When: October 22–27
Where: Griffith Park
What: This 8,000-square-foot interactive outdoor exhibit recreates settings where Doctors Without Borders work, giving visitors a chance to experience cholera treatment centers, health clinics, emergency refugee housing and other ways that the organization helps refugees from all over the world.
Scoop: Since 2006, refugees from international conflicts have increased by 3 million. If that doesn’t sound like much, consider that an estimated 42 million refugees have fled conflicts from Sudan, Colombia, Cambodia and many other war-torn countries. This exhibition is a chance to raise awareness and gain insight into a critical global issue. www.doctorswithoutborders.org/refugeecamp.

When: Oct. 4–5

Where: Various museums in Los Angeles

What: This year’s free-for-all features 23 Los Angeles museums granting free admission to all visitors. Some museums are free on both days, while others are free on either one or the other.

Scoop: For museum lovers, it doesn’t get much better than seeing the masterworks of Van Gogh, Goya, Lichtenstein and Warhol — except if it’s free. It’s a chance to catch favorites such as the Natural History Museum or the Hammer Museum without opening your wallet. For a complete list, visit www.museumsla.org.

This past weekend, LA had three great festivals take place citywide. From the Grand Avenue Festival in Downtown to the San Gennaro Feast of LA in Hollywood and the Abbot Kinney Festival in Venice, Los Angeles was humming with African drum beats, Italian performers and the sounds of the LA Philharmonic. Celebs were sighted and pounds were gain.

Jonah Hill was among the mob that sauntered down Abbot Kinney on Sunday. However, he didn’t quite stand out as much as the Venice staple Snake Charmer.

September 26–28

Located across the street from Hollywood & Highland Center, this perennial event celebrates Italian culture while raising funds for children’s charities. Bocce ball, wine and live music are all part of the fun, and of course, what would an Italian feast be without tons of pizza, pastas and other great dishes from LA’s top restaurants?

Don’t miss the opening-night fundraising gala, hosted by funnymen Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla. Cooking stages will also showcase recipes and Italian cooking techniques. www.feastofla.org

Don’t miss this chance to vote for the overall best city in the U.S. — Los Angeles! America’s Favorite Cities, the annual survey from travelandleisure.com, is an interactive game that pits 25 cities against each other in a head-to-head battle to the finish. Visitors to the site vote for their favorites; then each week, the losers of these competitions will be eliminated, while the winners will advance to a new round of voting. Come back on Oct. 15, when they announce America’s #1 city.

LosAngelesNomad.com has released the 2008 Los Angeles County Golf Guide. More than 80 public golf courses are featured on the Google Map, inclusive of address, course yardage, par, green fees and website. Google users can edit the map, add images, rate the courses and leave comments.

Click here to view the map.

Sample listings include:

Angeles National Golf Course
9401 Foothill Blvd., Sunland 91040
(818) 951-8771
7141 yards
Par: 72
Green Fees: $80-$120

DeBell Golf Course
1500 E. Walnut Ave., Burbank 91504
(818) 845-0022
5631 yards
Par: 71
Green Fees: $25-$30

Knollwood Golf Course
12040 Balboa Blvd., Granada Hills 91344
(818) 363-8161
6373 yards
Par: 72
Green Fees: $23-$30

Winner of more Tony Awards® than any theatre outside of Manhattan, the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum re-opens its doors to the public on Sept. 14, 2008 after a yearlong $30 million renovation with the premiere of “The House of Blue Leaves.” The distinctive circular theatre located at the Music Center in Downtown has received a much-needed updating of its technical capabilities and audience amenities. Inside the auditorium, the unique intimacy of the Taper will be retained, with upgrades such as new, more comfortable seats, upholstery, carpeting, and sleek and elegant new railings along the aisles. The acoustics of the theatre will also be improved to allow theatregoers to hear the spoken word better, and a new air conditioning system will provide quieter and more even air distribution. The theatre’s lobby will more than double in size and the lobby bar will be more accommodating. The 1,350 square-foot lower lobby will also offer comfortable, casual seating with two large banquettes, on either end of the lobby, and additional adjacent seating.
www.centertheatregroup.org/theatres/mtf

Pack your sleeping bag and running shoes, the Nike+ Human Race takes place tonight at the Los Angeles Memorial coliseum. The 10k race featuring 12,000 runners starts at 8:31:08 p.m. Why the late start? LA is just one of 25 global cities hosting the event. As the final leg of the global marathon, Los Angeles will send off runners after the race to the anthems of Kanye West and Common.

Jerry O’Connell, Brian Austin Green and Tiffani Amber Thiessen, among many others, will be participating. In addition, Nike athletes Lisa Leslie, Brandi Chastain, DeLisha Milton, Khadevis Robinson and Sarah Reinertsen will also be in attendance. American Idol judge, Randy Jackson, will be the host of the night.

http://inside.nike.com/blogs/humanrace-en_US_LOSANGELES

The $30 million, 30,000-square foot, four-story GRAMMY Museum will open in Los Angeles this coming December to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of The Recording Academy. The museum is expected to attract 300,000 visitors annually. Entering the building on the fourth floor, guests will walk through a tunnel featuring life-sized figures ranging from Usher to Faith Hill to Frank Sinatra. A sound-sensory experience will lead visitors to an 18-foot table where they can explore 130 forms of music and how their histories connect. Exhibits will also feature a behind-the-scenes look at the art and technology of the recording process as well as the GRAMMY legacy. The museum will also feature interactive exhibits and an intimate 200-seat theater that will screen films, host lectures and present live performances and interviews.

The opening of the GRAMMY Museum also marks the culmination of the second phase of construction at L.A. LIVE in Downtown. L.A. LIVE is Downtown’s 27-acre entertainment, sports and residential district, anchored by NOKIA Theatre, STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center.

In December, the district will be home to new restaurants, Club NOKIA, the legendary Conga Room and Lucky Strike Bowling Center. New restaurant openings include Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar; Katsuya, the ultra-hip sushi and robata bar; the Yard House restaurant and brew pub; New York-based Rosa Mexicano fine dining; ESPN Zone Restaurant and sports bar; a new Wolfgang Puck eatery at NOKIA Plaza; plus a Starbucks, a New Zealand Natural Ice Cream shop and a quick-service restaurant.

www.grammymusuem.org
www.lalive.com
www.discoverLosAngeles.com

discoverLosAngeles.com is featuring a fall 2008 lineup of all the new art exhibitions in Los Angeles, including:

The Art of War: American Posters from World War I and World War II
Norton Simon Museum
Sept. 5, 2008–Jan. 26, 2009

The Norton Simon presents selected works from its extensive collection of 20th century war posters, some of which have never been on view. Featuring well-known works such as “I Want You for U.S. Army,” the iconic image of Uncle Sam pointing an ominous finger at the viewer, the exhibition displays a range of artistic techniques as propaganda that were integral to the war effort during that time period.

Also at the Norton Simon, Johannes Vermeer’s A Lady Writing will be on loan from November 7 to February 2. It’s a rare opportunity to see the work, and will be the only Vermeer on display on the West Coast.

Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Oct. 26, 2008–March 1, 2009

When Annie Leibovitz, Man Ray, Imogen Cunningham and other renowned photographers come together in the first major exhibition of the celebrated magazine’s archive, people will start talking. The much-anticipated exhibition at LACMA culls from Vanity Fair’s long history of prints and reveals the interplay between celebrity and photography — and how it has changed in the last century.