This Week's Picks: Movies, Music, & Downtown Exploration August 18 – 22

8/18/14 - By Jacqueline Stansbury

Summer is winding down, but there is still time to play and still plenty to do. This week, enjoy crafts, concerts, and cinema for all ages. Native Angelenos may not realize it, but we are living in a brand new city. Los Angeles now has public transportation! A train trip with the little ones is always fun, but it’s also great to send teenagers on a grand rail adventure of their own. Better yet, park at one of the stations Friday night, and the whole family can head Downtown, where there are many cool things to do this week.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

1. Monday Morning Mommy Movies– Monday
For moms with babes, Pacific Theaters screens grown up movies at 11am on Monday mornings. Kids 2 and under get in free. The sound is lowered, the lights dimmed. This is a great chance to catch up on some adult culture without booking a babysitter to do it. This week The Giver is screening. For moms with middle schoolers, who will surely want to see it, this is a chance to pre-screen while those teens are at school.

2. Summer Reading Bookmark Activity - Tuesday
Decorate a bookmark and summer reading log at the American Girl Store and receive a free doll sized poster. Our kids never read as much as we’d like; perhaps this will provide some incentive in the last days of summer.

3. Free Screening of American Graffiti – Wednesday
For mature teens (and not their younger siblings) who have out grown Star Wars and Cars, American Graffiti is George Lucas’ classic coming of age film. Admission is free, and it's possible to enjoy a half hour of the Peterson Museum before the show starts.

4. Marina Del Rey Summer Concert – Thursday
This week’s Symphonic Thursday features Bernadette Peters and her ten piece orchestra. Seriously. You can fly to New York and pay Broadway prices to see this legendary performer, or you can just head to the Marina and kick back. Bring a low chair or picnic blanket and a sweater for the ocean breeze. 

5. Downtown LA – Friday
Hop on the Metro and head downtown. There is lots to do this Friday night: Dance Downtown at the Music Center Plaza, Friday night Flicks at Pershing Square, or the Cornerstone Theater Company’s performance of The Tempest at the California Plaza. Why not go against the traffic this week and check it all out?