Awesome gallery in Hermosa Beach on Cypress Street. Recently opened again for public shows…read more Saturday's opening was an abstract art exhibit. Great variety and quality with very reasonable pricing. It's a combination of juried shows applied for via CaFE (Call for entry platform) and selected artist exhibits. They also have Zoom discussions with the artist before the openings to find out more about the artists, works and process - lively discussions. The gallery opens wide to the outdoor via a roll up door allowing excellent air ventilation and everyone is required to wear a mask indoors. Great crowd - everyone is very friendly and many artist were in attendance. We found each street parking. Afterwards, tons of restaurants just a few blocks away.

The LA Ultimate Comic, Art & Collectibles Show had it's inaugural convention on Sunday, July 15,…read more2018 to coincide with the San Diego Comic Con International where I believe the premise was to invite dealers who were on their way to exhibit at SDCC to first make a stop in Los Angeles to set-up and showcase their merchandise for sale in advance before Comic Con to those who couldn't make the San Diego convention. The idea was excellent and execution was good as an event overall. It was easy to access and navigate with a diverse range of dealers to browse their merchandise. Admission was $20 and parking at the hotel was $17, 'tho you could get FREE street parking on Sunday (the area is a tad sketchy 'tho as it's kinda on the fringe of 'tha 'hood and has some ghetto areas). This was a one-day show from 10am to 5pm and pure retail, none of the annoying cosplay where people dress up in Halloween costumes, nor B-List celebrities of yesteryear charging for photos and autographs nor panels and presentations. It's hard core shopping. I know a lot of traditional comic book collectors are holding San Diego Comic Con to disdain because it evolved from being a simple show like this, into a pop culture three-ring circus that's hard to attend for many reasons. So, this show is really dedicated to those who don't care about toys, games, celebrities, and all of the pageantry, and simply want to shop for their comics without distractions. In addition to comic books, this also featured illustration and comic book original artwork, which is another sub-niche within that hobby, where you can see hand drawn one-of-a-kind original comic book artwork used in the production of the actual comic books themselves, many commanding hundreds, thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. This event had a room dedicated to just that, and also had some guest star artists appearing, including Jim Silke, Gerhard, Mark Shultz, Frank Cho and Marco Galli. It would be interesting to see more artists and comic book creators involved as special guests. There were mainly high end collectibles dealers here, so not any new/modern comic book dealers who sell current comics that are at comic shops. This is primarily back issues, and more so, high end, high grade expensive key issues treasured by collectors. You won't see "dollar bin" junk comics here, and the starting point is about $5 per comic, but on average is probably in that $50+ range with many in the $ hundreds from the 1960's-70's and 80's. I do think adding a dealer in more current comics, but not dollar bin junk, would be a good addition for the next show, as there are some comics that come out and less than a month later are selling for $100 and up, as collectibles, so new stuff certainly has a place and appeal. The venue, LAX Hilton was good, 'tho parking was a bit expensive and the local (Hotel) food options were a bit pricey with lower quality typical of hotel food always being expensive and mediocre, so I'd advise bringing your food, going out for food (even walking distance restaurants, and the Carl's Jr has better food at a fraction of the cost of Hotel food). The LA Ultimate Comic Art & Collectibles next show is already scheduled for 2019 and they announced next year's date at the show this year.

The Santa Monica Art Museum is located on the Third Street Promenade…read more I was surprised to discover this museum existed and while on a stroll along the walkway. Current exhibition on window display is the Elephant Parade art where various celebrities/personalities design an Elephant and express a statement. The museum website hasn't been updated to provide more insight on this exhibit, but I am speculating it is a fund raising effort as well, which makes Art appreciation more meaningful. Worth a visit!

This place was cool as they hosted the Pop up Fan museum for Star Wars. The layout was great and it…read morewas pretty decent size to see a lot of amazing figurines and statues from the movie. The staff were super nice and courteous during our visit. Plus the location is great - right down the promenade which offers stores and great little views too.

The Orange County area is chock full of these small community theaters putting on tremendous shows…read morewith great ensembles and The Gallery Theater is right near the top of my list. Although, I have only been to this theater once to this point the place really left its mark with it's charm. Many of the shows I have attended outside of a couple have mostly been comedies, so when I received an email from GoldStar for a darker, edge of your seat thriller of a show I knew this would be a great change and was just what I was looking for. That show was "Wait Until Dark" and to see this masterpiece of a show in this quaint little 50 seat theater was a great experience. Everything from the stage backdrops, the cast, the music, the tension were all absolutely on point. Having been a viewer who has never seen the film version I had no idea what to expect and was thoroughly thrilled with the presentation as a whole. I can honestly say that the place is a bit hard to find as their isn't much in the way of signage to direct you here (I drove past it the first time) but it truly is a great theater to seek out for a show. It may not look like much from the outside but it is warm and inviting once you enter the doors and the staff is friendly and makes picking up your tickets a breeze. My hat goes off to this place for having the courage to bring a play as dark and dramatic as this to this small of a stage as many of the theaters around tend to lean more toward the comedies or dramas and less toward the suspense genre of shows which is a shame. These more dramatic and dark shows are really something that is needed to help diversify the shows in the area at any given time. Although small in stature this place is big in heart and it shows in their body of work. I have missed at least one show I was interested in since my first foray but am definitely keeping my eyes peeled at the schedule for whats to come. I hope to be back sometime real soon.

Scrolling through Goldstar in search of a performance, I came across a listing for "The Double…read moreBarrel Detective Story." A play based off of a short from Mark Twain, his first attempt at writing a detective story which includes the famous character Sherlock Holmes. I love a good mystery! Anyways the point is not about the play, but about the Gallery Theater. If it wasn't for the interesting play I would have never found out about this really cute, but really secluded place! I was actually shocked when the directions said to turn into a business area, that this place would be right next door behind some businesses. I would have missed it, if they didn't place out a tiny board pointing towards the theater. The big thing I liked about the theater was its intimate and small size. I think their website described it to be a 50 seater theater, but I actually think it was a bit less than that, which meant I can see the whole stage and be up close too! For our particular play, people were literally sitting on the stage hehe It seems like a place where professional actors can come and share their skills with the public and a place where students can develop their acting abilities. So for all you theater-goer, play-loving, performance fiends out there, give this place a try and you'll fall for its quaint stage.

Cute little museum located next to the Library…read more I never heard of the Santa Monica History Museum till late last year and I figured it might be interested to visit it and learn more about the area. And we did, SM was part of Tongva land, and Tujunga, Cahuenga, etc major streets have their names originated form their tribal language. The museum is small, but the permanent collection is very interesting. It focuses on Santa Monica's history, its development, there are many fascinating stories on display along with great photos and older objects. There's a chapter dedicated to the Muscle Beach, history and highlights, another one to Pacific Park with great memorabilia on view and another one dedicated to the Entertainment Industry and some local members like Sherley Temple, and they have some of her costumes on display. I wasn't that taken with their exhibits, a tad on the depressing side. Also, there was noise coming from the library, lots of banging, so it was hard to concentrate in one room in particular. Otherwise, nice staff and clean restrooms. $5 regular admission, Free 1st Sunday of the month! Free for kids and seniors. Opened Thu. 2pm-5pm. Friday - Sunday 11am-5pm. Worth a visit for sure, it could be a nice way to spend an hour or so. Great activity if you visit Santa Monica or if you are like me, sometimes a tourist in your own town!

I was able to visit this museum and it was fun and informative. It has something for everyone for…read moreany age. The unhoused exhibit was very informative and it was interesting to see how much Santa Monica has changed over time. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone. Parked in the parking structure.

One of my favorite locations within Disneyland Park to locate Disney Pin Trading Pins is the 20th…read moreCentury Music Co. located on Main Street USA. While its name may lead you to believe that this store is only for purchasing music products, the 20th Century Music Co. is one of the largest Disney Store locations at Disneyland with an incredible variety of Disney themed pins available to purchase! If you are searching for a very simple Disney Pin, a Limited Edition Disney Pin or even a Disney Pin that is themed around a particular attraction or Disney Character, then the 20th Century Music Co. will have a wide assortment of choices from which to select. The store's displays are easily browsable, and I have never had difficulty finding either a new Disney Pin to add to my own personal collection or as a gift for others. Additionally, the 20th Century Music Co. is another location where you can meet fellow Disney Pin Traders and engage in pin trades! One of the things I like most of 20th Century Music Company is that it is very easy to visit! The store is located on Main Street so you can stop by as you are heading into the park, or when you are leaving the park. It makes for a quick stop before you head out of the park to pick up another souvenir. All in all, this store is worth checking out. Whether you're an avid pin trader or still collecting the store has plenty of options to choose from! This is one of those stores in Disneyland that you can depend on being there with a nice selection of pins! My daughter and I will usually stop by this store and the other pin location in Frontierland!

This store that gets reallllllly crowded! Located down Main Street at Disneyland…read more Books, journals, and Disney pins. If you are a pin collector, you must check this spot out! They have tons and tons of pins. Not a very big store, but they sure have a lot of cool Knick Knacks that you might want! I am not a pin collector, but I can appreciate them. The books and journals were cool.

This is my second Star Wars Celebration. The first one I went to was in LA…read more.. Perhaps the difference between Los Angeles and Anaheim is relevant but it is also... Disney took over. This one wasn't nearly as much fun. It was more families and less sexy stormtrooper parties (yes, that is a thing). The biggest disappointment is that the ONE official Celebration store was so overwhelmed and underprepared that it was closed after the first full day. When we tried to go in, there was an absolutely enormous line just to enter and truly frightening lines to check out, so we just walked away. There also weren't as many interesting panels this time or big events/organized parties. It was basically shopping at a giant Star Wars garage sale. Which is still not a bad way to spend a day. The food options at this one were much improved as well. And I did come home with some very cool geek toys. MTFBWY!

The year 2022 was a huge success. I was fortunate enough to see and attend Obi-Wan Kenobi's red…read morecarpet world premiere. Security and event staff need to be more organized. They always seemed to be clueless about what was going on or how to handle a situation. This is the only issue I have with the event. The rest of it is fantastic. There's so much to see and do. Pro Tip: Even if you live close by, as I do. Choose a hotel that is close to the event and I mean basically next door like the Marriott or Hilton. The Marriott was where we stayed. It was well worth the money because you will be exhausted and hungry at the end of each day and it save so much time. We walked out of the event and were in our hotel or restaurant in less than 5 minutes. You can easily do that multiple times a day without hassle and using a car.

Small, modern gallery that just had their opening reception in mid-November. Very interesting…read morepieces from leading edge artists from around the world such as Bas Jan Ader, a video artist, Vito Acconci, a New York sculptor and installation artist, and Hans Bellmer a french surrealist. On view until the end of December. Located two doors east of the tatoo business, on the south side of Sunset, just west of Sierra Bonita, hours are 12 - 5pm. Four stars, as the parking is very limited here, and the area is also a bit shady.