Private Los Angeles Tours

DESIGN Gathering Hooray for Inglewood! The balance of cultural, cocktail, foodie and fashionista power in L.A. continues its steady shift inland. Everyone knows about Downtown, Highland Park, and Koreatown, but the new star on the block, so to speak, is Inglewood. This is partly the inevitable result of artists and students getting pushed out of developing hot spots elsewhere, and partly due to the treasure trove of interesting architectural history and potential in the place itself.  Design is a big thing for me, so I always invite my friends to events such as this. After most la helicopter tours, when I can, inform them on what’s happening; and this is happening. Among the most inventive champions of this trend are the good people of de LaB (Design East of La Brea), a collective of thinkers, designers and contemporary cultural historians who make it their business to shine a light on the most progressive design thinking happening in L.A. To that end, they regularly sponsor gatherings at the studios (and sometimes built projects) of the artists and architects who are transforming not only how the city looks but how it defines itself in a new century. De LaB’s Califernication takes one such trip today to the Inglewood offices of (fer) studio, the minds behind Father’s Office and Zen Zoo, who are currently working on a massive Metro station project that includes green zones, agriculture and mixed-use public spaces in the heart of Inglewood. And because de LaB also focuses on local neighborhood appreciation, nearby drinks and continuing conversation are as inevitable as rezoning.

Sat., March 26, 1:30pm-3:30pm

Price: Free

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March 19-Apr. 24. The Vs. Theatre Company explores what would happen if you were suddenly faced with the now-or-never chance to leave your spouse for your lover, with no messy strings attached. Michelle Clunie (Queer as Folk) and Johnny Clark star in the L.A. premiere of The Mercy Seat, Neil LaBute’s caustically funny examination of opportunism in the wake of tragedy. This is a good a place as any to get a taste of some talent in the arts here, while you tour Los Angeles. Set on Sept. 12, 2001, The Mercy Seat attempts to “examine the ‘ground zero’ of our lives…the painful, simplistic warfare we often wage on the hearts of those we profess to love,” wrote LaBute.

Tickets $20/$12, students/seniors.

[Inside] the Ford, Ford Theatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, 323.461.3673.

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Hangar on to Yourself — You’ve Never Seen Toy Sheds Like These! Aviation buffs, aspiring industrialists and anyone fascinated with SoCal crackpottery should delight in the L.A. Conservancy’s one-time-only tour of the former Culver City campus of the Hughes Aircraft Company. Almost never open to the public, the site, now known as the Hercules Campus, did not appear on maps during World War II. It is here that urine-hoarding weirdo Howard Hughes and his team conceived of, designed and built planes and helicopters, including the infamous H-4 Hercules Flying Boat, better known as the Spruce Goose. Eleven of the original campus buildings still stand on the 28-acre site, including the massive hangar that housed the Goose. This among other things hopefully gives you some  unique things to do in Los Angeles. Attendees should be prepared to walk three-quarters of a mile and be mindful that it is a working construction site, currently undergoing a $50 million historic preservation overhaul, which will repurpose the buildings for creative endeavors including technology, design and film production. Address given with reservation.

Address Upon Reservation

Price: $25

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Who needs 3-D movies when there’s View-Master? Those popular kids toys of the 1960s and ’70s — kind of like binoculars into which you inserted circular slide strips to see pictures in 3-D — are back as the centerpiece of a live stage show. Eric Drysdale’s The Man With F.E.E.E.T. brings to life the unreal story of a 1970s never-made-for-TV show about an ordinary man wearing the world’s most extraordinary loafers. This show is going to be a big hit for many, with a la tour, you can ask for some background info on the Downtown Inde Theater. The adventures of Jack Strider (Christian Finnegan) play out on each audience member’s View-Master, custom reels and read-along booklets, as host Ron Lynch narrates the action. Along for the ride in actual 3-D are comedians Matt Walsh, Adam Felber, Eddie Pepitone, Adam Felber and Amber Nelson. FYI: F.E.E.E.T. stands for Footwear-based Electronically Engineered Emulation Technology.

Downtown Independent Theater

Wed., March 16, 8:00pm, Wed., March 16, 9:30pm

Price: $20

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