Seasonal Rinks Bid Adieu: It's almost as if Downtown on Ice at Pershing Square and ICE at Santa Monica had the inside track on when temps would get toasty and the scarves would get stowed. Both rinks are set to shutter for the season on Monday, Jan. 21, meaning that you'll need to get your al fresco skating on pronto. But wait: Woodland Hills will keep its rink frosty for another month. It's real ice, too, if you wanna go around bragging about skating on real ice. We totally would.
Free Public Star Party: Think back to a month ago, when you were reading all of those year-end lists, and who is now in and who is now out, and 2013 predictions. Remember? At the opposite end of that particular spectrum is the universe, eternal and vast and epic. It's worth getting reacquainted with the universe from time to time, and doing it at a free monthly star party at the Griffith Observatory is key. Astronomers, their telescopes, and looking up await you on Saturday, Jan. 19.
photo l.a.: It's one of the toniest of the major photography exhibitions -- and that's anywhere, not just here in Southern California -- which means that it truly takes over the Santa Monica Civic for its five-day run. Star-name shutterbugs, gallery owners, experts, and photo fans all show to get a look and maybe a pic. Love your photo apps? Bone up on the big leagues. Jan. 17-21
Target Free Holiday Monday: Seriously, we say to everyone now: These free museum days on holiday Mondays are not to be quibbled with. They're a really good deal, there's usually some music or other activities afoot, and a museum setting is a fine place to be quiet and reflective. The next one is in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. day and it is happening at LACMA. The two big exhibits, Stanley Kubrick and Caravaggio, are ticketed separately, but beyond that, the place is yours.
dineLA Restaurant Week: January is California Restaurant Month, which essentially means there's a whole bevy of restaurant weeks happening in most counties and urban areas of our state. One of the grandest and biggest and glitteriest? Yep, it happens here, it is twelve days long, hundreds of eateries are involved, and the dine-out discounts are notable. Put a fork in it starting on Monday, Jan. 21.
