Eye Spy LA
IN THIS ISSUE
HOLIDAY GUIDE
TALES OF DOWNTOWN
ITALIAN AMERICAN RECONCILIATION
CHERPUMPLE PIE CAKE
EXTINCTION
THIS WEEK'S CALENDAR
This Week's Calendar
SHOP LOCAL ARTISTS & ARTISANS for HOLIDAY GIFTS THIS SEASON
holiday art show
PEACH TREE POTTERY in Mar Vista Saturday & Sunday
 
ARTISANS HOLIDAY BAZAAR Saturday in Downtown L.A. 
 
HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR in Culver City Sunday
 
FIRST ANNUAL NOHO HOLIDAY ART SHOW & SALE on Sunday
 
 
LA HOLIDAY GUIDE
LA HOLIDAY GUIDE
'Tis the season to entertain, shop, see a Nutcracker, ice skate, throw snowballs at the beach. There's holiday events, entertainment and activities all over town. Visit the Eye Spy LA Holiday Guide for the latest updates.
 
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Eye Spy LA is celebrating 6 years as the Local's Guide to L.A. Content is written, edited and maintained by locals and only about local events and the local creative community.

You'll always find the latest events & activities plus commentary about where we've been at eyespyLA.com - updated daily.
 
Have a GREAT Weekend!
-- Andrea Kirk (editor@eyespyLA.com)
THIS WEEK in L.A.
 
DWP Light FestivalIf you plan on attending the Auto Show at the Convention Center you can also check out the holiday light display and new winter ice rink at Nokia Plaza. The DWP annual display in Griffith Park opens Friday (no vehicles until later this month - park at the Zoo and then walk or ride a bike.) Get cozy inside and see a play - "Tree," at [Inside] the Ford, has gotten rave reviews and so has "Extinction" at Elephant Lab in Hollywood. Or for a laugh see "Italian American Reconciliation" in Santa Monica.
 
MORE BRIGHT TWINKLY SHINY parades of lights and sounds on the waterfront and elsewhere. This weekend: the Holiday Boat Parade at L.A. Harbor and the Holiday Lamplight Celebration at Heritage Square. Coming soon boat parades at Marina Del Rey, King Harbor in Redondo Beach, and Newport Harbor.
 
PLAN AHEAD: Next Thursday the 4th Annual UnSilent Night boombox parade will take place in conjunction with the monthly Downtown Art Walk.
 
MORE, MUCH MORE ... more recommendations and all the details on the
Eye Spy LA Calendar.

Not everything happens on the weekend
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THE GHOST OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK TALKS TO ME  by Nancy Mills 
Tales of Downtown
 
I live with a ghost. He happens to be a pretty famous ghost, too. His name is Alfred Hitchcock and he talks to me. DO NOT stop reading this post. I have not lost my mind, my marbles, my anything.
Alfred - the king of scary pictures, the one with the funny profile - has become my friend. I will start from the top and work my way down to the bottom.

Our relationship started over the staircase in front of my door. The winding one with the rich engraved mahogany banister that circles around from floor to floor - the one that everyone goes "ooh" and "ahh" about.
 
"Wow, those stairs are amazing." "What's the story with those stairs, Nancy?" "Nancy, those stairs just speak to me."

All right. Hold your horses. I'll explain. The first day I came to the building to look at the space that would become my loft, I too, asked my future landlord, Julio, about the stairs. I was floored (ha!) by them...
 
Read the FULL STORY
 
editor's note: ever wonder what it's like living downtown? Local writer Nancy Mills blogs about her adventures living the "loft" life in Downtown L.A. at talesofdowntown.com 
 
SAVE THE DATE - December 13th, her blog moves from the page to the stage at the Company of Angels Theatre. Followed by a Hot Dog & Champagne holiday after party.
ITALIAN AMERICAN RECONCILIATION LANDS A KNOCKOUT @ The Ruskin Group Theatre
Review by M.R. Hunter
 
ITALIAN AMERICAN RECONCILIATIONThe gloves come off in John Patrick Shanley's romantic comedy at the Ruskin Group Theatre. Performed by an outstanding cast, the play follows the delightful mishaps of love and hate as Aldo (John Collela) tries to help his good friend Huey (Chad Wood) woo back his shrewish ex-wife, Janice (Amy Jacobson Ruskin) in a misguided attempt to assert his manhood.
 
Charming and accessible, this age friendly adult situational romp is sure to please the whole family and leave everyone laughing for more...
 
Read the FULL REVIEW
CHERPUMPLE "MONSTER" PIE CAKE 
by Charles Phoenix
 
Charles PhoenixThe Cherpumple is the desert version of the Turducken. It's a three-layer cake with a pie stuffed in each layer. YUM! Cherpumple is short for CHERry, PUMpkin and apPLE pie. The apple pie is baked in spice cake, the pumpkin in yellow and the cherry in white. I DARE YOU TO TRY IT AT HOME!...& SEND PIX! Share your Cherpumple "Monster" Pie Cake creation!

The inspiration for the Cherpumple came from the typical desert table selection you would find at one of my family's holiday celebrations.
 
Seems there's always cherry, pumpkin, and apple pie and a cake that's a family tradition. It has a layer of spice and a layer of yellow. Since I always want to have a piece of each of the pies and the cake I figured why not make that waaaaaaaay more convenient. So I baked them all together as one and the Cherpumple was born...
 
Get the recipe, watch the cooking video and read the FULL STORY
OUTWIT, OUTPLAY, OUTLAST: "EXTINCTION" @ ELEPHANT SPACE  Review by M.R. Hunter
 
There can come a point when friendships naturally outgrow each other, but among men, expressing feelings can seem as icky and taboo as giving a guy a foot massage in the repressed emotional ritual of male bonding and fraternal brotherhood. NYU graduate Gabe McKinley's new play premiering at the Elephant Lab smartly exposes the caveman lurking underneath the skin of self-worth and identity between two male friends at odds with their personal growth and the betrayal change brings.
 
Startlingly frank, the somewhat competitive relationship that lies at the core of longtime pals explodes with a savage ferocity as revelations about who they are slowly come to light... 
 
Read the FULL REVIEW