Back after a couple weeks off!

I wanted to give a special shout out to L.A. Material, a new local news site that hearkens to the heydays of The Cut and L.A. Weekly from a combination of some of my favorite former L.A. Times reporters along with folks from New York Magazine, Crooked Media, and Eastbound & Down. It kicked off last week with incredible reporting on Nithya Raman’s entry in the the L.A. Mayoral race, and has been an indispensable, unique, and quirky read every morning since. Give the newsletter a try and consider subscribing to support their work. (They’re also hosting a subscriber-only Discord server that I’m in and have found to be an amazing community of LA politico types and do-gooders. Think L.A. earthquake Twitter before the Elon fiasco.)

As always, please let me know if you know of any cool events coming up so I can include them in the Mentions.

- Michael MacDonald

FRIDAY 3/27:
🎶 Friday Night Moonlight Hike with Marco Bárcena
Treepeople, Coldwater Canyon
6:30pm check in, 7pm music, 8pm hikes
$20 (tickets)
Bring layers and a camping chair. There are three levels of hikes after the music, bring comfortable shoes.

🛍️ Mini Mercadito Community Market
1008 Cypress Ave, Cypress Park
6pm-9pm
Free!
The Somos NELA market moved to Elysian Valley last year when LA Más relocated, but the Cypress Park market was so popular that the vendors have organized their own Mercadito in Cypress Park which will occur every week.

SATURDAY 3/28:
🪧 No Kings Day LA
Grand Park, DTLA
2pm-5:30pm
Free!
There is a Jewish Voice For Peace meetup at 1:30pm across from City Hall. There are also Glendale (12pm-2pm) and Historic Filipinotown (10:30am-3pm) locations for protests.

🎭 The Almighty Opp
NW corner of Western & Elmwood, Koreatown
9pm (show up early)
Free!
Uniquely oddball free street puppet show.

🖼️ Mimi Chen Ting: Ties Unbound
Louis Stern Gallery, West Hollywood
5pm-7pm opening reception
Free!

🌳 California Botanic Garden’s Native Plant Festival
Califronia Botanic Garden, Claremont
10am-3pm
$5 suggested donation (reservations)

SATURDAY 3/28 & SUNDAY 3/29:
🥪 An LA Farewell to Cole’s French Dip
Cole’s, DTLA
12pm-they sell out
You’ll pay for sandwiches
Cole’s is finally saying goodbye and going out with a bang this weekend with special collaboration French Dip sandwiches by Jitlada, Father’s Office, Bay Cities, and more. Will probably be very busy.

📽️ Jim Henson: Experiments In Visual Thinking
Philosophical Research Society, Los Feliz
7:30pm-9:30pm
$13 (tickets)

SUNDAY 3/29:
🗳️ Eunisses Hernandez for City Council Picnic in the Park
Sycamore Grove Park, Highland Park
11am
Free!

🎶 Solidarity for Sanctuary
Sid The Cat Auditorium, South Pasadena
6pm
$39 (tickets)
(music sample)

🍷 Sediment Natural Wine Festival
LA River Center & Gardens, Cypress Park
Sunday 3/29, 1pm-6pm
$65 (tickets)

🌸 Torrance Cherry Blossom Festival
Columbia Park, Torrance
11am-4pm
Free!

UPCOMING:
🕊️ Curio Club LA: Experience the Elegance of Fancy Pigeons
Private Farm, Reseda
Sunday 4/26, 11:30am-1:30pm
$31 (tickets)
Curio Club LA returns to the event that kicked it all off with an excursion to visit the Reseda farm/residence of Drew Lobenstein and his unique “fancy pigeons.”

🎶 SUSS at On Joy
Private Residence, Highland Park
Friday 5/1, 6:30pm-10:30pm
$20 (tickets)
(music sample)
I’ve mentioned On Joy a couple times before but it is a DIY backyard music venue in Highland Park abutting the A Line tracks near Ave 50. Ambient lap steel band SUSS is going to play a very special show there, and I want to make sure you get a chance to snag tickets before they sell out.