LA can't compete with Paris for cultural offerings. The things that are available in LA are usually far away from where we live, since the city is so spread out.
I would take the metro or a bus for an hour to attend a cultural event in Paris, but consider an hour's drive on the LA freeway system much too long to go to a museum, play or concert on a regular basis.
Evidently for me, proximity counts. So, when a flier fell out of my newspaper a few weeks ago advertising "The Bard In The Garden", a Shakespeare play in a nearby botanic garden, I immediately called for tickets. "Nearby garden" is still a 30+ minute drive, especially in Friday night traffic -- practically in our backyard!
I'd never been to the venue before, the South Coast Botanic Gardens in Palos Verdes so I was doubly excited to see "As You Like It" en plein air (outdoors).
I planned and packed a picnic dinner. We have a nice picnic basket that has everything needed for an elegant meal. We discussed what to wear. Do we dress for the theatre, albeit outside, or for the beach? A happy medium seemed to be the answer, with a sweater and blanket thrown in. We packed the car with our beach chairs and we were off.
I anticipated a crowd and worried that we would arrive late and not be able to see. We hit traffic and were later than we had planned. But, we weren't late at all and got a good spot for our night's activities. Other people filed in and set up their temporary camps as the sun set. It was quiet, calm, warm, relaxed.
The performance started. Just a bare stage with actors in everyday clothes. The performance was a modern production with songs and some new scenes. I'd read the play and studied a synopsis so I could easily follow the plot, picking out the new from the old. I enjoyed every minute of it.
The night air, the performance, the picnic. I guess LA has more to offer than I've given it credit for.
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