Entering Knott's Halloween Haunt.

For young children or for those of you who are young at heart, Disneyland during Halloween is ideal. However, for those of you that prefer a little more terror in your All Hallow’s Eve, then perhaps Knott’s Scary Farm is the “it” place to be.

Knott’s Berry Farm is celebrating the 36th year of its annual Halloween Haunt. It’s an autumn celebration of all things horror. The Haunt, with its realistic ghouls and nightmarish apparitions, is definitely not for children under thirteen or for those of you that are feint of heart. But it’s definitely for die-hard fans of fear.

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Halloween at Disneyland!

It’s my favorite time of year, Halloween! Ghosts, witches, skeletons and best of all candy. What better place for the child in you than to spend it at Disneyland?

On Friday, September 26th, the happiest place on earth kicked off the holiday season with their tribute to Halloween. The focal point of the day was at the Haunted Mansion which has gone through a transformation in honor of Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas. Every aspect of the mansion, from the exterior to the ride itself, glorifies the eccentric but lovable film.

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The Beverly Hills Farmers Market
Sundays, 9am - 1pm
Civic Center Drive, Beverly Hills

The Beverly Hills Sunday farmers market is not bad, it is actually quite typical of an LA farmers market. But in a part of town where everything has to be special in order to justify its real and supposed exclusivity, I was hoping for a bit more than just the same.

Not even a celebrity sighting was to be had at this market, which is literally across the street from the Beverly Hills neighborhood proper, though there were plenty of women there trying really hard to look like they had money. Even on a beautiful day, there was not much foot traffic at all, which usually means the market will not be customized to the community, and therefore not really be worth the drive unless you are in the vicinity. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

If you happen to be in Santa Monica today, The Pushing Daisies promotional team will be giving away free individual mini pies on 3rd Street Promenade until 3 p.m. today!

You can sample some pie ( I got apple!), explore the Pie-Hole-On-Wheels (which is fitted with Plasma Tvs that show clips from the show) and even get a Pushing Daisies magnet.

If you’re a fan of the show (or not) I suggest you at least get down there for some delicious pie to make your Wednesday just a wee bit better.

Pushing Daisies premieres October 1st at 8 p.m. on ABC.

The Mar Vista Farmers Market
Sundays, 9am - 2pm
12224 Venice Blvd, Mar Vista

One basic principle of farmers markets is that the good ones are crowded. There has to be something about them to make the community want to attend on top of their usual grocery shopping at regular markets and Trader Joes. The organizers of the Mar Vista farmers market clearly know all this too, and they have put their knowledge to good use.

This was one of the most crowded markets in LA, and it is not even located in an area benefiting from pre-existing foot traffic like markets on 3rd Street Promenade or Downtown. This, plus the presence of families and groups of young people just hanging out is a testament to the fact that people just plain like this market. The produce was not even that out of the ordinary; most of the vendors sell at various other markets as well, making this spot quality, but not necessarily unique, yet the crowds prove that something is being done right.

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S.S. Lane Victory in port!

The S.S. Lane Victory, a WWII supply ship, cruised through the sparkling, blue waters off the Pacific Ocean near Catalina Island.

Suddenly, the captain announced over the loud speakers that a spy had gained access to the radio room and signaled the ship’s position to the enemy. An aerial attack was imminent.

Within minutes, a squadron of fighter planes came roaring overhead. The ship’s crew manned the 20mm, 40mm and 5-inch guns and staccato bursts pierced the air, as the enemy planes made repeated strafing passes on the ship. Soon after, American fighters arrived, determined to show the adversary their prowess. They triumphantly drove the attacking planes from the sky.

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This Side of Paradise: Body and Landscape in L.A. Photographs
The Huntington Library
Ends September 15

The Huntington Library’s photography exhibit, This Side of Paradise: Body and Landscape in L.A. Photographs, ends this week, timed perfectly with the close of another L.A. summer. In the show’s last week, you can go to the secluded botanical paradise of the many gardens at the Huntington before getting all thoughtful about the depiction of your complicated hometown in film over the last hundred and forty odd years.

Since 1860, both the physical landscape of the region, as well as the physical nature and awareness of the people living there, has been captured in celluloid. This photography attends to the complexities of the South Land, a place that any Los Angelino must feel bittersweet about. One must learn quickly in LA the difference between appearances and reality, an aphorism that the show’s photography points to. True, L.A. is the nation’s capital for fame, success, leisure, and glamour, but is also home to racial tensions, merciless traffic, and unfulfilled dreams. The photographs in the show represent the physicality of this binary that makes Los Angeles so alluring, yet somehow treacherous.

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THEATER

• The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch | until Sunday, September 7, 2008 | $25.00 general; $18.00 student/senior | Fri., 8pm; Sat., 4 & 8pm; Sun., 4pm | Bootleg Theater - Map | The stage production of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean’s graphic novel - as performed by Rogue Artists Ensemble - has been extended until September 7th. Touching on issues of childhood innocence and the gravity of time and harsh reality, it is acted out in part with “amazing puppets, [...] works of art that could stand on their own in a gallery” (LA Times). A featured musician will be on hand this evening to enrich the experience with live music. Click for tickets, or call (800) 838-3006.

GREEK FESTIVAL

• LA Greek Fest | Friday, September 5 - Sunday, September 7, 2008 | Friday and Saturday until 11:00 pm, Sunday until 10:00 pm | $5.00 | Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral - Map | Greek festivals will always be a sort of Nirvana as far as I’m concerned - lots of good food, lots of people, lots of dancing to lots of good music - and it only gets better as the sun goes down. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson will be guest hosts at the event - hmm, I wonder why? For more info, call (323) 737-2424.

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The Westchester Farmers Market
Wednesdays, 8:30am - 1:00pm
Westchester Park, Lincoln and La Tijera

I was expecting the Westchester market on Lincoln to be generic and visit-worthy only for the surrounding community. While its modest size and weekday hours might gear it more toward proud Westchster-ers, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that this market was actually a quite the little gem worth checking out. Not only did they have the usual produce and the like, the Westchester farmers market upped the ante with a few unique offerings, with a fraction of the crowds of more popular markets.

This market had every base covered as far as produce goes, and even boasted some specialization that you don’t usually find at these smaller markets. Mark Boujikian Farms focused on grapes of every sort, all of which were beautiful and well priced. He even had seedless Zante currants, a fruit I had never heard of in my life, nor seen at any other market. In fact, there has been a noticeable lack of grapes at farmers markets, even though we are smack in the middle of their late summer season.

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Los Angeles’ climate is such that it allows for barbecues, swimming and shorts and sandals year-round (except for winter mornings, and the two or so weeks in April when it rains). While we all know that summer doesn’t really end until the third week of September, this weekend signifies the end of summer break - meaning that many of us will have to deal with of a lot more traffic on Tuesday morning. So be sure to relax this weekend, feel the sand between your toes, and get out of the house and into the groove as we soon bid adieu to summertime.

MUSIC

• Monsters Are Waiting | Friday, August 29, 2008 | 6:00 pm | Free | Getty Museum - Map | For the benefit of you, plan on wandering the gardens surrounded by the day’s cooling temperatures while the rest of the population idles in traffic on the 405. By taking in the sounds of indie band Monsters Are Waiting (to be preceded by Justin Warfield and Adam 12 from She Wants Revenge), you will also be showing support for local bands and their ability to come up with original material. Win-win, indeed. Click here for a sample of their music.

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What’s the best way to eat a donut?

I prefer mine so fresh the dough disappears halfway down your throat. At the latest. When a donut achieves this miracle of Iust I think a meteor could crash down and I’d be like “damn, did see how hot and fresh these donuts are?”. Everyone would be running around screaming but I’d stand there looking down in the small white bag made blissfully heavy with the weight of warm dough and dip one hand in for a tease. Eyes heavy, fingers gone sticky with melted powdered sugar, I wouldn’t look up until the bag was empty.

Every Thursday, as I mentioned in a previous post, the new Sherman Oaks’ Farmer’s Market will give you one such chance to sample this amazing foodie-find: Tia’s Donuts.

Made on a contraption that looks like a miniature, medieval torture device (but a cute one!), the tiny would-be donuts cruise along a path to certain death. But with that quick fry they transform their “petite mort” into something even more heavenly then the name implies. These donuts barely made it past my lips before they dissolved into some ghostly warm vapor of remembered dough.

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BOOZE

• Happy Hour/Anniversary | Monday, August 18, 2008 | 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm | Tinto Tapas - Map | Tinto Tapas invites you to share in celebrating its one-year anniversary with good music, a pleasant ambiance, and an authentic Spanish tapa on the house. For more info, call (323) 512-3095.

FILM

• The Best of The Druid Underground Film Festival | Monday, August 18, 2008 | 9:00 pm | All Ages | Pehrspace - Map | Showcasing such shorts as “TV Sabotage” by Kid Mankowitz, April’s Fool by Moises Jimenez, and “Let’s Meat” by Ben Cuevas, this festival is unique in that it is entirely supported by volunteers - no public sponsors, and quite possibly none needed! Nothing beats the final production of an event such as this that is wanted, not force-fed down the public’s throats. Besides, it helps that all the titles sound twisted enough to be thoroughly entertaining. For more info, visit myspace dot com slash Druid Video.

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