How to explore L.A. without leaving the house: Week 4
Week four for the blog and week six of being #saferathome for those of us in California. I hope you are all healthy and safe. Without too much introduction, I am going to get right into it. If you are finding the explore Los Angeles from home for the first time, please see week 1, week 2, and week 3.
Table of Contents
Day 22
About a year ago a friend said to me, “You know what I think you will love, the You Must Remember This podcast.” This was after I told her that I was reviving This Ugly Beautiful City. She went on to explain that it was about Old Hollywood. As you know, if you have been reading my blog for a while, I do dip into Old Hollywood on this blog–like this post on where Hollywood began and this one where the first Hollywood premiere took place.
You Must Remember This is a long-running podcast created, written, and narrated by Karina Longworth who talks about Hollywood’s first 100 years. I do like this podcasts’ focus on women in Hollywood, the men serving as a catalyst to focus on women. Like Howard Hughes and his many loves, conquests, and general creepiness. He is just there to talk about Katherine Hepburn, the triple-threat Ida Lupino, Jean Harlow, among others. If the words “long-running” freaked you out, not to worry, other than episodes in a series like the aforementioned Howard Hughes, you can skip around. Also, since it is the first 100 years, you do get stories on current stars of stage and screen–the episode about Isabella Rosellini a definite favorite of mine.
Find You Must Remember This wherever you can hear podcasts.
Day 23
I fanaticize about living in a Case Study House, don’t we all? I will be bringing the houses that I have toured to This Ugly Beautiful City eventually, but until then, let Ice Cube take you on a tour of Los Angeles and the Case Study House #8, aka the Eames House.
The Eames House is currently closed for tour, but when we are back to being able to see Los Angeles in person, you should visit. Foundations like these need money from tours to survive.
Website: https://eamesfoundation.org/house/eames-house/
Day 24
Happy Earth Day!
We are experiencing record pollution lows in Los Angeles right now. Having to stay at home is having positive effects in more ways than one, even though it is hard. I am sure you have been seeing this in local and national media.
In honor of Earth Day, I would like to share one of the best things about Los Angeles, Magic Hour. It is the time of day when the sun slips gently from the sky and into the ocean revealing a fantastical array of colors. Lucky for you, you get to experience it from your home, no matter where that is via DiscoverLA. Sunsets are the best way to explore Los Angeles from home, don’t you think?
Catch the sunset nightly at 6:45 here: https://discoverlosangeles.com/magichour
Day 25
I really love having the platform to talk about small businesses that I care about. I feature a lot of mom & pops on This Ugly Beautiful City. You can’t really experience Los Angeles if you only hit CPK or the Gap while you are here.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I have mentioned Stanley’s Wet Goods, more than a few times. You may have seen the video of all of the wines and beers we picked out to go along with all of our take-out and homecooked meals. All of them were good and because we spent over $150 we got free delivery.
This has become my husband’s and my local in the past year. If we have company in town we always take them here. We celebrated at Stanley’s after we finished our green card interview. They offer very approachable advice for wines that go well with everything from pizza to hearty stews.
If you do not or can’t enjoy alcohol right they are offering curated cheese and charcuterie plates and non-alcoholic drinks in their beer case that are definitely more interesting than La Croix. These items are available for delivery as well. Check their website and Instagram for updated delivery options. On Fridays they do a featured wine talk live at 7:30 on their Instagram account as well.
Website: https://shop.stanleys.la/
Day 26
A book I am excited about and is totally up my alley and down my street is a book that unfortunately was released when we started safer at home. This book is called Read Me, Los Angeles: Exploring L.A.’s Book Culture by Kate Orphan.
It explores Los Angeles through its literature and storytellers.
An excerpt of that book can be read here. Link to the book and where to buy it is also in that article. Please support the local bookstores on that list. If you are not in the shipping area, support Book Shop.
Day 27
If you are looking for some Los Angeles backgrounds for all of those Zoom calls coming up this week, I have some options for you in this gallery. If you do use them, please take a screengrab, post it on Instagram, and tag @thisuglybeautifulcity and use the hashtag #exploreLAfromhome.
Make those co-workers think you are hanging out somewhere in Los Angeles even though you are doing the call from your couch.
Hollywood Bowl 1941 
Day 28
In my top five documentaries is a film called The Wrecking Crew.
This movie tells the story of studio musicians in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s. Some of the best musicians during that time weren’t really those you saw in concert. Learn this and more secrets behind the scenes, I almost said behind the music, but that is also true.
See where it is playing on Decider.com.
If you know someone who is missing Los Angeles, please share this post so they can explore Los Angeles from home.
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