A 2.5 mile section (Elysian Valley area) of the LA River has just been opened for boating this summer. Kayak, fish, walk in the water, whatever now through Labor Day. READ ALL ABOUT IT  from the L.A. Times. Many other areas along the river have enjoyable opportunities for biking and even sunbathing.  This lone beach bather was eyespy'd near Lake Balboa a couple of weeks ago while cycling along the Orange Line bike path. 

JUNE BOOM: Outdoor summertime activities are already popping up and gathering steam. Shake it up with out and about Activities that will leave you feeling cool in the shade.

• Festivals - Hang by the beach in Santa Monica or Long Beach this weekend.
• Dance - Do it yourself or watch someone else's stunning choreography. 
• Walks & Hikes - Cure your wanderlust during the day or night. 

JUNE VROOM: Vintage cars (they don't make 'em like they used to) are always fascinating. Or need a new set of wheels? Cars are king this weekend.

• The Gilmore Heritage Auto Show at Farmer's Market (Saturday)
• Pomona Swap Meet and Classic Car Show (Sunday)

JUNE CLASSROOM: Don't be a dunce. Sign up now for summer Classes and Seminars. Have kids? Enroll in special programs designed for tots and teens on our Kids Stuff.

JUNE PLUME: There are colorful Performances to pluck from this month. 

• Go retro this Sunday with Captured Aural Phantasy Theater's one evening of Night of Noir
• Music & Concerts are always hot tickets in town. 
• Look forward to the 4th Annual Hollywood Fringe Festival - gearing up with 200+ shows at 20 venues throughout Hollywood beginning mid month. 

JUNE STEW: Summer is almost officially here. Find Things to Do that will keep you sunny and bright. Visit our June Calendar for more events.   

PSYCHIC ASSISTANCE: Find out what your future holds in this month's new Eyestrology. 

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 Happy Weekend!

LAST WEEK'S QUESTION:  This looked like a cornfield to me in 2005.  But it wasn't.  If it was not a cornfield - what was it?  

This is a tough question without much to go on. So I thought I should give you a hint and a 2nd chance to answer. HINT: The photo below was taken at the same location in 2008.

What was it then, what is it now, where is it located?

CLICK HERE to answer the questions.
CLICK HERE to find out the answers.  

For more than 10 years now I've been photographing our city and writing about what's going on around town. As you might imagine the Eye Spy photo file is quite large.

I thought it would be fun to share some of the old stuff from the past 10 years with you.

HAVE SOME FUN: Share this with your friends to see if they know. 

Celebrity June Gemini's: Morgan Freeman (6/01), Justin Long (6/02), Anderson Cooper (6/03), Angelina Jolie (6/04), Mark Wahlberg (6/05), Robert Englund (6/06), Prince (6/07), Joan Rivers (6/08), Michael J. Fox (6/09), Elizabeth Hurley (6/10), Shia Labeouf (6/11), George Bush (6/12), Chris Evans (6/13), Donald Trump (6/14), Helen Hunt (6/15), Laurie Metcalf (6/16), Venus Williams (6/17), Blake Shelton (6/18), Paula Abdul (6/19), Lionel Richie (6/20), Prince William (6/21)

CANCER - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
LEO - Light Bulb
VIRGO - Outgoing

LIBRA - Running in Place

SCORPIO - Too Stagnant

SAGITTARIUS - Exasperated
CAPRICORN - Vitamin D Sunlight

AQUARIUS - Life Change

PISCES - Leaps of Faith

ARIES - Juggling
TAURUS - Old Faithful 

Summer is heating up already and most signs will be super-hot busy and staying very active. Take time to chill out, stay cool, and don't stress the small stuff. The lunar eclipse will have us reflecting on the past. We may feel compelled to reach out to someone in the hopes of a reconnect or be the one on the receiving end of an extended olive branch. Avoid sentimentality. If there's a reason this person is no longer in your life, think twice before allowing them take two. In the harsh light of dawn, the moon's powerful influence fades away and leaves us regretful of going backwards. 

Read your full  EYESTROLOGICAL Forecast 

"Dying City" at the Rogue Machine is Meh by M.R. Hunter

Shinn is a notable, emerging playwright with a number of awards under his belt. I presume this is one of the many reasons the Rogue Machine was attracted to this play. That and a wide swath of topical issues are covered underpinned by the lightening rod of 9/11. There's a high degree of emotional and psychological complexity to the characters and a Hitchcock sensibility to give the tension a compelling allure. For all that's right with the script, there's a lot wrong too.

The premise of one actor playing two roles is primary. The story is secondary.

When a play relies on a clever device, the result is only as strong as its own conceit. Shinn's approach is novel, but the impetus driving the action should not be the literary gambit supporting the main thrust of the story. The machinations cannot be so transparent that one in essence can see the nuts and bolts of a playwright plying away at pretence. There's a risk of being gimmicky...

 READ THE FULL REVIEW 

There's something for everyone playing live on stage this weekend. We've covered the best that is spooky, gritty, silly and downright magical. 

These shows are EyeSpyLA APPROVED & STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Urban Death at Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre in North Hollywood Saturdays 11pm - "Pregnant women and those suffering from heart conditions should probably pass on this immersive sensory experience as total darkness precedes each scene. For everyone else who enjoys things that go bump in the night, you won't be disappointed..." Read our REVIEW 

Trainspotting at the Elephant Theatre in Hollywood - "Aboot fuckin time n aws thit, likesay, director Roger Mathey remoots his belter 2002 production based oan the novel by Scottish punter, Irvine Welsh....you just need to get up off of your ass and see it because it is a night of total licentious enjoyment. Read our  REVIEW 

Smoke and Mirrors at the Road Theatre in North Hollywood -"The multi-dimensional show touches on a myriad of emotions without any guile and sleekness. It is at times, almost raw, spontaneous and chockfull of unexpected surprises." Read our REVIEW  

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