ciqLAvia and BAM

After a shamefully lazy Saturday yesterday, Jesse and I went to not one, but two, LA events today. The first is called CicLAvia, and is based on the ciclovias that started over 30 years ago in Bogota, Colombia and are now held in cities throughout the world (Blogger needs to let me use accented letters...). The basic concept involves shutting city streets to automobiles for a day and opening them up to bicycles and walkers. Our bikes are in rough shape, so we just walked this time. But I can see how it would be really fun to bike around the city on open streets that are usually clogged with traffic.

The second event we went to is called BAM Fest (for beer, art, and music). It's held annually at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica, where bands play, art studios are open, and California craft beers are available for tasting. We got cute little tasting glasses to keep.

hollywood bowl

Jesse and I finally made it to Hollywood Bowl...and for a great event too! We went to the annual John Williams event when the LA Philharmonic plays the music of the movies and John Williams conducts. We heard familiar scores from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and lots of others. The audience was entertaining as well (see below). Before the performance, we had a picnic dinner on the grounds with friends and made a whole evening of it.

For our seats, we had to take escalators up to the top of the amphitheater. When we turned the corner, it was a fun sight to see. The Hollywood Bowl has been around since 1922 and has become a true LA landmark/experience.

A lot of audience members (including a couple of our friends!) brought out lightsabers for the Star Wars songs.