Downtown LA's Culture District
Nestled just north of LA's financial district and a mere three blocks from start to finish, Grand Avenue's row of theatres and museums constitute the epicenter of downtown's artistic world. The LA Phil and Opera are both housed here, as are a decent number of theater and dance groups. If you prefer your art a little more abstract -- or you prefer your company a little more hipsterrific -- there are a couple galleries unlikely to disappoint. And if all else fails, more than one of these places has more than one bar. Because while art is meant to be taken in through sober contemplation, it doesn't really lose all that much ethos after a drink or four.
[Photo]
REDCAT
631 W 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Run by Cal Arts, this theater cum gallery cum bar is built into the corner of the Disney Concert Hall and seats about 250 people. I've been trying for ten minutes to come … up with a gentle way of explaining the kind of hipsters that gravitate here, but the requisite understatement just isn't happening. So to give you a sense of the place, here's a description of the show that's running until February 10: "An archaeological excursion into America's cultural past, The Wooster Group's highly experimental, multimedia incarnation of Hamlet channels the ghost of Richard Burton's legendary 1964 Broadway version." And now you know. [link]
Museum of Contemporary Art
250 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
The last time we did a museums post, one of you guys angrily commented -- and I quote -- that "if you're wealthy and out-of-it enough to care about clumsy, pedestrian … pre-20th century hack "masterpieces," visit New York -- or better yet, Europe. If you want to see good, interesting art relevant to the world you live in ..." etc. etc. So, for those of you sophisticated enough to understand that Michelangelo and Da Vinci were hacks, may I present the main branch of the MOCA's three LA locations? The collection consists almost entirely of post-1940s pieces, each more relevant to the world you live in than the last. They also occasionally host nighttime events with full bars, which is probably even more relevant to the world you live in. [link]
Mark Taper Forum
135 N Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Open since 1967, this small thrust stage is the self-described "artistic heart of Center Theatre Group" and has five Tonys to its credit. The outer facade is absolutely … gorgeous, although you can't really see it right now because it's covered by plywood. You also can't get inside the theater to see the intimate interior. Nor will you be able to see either until Fall 2009, which is when the building will reemerge from a major year-long renovation. You can, however, see this video of the helicopter that woke up half of downtown while it was putting an air conditioner on top of the Taper's roof. So there's that. [link]
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
135 N Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
[link]
Colburn School of Performing Arts
200 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
[link]
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
555 W Temple St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
The seat of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles -- which, you may have heard, has a few people from traditionally Catholic ethnic groups -- this gigantic building is sometimes … simply known as the Los Angeles Cathedral. It's an out and out wonder, designed by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo and almost totally lacking right angles. In addition to the gigantic bronze doors and the gigantic Virgin Mary statue, there are gardens, waterfalls, and statues littered across the 5.6-acre complex. The cathedral itself is 12 stories high and 333 feet long. That's one foot longer than St. Patrick's Cathedral, a coincidence that's not really a coincidence. [link]
