Sightseeing in Los Angeles

Since its inception in 1979, The Museum of Contemporary Art has devoted itself to post-1940 artwork, a focus that sets it apart from all other Los Angeles museums. Its permanent collection harbors more than 5,000 art objects, encompassing media from video installations and documentary photography to pop art. Works from renowned artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Diane Arbus share gallery space with pieces from up-and-coming artists across the museum?s three facilities.

To complement its permanent collection, the museum hosts rotating temporary exhibits, such as the current Mike Kelley exhibit, which explores american pop culture through irreverent, multimedia pieces. The museum staff also augments these displays with events, such as their screening series in collaboration with the Los Angeles Filmforum, which explores the intersection of experimental film and art like a projection screen sewn with pages from DaVinci?s journal.

Zuri Wine Tasting's wine enthusiast Tuanni Price and her staff travel far and wide to introduce groups to their new favorite vintages. During in-home tastings, customers can create candy-cane-colored lips with the help of reds and whites such as pinot noir, syrah, and riesling. After setting up a wine bar with the night's choices and glasses, specialists offer information about each selection along with pours. Light snacks such as crackers, cheeses, and chocolate cleanse palates between sips and intertwine delicately with the nuanced wine flavors.

In the past, Zuri Wine Tasting has also organized special events such as blindfolded wine tastings and tastings paired with movie screenings. Wine tours chauffeur groups on a motor coach from Los Angeles to Solvang, where they enjoy a mimosa brunch followed by a tasting at Rideau Vineyard.

We teach comedy to kids! Our students learn all about making people laugh. In the process, they do a lot of laughing.

During each beginner improv class, students learn the basic skills of improvisational success, honing in on focus, concentration, teamwork, trust, stagework, and scenework skills. Classes meet for 3.5 hours and take place once a week at ComedySportz' theater at 733 Seward Street. Under the tutelage of experienced funnypersons, students quickly become comfortable and poised to unleash quick-thinking, off-the-cuff remarks.

Dedicated to national diversity, the Japanese American National Museum traces the story of Japanese Americans from the first generations of immigrants to the present-day population. Using paintings, diaries, and historical artifacts, the museum offers closeup looks at everything from WWII internment camps to now-iconic cultural contributions such as Hello Kitty.

A non-profit venue for and supporter of avant-garde contemporary art, LACE provides an artistic outlet unfettered by the demands of commerce. In its 30-year history, the organization has opened eyeballs to the work of more than 5,000 creative minds, including artists such as Martin Kersels, Nancy Rubins, and Johanna Went. Use your friend-level membership to preview exhibitions—such as the upcoming Los Angeles Goes Live: Exploring a Social History of Performance Art in Southern California, 1970–1983, opening in October 2011—before they're open to the public, giving you a small window of time in which to observe the art before children can attempt to smear it with peanut butter. Members also receive complimentary or reduced admission to special events such as the annual winter fundraiser and the LACE 10K, a steptacular art walk that immerses culture vultures in the greatest art form of them all, physical fitness.