Your APRIL Radar Screen
At the start of each month, I feature highlights from the LA cultural landscape as filtered through my lens: museums, books and movies, adventures, and more. These posts are free for all subscribers.
I have been blissed-out by my new grandchild for the past six weeks, but have scouted some terrific ideas for April. As it turns out, many of my recommendations come from our small but mighty community of subscribers.
First up, there’s a new bookstore in town, the project of Alex Duggan and Sarah Loughman (pictured below — Sarah is the daughter of one of my besties, whom I watched grow up!).
Good Girl Books is located in Mar Vista (12444 Venice Boulevard), so I hope you will join me in supporting this new woman-owned venture. Stop by and visit, and consider ordering your books through them (if you're avoiding Amazon, like I am) — or just choose Good Girl Books as your preferred indie bookstore when ordering through Bookshop. After your visit, try a burrito at Quiadaiyn (12326 Venice Boulevard), which just made the New York Times list of best burritos in Los Angeles.
ART and ADVENTURE AROUND TOWN
LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries open to the public on April 19, and will feature a new commission by Todd Gray titled Octavia’s Gaze. You can see more of his work in a solo show called Portals at Perrotin through May 30.
sister dreamer lauren halsey’s architectural ode to tha surge n splurge of south central los angeles is a sculpture park and monument to South Central Los Angeles created by local artist Lauren Halsey. The site-specific architectural monument is located in Compton, and will be open for the next year and a half.
A loyal RTG subscriber recommended this photography show at Diane Rosenstein Gallery (1504 N. Gardner Street). Fahey/Klein (148 North La Brea) features the photography of Bruce Weber in a show opening April 9 and running through June 9. Make an outing of it and have lunch at Sycamore Kitchen or Republique.
The dance troupe Diavolo’s Escape is on view through June 14. The dancers perform on moving stages and giant wheels, and the performance is like nothing you’ve seen before. Weekend performances only - ticketing information here.
Craft in America is showing Craft of the Skateboard at the Third Street location through May 30. Here is my story about visiting the nonprofit's last exhibit about toolmaking — a nice place to drop in before lunch at nearby Joan's on Third.
CicLAvia, a free pop-up cycling and community event, is coming to the Westside on April 26, connecting communities along Westwood Boulevard through Santa Monica down to Centinela.
Night at the Library returns on May 2, your chance to revel during the Central Library's after-hours festival, featuring over 200 performers, artists, and storytellers. Tickets can be found here.
The Hollywood Bowl line-up is fantastic this year — comedy, jazz, classical, and more from now through mid-October. Packages are available now and individual tickets go on sale beginning May 5.
RTG Subscriber Diane Wolfe is bringing new treasures from her archive of African art to the Ernie Wolfe Gallery this Saturday from noon to 4:00 pm (and some will be 50% off).
BOOKS, PODCASTS and SCREENS
I'm excited to share that my friend Ann Carlson (a longtime RTG subscriber) has a new book describing the partnership between the public and our government to eliminate the smog she grew up with here in LA. Ann is a professor of law at UCLA and a very compelling speaker. Smog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air is an inspiring environmental success story. Think about it - we haven’t had a smog alert here since 2003! You can hear her talk about the book at UCLA on April 10 at 12:15 pm (register here) or at Chevalier Books on April 28.
There are so many fascinating books to read right now. Lauren Groff's new short story collection Brawler is a remarkable but devastating portrait of residents — both current and historical — from the area of Florida where she lives. It’s terrific, and you won’t soon forget any of these powerful stories. I appreciate the historical perspective on our culture and politics in Rebecca Solnit's latest book, The Beginning Comes After the End. Solnit will be speaking in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon, May 3; tickets here. Next up for me: Patrick Radden Keefe's London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth, a nonfiction account of a family's discovery that their deceased 19-year-old was living a double life in the London underground. Keefe is the investigative writer behind Empire of Pain (about the Sackler family) and Say Nothing (which became a terrific series on Hulu). Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) has a new book about consciousness called A World Appears.
This spring’s ALOUD programming includes a terrific panel with local architects and a conversation with Ruth Ozeki. And check out 100 Years of Stories: Children’s Authors, Crafts, and More, an event at the Central Library for grandparents and grandchildren - learn more here.
A MUST LISTEN/WATCH
Kara Swisher interviewed Tristan Harris this week in a conversation titled 'Why the AI Race is Leaving Humans Behind.' Harris offers a stark warning about the progress of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and its threat to our democratic institutions. Harris is my hero for his early articulation of the dangers of social media (which have been borne out) and I spent a day driving him around Santa Monica, where he grew up, when he and Kara did and event with us at Common Sense Media. His new documentary, The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (from the director of Navalny, streamable online), is a clarion call for citizens to demand ethical safeguards around the highly-resourced acceleration of AGI.
MONUMENTS, Bryan Stephenson and the Legacy Museum
Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, gave a terrific interview on Fresh Air this week. His clear-eyed argument that “facing our racist past is a path, not a punishment” made me glad I’ve seen MONUMENTS, which is on view only until May 3 at MOCA. If you haven’t seen it, now is the time — here is my story about visiting.
I visited Montgomery, Alabama a year ago to learn more about Bryan Stevenson’s work at the Legacy Museum, which is a project of his Equal Justice Initiative. Here is my story about how to plan the trip — it was an indelible experience.
BITS AND BOBS
Beware: I frequently mail letters by dropping them at the Barrington Post Office’s drive-by mail box. But in February, someone fished checks out of the bin and forged thousands of dollars from my bank account. The police at West Los Angeles Community Station told me this is an ongoing problem. It is a time-consuming process to file a fraud case with the bank, police, and post office. So, be sure to either hand your mail directly to a postal worker or take it inside the post office when dropping off letters, especially if they contain checks.
I’ve been cooking up a storm for my daughter and son-in-law (the new parents!) and quickly running through my repertoire so I was glad to see that Eater LA posted a list of the best new cookbooks for spring.
Cinnamon bun from Jyan Isaac Bread If you are doing a spring refresh, consider the luxurious tablecloths and duvets from Studio Ford. Josie Ford is an RTG subscriber's niece; she designs the textiles and block-prints them in India and was recently featured in Architectural Digest.
EATS: Gott’s Roadside, the famed Napa Valley burger joint, is coming to Santa Monica later this year and is already open at the Farmers’ Market. For much fancier occasions, Monsieur Dior by Dominique Crenn is a new hot spot in Beverly Hills.
These USPS stamps depicting Shaker design are gorgeous.
That’s it - have a great month!
Thank you, Sarah!!