Kristin's List: A Guide to Cultivated Los Angeles

Currently all Kristin’s List events are being posted on Facebook. Check out the Kristin’s List Fan Page to hear about upcoming events and join the conversation about how to experience this bubbling metropolis!

Despite last week’s love-in about Chief Bratton and the wonders of the LAPD under his leadership, police brutality and harassment in Los Angeles is rampant. The targeting of area immigrants and youth is on the rise. The October 22nd Coalition will be holding an organizing meeting to plan the 14th Annual National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality. Viva la Revolución!

WHEN: 5:00pm
ADDRESS: Chuco’s Justice Center, 1137 E. Redondo Blvd (corner of West Blvd), Inglewood, CA 90302
FOR MORE INFO: (323) 446-7459

Meet up with Ari Kletzky, creator of the Islands of LA project, and enjoy a picnic on the traffic island at San Vincente & Del Valle Drive near Beverly Hills. I think this is a good “starter” island for me, sounds posh. I love that Ari is pushing us to rearrange our notions about public space and rediscover the easily missed “in-between” spaces. A post-picnic stroll through the other islands on San Vincente will follow an early streetcar route laid down in 1906.

WHEN: 8:00pm
ADMISSION: Free, bring food to share & a blanket to sit on
MEETING LOCATION: the traffic island at San Vincente & Del Valle Drive, Los Angeles
WEBSITE: www.islandsofla.org

Join Fallen Fruit for its Annual Public Fruit Jam at Machine Project. Bring local fruit, empty glass jars and an enthusiasm for getting sticky with fellow jam-makers. The communal jam love-in is an opportunity to make up your own fruity concoctions. Last year my sister and I created a special blend of “Bedford-basil-strawberry-plum jam,” a delicacy definitely not available on any store shelves.

WHEN: 10:00am-1:00pm
ADMISSION: Free
WHERE: Machine Project
ADDRESS: 1200 N Alvarado St, Los Angeles, CA 90026
WEBSITE: www.machineproject.com/events/2009/08/02/i-wanna-jam-with-you

Screening films in the locations they were shot, the Filmmobile is pulling up in front of Silver Lake’s Music Box Steps to celebrate the legacy of “the fat guy and the skinny guy,” also known as Laurel and Hardy. Featuring the 1932 Oscar winning short “The Music Box” and other Laurel and Hardy gems, the Echo Park Film Center offers its viewers the surreal experience of sitting by the actual 133 step stairway while watching the comedy duo make their infamous piano delivery.

WHEN: 8pm
ADMISSION: Free
WHERE: The Echo Park Film Center’s FILMMOBILE
ADDRESS: Filmmobile will be parked at 923-935 Vendome Street (off Sunset Blvd. at Del Monte Drive, west of Silver Lake Blvd)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ECHO PARK FILM CENTER: www.echoparkfilmcenter.org
NOTE: bring a chair or a blanket to sit on

“Do you have the mettle to pedal?” Join other fearless navigators and register to compete in the Echo Park Lake Paddle Boat Regatta/826LA Fundraiser. Pull out all your nautical know-how and crush the likes of such teams as The Julie McCoy Experience, Inna Regatta Da Vida, Aquaholics and Knotty Girls. Go down in history as the “World’s Best Paddle Boat Racers” or maybe the MVP (Most Valuable Pedaler). Even if you don’t have the guns for the race, pledge your support for a team and help fund 826LA’s free writing and tutoring program for kids.

WHEN: 4pm
ADMISSION: Free to watch, register to compete at www.826la.com/regatta/
WHERE: Echo Park Lake Boat House
ADDRESS: 751 Echo Park Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026
WEBSITE: www.826la.com/regatta/

Pulling up in Silver Lake for a special screening, the Filmmobile joins forces with the Echo Park Time Bank to present “Coming Home: E.F. Schumacher and the Reinvention of the Local Economy.” The 2009 documentary, inspired by E.F. Schumacher’s 1973 book “Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered,” traces the work of communities that reinvent their local economies. Most notably known for their creation of the “BerkShare,” the nation’s most successful local currency, these communities give us insight into rethinking the power of local resources. Get started on your own sugar-based economy by coming early for the dessert potluck!

WHEN: 7pm dessert potluck, 8pm screening
ADMISSION: Free
WHERE: The Echo Park Film Center’s FILMMOBILE
ADDRESS: Filmmobile will be parked by the Silver Lake Reservoir on the corner of W. Silver Lake Drive and Westerly Terrace
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: www.echoparktimebank.com/echoparktimebank/News_and_Events/Entries/2009/7/7_Film_Screening_July_26th.html
NOTE: bring a chair or a blanket to sit on

Support your local curriculum-free, propose-your-own-class school at the Telic Arts Exchange/Public School fundraiser. Leaving it’s usual Chinatown dwelling, TAE is migrating to the Mandrake Bar in Culver City for an evening filled with the sounds of Dublab and raffle ticket giveaways that include fine dining, fine lodgings and fancy technology. Learn about the new TAE Berlin space, hear about how to make absinthe, and chow on pretzels made by The Public School deans, all in the name of supporting a place where public participation and social exchanges can roam free.

WHEN: 5:00pm-8:00pm
ADMISSION: $5
WHERE: Mandrake Bar
ADDRESS: 2692 South La Cienega Boulevard, Culver City, CA
WEBSITE: www.telic.info

Honey chiffon with fresh strawberries, Blenheim apricot with an all butter crust, and three berries with raw cream are some of the pies waiting for you to savor and swap at SlowFoodLA’s Summer Pie Swap. Bring a pie and the story behind it to share. The folks at SlowFoodLA want to hear the origins of your creation. Is it a treasured family recipe? Or made from ingredients bought at your local farmer’s market? Do you bake with sustainable or fair trade products? Dedicated to celebrating the food traditions of our country, SlowFoodLA has it right by preserving our heritage with a warm slice of double cherry hand pie.

WHEN: 2:00pm-4:00pm
ADMISSION: $5
WHERE: West Hollywood, location told upon ticket purchase
TICKETS: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/73196
WEBSITE: www.slowfoodla.com

Dorothy Parker, who once proclaimed “Los Angeles is 72 suburbs in search of a city,” would be relieved to know we have located the city and the Big Parade is here to prove it. A two-day walk through Los Angeles, the Big Parade will begin downtown at the Angel’s Flight Stairway, traverse 100+ stairways and weave its way through scores of architectural landmarks. With a mid-point break at the Music Box Stairs in Silver Lake, site of the Laurel & Hardy film of the same name, the walking route will be filled with off road adventures — “backcountry” bushwhacking on a secret dirt road, paddle boating on Echo Park Lake, hearing a marching band and getting sweet treats from designated locals. Whether you are walking 1 mile or all 40, everyone is invited to join this celebration of seeing L.A. from the ground up.

WHEN: starts Saturday, July 18 @ 7:00am - ends Sunday, July 19 @ 8:00pm
ADMISSION: Free
WHERE: The Big Parade starts in downtown Los Angeles, moves throughout the city thereafter, see website for maps & timetables
WEBSITE: www.bigparadela.com

Graffiti artists, DJs and B-boys unite for the “Hard in Da Paint!” workshop and celebration of hip hop culture at Self Help Graphics & Art. Featuring silk screening demos, live aerosol art, dance battles, MC battles and poetry readings, this insane synthesis of emerging local talent is not to be missed. Dedicated to serving the artistic voices of the Chicano/ Mexicano community, Self Help Graphics & Art is once again keeping it real by kicking off the “Hard in Da Paint” series with so many exciting young voices.

WHEN: 2:00pm-9:00pm
ADMISSION: $5 door
WHERE: Self Help Graphics & Art
ADDRESS: 3802 Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90063
WEBSITE: www.selfhelpgraphics.com

Open Call L.A. 09 invites all SoCal artists, young and old, the part-time creative and the pro, to submit one piece of artwork to be shown at the L.A. Municipal Art Gallery. For one day only you can drop off your creation until the Gallery’s cut-off of 1,000 works. Note: Pieces incorporating “live animals are considered unsafe” and will be turned away.

CHECK OUT RULES OF ENTRY AT www.culturela.org BEFORE SUBMITTING ARTWORK.

WHEN: 9:00am-6:00pm or until 1,000 works are received
ADMISSION: $20 per artist, cash only
WHERE: LA Municipal Art Gallery Barnsdall Park
ADDRESS: 4800 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90027
WEBSITE: www.culturela.org, go to “LAMAG Open Call L.A. 2009″

With her 1979 Chevy Van in tow, artist Carolina Caycedo has arrived in L.A. to barter “knowledge, commodities and services as a daily exercise of anarchy.” Stemming from a 2002 stint in London where she bartered her way through the city in a 1963 Ford Van, Caycedo is in L.A. until August 5th to create a network of personal exchanges. Check out her list of what she provides, i.e. video editing, babysitting, discussing Columbian politics & haircuts; and what she needs, i.e. a tattoo, theater tickets, fresh fruit & surfing lessons. Email her to schedule a time to start your own economy.

WHEN: July 1-August 5
ADMISSION: free, exchange stuff
CONTACT: c_caycedo@hotmail.com
WHERE: various L.A. locations, email to pick a time and place to meet
WEBSITE: www.g727.org

Beyond the birds, taquerias and Ray Bans, Echo Park is home to the progressively minded Echo Park Time Bank. Learn how to exchange resources by earning Time Dollars at its monthly workshop and potluck. Dog walk for music lessons, rake leaves for an oil change, connect your unmet needs with others’ untapped resources. With a mission to broaden how we participate in our community, the Time Bank is also a wonderful way to connect with like-minded city dwellers.

WHEN: 5:00pm-5:30pm
ADMISSION: Free
WHERE: Jennie Cooks Catering
ADDRESS: 3048 Fletcher Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90065
WEBSITE: www.echoparktimebank.com

Guided by Esotouric’s keen L.A. scholars, take a tour of Raymond Chandler’s hard-boiled times in the City of Angels. Using screenplays, film adaptations and private correspondence, Esotouric shows us Chandler’s influences and the locales of his anti-hero Philip Marlowe. Best described by its tagline - “Bungalows. Crime. Hollywood. Blondes. Vets. Smog. Death.” - “Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles” tour is a must see for anyone with an interest in how L.A.’s mean streets shaped a literary giant.

WHEN: 11:30am check-in, 12:00pm departure
ADMISSION: $58
TICKETS: www.esotouric.com/chandler-7-11-09
MEET AT: Lincoln Heights/ Cypress Gold Metro Line station
WEBSITE: www.esotouric.com