OK, it’s wet today, which – even though forecasts predict a slightly less soggy Saturday and Sunday – puts us in the mind for mostly indoor activities this President’s Day weekend.
Of course, one of the biggest indoor spaces in town is the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is a win-win this weekend with two big convention-style shows:
First, the L.A. Cookie Con and Sweets Show, “the BIGGEST Baking and Pastry Convention on the West Coast,” featuring “all things sweet, salty and savory in the world of baking and sweets,” runs both Saturday and Sunday. It features a decorators’ showcase, baking classes, dessert table championships, a cosplay competition (both childrens’ and teen/adult divisions) and more. The organizers say that because the last two shows sold out, they’ve expanded to four times the space this year. Yum.
And what better accompaniment to good food than a bit of travel…or at least dreams of it. As long as you’re at the Convention Center, you can also drop in at the Los Angeles Travel and Adventure Show, billed as the nation’s largest such event. It offers information about leading travel destinations, connections to local travel experts, and exclusive travel deals. There will also be celebrity travel speakers, and presentations on expert packing tips, technology trends and budget travel hacks. A Global Beats Stage also promises to transport you “around the world in one day, under one roof,” which sounds like a great way to while away a few drizzly hours.
On Saturday evening, continuing in the indoor vein, a movie would be a great choice…and in addition to catching up on current films in this pre-Oscar season, you could check out the Pan African Film Festival, which continues this weekend, or a couple of good classics: Lady and the Tramp will charm families at 4 and 7 p.m. at Disney’s El Capitan Theater in Hollywood…and for older fans, there’s a Woody Allen triple feature – Bananas, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask, and Sleeper – starting at 7:30 p.m. at the New Beverly Theater on Beverly Blvd.
On Sunday, it looks like a good day to patronize some other great indoor spaces – our local museums.
At 1 p.m., LACMA will host a free talk on The Mirador Basin: The Cultural and Natural Legacy in the Cradle of Maya Civilization, with Dr. Richard Hansen, archeologist and director of the Mirador Basin Project. This is one of the largest and most important Ancient Maya sites in Mesoamerica, with multi-disciplinary investigations at 51 ancient cities in northern Guatemala and southern Campeche, Mexico. The explorations are are illuminating Maya civilization in the Preclassic periods, centuries before the birth of Christ. They include the largest ancient Maya cities in the Western Hemisphere, what may be the largest pyramids in the world in volume, the tallest pyramids in the Americas, the first state-level society in the Western Hemisphere, and the first “freeway” system in the world. The talk is free and open to everyone.
For families with younger children, the Zimmer Museum will be a great option on Sunday, too, with a special “If I Were President…” President’s Day weekend program from 2 to 4 p.m. Kids ages 1 and up will learn about U.S. Presidents, past and future (“including the President in you!”), pass laws with their own signature, and be on the face of a new coin…as well as share what they would do if they were president of the United States.
And later, for a soothing end to the weekend, head back to LACMA for a free chamber music performance at 6 p.m., by the Telegraph Quartet. The group consists of Eric Chin and Joseph Maile (violins); Pei-Ling Lin (viola) and Jeremiah Shaw (cello). They’ll perform Haydn: Quartet in C major, Opus 33, “The Bird,” and Schumann: Quartet No. 3 in A major, Opus 41, No. 3. The Telegraph Quartet recently won the 2016 Naumburg Chamber Music Competition (which provides the winners with a performance at Carnegie Hall and a commissioned work by esteemed American composer Robert Sirota), as well as a number of other prestigious honors.
Finally, because of the rain, note that Metro’s planned closures of Wilshire Blvd., between Fairfax Ave. and Spaulding Ave., this weekend have been reduced in duration. Closure hours will be only from 4 a.m. Sunday through 6 a.m. Monday (instead of the usual 8 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday).
Have a great weekend…and stay dry, everyone!
