Randyland is the best! It's unique and beautiful on its own, but to make the experience extra…read morespecial, you'll want to reach out to schedule a visit with Randy in person. Depending on the season and the weather, he'll be able to tell you what time of day is optimal for the best light. In my case, he responded quickly and made it so easy. I'm drawn to quirky people who are compelled to do something, do it well, and keep trying out new ideas simply because they love it. That's Randy in a nutshell, and his enthusiasm and creativity are infectious! You'll leave feeling inspired to see the world a little differently and to make your OWN art more often. Enjoy!

OK, I have had this place on my list of things to do for years. I saw it on Atlas Obscura and then…read moreI saw a video about it on YouTube. It was definitely worth the wait! What an amazing experience! Went with my sister, mom and dad on a Sunday afternoon. Beautiful light in October...beautiful light sculptures and what an interesting interaction with the universe. Randy was just a lovely individual. Like a really interesting, eccentric artist who just is behind what he is proffering 100%. Great talk. GREAT art. Great day. I really recommend it 100%.

Cool place to visit if you're into folk art. My visit was short since there's only a two hour…read morewindow that you can visit on Thursdays. Some areas are in need of repair; some loose pieces were on the ground so look where you step. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos here. There is no parking on this narrow street so you'll have to park and walk.

Magical garden hidden in a private home. It is open to the public two hours a week while the…read moregardener works on the garden: Thursdays, 10am-noon. However, these hours are contingent on the gardener, who may not show up or may come late / leave early. If you're coming from afar, it might be a good idea to email the owner at gardenofoz@me.com and ask about that particular week. I found the email address on a webpage about the garden. I emailed at the start of the week when I wanted to come but heard back the following week. Turns out the gardener had car trouble so the garden was closed the previous week. The owner did email me back again letting me know the garden would be open the following week, which was nice of her. So, if you're driving from afar, reach out to confirm. Don't come at the last minute just in case the gardener leaves early. It's not the easiest to access but hey, this is a private home and we're lucky to have any access to it. This is interesting for anyone who loves folk art, mosaics, outsider art, etc. It's a large space with a lot to look at. No photography is allowed. Parking is on the street. The streets are narrow and hilly but there should be available parking within a reasonable distance.

It isn't every day I drive by a set of huge pair of Nintendo Remote Controllers! Also, if you are…read morefacing the remotes, you will see a large Rubik's Cube to the right! Such a flashback of some fun days my husband and I shared back in the 1980's. The Nintendo Entertainment System was our first gaming system! There isn't much to write about, but if you want to see these, come take a quick drive by! It isn't in the best part of town, but driving by here shouldn't be a problem!

I had seen this spot on yelp. Being lucky enough to grow up with a Nintendo game console years ago…read morethis is something I had to see for myself. This place is right off the 110 freeway and right past the train tracks on a corner. You can miss it if you have never been. But who can miss these giant controllers. Only down side is the location. Parking is kind of tough in this area I was lucky enough to find some close by. The installation is a cool sight to see if your into gaming or just for nostalgia sake. Not much to do but to soak it in and take pictures if you like. There is also a Rubik's cube and a Tetris replica which is all graffitied out. Ever in the neighborhood or want to take a drive check it out. It's one of those hidden gems in LA which is free. 1up!

One of the two tunnels that go under Wilshire (the one closer to Park View Street) connecting the…read moretwo halves of MacArthur Park, is covered in 10 graffiti-style murals promoting education, music, Christianity, clean and sober living, and achieving dreams. Some of the murals are a bit horrific, showing a woman seemingly poisoning her child with drugs and skeletal people chained by poverty. The murals are all vibrant, and most of the people who go through the tunnel tend to ignore the art. When Brandon D. and I walked through and started taking pictures, it was then that others stopped to look. A couple of men remarked that they never really paid attention to the art on the walls before. Since this is a tunnel, the murals can be hard to see, even during the day when bright light floods the passage. The paint that was used is somewhat shiny, so it further makes it difficult to see from certain angles. However, looking down the tunnel from the lake side before sunset is glorious as all the colors pop from that angle. Graffiti art has this stigma attached, and really it's a vivid and versatile form. Glad to see someone's putting it toward positive messages.

Located near the iconic Hollywood sign in the Hollywood Hills, this one-of-a-kind art gallery…read moreoffers an intimate setting to view and interact with unique and fascinating art installations and sculptures from around the world. There is an impressive array of rare crystal and glass pieces along with the many handmade sculptures and perhaps most impressive of all, the paintings of curator Dr. Robby Gordon - which can be viewed in 3d with 3d glasses!

A hidden gem on Hollywood Hills. Unique sculptures accumulated over the years are strategically…read moreplaced meandering throughout the garden. You can get different experiences when viewed at different times of the day. Dr. Robby Gordon personally curates the exhibit

Summertime in the LBC. The weeklong public mural festival has been renamed Long Beach Walls and…read moreArt Renzei. Read all about it here: https://lbpost.com/hi-lo/pow-wow-is-now-long-beach-walls-heres-your-guide-to-the-colorful-mural-festival https://www.longbeachwalls.com/ https://www.artrenzei.com/ https://www.instagram.com/longbeach_walls/ There are events centered around this week. One past year, Sun Bum (sunscreen) was a sponsor and held an event at the beach that ended in a movie showing. Some year before that, KCRW held a party in collaboration. This last time, I joined in the free yoga session (with RSVP). Led by Pedal Movement, bike tours are held during this time to visit the murals. The run club I'm involved in throws a couple of the murals in the downtown area being worked on into the running route during this time. Volunteer opportunities are available (such as being on site with the artist making sure they have what they need.) Look out for it next summer!

"Pow! It's the impact that art has on a person. Wow! It's reaction that art has on a viewer."…read morePowWow - a gathering that celebrates culture, music and art. The weeklong event that originated in Hawaii has expanded out to other parts of the country and world, including its 5th year in Long Beach. I was a bit disappointed the first year or so because they brought in a lot of outside artists when there are so many talented ones here. It also seems as if there is little collaboration between the artists and the places they paint. Businesses offer their walls and artists are given the freedom to create whatever inspires them at the time. Sometimes, the pieces seem random, whereas, others perfectly reflect the feel of the establishments. This year, I was happy to see a lot more local artists represented in the community. Some of them even took the time to collaborate with either the business or Parks & Rec to design pieces that emulate the nature of the places. I live close to Drake Park and was happy to see 3 artists beautifying it by adding more color and character. By request from neighborhood folks, Crisselle Mendiola and Jason Keam added butterflies to match the playground while Bodeck Luna depicted young people shooting hoops along the wall facing the basketball court. Another highlight from Pow! Wow! Long Beach was the closing party in the Promenade. I absolutely loved that KCRW DJs Mathieu Shreyer and Anthony Valadez came and served us some eclectic dance music. I can't wait to see what's in store next year!

Needed a last minute outing to keep the kids busy so naturally, I googled my options. This…read morelocation was pretty convenient so off we went. Tickets were pretty easy to purchase online. I thought it was a timed entry but it is not...or it wasn't when we went. I followed the parking sign on the wall which led me to a lot just a little north of the museum. It was $20 to park there. Had I had more time to plan, I may have parked somewhere else as I felt that was a bit steep. I'm assuming metered parking would be hard to find in that location as it is in the heart of Hollywood. I thought it would be similar to the Museum of Illusions in New York, but rather than a museum feel, this was purely just photo ops. You can rent tripods at the front for $10. They also provide free lockers for your bags and stuff- which I would highly recommend. I didn't take up the offer in the beginning but soon realized that was a better option. I would also like to highly recommend and thank Tim! He showed us the ropes of how to take photos and he took some photos for us. He was friendly, professional and patient with my two young kids. He definitely knows his way around an iPhone camera and showed me some tricks I didn't even know. Tim's photos came out a lot better than mine as you need to find the perfect angle for the pictures to have that illusion effect. The tickets I purchased online also allowed us to go to the giant house next door and the upside down house. Tim came to the rescue again and took some amazing photos for us in the upside down house. It was a fun experience for all of us and I would definitely recommend visiting this location. If you see Tim, ask him for some pointers! Thank you, Tim!

I recently visited the Museum of Illusions and had mixed feelings about the experience. It was fun…read moreoverall, especially if you enjoy taking pictures. There are several photo-friendly illusion setups that make for some cool and creative shots. We bought the bundle deal and also visited the Upside Down House and the Giant House. While those were interesting to see, there still wasn't much to do at either location besides taking pictures. One thing I really appreciated was the front cashier--He was very nice and welcoming, which made the check-in experience pleasant. However, I don't think the visit was quite worth the price. It felt a bit too expensive for what it offers, especially considering the bundle included all three exhibits. The experiences are fun for photos, but they're fairly short and limited in activities. For the amount you pay, it would be nice if there were more interactive things to do or more areas to explore. Overall, it's a good spot if you're really into taking fun illusion photos, but if you're expecting a longer or more activity-filled experience, it may feel a bit overpriced.

An Art Walk in Los Angeles should be expected to be a scene where culture and artful expression…read moreknows no boundaries and embraces established techniques, modern absurdity and the limitless quanity of weird in the globe to produce what moves emotion or in other words to produce art. And my recent trip to the Downtown LA Art Walk was exactly that a collection of techniques, practices, talents, mediums, and modes of communication that came together and landed to create an amorphous experience that was shaped, like clay, to create visual and sensory craftwork. There were different galleries offering different works. I will begin this review by naming some of my favorite. There was this gallery showing photography that was enhanced, played, or showcased light and that is where I found the dinosaurs of Cabezon come to life by the angles of a camera. I clipped the picture of the drawing (art inception) and it shows a long neck dinosaur that I want to call a jirrafasuaraus but I know that is wrong, walking toward a twilight colored horizon-- where the low of the sky was orange, layered above by a lemon-yellow strip of sky, then followed a soften almost transparent orange, with the rest of the sky being a early evening blue. I could not tell that the picture was fake. I do not want to say that I thought that Jurrasic Park was real, but, the picture did make me feel that the dessert has seen dinosaurs walking toward lovely sunsets. Another favorite was a negative of a picture of what looked like a swan floating in water that was completely black, like a swan swimming on black construction paper. But the only visible parts of the swan was is feathered body, its long neck, and regal tail. I could not see its eyes, I could not see its beak, I could not see its crest up high. The swan was averting the lens of the camera and yet the beauty of the swan was evident because its pure white ruffles were silent against a black backdrop. I could continue naming the pieces I like and why, but then the artwalk would becoming an art viewing. So I will conclude that I also saw a woman wearing a ruffled vest that dragged to the floor. It was inconvenient and kind of bulky, and maybe drag dirt along the train, but this was also art. I point that out because the show attracted people with style, and style on a body, is art, as everyone knows. There was also an apartment building that opens its doors. It offered a fondue fountain, chocolate, pool table, blackjack, and a giant arcade machine where one could play spade invader or pac-man. So the engagement level of Art Walk expanded to art one could make on the spot. And if you wonder how one makes art at a pool table--- then I suggest seeing a video of a player using a stick to make a ball jump to avoid one ball and hit the other. The movement is a type of ballet jump (a piroutte) that is prompted by a stick propulsion. If that is not artistic expression, then, a person living in a glass box suspended in air above the ground isn't either. As I walked the streets of LA, I also saw a truck that had four spotlights. I have always seen events that are signaled out by spotlights but now I know that these spotlights are ambulatory, and kind of, yes, art in their own way. They rose lights to the buildings side and to the night sky. The movement was a type of dance light, and I defy anyone to prove me wrong because at its core, art can never be truly define by words because, on its own, its a visual language.

Fun experience going into these private artsy businesses and checking out their collection. This is…read morea well planned art walk where maps are included. You essentially just get lost going from one art studio to the next. It's everything about art into one event. Traffic can be difficult but once you're in, it doesn't even matter anymore. This was a fun experience.

If you didn't take a photo at the LACMA lamps, did you even go to Los Angeles?…read more This installation is a masterpiece. Each lamp post has its own unique design from the 1920s and 30s. I highly recommend wearing bright colors to pop against the gray and white background. Even though it's popular, the grid is large enough that you can usually find a good angle. The parking was $15 but it's free to check this place out

I've only seen this during the day time but will be back next time at night. Apparently there are…read moreno tripods or selfie sticks allowed at the urban light and the security guard will let you know. There are street parking outside along 6th street. To park underground at the LACMA it's a flat rate of $23 with no hourly parking options.

One of the most vibrant food spots in the city. Awesome night spot with people walking the block…read moreand outdoor eating. Interesting shops. One of my favorite streets in LA. Seems safe. Save time for parking. So many choices for food and desert close together within walking. Go to dinner at one spot and desert at another.

I'm originally from Japan. When I need to buy or eat anything Japanese, I always go to Sawtelle…read moreinstead of Little Tokyo in downtown. You can find virtually anything Japanese you want in Sawtelle. It's easy to find parking and often free parking. It feels so much safer than downtown. My two most frequent businesses, Daiso and Nijiya Market, are in the same building. Right across the street from that building is another small strip mall with many restaurants. I highly recommend that you visit Sawtelle if you haven't already to experience Japan while in Southern California.