Experiencing L.A. on a "Daddy/Daughter Date" - in Westwood

Back in the Spring of 2009 my daughter really wanted to take the bus into Westwood Village, for a special "daddy daughter date." We could - of course - have driven, but she really was excited about taking a bus. 

By the way, that Statue of Liberty billboard on the right of the photo above isn't a billboard - it's the side of a twelve story building.


Much of Westwood Village isn't much of a "village" anymore. This is at the corner of Westwood & Wilshire Blvds. With over 100,000 cars traveling through on an average day, it's one of the busiest intersections in Los Angeles.


This is to prove that - yes - we did take the bus. The MTA driver was super friendly, and there was zero traffic into Westwood (it was a Saturday). I actually walked from our home to Westwood Village a couple of times (long walks). Riding with my daughter = much more fun!


This is much more of the "village" of Westwood Village: on Broxton Avenue, with the "Fox Village" movie theater visible in the distance through the trees. In addition to being the home of UCLA (my alma mater), Westwood has (or up until recently had) the highest concentration of single screen movie theaters in the world.

At this exact same spot a year or so later, I came across the Steve Carrell fim "Dinner For Schmucks" being filmed. Apparently, Broxton Avenue in Westwood Village is a popular "on location" site. Here's a link to a previous post on what that was all about. 

Westwood Village, circa 1980. Anyone else remember those weekend art shows? 

While still a nice place to visit, Westwood is not longer the entertainment "mecca" it was in the 1980's. Found this photo on the "Vintage Los Angeles" Facebook site.


Westwood is technically part of the city of Los Angeles.

Westwood, as well as places like Brentwood, Hollywood, Venice are all communities within the city limits of Los Angeles. Meanwhile ... Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Pasadena are all separate, independent cities. Confused? Don't be. Even people who've lived here their entire lives aren't sure what's part of the city of L.A. - and what's not. Here's a link to a previous post on what's is - and what's not - part of the city of Los Angeles.


Lunch at Subway: my daughter's choice. If you're in Westwood and looking for a place to park, I highly recommend the public parking garage at 1036 Broxton Aveune. The first two hours are free.


Dessert at Diddy Riese. Now we're talking!


Huge line out the door. Yummy ice cream and cookies - at a price that blows away all competition.


Their big cookie ice cream sandwich is just $1.50. THAT'S why there's almost always a line. 


We decided to take a completely different bus route home. It involved a transfer, but my daughter was really excited about the prospect of going a different way and taking two buses home (twice as fun).

We loved being able to help our kids engage with the city, even in small ways like this. 3000 years ago King Solomon wrote "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). 

This verse is often limited to what some might see as "religious instruction" - rather than all of life. Thinking out loud, I wonder if my daughter will even want her parents to show her how to ride the bus - where to get on, how to make a transfer, how to read a schedule - when she's older. How much better to have her mom and me start to show her now.

Even on a "date" with her dad. 

Welcome Aboard. 


View Diddy Riese, Westwood Village, Los Angeles in a larger map

© 2012 www.experiencingla.com

originally posted 3/7/09

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Rediscovering the Fox Carthay Theater - at the Fox Village, Westwood

The Fox Carthay Circle Theater was one of the most famous and successful movie palaces during Hollywood's Golden Age. The theater opened in 1926 and was the site of numerous Hollywood premiers, including Walt Disney's Snow White in 1937. Changing demographics and economic challenges forced the theater to close in 1969. It was, unfortunately, torn down soon afterwards. 

While the Fox Carthay Circle Theater is no longer around, it's "younger cousin" - the Fox Westwood Village - is. And, according to a wikipedia article, it's considered one of - if not the -  best movie premiere venues in the world.

The Fox Village Theater (now owned by Regency, so it's also called the "Regency Village Theater") is located in Westwood Village, just a block away from UCLA. 

Back in March 2009, I took my kids to see the kid film "Monsters vs Aliens" at the Fox Theater in Westwod (here's a link to my thoughts on the film). We were there around 11am and because it was still Spring Break, it was really quiet.


The Fox was built in 1930 and opened in 1931, just five years after the Fox Carthay Circle. 

When I was a student at UCLA I really wanted to find a way to climb to the top of that tower. 

As an aside, here's a YouTube video of actor Robert Redford doing just that, circa 1965. 

No climbing when we went. Just excited to see the show. This was 2009: my kids were 9 1/2 and 7 at the time.

I took the rest of these photos after we saw the movie (and the small mid-day audience left). It's really a unique and amazing theater!

The lobby - like everything is with this theater is massive - with some beautiful detail.

The drinking fountain. Beautiful tile work.

An amazing bass relief in the lobby. The gold-miner theme is again similar in many ways to the old Fox Carthy Circle Theater. I can't imagine this being green-lighted in a theater built today. But then again, The Fox Village is now over 80 years old.

The steps leading up to the balcony ... and bathrooms.

Artwork: check.

Along the walls upstairs: old photos of the theater from over the years.

Back when it opened. Look at the car to the right.

The Fox is still used for major Hollywood premiers by the Studios. Films that have had their world premier have included: James Bond, JFK, Mission Impossible, Batman, Harry Potter, Independence Day, Terminator - and hundreds of others. 

I was working at UCLA in November 2009, when I literally walked by the Fox Village before the world premiere for "Twilight New Moon" (no, I didn't stick around). Here's a link to what that was like. 

The auditorium is just massive, seating close to 1400 people. It has to be one of the largest single screen theaters in Los Angeles. And, thanks to renovations in 1999, it's in fantastic shape. I would definitely recommend seeing a movie here.

Even the ceiling is impressive!

The Fox Village was built just two years after sound was introduced to motion pictures. Really incredible. Yet movies are based on one thing: stories.

Stories capture our imaginations, they move our heads and our hearts. They're incredibly influential. What do my kids want to hear when I tuck them in at night? A story.

As a campus minister, I'm reminded that Jesus did much of His teaching in parables, stories. They were immediately remembered by His audience, and His opponents. To this day, the stories and parables Jesus told continue to transform the lives of millions of men and women, in countries and cultures the world over.

A couple days after I was inside the Fox Village Theater, I had the privilege of meeting over coffee with a young film maker whose upcoming film will be showing in the Cannes Film Festival. He's a Christian, committed to bringing his faith and his world-view into what he does. Fantastic, really. I wish him all the best.

The Fox was built when, aside from radio and print medium, movies were the only way of conveying story. Yet, despite advances in technology, that's what it all comes back to. Or, at least it should. 

photo credit: www.mrdaps.com

Meanwhile, if you still want to see the Fox Carthay Circle Theater, the folks from Burbank have just put the finishing touches on what looks like a spectacular replica down in Anaheim - the centerpiece of the new "Buena Vista Street" in the Disney California Adventure park, opening this weekend. Looks like they've done a great job. 

photo credit: www.dlandlive.com

Their Carthay Circle Theater is actually a high-end restaurant, in the spirit of the old Brown Derby. Nice, but bring your wallet.

If you want to experience the real deal - that is, see a film in one of the most significant movie theaters in the world, head on over the the Fox Village Theater in Westwood. Call ahead: if you time it right, you might even be able to get a glimpse of a Hollywood premiere. 

View Fox Village Theater, Westwood in a larger map

© 2012 www.experiencingla.com - originally posted 3/29/2009

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Experiencing L.A. at the Fox Village Westwood Theater

A few more photos of the Fox Village Theater, located one block south of UCLA in Westwood Village (here's a link to Part I).  I was in town for a few days and was speaking at a Korean campus ministry on a Thursday night. I took these photos with my phone on the way back to my car. 

The Fox Theater is considered one of - if not THE - best venue for movie premieres in the world. It's a beautiful, classic building - in many ways very similar to the old Fox Carthay Theater. It's also centraly located on the westside of Los Angeles, just a couple miles from Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and Brentwood - where most of members of the entertainment community actually live. 

Located on the corners of Broxton and Weyburn in Westwood Village, the theater is able to get an entire city block closed off for movie premieres - with minimal distuption to traffic. That's not the case at, say, Graman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Here's a link to the premiere of Twilight New Moon that I stumbled upon a few years back, and a previous post on what the inside of the theater looks like. 

Thursday night in Westwood Village. Back in the 1980's, people drove in from the Inland Empire and up from Orange County to "experience" the atmosphere of Westwood on a Friday or Saturday night. While in many ways a shadow of it's former self, thanks to it's proximity to UCLA, it can still be an enjoyable to  walk around, grab something to eat, see a movie, and experience a bit of Hollywood history - and Los Angeles. 


© 2012 www.experiencingla.com