top of page
RECENT POSTS:
SEARCH BY TAGS:
No tags yet.

LACMA Jazz Night


For millennia adventurers have searched the globe for mythic treasures...El Dorado...The Fountain of Youth...A place where your child-free friends will enjoy hanging out with your kids…

I was certain that none of these imaginary places existed until I happened upon a magical wonderland where your single friends, your married friends without kids, and your kids can all enjoy themselves equally…And it’s FREE.

No, i’m not making this up.

Nope, I am not off my meds.

This is not some sort of a cruel joke.

It is LACMA Jazz Night:

Okay, if I’m 100% honest with you - your friends will be enjoying fine wine, adult conversation, and world class music while you are off in a distant corner chaperoning your child at a Lord of the Flies-ish scooter ramp. But, you will be within 100 yards of some grown up people you love...and since they're already accustomed to being neglected by you, standing a football field away will qualify as showing that you still care.

When your kid isn't kamikaze’ing down the scooter ramp, you get to introduce your child to famous works of art that you aren't cool enough to understand:

If your kid asks you what it means - just tell them they’ll get it when they’re older…(?)

There is one work of art that all will enjoy:

Reverse angle:

I love those damn lamp posts.

Real, live grown ups. Hanging out with you...(Who also happen to be the insanely talented)

Bring a blanket to lay in the grassy area along with a picnic basket and some wine. Soak in the music and the people you love. Your kid will ignore the artwork to look at cement mixers anyway...

If you feel like having a big day you can tour LACMA first or the La Brea Tar Pits which are right next door. ​

HOW WE BIKED THERE

This is actually a very enjoyable ride with very little interaction with cars:

Take Clinton West out of Silver Lake.

Left on Heliotrope.

Right on Rosewood.

Quick Left back onto Heliotrope.

Right at the first block: Oakwood.

Left on Oxford (After 3rd Street the bike lane disappears. If you don't feel comfortable taking the lane, this is a good, wide sidewalk for one block)

Right on 4th (Beautiful, tree-covered street through Hancock Park/Windsor Square - There is no crosswalk at Rossmore or Highland - take extra precautions crossing these streets)

Left on Cochran

Right onto the sidewalk along Wilshire Blvd until you reach LACMA.

Bike parking is on the very north side of LACMA against 6th Street. The reason my directions differ at the end compared to the Google directions above are 6th Street is too dangerous to take a kid on and the sidewalk is terrible. It's better to go one more block south and safely ride on the very wide sidewalk abutting Wilshire. As always, the safety of pedestrians is your responsibility. Bike like your kid is walking there...One more precautionary measure - if the sun is low in the sky, drivers have a harder time seeing you. Throw a Serfas Thunderbolt or TL-60 on your bike. They are shockingly bright even in daytime.

Instead of memorizing the above directions, you can use Google Maps on your phone with ONE earbud in your ear to give you turn by turn directions.

You'll also notice that Google estimates this trip to take 32 minutes which is identical to the drive time on a Friday night at rush hour...Plus, you don't have to find a parking place. Just sayin'.

FROM THE WEST:

Charleville through Beverly Hills is quite calm. Then hop onto the Wilshire Sidewalk one block before La Cienega. Take the sidewalk the rest of the way.

THE WHERE & THE WHEN & THE HOW

LACMA Jazz is Friday nights at:

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art

5905 Wilshire Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90036

I have heard that it doesn't go year round, so check their schedule here:

It's FREE.

Join the conversation on Facebook here.


Join our mailing list

Never miss an update

bottom of page