Music Center Holiday Celebration

Yesterday I took my daughter to the annual Holiday Celebration at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles. Two years ago I blogged about the same program, but it is a six-hour event with music and dance performances by some of the best community groups in greater Los Angeles.

The Christmas Eve event is free to the public, as well as parking (no small matter in downtown Los Angeles). Along with performances featuring holiday songs, the program highlights Los Angeles' cultural diversity in the arts.

We arrived at the Music Center about five minutes after 2pm (the event starts at 3), but after finding unexpectedly long lines before opening two years ago, I wanted to try to get there a little earlier. Getting into the parking lot was slow because the attendants were having everyone sign the parking ticket before they were allowed to enter.

We ended up a little further back in the line compared to two years ago, between the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre where the line made a turn, but the staff member told someone next to us that we should be able to get into the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (the largest of four venues at the Music Center). The line starting moving at around 2:30, and in fact we were able to sit at the back of the orchestra level, with a pretty good view of the stage.

This year we got to see the Los Angeles Master Chorale, a Korean female drum ensemble, Mexican mariachi dancers, young girls doing Russian folk dances, and a hot salsa band. The diversity of the region is really well reflected in the choice of performers, and it is one of the joys of living in Los Angeles to experience this kind of diversity in the arts and music.

By the time we left around 4:30 there were lines inside the auditorium waiting for seats to open up, and a long, long line outside waiting for people to exit the auditorium.

I've heard that the last two hours of the program are usually less crowded with no wait, possibly because lots of people have other plans in the evening on Christmas Eve. So if you don't want to wait in any kind of line, that might be the best recommendation for when to go to the annual Holiday Celebration.

Best wishes to everyone for a joyous and peaceful Christmas and holiday season.

Star Trek museum

On our trip to Las Vegas, I stopped by the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton. I had already been on the ride two or three times, so I didn't want to spend the $43 to go on the simulation portion. But I had thought on earlier visits that the best part of the attraction was the museum of Star Trek costumes, props, and spaceship models. Entrance to just the "Museum of the Future" is $15.



If you can't make it out to Las Vegas, a traveling exhibition will be touring 40 cities around the country, starting with Long Beach, California in January.






Check out more photos from the Star Trek Experience's museum displays at my Flickr collection. I also uploaded onto YouTube a video of the trailers of the first six Star Trek movies that I shot on my camera from the museum display area.

Stuff to Do in Las Vegas When You're Really Bored

My wife and I went to Las Vegas over the weekend without the kids to celebrate our wedding anniversary.


I've never been to Las Vegas during the winter, but compared to much of the rest of the year, it's friggin' cold in the desert this time of year. The high temperature was in the low 50s both days we were there, and the low in the high 30s (sorry, I can't think in Celsius but I'm sure there are lots of conversion tables on the web). I was all excited to use the fancy outdoor tropical-themed pool at our hotel, but just standing outside for more than a few minutes was more than I wanted to do.


There were a couple of cool things going on because of the holidays. At the Bellagio's Conservancy, just beyond the main lobby, there was an elaborate Christmas display with scenes of penguins decorating a Christmas tree, reindeer covered with pecans, and shooting streams of water over a central wreath-enclosed corridor.


It's also considerably less crowded than other times of year. It seems like many people like to go to Las Vegas around New Year's Eve, but not around Christmas time. Hotel rooms seem to be discounted, though a few stage shows were closed because of the holidays.


Also, if you've never been to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory about twenty minutes east of the Strip, it's worth a visit. Somewhere around Los Angeles, there is a See's Factory, but there are no tours offered there. We had been to the Ethel M factory about five years ago, but it was a Sunday morning, and the factory was not producing anything because it was a weekend.

I had high hopes because we visited on a Monday morning, but there were probably only about half a dozen people actually making chocolate, and a half dozen more boxing them. I asked why there was not more production, and the person in the gift shop said that it all depends on the demand at the time. Ethel M is owned by M&M-Mars, but it seems like all the chocolate for the busy holiday season has already been made, or that the factory tour is only for show, and most of the chocolates are made elsewhere.