Value Pasture Raised Large Brown Grade A Eggs

“I love the way pasture raised eggs taste: the yolk is always super bright! Whole Foods has one of the best prices around for pasture raised eggs, and the quality is evident in the taste. One of the most common nutrition myths around is that brown eggs are better than white eggs, but the truth is that shell color is not an indication of quality or nutrition content. So when it comes to the gold standard for eggs, I always encourage going the pasture raised route!” May Zhu, MBA, RDN, founder, Nutrition Happens

365 Everyday Value Organic Garbanzo Beans (Canned)

“I try to make my own chickpeas at home using dried beans, but when I’m in a rush, the Whole Foods 365 brand comes in handy. Not only is it inexpensive, but the can is BPA-free, which is really important. I like to put chickpeas in everything from soups to salads, so it’s convenient to have some cooked ones on hand for last-minute dishes.” Carina Wolff, @kalememaybe

Story courtesy of Thrillist.

August 3, 2018

Sparrow Mart art installation opens in Los Angeles

Supermarket Shopping can be a chore, but British artist Lucy Sparrow has made the mundane task into an experience so joyful that it’s even worth waiting in line for. She’s hand-stitched over 31,000 felt-covered plush replicas of grocery store items for her whimsical Sparrow Mart art-exhibit-meets-shopping-spree at The Standard in Downtown.

On the second floor of the hotel an entire room has been transformed into a grocery playground of sorts with shelves fully stocked with felt goodies that are all for sale throughout the month of August. In the produce section, smiley and doe-eyed avocados, potatoes and watermelons fill large cardboard bins, that are, of course, also covered in felt. White gondola shelves are stocked with Reese’s Puffs and Frosted Flakes cereal boxes, Jif peanut butter jars, and KitKat and Skittles bags — all hand-painted with striking attention to detail. If that wasn’t enough, there’s even a felty ATM machine at the entrance.

Photo via The Standard

“I decided to work with felt because I find that it’s a medium that is so synonymous with being a child,” Sparrow said in an interview with The Cut. “It’s an easy fabric to work with, it doesn’t fray, it’s available in all the colors you could possibly think of. So, I thought, I wonder if I could make an entire shop that if you’re daydreaming, it looks similar enough that you could go there thinking it was real.”

There’s an interactive component that brings childlike wonderment to many of Sparrow’s objects, like a felt-shrouded soda refrigerator with doors that open up to Coca-Cola and Snapple bottles, and a gum-ball machine that dispenses plastic capsules containing Dubble Bubble candies glimmering from its blue metallic fabric. At the overwhelmingly massive selection at the sushi glass counter, visitors get to pick out their favorite cut rolls and fill a black plastic sushi tray with the items. To add to the experience, guests can use actual shopping carts and baskets to hold their goods and line up at the check-out counter to purchase them.

Photo via The Standard

Hidden within this dizzying array of art pieces are Sparrow’s more playful and irreverent items, where she even manages to make things like alcohol bottles, Trojan condom boxes, Gas-X meds and Marlboro cigarettes cute. As an added bonus, a blue display case features Sparrow’s hand-made recreations of 1980s VHS and Betamax movie boxes like Footloose and Ghostbusters.

While the price tag of the items range from $1 to $50,000, pieces like a Twix bar will run you $35, a head of cheery cabbage for $40 and sushi at $10 a piece. If you happen to have very deep pockets, you can buy an entire seafood case filled with lobster, fish and clams for $50,000. Don’t forget to make your way to the back room behind the check-out counter to scope out some of the more expensive pieces of art, like a shopping cart filled with an assortment of grocery items and a Playboy magazine, or a Warhol-esque shadowbox of pastel-rainbow Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup cans.

Photo by Brian Champlin / We Like L.A.

A total of 50 visitors can be in the store at once and stay for 30 minutes at a time. All it takes to get into Sparrow Mart is checking in with the hosts at the hotel lobby before heading up the escalator to the store. Since there are no reservations, keep in mind that this exhibit is first come, first served.

If all that faux food shopping gets your stomach growling, there’s a British-inspired pop-up eatery downstairs in the lobby and in the hotel’s 24/7 restaurant that coincides with the Sparrow Mart installation. Here you’ll find snackable items like a sweet-and-savory Sparrow hand pie stuffed with confit duck and acho blackberry barbecue sauce, or a New Delhi Grilled Cheese sandwiched between melted cheddar and Beemster with mango chutney. If you want to go very meta, the hotel also offers combos where you can eat the real versions of the felt creations, like a raspberry-and-blueberry pop tart, and then take its plush counterpart home. Same goes for the homemade Moon Pies and a Tapatio cocktail made with mezcal and lime.

Photo via The Standard

Sparrow Mart is the artist’s fifth felted show, following her New York appearance where she debuted her 8 Till Late bodega at The Standard at the Highline and sold out everything in two weeks’ time. It took Sparrow and her five-person team a full year in her “Felt Cave” studio in Essex, England to create all the pieces for this L.A. show.

Back when Sparrow had her first Cornershop installation in Bethel Green, London in 2014, she started off with just 4,000 pieces. In the ensuing years, her different exhibits have tackled subversive topics, like her sex shop installation called Madame Roxy’s Erotic Emporium that showcased didos, porn mags and sex toys. And then there was her Warmongery show that featured weapons, including guns, tanks and rocket launchers.

“I am very interested in military history and everything to do it, warfare and the grizzly events of people getting harmed. What better to turn it on its head than to use a fabric that is so innocent and childlike, it just completely messes with your head,” Sparrow told Wonderland Magazine.

Sparrow Mart is the artist’s largest installation to date. While that means that you’ll have a larger selection of items to choose from, it doesn’t mean that it’ll make it any easier deciding which adorable goods to bring back home.

Sparrow Mart is located on the second floor of The Standard hotel at 550 S. Flower St. in Downtown, and runs August 1, 2018 to August 31, 2018. The installation is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.

Article courtesy of We Like LA.