Happy Thursday, CurationsLA Fam! Lace up, because the Pershing Square ice rink opens today, and The Grove lights its 25th Christmas tree on Monday. Keep an umbrella handy, because rain moves in late tonight and sticks around tomorrow, with the heaviest falling tomorrow night, then the skies clear for a mostly sunny weekend in the low 70s. The Bay Theater is back in the Palisades tomorrow, LACMA opens its Paul R. Williams show on Sunday, the Lakers have won seven straight, and USC heads to Indiana on Saturday. And on this night back in 1955, at exactly 10:04pm, lightning struck the Hill Valley clock tower and sent Marty McFly back to the future. Great Scott, make it a cozy one. Wyatt
01🐻 BEAR NECESSITIES Spain's Cantabrian brown bears have doubled to about 370 in 20 years, up from as few as 140, and now roam roughly 6,500 square miles of the country's north
02🖼️ CLOSET MASTERPIECE A long-lost Georgia O'Keeffe painting, Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I from 1930, turned up in an East Village closet and is headed to Christie's, where it's expected to fetch around $3 million
03🪨 HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT Researchers spotted about 280 unrecognized Ice Age engravings in Catalonia's Cova de la Font Major, a cave people have visited since the 12th century
04🌊 WILD BLUE YONDER The Marshall Islands made the remote Bikar and Bokak atolls its first national marine sanctuary after scientists found some of the most intact ocean ecosystems left on Earth
05🌋 MARS IS JUST NAPPING Scientists detected hydrogen chloride gas seeping from rifts near the Alba Mons volcano, a hint that Mars may be sleeping rather than dead
01🎄 SNOW AT THE AMERICANA Nightly snowfall returns to The Americana at Brand tomorrow at 7:00pm and 8:00pm, the same day Santa's House opens for photos, and both run through the holidays
03🌟 MAZE OF LIGHTS Enchant L.A. lights up Santa Anita Park in Arcadia from Nov. 20 to Dec. 27 with a 10-acre illuminated maze, ice skating and snow slides
04🌠 LEONIDS INCOMING The Leonid meteor shower peaks next Tuesday night into Wednesday with up to 15 meteors an hour, and the Moon sets around midnight, leaving dark skies until dawn
05🫁 THEATER IN A SUBSTATION Alden Ehrenreich's new Huron Station Playhouse in Cypress Park stages LUNGS with Zoe Lister-Jones and Ashley Zukerman through Nov. 29, Thursday to Monday at 8:00pm
One more sunny day near 81 today, then rain moves in after 10pm tonight, with the heaviest rain tomorrow night between 10pm and 4am, about a quarter to a half inch. The weekend dries out, with mostly sunny skies and highs near 71.
SOURCE · National Weather Service central Los Angeles forecast · FULL FORECASTWe were never deceived by comfort; we are still fighting to live in stability.
Author Robert Greene⚡ GREAT SCOTT
Doc Brown sends Marty McFly back to the future when lightning strikes the Hill Valley clock tower at exactly 10:04pm, powering the DeLorean time machine home to 1985 (in the movies, anyway)
The Grove lights its 25th Christmas tree on Monday night. Each fall, the shopping center's towering 100-foot white fir is harvested from forests near which Northern California volcanic peak before making the 600-mile trip south to L.A.?
ANSWER AT THE BOTTOM ↓
Jeremy Fox's beloved Santa Monica favorite has found a new nest at the Fairmont Century Plaza, and the Pickle Chick and rose petal pie came along for the ride. Birdie G's now serves breakfast and lunch from 6:30am, and dinner from 5:30pm brings matzo ball soup, five-onion dip, winter squash kugel and a Hangtown Brei. Grab a table this weekend and toast the comeback.
The classic LA late-night diner has a new home at Sunset and Descanso, and its takeout window is slinging tuna melts, burgers, meatloaf and milkshakes from 6:00pm to 3:00am. The full dining room, jukebox and photo booth land in December, so call this your sneak preview. Perfect for this Saturday after the show.
Hwa-On means fire plus warmth, and the new Korean barbecue spot in the old Citizen Public Market lives up to the name. Beef combos built around wagyu brisket and galbi feed two or three starting at $165, with gochujang palomas to wash it all down. Save room for the doenjang caramel matcha.
🦐 El Muelle 8 Culiacan-style mariscos favorite El Muelle 8 has graduated from its East LA truck to a 95-seat Downey restaurant with aguachiles, ceviches and a full bar, via Eater LA
🥩 Tacos Royale Sonoran carne asada from USDA Prime steak, wrapped in flour tortillas made with beef tallow, is the move at Tacos Royale, the cousins-run street taqueria on the Echo Park and Silver Lake border, via Los Angeles Magazine
🌮 Mariscos Jalisco The untold origin story of Raul Ortega and Mariscos Jalisco's iconic taco dorado de camaron, still about $3, via L.A. TACO
The Sunset Strip turns into a free street concert this Saturday, when Live On Sunset takes over Sunset Blvd. between Doheny Dr. and San Vicente Blvd., with gates and music from 4:00pm to 11:00pm. Sheryl Crow headlines the same stretch where she played some of her earliest shows, back in her Roxy and Viper Room days, joined by Local Natives, Empress Of, Grace Bowers, Doug Locke and Mia Moretti. Free registration is at capacity, but the waitlist is open, so sign up in case spots free up. Sunset closes to cars from tomorrow at noon, so walk, ride or take a rideshare.
Inglewood's artists throw open their studios, galleries and gathering spaces this Saturday and Sunday for a free, self-guided art walk, 12:00pm to 5:00pm both days. Park at the Beacon Arts Building on N. La Brea, where free shuttles loop the route. Stops include Black House LA, Dotted Line Gallery and the three Global Village Murals at Market and Manchester. It's been the city's signature art weekend since 2006, so bring comfy shoes and an empty wall at home.
The Holiday Ice Rink at Pershing Square opens today and runs daily through Jan. 3. The big night is next Thursday, 5:00pm to 7:00pm, when the DTLA tree gets lit with LA Ice Theater skaters, holiday jazz carolers from Ramón C. Cortines School, Buddy the Elf from the Pantages, and free sweets and warm drinks. After that, catch Classical Sundays at noon and 1:30pm or Tuesdays After Dark at 7:30pm.
🦃 Turkey giveaway Council District 13's annual free turkey giveaway is Nov. 20, 3:00pm to 5:00pm at the Dream Center, 2301 Bellevue Ave., first come, first served while supplies last, via CD13
🌳 Bill Greene park A vacant lot at 5800 S. Figueroa St. is now Sen. Bill Greene Memorial Park, with an amphitheater, walking trails, a mural and chessboard picnic tables, the district's ninth new park since 2013, via LA Sentinel
🌹 Rose Parade float Santa Monica is back in the Rose Parade for the first time since 1979 with its Waves of Welcome float, and locals can dedicate a rose or sign up to help decorate it, via City of Santa Monica
At the foot of the former Puente Hills Landfill, the county just dedicated the Hilda Solis Environmental Justice Center, the first building of Esperanza Hills, LA County's first new regional park in more than 35 years. The HDR-designed center has an open-air entrance rotunda and a Maker Space, and it will have live animals on site. It went up in just 14 months on land where the dump closed in 2013.
Excavation is underway at 1248 N. Cherokee Ave., a short walk from Santa Monica Blvd. and Highland Ave., where Seachange Partners is building a five-story home for 45 one- and two-bedroom apartments. All but one are reserved for low- and moderate-income households, with the last for an on-site manager. Designed by Aaron Brumer & Associates, the building swaps an old house and a triplex for white walls, warm wood panels and recessed balconies, with no car parking. No completion date yet.
At Washington and National, crews are installing A Frame for a Tree, a new public sculpture by artist Charles Gaines. The roughly 56 by 98 foot metal rectangle will frame the big ficus beside the E Line's Culver City Station and Ivy Station, and it's built so the tree can keep growing. Look for it to be finished later this year.
🏗️ The Palmer Work starts this month on The Palmer, a six-story senior community at 861 E. Walnut St. with golf simulators and a rooftop pool deck, via Urbanize LA
🏘️ Hazelhurst affordable A four-story building with 49 affordable apartments is now underway on Hazelhurst Pl., just off Lankershim, via Urbanize LA
🎓 Cerritos College housing Cerritos College is planning student housing on a Studebaker Rd. parking lot, three buildings funded with about $80 million in state and district money, via Urbanize LA
Korner K'nafeh, the Northridge pop-up with CSUN roots, is opening its first brick-and-mortar at 9545 Reseda Blvd. near Plummer Street. Expect the cult favorites, including Pistachio Paradise, Dubai Chocolate Knafeh and a Biscoff Churro, plus coffee and matcha. The team is aiming for mid-2027, with an eye on Pasadena, Los Feliz and beyond next.
Minimalist favorite MUJI is listed as coming soon to Del Amo Fashion Center, bringing its tidy stationery, storage and home goods to the South Bay. It's the brand's next Los Angeles-area store. There's no opening date yet, so keep an eye on the mall directory.
🍹 Casa Palma Casa Palma, a citrus-forward contemporary Mexican restaurant and cocktail spot, plans a 2027 opening at Topanga Village, via What Now LA
💪 Solidcore studio Pilates-inspired strength studio [solidcore] is coming soon to North Glendale Avenue with its 50-minute classes, via What Now LA
🦅 Condorita The team behind El Condor is seeking a license for a new concept called Condorita on Silver Lake Blvd., via What Now LA
Rooftop Cinema Club opens a new 5,000-square-foot location next Wednesday atop Madame Tussauds Hollywood, right next to the TCL Chinese Theatre. Expect cult classics, new releases and crowd favorites year-round under the stars. It's a homecoming, since the brand's first LA screenings were in Hollywood back in 2015.
LA's architect to the stars gets his biggest museum moment yet when Paul R. Williams: Architect for Living opens this Sunday in LACMA's Resnick Pavilion. Expect never-before-exhibited drawings and photographs from his archive, with sister shows at the Getty Research Institute and USC Fisher Museum of Art. It runs through May 31, and the D Line now drops you right at Wilshire/Fairfax.
The Bay Theater reopens tomorrow at Palisades Village, and it came back fancy: five screens, laser projection, immersive sound and dine-in seats with a button to call for service. The LOT Cinemas runs the place, with a chef-driven menu and a full bar and cocktail program. Opening weekend brings Wild Horse Nine, Godzilla Minus Zero and Ebenezer, a bright night out for a neighborhood that's rebuilding.
Bob Baker Marionette Theater's A Holiday Wonderland Special opens this Saturday and runs through Jan. 17. Host Demi Star leads a cast that includes Pink Cat and the Rockette Reindeers, with Saturday shows at 10:30am, 1:30pm and 4:30pm, and tickets are $25. There's also a sensory-friendly show Dec. 19 at 10:30am.
⭐ Gordon Ramsay star Gordon Ramsay gets the 2,864th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next Wednesday at 11:30am, the first British chef to earn one, and it streams live, via Hollywood Walk of Fame
🎶 Tropa Magica Tropa Magica celebrates its new album Baila Tus Tristezas with a release party at La Cita tomorrow, via Discover Los Angeles
🎤 Wu-Tang trio Wu-Tang's Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and GZA share the bill at The Novo this Sunday, via Discover Los Angeles
The Lakers took down the Bucks 123-112 in Milwaukee last night, stretching their win streak to seven and improving to 11-2, good for first in the West. Luka Doncic poured in 32, Goga Mamukelashvili matched his season high with 23 off the bench, and Austin Reaves added 18. Next up, they visit Phoenix this Sunday at 1:00pm, then come home for the Hornets next Tuesday and the Jazz next Wednesday at 7:00pm.
Fresh off a 30-18 upset of No. 2 Ohio State that sent fans storming the Coliseum field, No. 15 USC (7-2) puts its momentum on the line at No. 6 Indiana this Saturday at 12:30pm on CBS. The Ohio State win was USC's highest-ranked victory since 2004, and Lincoln Riley picked up national coach of the week honors for it. Quarterback Jayden Maiava leads the Big Ten in passing yards and touchdowns.
The CIF Southern Section's Division 1 football playoffs hit the quarterfinals tomorrow at 7:00pm, and the bracket is stacked. Undefeated Sierra Canyon (10-0) meets Mission Viejo, and St. John Bosco gets a rematch with Orange Lutheran, the team that stunned it 20-19 last year. Mater Dei faces Corona Centennial, and unbeaten top seed Santa Margarita, coached by Carson Palmer, meets San Clemente.
🏀 UCLA women UCLA women's basketball hosts Arizona tonight at 7:30pm at Pauley Pavilion on BTN, then Princeton this Sunday at 3:00pm, via UCLA Athletics
🏈 Rams in Arizona The Rams have won three straight and visit Arizona this Sunday at 1:05pm on CBS, looking to carry a four-game streak into the bye, via LA Rams
⚽ LAFC playoffs LAFC opens its best-of-three MLS Cup Playoffs series at St. Louis City SC on Nov. 23, then hosts Game 2 at BMO Stadium on Nov. 28, via St. Louis CITY SC
The Grove lights its 25th Christmas tree on Monday night. Each fall, the shopping center's towering 100-foot white fir is harvested from forests near which Northern California volcanic peak before making the 600-mile trip south to L.A.?
Mount Shasta
Every autumn, crews select a roughly 100-foot white fir from forests near Mount Shasta and truck it more than 600 miles down Interstate 5 to anchor the holiday season at The Grove.
HAVE A WONDERFUL WKND, CurationsLA Fam!
SEE YOU BACK HERE ON TUESDAY