By Robert Vaux
Sunshine and warm weather are a staple of Southern California and one of the many reasons why tourists flock there every year. It does rain in Southern California every now and again, and sometimes tourists want something to do inside rather than outside. Not to worry. Southern California has a number of museums and other attractions that are open rain or shine, and that provide a respite for those hoping to spend a few hours out of the sun.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art
LACMA, as it is known, hosts one of the West Coast's most extensive collections of painting and sculpture, spanning centuries. Rotating exhibitions are a part of its regular calendar, and its permanent collection holds everything from Egyptian sarcophagi to Picasso paintings. A Japanese pavilion highlights art and historical curios from the Far East, and the museum hosts numerous lectures and film screenings throughout the year.
LACMA
5905 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-857-6119
The La Brea Tar Pits
Right next to LACMA on Wilshire Boulevard, sharing a lovely strip of park space, sits the Page Museum. It exists to showcase the thousands of fossilized remains preserved by the tar pits that dotted the area during the Ice Age. The museum interior holds skeletons of saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths, prehistoric wolves and a single human being, the only one ever found within the tar pits. The museum is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and is within easy driving distance of the nearby Farmer's Market
801 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-7243
Historic Movie Theaters
Downtown Hollywood is the traditional capital of the movie world and includes a quartet of theaters that elevate the experience beyond run-of-the-mill multiplex fare. The most famous is the historic Chinese Theater, first built by Sid Grauman during Hollywood's Golden Age. It shows contemporary movies, along with the famous footprints in the cement of its main patio. Just across the street is the El Capitan, another historic theater now owned by the Walt Disney Corporation. It shows Disney movies exclusively---both current releases and older classics---accompanied by stage shows featuring classic Disney characters. A short way down Hollywood Boulevard sits the Egyptian Theatre, home to the American Cinemateque which shows both important contemporary movies and historically important earlier films. Finally, the Pacific Arclight Theater and Cinerama Dome stands a few blocks south at Sunset and Vine. It shows first-run movies, but the management prides itself on providing a superior experience: Ushers introduce every screening personally and check on the patrons to make sure the viewing conditions are perfect. The Cinerama Dome itself is easily the best movie screen in Los Angeles and likely the world.
Grauman's Chinese Theater
6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles , CA 90028
(323) 464-6266
El Capitan Theater
838 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 467-7674
Egyptian Theater
6712 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 461-2020
Arclight Theater
6360 W. Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 464-4226
Staples Center
Located just south of downtown Los Angeles, the Staples Center is home to three of the area's professional sports teams: the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Kings. When not hosting games from one of those teams, the center features concerts, exhibitions and conventions in conjunction with the Los Angeles Convention Center next door. Access to the 10, 110 and 101 Freeways is very easy.
Staples Center
1111 S. Figueroa St,
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 742-7100
About the Author:
Robert Vaux has been a professional writer and editor since 1995. He has traveled throughout Europe and North America as well as parts of North Africa. Since 2000 he has been a professional movie critic at Flipside Movie Emporium, the Sci-Fi Movie Page and Mania.com. Vaux has a Master of Arts in English literature from Syracuse University.
