Activities BEST LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT: Music, Museums and Readings, Oh My    Best Entertainment Best Entertainment - Best Park: Vista Hermosa Natural Park. Photo by Gary Leonard. Music, Museums and Readings, Oh My DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - The list of top entertainment options includes sparkling new concert venues, gorgeous old theaters and a few places where people play games. There are also options to exercise your body and your mind. READERS’ CHOICE Best Place for Music: Nokia Theatre Best Movies: Laemmle Grande 4-Plex Best Museum: MOCA Best Park: Pershing Square Most Beautiful Broadway Theater: Orpheum Theatre EDITORS’ CHOICE Best Museum: Grammy Museum Best Curator: Louise Steinman at Aloud Best Park: Vista Hermosa Natural Park Best Game Night: Monday Night Inquisition at Royal Clayton’s Best Place for Table Games: Tony’s Best Overlooked Cultural Outing: Free Student Recitals at the Colburn School Best People Watching: Outdoor Tables at Banquette BEST PLACE FOR MUSIC Nokia Theatre READERS’ CHOICE: The nearly 2-year-old Nokia Theatre has a unique boasting point — none of the 7,100 seats is farther than 220 feet from the stage. That means even fans in the nosebleed section get a fairly up close and personal experience. The $100 million venue at L.A. Live has hosted hundreds of concerts, performances, awards shows and other events. Touring acts like the brand new aspect, and those who have played here include the Eagles (who christened the concert hall), Prince (who complained a bit about the acoustics), John Mayer and Leonard Cohen. The hits will keep coming — Earth, Wind and Fire appear on July 28 and Hall & Oats arrives on Sept. 2. At 777 Chick Hearn Ct., (213) 763-6030 or nokiatheatrelalive.com.—Anna Scott BEST MOVIES Laemmle Grande 4-Plex READERS’ CHOICE: Downtown’s only place to see first-run, mainstream movies (at least until the Regal 14-plex opens at L.A. Live later this year) is an aging, four-screen venue attached to the Downtown Marriott Hotel. In addition to the lack of lines on big opening weekends, it has lower prices than other movie theaters, with general tickets going for $8.50, or $6.50 for weekday shows before 6 p.m. and weekends before 2 p.m. Movies currently or recently at the Laemmle include Public Enemies, the latest Transformers installment, Brüno and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Keep an eye out for the occasional art house or international film too. 345 S. Figueroa St., (213) 617-0268 or laemmle.com.—Anna Scott BEST MUSEUM MOCA READERS’ CHOICE: The past year was a difficult one for the Museum of Contemporary Art, as its endowment plummeted and its director was forced out. Still, the museum’s collection of art produced since 1940 is staggering, with works from all the big names such as Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, etc. Although the financial crisis caused the cancellation of several interesting shows, MOCA currently has an exhibition of work by Robert Frank. The big summer show is Collecting History, whish showcases recent acquisitions from dozens of artists. It runs through Oct. 19. At 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2766 or moca.org.—Richard Guzmán BEST PARK Pershing Square READERS’ CHOICE: Green space is limited in Downtown, and though it’s also limited at Pershing Square, Downtowners still come here, in large part for the programming. Ice skating in winter is a hit, and this year’s summer program has six weeks of free concerts with acts including Paula Cole and Gene Loves Jezebel. There are also free movie nights. The summer series comes in addition to a new “pet friendly” area in the revamped Palm Court. At 532 S. Olive St., (213) 847-4970 or laparks.org/pershingsquare.—Richard Guzmán MOST BEAUTIFUL BROADWAY THEATRE Orpheum Theatre READERS’ CHOICE: This 1926 landmark, majestically restored by owner Steve Needleman, is Broadway’s only fully functioning historic theater. The Orpheum, with its ornate marble lobby and lavish auditorium featuring chandeliers and eye-catching red upholstered seats, has hosted entertainment legends including Judy Garland, Jack Benny and Ella Fitzgerald. Now it is a popular destination for rock and pop acts, film festivals and other happenings. Upcoming events include the Daytime Emmy Awards on Aug. 30 and country-folk-rock trio the Avett Brothers on Sept. 5. At 842 S. Broadway, (877) 677-4386 or laorpheum.com.—Anna Scott BEST MUSEUM Grammy Museum EDITORS’ CHOICE: The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live is a musical history playground. Anyone concerned that the venue would be a commercialized pedestal to the Grammy Awards, take notice — the venue ditches the memorabilia mindset of other American music museums and concentrates on the science and artistry behind the recording process. Among the interactive exhibits, you can even “produce” a record with Jermaine Dupri. But the museum’s crown jewel is a 200-seat theater that hosts big name acts like Brian Wilson, Annie Lennox, Nas and Damian Marley for $20 or less. Most shows start with a live interview of the artist by museum Executive Director Bob Santelli and end with a brief, intimate performance. At 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org.—Ryan Vaillancourt BEST CURATOR Louise Steinman at Aloud EDITORS’ CHOICE: Over the 17 years that Louise Steinman has run the Aloud series, the Central Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium has become Los Angeles’ premier literary salon. Steinman’s extensive connections bring in top-notch writers and thinkers such as Colson Whitehead, Eric Bogosian, Reza Aslan and too many others to mention. She pairs them with thoughtful local voices like L.A. Times Book Editor David Ulin. Also in the mix is a lineup of panel discussions that address issues including smog in the city, the state of the L.A. Times and the narco wars on the U.S.-Mexico border. Crowds come, proving that the citizenry is eager to engage in the life of the mind. By the by: Aloud is always free. We’re not sure how Steinman does it — we just hope she keeps doing it. At 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7025 or aloudla.org.—Jon Regardie BEST PARK Vista Hermosa Natural Park EDITORS’ CHOICE: Its name means “beautiful view” in Spanish, and you will find that and more at this City West oasis. From the street this park, built on a hill, looks compact. But inside, visitors find themselves surrounded by a 10-acre, quiet refuge of greenery. The picnic tables near the top offer, yes, a beautiful view of Downtown, while the walking and running paths and play areas deliver recreation opportunities for kids and adults. The peaceful park also features streams and native landscaping. At 100 N. Toluca St., (213) 250-1100 or lamountains.com.—Anna Scott BEST GAME NIGHT Monday Night Inquisition at Royal Claytons EDITORS’ CHOICE: Every Monday evening, the generally low-key English-style pub in the Arts District’s Toy Factory Lofts turns into something resembling a rowdy game of Trivial Pursuit. Patrons break into teams of two to six people to answer five rounds of trivia questions (10 questions per round) on topics such as pop culture, geography and sports. The winning team gets a $75 gift certificate to Royal Claytons. If random knowledge isn’t your strong suit, you can still come away a winner — the worst answer in each round earns a free drink. Playing is free and sign-up starts at 7:30 p.m., with questions 30 minutes later. At 1855 Industrial St., (213) 622-0512 or royalclaytonsenglishpub.com.—Anna Scott BEST PLACE FOR TABLE GAMES Tony’s EDITORS’ CHOICE: In this recently reinvented bar on a dark, industrial stretch in the Arts District, Hunter S. Thompson is king, whiskey is queen and table games are set up for all the jesters in the house. The dark, leather and wood heavy space features a pool table whose only flaw may be its unscathed newness. The crown jewel, however, is the outdoor table tennis set up. Perfect for summer nights, it’s where congregating smokers make for de facto cheering sections. If you don’t play, watching is fun too, since chasing a table tennis ball often reduces the most coordinated athletes to waddling clutzes. And that’s when they’re sober. At 2017 E. Seventh St., (213) 622-5523.—Ryan Vaillancourt BEST OVERLOOKED CULTURAL OUTING Free Student Recitals at the Colburn School EDITORS’ CHOICE: Mozart’s String Quintet in G minor, anyone? Or maybe Henry Eccles’ Double Bass Sonata is more your speed? As often as four times per week, performances of works that span a wide classical repertoire happen under your nose at the Colburn School, courtesy of its students. They’re all free and you can feel comfortable in jeans and flip-flops. You won’t see Yo Yo Ma here; instead, expect the world’s best philharmonic players of the future. For the untrained ear (and face it, that’s most of us), the gap in skill level is barely noticeable. Even if some freshman botches the first movement of your favorite piano quartet, just walk out. You haven’t paid a dime anyway. At 200 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2200 or colburnschool.edu.—Ryan Vaillancourt BEST PEOPLE WATCHING Outdoor Tables at Banquette EDITORS’ CHOICE: The outdoor tables at this tiny Historic Core cafe/wine bar are ideal for checking out Old Bank District passersby. Solo diners are common here, so you won’t stick out as you take in the sights. In the mornings, sip a strong espresso and observe other locals caffeinating or dining over newspapers and laptops. At lunchtime, enjoy a panini and watch politicos and other city players greet each other outside of Pete’s Café & Bar next door. And in the evenings, particularly during the Downtown Art Walk on the second Thursday of each month, sit back with a glass of wine and watch Downtown’s diverse crowd go by. At 400 S. Main St., (213) 626-2768.—Anna Scott Printable Version of the Article E-Mail This Article To A Friend related articles Related Articles: No Related Content Found