FREE TIME? Finish 2012 up right with cool things to do this weekend (especially if you're still entertaining those in-laws and that second cousin who won't peel off the couch).

• 22nd Annual Kwanzaa Celebration
• Improv Diary...(Uh)
• Triple Feature: The Indiana Jones Trilogy
• The Golden Stag: LA Noir NYE Celebration

 

• New Year's Eve Comedy Mystery Dinner Celebration
• The Most Magical New Year's Eve Magic Show
• Brazilian New Year's Party
• The Great Gatsby New Year's Eve Ball
• W Hollywood New Year's Eve 2013
• Geisha House Hollywood New Year's Eve

INDOOR WARM UP: Duck inside for some alternatives to warming up at the local cineplex on our Film page. Prefer a play? Play around on our Theater page. As usual check our full Entertainment Calendar for other interesting and unusual options. 

WINTERY WONDERLANDS: Rain or shine, hot or cold, rinks all over town stay busy with skaters showing off their mad skills or stumbling around for the first time. No matter your skill set, outdoor ice skating is the perfect way to spend the day (and work off a few holiday-indulgent calories). Don't worry if you can't perform a triple axel...read and watch how our own M.R. Hunter made learning to skate look easy breezy Here.  

EYESPYLA TURNS 10 IN 2013! 

We are planning big things for the coming year. In the meantime, looking back... I met Charles Phoenix early on, I saw one of his retro slide shows at the Egyptian in Hollywood and was blown away. Shortly after that he became a regular editorial contributor to Eye Spy LA sharing his retro slide of the week for all of these years. I have always thought of him as Mr. LA... and this week he shares some seasonal joy rather than one of his mid 20th century retro slides.  Read this story. If it doesn't TICKLE YOUR TOENAILS and make you jump for joy I don't know what would.

See all of this week's Editors Picks or view the full Eye Spy LA Calendar 

TIP: you can find events and other things to do near you - you'll find neighborhood and regional calendar links at the bottom of all Eye Spy LA web pages.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy New Year!

Gee Whiz! Riding the Aerial Tram in Palm Springs by Andrea Kirk

One of the things I've always wanted to do is ride the tram from Palm Springs to the snow covered peaks above. Finally I took a trip with a friend and we had nothing in particular scheduled except fun and relaxation. On the way into town we saw the sign and off we went.

We were so excited. We bought the tickets, got on board, waited for take off admiring all the granite and the views at the bottom. The tram starts going up, we are on our way. We both looked at each other: OMG we forgot we are AFRAID of heights. What were we thinking! What are we doing! We ran to the door... too late. We didn't just leave our fingerprints on the steel handrail, we left impressions...

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

 
Happy birthday to these celebrity December Capricorns: Diane Sawyer (12/22), Holly Madison (12/23), Ryan Seacrest (12/24), Annie Lennox (12/25), John Walsh (12/26), John Amos (12/27), Denzel Washington (12/28), Mary Tyler Moore (12/29), Tiger Woods (12/30), Anthony Hopkins (12/31) 

Celebrity January Capricorns: Morris Chestnut (1/01), Tia Carrere (1/02), Mel Gibson (1/03), Julia Ormond (1/04), Robert Duvall (1/05), Rowan Atkinson (1/06), Nicolas Cage (1/07), David Bowie (1/08), Kate Middleton (1/09), Pat Benetar (1/10), Mary J. Blige (1/11), Rob Zombie (1/12), Julia Louis Dreyfus (1/13), LL Cool J (1/14), Charo (1/15), Sade (1/16), Betty White (1/17), Kevin Costner (1/18), Dolly Parton (1/19), Edwin Buzz Aldrin (1/20)

CAPRICORN - Fresh Start

AQUARIUS - Explore Unfamiliar Ground
PISCES - Can-Do
ARIES - Reality Checks
TAURUS - Taking Care of Business
GEMINI - Awareness
CANCER - Family Matters
LEO - Permission to Wander
VIRGO - Peace

LIBRA - Brain Fog

SCORPIO - Sensitive

SAGITTARIUS - Think Things Through 

Barring something like the end of the world, 2013 is a year that comes with important lessons. Those who have been struggling to find their niche will have better opportunities to find their true calling. Our attentions have been focused on recent tragedies, but from these will come a collective call to action. This universal consciousness can motivate positive change. All signs should be willing to adapt and shift, especially if it means breaking new ground or letting go of a bad habit. Start the New Year with a fresh perspective. Take resolutions to a higher level now.

Read your full EYESTROLOGICAL Forecast

Eye Spy LA has been the online Local's Guide to L.A. since 2003. Content is written, edited and maintained by locals and focuses on local and nearby events and the local creative community.

Editorial policy: Eye Spy LA editorials are stories written about places, entertainment and events that we go to. The opinions are those of our editorial staff and the writer of the piece. Calendar listings are ads posted by the people producing events and activities in the local area. Each week we pick and recommend events and other things to do based on our experience or sometimes because they look particularly unusual, unique or in some other way interesting. We do not recommend them based on any fees they may or may not have paid us for advertising.

You'll always find the latest events & activities plus commentary about where we've been at eyespyLA.com - updated daily. 

Andrea Kirk, publisher (editor@eyespyLA.com)

 EYE SPY LA CONTRIBUTORS:

M.R. Hunter - editorial and reviews

Mark Share - reviews

Kelly Hargraves - dance and reviews

Abby Abanes - food adventures

Charles Phoenix - retro slide of the week