(Los Angeles Times)
The 22 best spots to nerd out in L.A.
Once upon a time, being called a “nerd” was an insult. Now it feels like a badge of honor.
While it was once considered fringe to be a comic book or fantasy/sci-fi fan, today such works provide the backbone for many blockbuster juggernauts, prestige movies and television shows (I’m looking at you, “House of the Dragon”). Being a bookworm used to be considered a nerdy trait, but now Gen-Z and millennials are singlehandedly keeping libraries funded and making book clubs cool again. And then there’s the sheer breadth of the term: There are so many different topics and subcultures that one can nerd out about, from pop culture to gaming (both analog and digital) to space and history.
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Whether you’re looking to explore the past, the future or the great beyond, L.A. is filled with with spaces that will thrill and delight your inner nerd. Here are 22 of them.
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(Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)
Tour NASA's famed Jet Propulsion Lab
La Cañada Flintridge Historic landmark
For: Space nerds
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, located on a sprawling campus in La Cañada Flintridge, is one of the world’s leading centers for robotic exploration of the solar system.
The Caltech-managed exploration hub was founded on Halloween 1936 by seven young scientists determined to develop a working rocket. The lab would go on to launch the first orbiting spacecraft in 1958, twin spacecrafts Voyager I and II in 1977, as well as achieve the landing of the Mars rover Pathfinder in 1997.
“All of those successes have occurred from this building, for all of humanity,” Jim McClure, JPL’s space flight operations facility operations manager, told the Times in 2016. “It’s right here in this little town, nobody knows about it.”
Space nerds can revel in the history that was made in the Lab’s Mission Control, dubbed the “center of the universe” where the facility’s engineers and scientists track all data from space across both NASA and foreign agencies’ spacecraft.
Tours and parking are offered for free, but reservations must be made anywhere between three weeks and two months in advance. Weekend and holiday reservations are not available but virtual tours are with advance notice. The facility’s Space Flight Operations and Spacecraft Assembly buildings are also available for touring.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, located on a sprawling campus in La Cañada Flintridge, is one of the world’s leading centers for robotic exploration of the solar system.
The Caltech-managed exploration hub was founded on Halloween 1936 by seven young scientists determined to develop a working rocket. The lab would go on to launch the first orbiting spacecraft in 1958, twin spacecrafts Voyager I and II in 1977, as well as achieve the landing of the Mars rover Pathfinder in 1997.
“All of those successes have occurred from this building, for all of humanity,” Jim McClure, JPL’s space flight operations facility operations manager, told the Times in 2016. “It’s right here in this little town, nobody knows about it.”
Space nerds can revel in the history that was made in the Lab’s Mission Control, dubbed the “center of the universe” where the facility’s engineers and scientists track all data from space across both NASA and foreign agencies’ spacecraft.
Tours and parking are offered for free, but reservations must be made anywhere between three weeks and two months in advance. Weekend and holiday reservations are not available but virtual tours are with advance notice. The facility’s Space Flight Operations and Spacecraft Assembly buildings are also available for touring.
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(Joel Barhamand / For the Times)
Enter the coolest miniature metropolis at Belmont Shore Railroad Club
San Pedro Model Railroad Club
For: Plane, train and automobile nerds
Inside a run-down former Army base building overlooking the L.A. Harbor, you’ll hear the clickety-clack of trains rolling along the Belmont Shore Railroad. Around the track, people peer over to take in the scene, their faces Godzilla-like in proportion, for these locomotives are 1/160th scale (imagine a caboose resting on your thumb).
It’s amazing to see what the model railroaders have built here: an entire miniature city called Belmont. Though it is a fictional metropolis, it’s filled with re-creations of many real historical and geographic features of Southern California: the Monolith Cement Plant, San Joaquin and the green hills around the Tehachapi Loop. In the real world, a trip around the railroad line would be 20 miles.
The club, which accepts new members through an application process, opens its doors for public viewing from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays. Kids are welcome, but note that the track is at a viewing height suited for adults, so you’ll likely have to lift up your young train fan to get a good glimpse.
Inside a run-down former Army base building overlooking the L.A. Harbor, you’ll hear the clickety-clack of trains rolling along the Belmont Shore Railroad. Around the track, people peer over to take in the scene, their faces Godzilla-like in proportion, for these locomotives are 1/160th scale (imagine a caboose resting on your thumb).
It’s amazing to see what the model railroaders have built here: an entire miniature city called Belmont. Though it is a fictional metropolis, it’s filled with re-creations of many real historical and geographic features of Southern California: the Monolith Cement Plant, San Joaquin and the green hills around the Tehachapi Loop. In the real world, a trip around the railroad line would be 20 miles.
The club, which accepts new members through an application process, opens its doors for public viewing from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays. Kids are welcome, but note that the track is at a viewing height suited for adults, so you’ll likely have to lift up your young train fan to get a good glimpse.
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(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Celebrate the VHS revival at Whammy! Analog Media
Echo Park Comedy Club
For: Cinephiles
At Whammy!, a VHS-only store on the border of Echo Park and Silver Lake, one can genuinely feel as though they’re stepping back in time, specifically to the 1990s. That said, if you ever had a local video store, it likely didn’t have a few rows of theater seats and a projection screen for live alt-comedy and cult movie screenings throughout the week, as Whammy! Analog Media does.
“Everyone calls VHS a dead medium. It’s literally the opposite. It’s literally alive compared to a digital file or a DVD,” Whammy! co-founder Jessica Gonzales told The Times in 2022. “When you have a bloop at the point in a movie that’s [otherwise] way too perfect, or you have a scratch here or there, or it drops in frames, like, that is alive.”
At Whammy!, a VHS-only store on the border of Echo Park and Silver Lake, one can genuinely feel as though they’re stepping back in time, specifically to the 1990s. That said, if you ever had a local video store, it likely didn’t have a few rows of theater seats and a projection screen for live alt-comedy and cult movie screenings throughout the week, as Whammy! Analog Media does.
“Everyone calls VHS a dead medium. It’s literally the opposite. It’s literally alive compared to a digital file or a DVD,” Whammy! co-founder Jessica Gonzales told The Times in 2022. “When you have a bloop at the point in a movie that’s [otherwise] way too perfect, or you have a scratch here or there, or it drops in frames, like, that is alive.”
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(Christopher Knight / Los Angeles Times)
Find curiosities and oddities at the Museum of Jurassic Technology
Culver City Museum
For: Fans of all things weird
I won’t say too much about the Museum of Jurassic Technology, to preserve this experience for you, and because the people who work there would prefer there to be an air of mystery to the windowless institution on Venice Boulevard. And sorry — the website won’t offer you much more intel, except to say the museum’s mandate is to lead learners “from familiar objects toward the unfamiliar, guided along as it were, a chain of flowers, into the mysteries of life.”
Still reading? That curiosity will serve you well on your visit.
A few caveats: Parts of the museum are dark and narrow, and there is no elevator to the second floor, so people with limited mobility may not be able to get the full experience. (The museum discounts tickets for people with disabilities to account for this.) Though nothing is expressly inappropriate for children, younger or more sensitive kids might not enjoy themselves — if they’d be freaked out by a taxidermied mouse, skip it. There’s a surprise on the roof.
General admission is $12 and must be reserved ahead of time. Tickets for children 12 and younger are free; $10 for students, educators, seniors and unemployed people; and $3 for people with disabilities and active-duty military. Masks are still recommended inside the museum. Open Thursday and Friday from 2 to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
I won’t say too much about the Museum of Jurassic Technology, to preserve this experience for you, and because the people who work there would prefer there to be an air of mystery to the windowless institution on Venice Boulevard. And sorry — the website won’t offer you much more intel, except to say the museum’s mandate is to lead learners “from familiar objects toward the unfamiliar, guided along as it were, a chain of flowers, into the mysteries of life.”
Still reading? That curiosity will serve you well on your visit.
A few caveats: Parts of the museum are dark and narrow, and there is no elevator to the second floor, so people with limited mobility may not be able to get the full experience. (The museum discounts tickets for people with disabilities to account for this.) Though nothing is expressly inappropriate for children, younger or more sensitive kids might not enjoy themselves — if they’d be freaked out by a taxidermied mouse, skip it. There’s a surprise on the roof.
General admission is $12 and must be reserved ahead of time. Tickets for children 12 and younger are free; $10 for students, educators, seniors and unemployed people; and $3 for people with disabilities and active-duty military. Masks are still recommended inside the museum. Open Thursday and Friday from 2 to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
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(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Behold the 1989 Batmobile at Petersen Automotive Museum
Mid-Wilshire Museum
For: Train, plane and automobile nerds
Even those with minimal interest in cars can have plenty of fun at the Petersen, the massive automobile museum housed in that iconic red building covered in stainless steel ribbons on the Miracle Mile.
From the first functional car (which was built in 1886) to a life-size replica of Lightning McQueen from the Pixar movie “Cars,” the Petersen has plenty of flashy automobiles and factoids to marvel at.
Movie lovers can find the DeLorean from “Back to the Future,” Black Panther’s claw-marked Lexus, the 1989 Batmobile and Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine, among other car stars. The entire place feels a bit like a 3-D encyclopedia, with perfectly organized collections of TV-famous vehicles and cars that belong to celebrities including Slash, Daniel Wu and Patrick Dempsey. Where else would you learn that athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Charles Barkley and Joe Namath inspired Lightning McQueen’s competitors in the “Cars” franchise?
Tickets to the museum are $19.95 and self-guided tours of the Vault (which is basically a whole other museum in the basement) are an additional $25. Down in the Vault, there are more than 200 automobiles, including plenty of race cars, lowriders and one-of-a-kind paint jobs. You can also sneak a peek at the 1998 Popemobile (designed for Pope John Paul II), the yellow van from “Little Miss Sunshine” (which was one of five used during filming of the movie) and a massive statue of the Michelin Man. On the first floor there’s the Meyers Manx Cafe, a perfect place to process all of your newfound car expertise over coffee, sandwiches, pizzas or vintage cocktails.
Even those with minimal interest in cars can have plenty of fun at the Petersen, the massive automobile museum housed in that iconic red building covered in stainless steel ribbons on the Miracle Mile.
From the first functional car (which was built in 1886) to a life-size replica of Lightning McQueen from the Pixar movie “Cars,” the Petersen has plenty of flashy automobiles and factoids to marvel at.
Movie lovers can find the DeLorean from “Back to the Future,” Black Panther’s claw-marked Lexus, the 1989 Batmobile and Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine, among other car stars. The entire place feels a bit like a 3-D encyclopedia, with perfectly organized collections of TV-famous vehicles and cars that belong to celebrities including Slash, Daniel Wu and Patrick Dempsey. Where else would you learn that athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Charles Barkley and Joe Namath inspired Lightning McQueen’s competitors in the “Cars” franchise?
Tickets to the museum are $19.95 and self-guided tours of the Vault (which is basically a whole other museum in the basement) are an additional $25. Down in the Vault, there are more than 200 automobiles, including plenty of race cars, lowriders and one-of-a-kind paint jobs. You can also sneak a peek at the 1998 Popemobile (designed for Pope John Paul II), the yellow van from “Little Miss Sunshine” (which was one of five used during filming of the movie) and a massive statue of the Michelin Man. On the first floor there’s the Meyers Manx Cafe, a perfect place to process all of your newfound car expertise over coffee, sandwiches, pizzas or vintage cocktails.
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(Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
Travel back (or forward) in time at Time Travel Mart
Echo Park Stationery store
For: Time travel nerds
“Whenever you are, we’re already then,” reads the tagline for the Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for “purveyors of the past, present and future.” Step inside to find whimsical offerings ranging from tchotchkes (including a “pastport” and time travel sickness pills) to silly novelty gifts like a steel wool scouring pad deemed a “robot toupee” or a hand-cranked music box billed as a “Victorian iPod.” You may even be lucky enough to stumble into one of the shop’s delightful events, like the recent Tea Party for Extinct Birds.
The store’s Echo Park location, which doubles as the headquarters of student-authored publishing house Barnacle & Barnacle Publishers, opened in 2008, with a second Mar Vista location (pictured above) following in 2012.
The storefront is affiliated with 826LA, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the creative and expository writing skills of students. 826LA offers free student programs funded by the proceeds from the store.
“Whenever you are, we’re already then,” reads the tagline for the Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for “purveyors of the past, present and future.” Step inside to find whimsical offerings ranging from tchotchkes (including a “pastport” and time travel sickness pills) to silly novelty gifts like a steel wool scouring pad deemed a “robot toupee” or a hand-cranked music box billed as a “Victorian iPod.” You may even be lucky enough to stumble into one of the shop’s delightful events, like the recent Tea Party for Extinct Birds.
The store’s Echo Park location, which doubles as the headquarters of student-authored publishing house Barnacle & Barnacle Publishers, opened in 2008, with a second Mar Vista location (pictured above) following in 2012.
The storefront is affiliated with 826LA, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the creative and expository writing skills of students. 826LA offers free student programs funded by the proceeds from the store.
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(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
See the historic Hooker 100-inch telescope at Mt. Wilson Observatory
Pasadena Observatory
For: Space nerds
Unbeknownst to many Angelenos, Griffith Observatory is not the only gateway to the cosmos in town. Mt. Wilson Observatory, perched high on a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, stands as another vintage testament to Los Angeles’ once-dark skies — before the city lights drowned out the starlight. Accessible by way of a winding road off the Angeles Crest Highway, it still feels worlds away from the bustling megapolis below.
The nearly 120-year-old institution holds a scientific claim to fame: A century ago, astronomer Edwin Hubble gazed through the observatory’s Hooker 100-inch telescope and spied celestial phenomena he would use to prove that we’re not alone in the universe. Our galaxy is just one of many in an expanding space.
The prodigious telescope that enabled Hubble’s and other luminaries’ universe-altering discoveries marked an engineering feat when it was completed in 1917, becoming the world’s largest telescope until 1949. More than 100 years later, it’s still the observatory’s biggest draw.
On some ticketed nights, members of the public can peer through the hulking instrument into our celestial backyard. Every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors are welcome to observe the telescope from a viewing window housed in a white dome on the woodsy campus. Nearby is the rudimentary but charming one-room Astronomical Museum, which provides an overview of the observatory’s beginnings and notable scientific achievements.
If you want to make a day of it, take advantage of one of the many hikes that crisscross the mountain. Pro tip: At 5,715 feet, the observatory is elevated enough to offer a cool respite when temperatures soar below. In winter, it can snow.
Unbeknownst to many Angelenos, Griffith Observatory is not the only gateway to the cosmos in town. Mt. Wilson Observatory, perched high on a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, stands as another vintage testament to Los Angeles’ once-dark skies — before the city lights drowned out the starlight. Accessible by way of a winding road off the Angeles Crest Highway, it still feels worlds away from the bustling megapolis below.
The nearly 120-year-old institution holds a scientific claim to fame: A century ago, astronomer Edwin Hubble gazed through the observatory’s Hooker 100-inch telescope and spied celestial phenomena he would use to prove that we’re not alone in the universe. Our galaxy is just one of many in an expanding space.
The prodigious telescope that enabled Hubble’s and other luminaries’ universe-altering discoveries marked an engineering feat when it was completed in 1917, becoming the world’s largest telescope until 1949. More than 100 years later, it’s still the observatory’s biggest draw.
On some ticketed nights, members of the public can peer through the hulking instrument into our celestial backyard. Every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors are welcome to observe the telescope from a viewing window housed in a white dome on the woodsy campus. Nearby is the rudimentary but charming one-room Astronomical Museum, which provides an overview of the observatory’s beginnings and notable scientific achievements.
If you want to make a day of it, take advantage of one of the many hikes that crisscross the mountain. Pro tip: At 5,715 feet, the observatory is elevated enough to offer a cool respite when temperatures soar below. In winter, it can snow.
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(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
View prehistoric fossils and artifacts at the Natural History Museum
Exposition Park Museum
For: History buffs
Trying to inspire wonder, discovery and responsibility in natural and cultural worlds has been the mission for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County since 1913. The museum sees people, as well as the elements surrounding them in the world, as all connected. This philosophy is reflected in its practices at the museum, which offers insightful educational opportunities and promotes curiosity and understanding.
The museum safeguards more than 35 million specimens and artifacts and offers three floors of permanent exhibits. One of its signature exhibits is the dueling dinosaurs at its Grand Foyer entrance. Two complete skeletons of a Tyrannosaurus rex and a Triceratops are locked in battle there.
Also on offer are rare fossils, grand dioramas of African and American mammals, marine animals, pre-Columbian culture and historical artifacts from California. The museum also houses one of the largest collections of gold in the U.S. and plenty of kid-friendly activities.
The museum is closed on the first Tuesday of the month. Admission costs $18 for adults, $14 for students and seniors and $7 for kids 3 to 12 years old. Children under 2 enter free.
Trying to inspire wonder, discovery and responsibility in natural and cultural worlds has been the mission for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County since 1913. The museum sees people, as well as the elements surrounding them in the world, as all connected. This philosophy is reflected in its practices at the museum, which offers insightful educational opportunities and promotes curiosity and understanding.
The museum safeguards more than 35 million specimens and artifacts and offers three floors of permanent exhibits. One of its signature exhibits is the dueling dinosaurs at its Grand Foyer entrance. Two complete skeletons of a Tyrannosaurus rex and a Triceratops are locked in battle there.
Also on offer are rare fossils, grand dioramas of African and American mammals, marine animals, pre-Columbian culture and historical artifacts from California. The museum also houses one of the largest collections of gold in the U.S. and plenty of kid-friendly activities.
The museum is closed on the first Tuesday of the month. Admission costs $18 for adults, $14 for students and seniors and $7 for kids 3 to 12 years old. Children under 2 enter free.
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(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
Geek out on card tricks at the Magic Castle
Hollywood Hills Magic Club
For: Up-close magic nerds
The Magic Castle, a den of mystery and prestidigitation in a customized Hollywood hilltop mansion, has seen good times and bad. But the club keeps coming back, now with a set of new leaders who arrived in 2021 and ’22. Inside you’ll find a dash of Vegas, a dash of Hollywood history and a dash of deep magic geekdom — more Harry Houdini, less Harry Potter.
With an invitation from a member (or a booking at the neighboring Magic Castle Hotel), you can make a reservation and turn up in formal attire, hand over $35 to $45 per person, then step through the secret door (pssst! bookcase!). You’ll find a series of rooms with oak paneling, eerie oil portraits and handy bartenders. You’re obliged to order in the snazzy dining room (entrees: $45 to $60). Proceed to a 45-minute magic show in the main theater, then meander through the mansion, dropping in on card tricksters, sleight-of-hand artists and other entertainers. The club is adults-only except for brunch performances on weekends, when children are welcome.
The Magic Castle, a den of mystery and prestidigitation in a customized Hollywood hilltop mansion, has seen good times and bad. But the club keeps coming back, now with a set of new leaders who arrived in 2021 and ’22. Inside you’ll find a dash of Vegas, a dash of Hollywood history and a dash of deep magic geekdom — more Harry Houdini, less Harry Potter.
With an invitation from a member (or a booking at the neighboring Magic Castle Hotel), you can make a reservation and turn up in formal attire, hand over $35 to $45 per person, then step through the secret door (pssst! bookcase!). You’ll find a series of rooms with oak paneling, eerie oil portraits and handy bartenders. You’re obliged to order in the snazzy dining room (entrees: $45 to $60). Proceed to a 45-minute magic show in the main theater, then meander through the mansion, dropping in on card tricksters, sleight-of-hand artists and other entertainers. The club is adults-only except for brunch performances on weekends, when children are welcome.
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(Esther Tseng)
Enter a pinball tournament at Walt's Bar
Eagle Rock Arcade bar
For: Analog gamers
This all-pinball hang in a former plumber shop has a local soda-fountain vibe. It’s a place for true pinball aficionados (check out the Orbitor 1 pinball game, designed by NASA engineers Art Meyers and Dixie Rinehart), along with anyone looking for a friendly, community-loved space to unwind.
Eight brew taps feature beer from local breweries, and the food menu offers a formidable, plump and tasty hot dog, croque-monsieurs, croque-madames and other food specials with ingredients from small, local purveyors. Set under its retro, neon façade is plenty of outdoor seating, so you can take in the sun during the day and make your way back inside for a taste of Eagle Rock nightlife after dark.
This all-pinball hang in a former plumber shop has a local soda-fountain vibe. It’s a place for true pinball aficionados (check out the Orbitor 1 pinball game, designed by NASA engineers Art Meyers and Dixie Rinehart), along with anyone looking for a friendly, community-loved space to unwind.
Eight brew taps feature beer from local breweries, and the food menu offers a formidable, plump and tasty hot dog, croque-monsieurs, croque-madames and other food specials with ingredients from small, local purveyors. Set under its retro, neon façade is plenty of outdoor seating, so you can take in the sun during the day and make your way back inside for a taste of Eagle Rock nightlife after dark.
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(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Transport back to 1939 at the last grand American train station
Los Angeles County Train station
For: Train, plane and automobile nerds
For my money, Union Station and Griffith Observatory are the most dramatic public buildings in Los Angeles. But only Union Station can get you out of town fast.
It’s the last of the grand American train stations, a marriage of Mission Revival and Streamline Moderne styles that has been a landmark since its 1939 opening. It’s also a point of convergence for Amtrak, local light-rail service and buses. (And I’m not sure how this happened, but it hosted the Oscars in 2021.)
Take a good look at the high ceiling, the grand arches and the 286 built-in mahogany chairs (for ticket-bearing travelers). Every time I step in, I imagine boarding the Coast Starlight for the 35-hour, 1,370-mile journey to Seattle, the grandest American train ride this side of the Rockies.
Whether you’re going to step aboard or not, you can get a snack at the station. Traxx bar and restaurant’s kitchen is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, noon to 7 p.m. weekends.
For my money, Union Station and Griffith Observatory are the most dramatic public buildings in Los Angeles. But only Union Station can get you out of town fast.
It’s the last of the grand American train stations, a marriage of Mission Revival and Streamline Moderne styles that has been a landmark since its 1939 opening. It’s also a point of convergence for Amtrak, local light-rail service and buses. (And I’m not sure how this happened, but it hosted the Oscars in 2021.)
Take a good look at the high ceiling, the grand arches and the 286 built-in mahogany chairs (for ticket-bearing travelers). Every time I step in, I imagine boarding the Coast Starlight for the 35-hour, 1,370-mile journey to Seattle, the grandest American train ride this side of the Rockies.
Whether you’re going to step aboard or not, you can get a snack at the station. Traxx bar and restaurant’s kitchen is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, noon to 7 p.m. weekends.
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(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Stop for a drink at the 'Star Wars'-themed Scum and Villainy Cantina
Hollywood Bar
For: Trivia, Disney and pop culture nerds
This Hollywood Boulevard watering hole’s whole raison d’etre is to be a safe space catering to the sci-fi/fantasy crowd.
Think of this weekly game as the Comic-Con of pub quizzes — and not because of the Mos Eisley cantina vibe, the cosplaying clientele or the Jedi knights behind the bar (though those definitely add to the feeling). The pub quiz serves up six themed, 10-question rounds aimed squarely at the geek/gamer crowd. “We’re not testing you on the Bible or Laker championships,” bar owner and quizmaster J.C. Reifenberg (who also writes all the questions) tells a group of players on a late October evening that included a guy in an Indiana Jones outfit, a gal in Yoda ears (or maybe Grogu ears, it was hard to tell), and the Scooby gang’s Velma and Daphne.
That means trying to come up with answers like the name of the nightclub in “Terminator” (Tech Noir) or the first big game hurdle in “Ready Player One” (King Kong) or identifying hit songs of 2000 by listening to 8-bit audio clips. Regularly playing teams can earn points for weekly plays in addition to wins, making them eligible for the cantina’s version of league play called Trivia Quest. Winners (most recently a team called Max and the Family Rebo) get recognized via a trophy crafted from an Infinity Gauntlet, with the team name engraved on the base. “Just like the Stanley Cup,” points out Reifenberg, making the rare sports reference of this — or any — trivia night here.
Between rounds of questions you’ll be able to enjoy how deliciously all-in this place goes on the theme. Drinks have names like Wretched Blue Milk and Asgardian Ale. Appetizer choices include Vader Tots, Shire Fries and Onion Rings to Rule Them All (“flash fried in fires of Mount Doom,” notes the menu), and when a bartender has stepped away momentarily, a laminated sign is posted that reads: “Gone to fight the Rebellion. Be back soon!” If you’re a trivia nerd of a certain order, this is totally the pub quiz you’re looking for.
This Hollywood Boulevard watering hole’s whole raison d’etre is to be a safe space catering to the sci-fi/fantasy crowd.
Think of this weekly game as the Comic-Con of pub quizzes — and not because of the Mos Eisley cantina vibe, the cosplaying clientele or the Jedi knights behind the bar (though those definitely add to the feeling). The pub quiz serves up six themed, 10-question rounds aimed squarely at the geek/gamer crowd. “We’re not testing you on the Bible or Laker championships,” bar owner and quizmaster J.C. Reifenberg (who also writes all the questions) tells a group of players on a late October evening that included a guy in an Indiana Jones outfit, a gal in Yoda ears (or maybe Grogu ears, it was hard to tell), and the Scooby gang’s Velma and Daphne.
That means trying to come up with answers like the name of the nightclub in “Terminator” (Tech Noir) or the first big game hurdle in “Ready Player One” (King Kong) or identifying hit songs of 2000 by listening to 8-bit audio clips. Regularly playing teams can earn points for weekly plays in addition to wins, making them eligible for the cantina’s version of league play called Trivia Quest. Winners (most recently a team called Max and the Family Rebo) get recognized via a trophy crafted from an Infinity Gauntlet, with the team name engraved on the base. “Just like the Stanley Cup,” points out Reifenberg, making the rare sports reference of this — or any — trivia night here.
Between rounds of questions you’ll be able to enjoy how deliciously all-in this place goes on the theme. Drinks have names like Wretched Blue Milk and Asgardian Ale. Appetizer choices include Vader Tots, Shire Fries and Onion Rings to Rule Them All (“flash fried in fires of Mount Doom,” notes the menu), and when a bartender has stepped away momentarily, a laminated sign is posted that reads: “Gone to fight the Rebellion. Be back soon!” If you’re a trivia nerd of a certain order, this is totally the pub quiz you’re looking for.
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(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Experience the Pleistocene era at the La Brea Tar Pits
Mid-Wilshire
For: History buffs
The modern era of the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum begins in 1875, when the Hancock family presented an old cat’s tooth, found on their property, to visiting academic William Denton. In the years since, scientists have found the remains of 600-plus animal species, dating back perhaps 50,000 years: bison, camels, sloths, smilodons. Some seem so lifelike, it’s scary.
The tar pits and museum (officially the George C. Page Museum) are part of 30-acre Hancock Park, which includes grass for picnics, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Where else are you going to see wolf jaws, a snarling saber-toothed cat and the skeleton of a mastodon all on land where they were found?
The modern era of the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum begins in 1875, when the Hancock family presented an old cat’s tooth, found on their property, to visiting academic William Denton. In the years since, scientists have found the remains of 600-plus animal species, dating back perhaps 50,000 years: bison, camels, sloths, smilodons. Some seem so lifelike, it’s scary.
The tar pits and museum (officially the George C. Page Museum) are part of 30-acre Hancock Park, which includes grass for picnics, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Where else are you going to see wolf jaws, a snarling saber-toothed cat and the skeleton of a mastodon all on land where they were found?
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(Golden Apple Comics)
Get lost in a comic strip at Golden Apple Comics
Fairfax Comics
For: Comic book nerds
One of the oldest and biggest names in comic book shops, Golden Apple Comics is a nerdy, nostalgic institution that raises expectations. Might you see Samuel L. Jackson in the aisles? Maybe, but don’t count on it. A Spider-Man statue out front and cardboard cutouts of the Suicide Squad toward the back reflect the store’s embrace of new and old.
The store stocks all the new issues to the right, trade paperbacks in the middle and lots of back issues to browse. There’s also a small local artists section and a counter in the back with staff to help find what you want.
One of the oldest and biggest names in comic book shops, Golden Apple Comics is a nerdy, nostalgic institution that raises expectations. Might you see Samuel L. Jackson in the aisles? Maybe, but don’t count on it. A Spider-Man statue out front and cardboard cutouts of the Suicide Squad toward the back reflect the store’s embrace of new and old.
The store stocks all the new issues to the right, trade paperbacks in the middle and lots of back issues to browse. There’s also a small local artists section and a counter in the back with staff to help find what you want.
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(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)
Marvel at the architectural star that is the Bradbury Building
Downtown L.A. L.A. History
For: History and architecture fans
This historic landmark and architectural marvel — named for gold miner Lewis Bradbury, who financed the project — stands as one of downtown’s most luxurious buildings. It was completed in 1894, for a reported cost of $500,000. When it opened, The Times reported, it contained “Italian marble, Mexican floor tiles, delicate water-powered bird-cage elevators from Chicago, 288 radiators, 50 fireplaces, 215 wash basins and the largest plate-glass windows in Los Angeles.”
Visiting today, you’ll want to get a glimpse of those famous cage elevators, although unless you have business to do in the building, explorers are confined to the first floor. It’s still worth a look, as the filtered daylight from those plate-glass windows gives the bronze-colored building a photogenic golden hue. The Bradbury underwent a $7 million renovation in the early 1990s and is today working offices, but tucked into the corner is the downtown outpost of Blue Bottle Coffee. So if you can’t wander the building’s workspaces, you can still chill in the Bradbury with a latte.
This historic landmark and architectural marvel — named for gold miner Lewis Bradbury, who financed the project — stands as one of downtown’s most luxurious buildings. It was completed in 1894, for a reported cost of $500,000. When it opened, The Times reported, it contained “Italian marble, Mexican floor tiles, delicate water-powered bird-cage elevators from Chicago, 288 radiators, 50 fireplaces, 215 wash basins and the largest plate-glass windows in Los Angeles.”
Visiting today, you’ll want to get a glimpse of those famous cage elevators, although unless you have business to do in the building, explorers are confined to the first floor. It’s still worth a look, as the filtered daylight from those plate-glass windows gives the bronze-colored building a photogenic golden hue. The Bradbury underwent a $7 million renovation in the early 1990s and is today working offices, but tucked into the corner is the downtown outpost of Blue Bottle Coffee. So if you can’t wander the building’s workspaces, you can still chill in the Bradbury with a latte.
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(Sam Sanders)
Geek out with fellow game nerds at Odyssey Games
Pasadena Games
For: Analog gamers
Walk into Odyssey Games and you’ll see walls plastered with castle bricks, volcanoes and gaming characters and a large wooden watermill. It’s all designed to put you in a gaming mood, as are the more than 100 games and 50 tables to play on.
The store offers multiple newbie nights. On Tuesdays you can learn Warhammer; Wednesdays, it’s Dungeons & Dragons. Board games are the draw on Thursdays. There’s also an active Discord where you can talk to others interested in gaming and two rooms upstairs that you can reserve for a more secluded experience.
Owner Paul Zuber tries to create a welcoming environment. The staff will let you try out games, and can also teach you games when available. Come in and play games anytime the store is open, in a group or alone. But if you want to meet people, check out the events listed on the store’s online calendar.
Walk into Odyssey Games and you’ll see walls plastered with castle bricks, volcanoes and gaming characters and a large wooden watermill. It’s all designed to put you in a gaming mood, as are the more than 100 games and 50 tables to play on.
The store offers multiple newbie nights. On Tuesdays you can learn Warhammer; Wednesdays, it’s Dungeons & Dragons. Board games are the draw on Thursdays. There’s also an active Discord where you can talk to others interested in gaming and two rooms upstairs that you can reserve for a more secluded experience.
Owner Paul Zuber tries to create a welcoming environment. The staff will let you try out games, and can also teach you games when available. Come in and play games anytime the store is open, in a group or alone. But if you want to meet people, check out the events listed on the store’s online calendar.
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(Sam Sanders)
Declare war at Warhammer Store & Cafe
Monrovia Games
For: Analog gamers
Warhammer Store & Cafe dedicates itself to all things Warhammer, a miniature tabletop war game. The front of the shop has a space to paint your own “mini” game pieces, and the back has play stations for games. Warhammer games and minis line the shelves across the store and are available for purchase. The shop also includes a cafe with Warhammer-themed coffee and tea drinks. (Recently added to the menu is the Skaventide Shaken Espresso, in anticipation of the fourth edition of Age of Sigmar.) Check the store’s Facebook page for event information.
Warhammer Store & Cafe dedicates itself to all things Warhammer, a miniature tabletop war game. The front of the shop has a space to paint your own “mini” game pieces, and the back has play stations for games. Warhammer games and minis line the shelves across the store and are available for purchase. The shop also includes a cafe with Warhammer-themed coffee and tea drinks. (Recently added to the menu is the Skaventide Shaken Espresso, in anticipation of the fourth edition of Age of Sigmar.) Check the store’s Facebook page for event information.
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(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Learn about the real West at Autry Museum of the American West
Griffith Park Art Museum
For: History buffs
Located in Griffith Park across the street from the L.A. Zoo, the Autry Museum of the American West‘s 36,000-square-foot complex appears to be smaller than it is, but it has three floors, with administrative offices on the top floor and multiple exhibitions that are technically underground. At the museum’s entrance is a bronze sculpture of its co-founder, Hollywood’s singing cowboy Gene Autry, who’s responsible for holiday anthems like “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
The Autry is much more than a cowboy museum. The interactive art space has more than 600,000 pieces of art and cultural objects and is the steward of the second most significant Native American collection in the country. There, you’ll learn about true representations of the West, including the influence of Indigenous people, queer cowboys and even modern groups like the Compton Cowboys.
At the long-term “Imagined Wests” exhibit, you can spin a wheel to write your own western, play a “Jeopardy!”-style game to test your knowledge of western films or step in front of a green screen to set yourself in the middle of a fight scene. You can easily spend an hour or the entire day here, whether you’re solo or with your family — there are also several hangout and reflection areas inside the Autry.
The museum also hosts events regularly on the property, including film screenings with Street Food Cinema. The Autry is closed on Monday and costs $18 for adults, $14 for seniors and kids ages 13-18 and $8 for 3- to 12-year-olds. It’s free to visit on Tuesday and Wednesday between 1 and 4 p.m. with advance registration.
Located in Griffith Park across the street from the L.A. Zoo, the Autry Museum of the American West‘s 36,000-square-foot complex appears to be smaller than it is, but it has three floors, with administrative offices on the top floor and multiple exhibitions that are technically underground. At the museum’s entrance is a bronze sculpture of its co-founder, Hollywood’s singing cowboy Gene Autry, who’s responsible for holiday anthems like “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
The Autry is much more than a cowboy museum. The interactive art space has more than 600,000 pieces of art and cultural objects and is the steward of the second most significant Native American collection in the country. There, you’ll learn about true representations of the West, including the influence of Indigenous people, queer cowboys and even modern groups like the Compton Cowboys.
At the long-term “Imagined Wests” exhibit, you can spin a wheel to write your own western, play a “Jeopardy!”-style game to test your knowledge of western films or step in front of a green screen to set yourself in the middle of a fight scene. You can easily spend an hour or the entire day here, whether you’re solo or with your family — there are also several hangout and reflection areas inside the Autry.
The museum also hosts events regularly on the property, including film screenings with Street Food Cinema. The Autry is closed on Monday and costs $18 for adults, $14 for seniors and kids ages 13-18 and $8 for 3- to 12-year-olds. It’s free to visit on Tuesday and Wednesday between 1 and 4 p.m. with advance registration.
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(Lynda Lin Grigsby)
Embrace multiple fandoms at Blast From the Past
Burbank Vintage Store
For: Pop culture nerds
In the Magnolia Park neighborhood, the façade of the building that houses the retail space Blast From the Past promises one thing with its front-facing “Mandalorian” mural: the warm embrace of fan culture. Inside, you can find items reflecting the depth and breadth of pop culture from the ’90s and early aughts, from G.I. Joe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figurines to “Friends” jigsaw puzzles that evoke Chandler Bing’s famous inflection, “Can this be any cooler?”
The spacious 2,400-square-foot store means there is something for everyone — comic books, Disney collectibles, even a collection of old TV Guides and entertainment magazines that stir emotions about long-forgotten shows. Remember “Ally McBeal”? Most days, owners Larry and Kathy Ross are on hand, working the register and willing to spar warmly with you about your favorite superhero movie while you shop for your home’s next beloved piece.
In the Magnolia Park neighborhood, the façade of the building that houses the retail space Blast From the Past promises one thing with its front-facing “Mandalorian” mural: the warm embrace of fan culture. Inside, you can find items reflecting the depth and breadth of pop culture from the ’90s and early aughts, from G.I. Joe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figurines to “Friends” jigsaw puzzles that evoke Chandler Bing’s famous inflection, “Can this be any cooler?”
The spacious 2,400-square-foot store means there is something for everyone — comic books, Disney collectibles, even a collection of old TV Guides and entertainment magazines that stir emotions about long-forgotten shows. Remember “Ally McBeal”? Most days, owners Larry and Kathy Ross are on hand, working the register and willing to spar warmly with you about your favorite superhero movie while you shop for your home’s next beloved piece.
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(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Combine fantasy, cats and tea at Geeky Teas & Games
Burbank Games
For: Analog gamers and cat lovers
Geeky Teas & Games is a female-owned, LGBTQ-friendly business with tables and rooms that transport you into a fantasy gaming world. There’s a dwarven-themed tavern and a spaceship-themed room, along with a vast library of more than 400 tabletop games to play.
Donna Ricci, Geeky’s founder and co-owner, focuses heavily on creating a light-hearted, fun and accepting community “where geeks feel like they are being honored.” Geeky Teas & Games also includes a cat rescue, so well-trained cats wander the space. If you want to come alone, the best way to make new friends at Geeky is through its Discord server, where you can post your interests and staff members or patrons will help you get involved. The store is well-staffed, so you can usually find someone to explain new games.
The shop, which can draw more than 40 patrons on any given night, offers some dry snacks and water but does not allow additional food. Reserve a table online, especially on the busiest days, Saturday and Tuesday.
Geeky Teas & Games is a female-owned, LGBTQ-friendly business with tables and rooms that transport you into a fantasy gaming world. There’s a dwarven-themed tavern and a spaceship-themed room, along with a vast library of more than 400 tabletop games to play.
Donna Ricci, Geeky’s founder and co-owner, focuses heavily on creating a light-hearted, fun and accepting community “where geeks feel like they are being honored.” Geeky Teas & Games also includes a cat rescue, so well-trained cats wander the space. If you want to come alone, the best way to make new friends at Geeky is through its Discord server, where you can post your interests and staff members or patrons will help you get involved. The store is well-staffed, so you can usually find someone to explain new games.
The shop, which can draw more than 40 patrons on any given night, offers some dry snacks and water but does not allow additional food. Reserve a table online, especially on the busiest days, Saturday and Tuesday.
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(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Behold the universe, or the skyline, from Griffith Observatory
Los Angeles County Attraction
For: Space nerds
Without ever stepping inside the observatory on its perch in the Hollywood Hills, you can see Los Angeles as a tidy, twinkling grid of city lights, an epic view at dawn or sunset. From inside, you can scan distant stars and check your weight on Mars.
Since 1935, Angelenos have embraced Griffith Observatory as “the hood ornament of Los Angeles,” in the words of observatory director E.C. Krupp. It’s the architectural star of 4,210-acre Griffith Park, with three green copper domes, prime views of the Hollywood sign and a bust of James Dean, who sulked here in the 1955 film “Rebel Without a Cause.”
Parking is rare and pricy ($10 per hour), so you might want to hike up from the Greek Theatre or Fern Dell or see about Dash shuttle bus service from Vermont or Hillhurst avenues or the Sunset-Vermont Metro stop.
Besides its public telescope and shows in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium (32 to 35 minutes each; $6 to $10 per person), the observatory offers an array of free indoors exhibits, plus presentations in its Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater. When hunger calls, the Café at the End of the Universe awaits (with some of the city’s best balcony views). The observatory is closed on Monday.
Without ever stepping inside the observatory on its perch in the Hollywood Hills, you can see Los Angeles as a tidy, twinkling grid of city lights, an epic view at dawn or sunset. From inside, you can scan distant stars and check your weight on Mars.
Since 1935, Angelenos have embraced Griffith Observatory as “the hood ornament of Los Angeles,” in the words of observatory director E.C. Krupp. It’s the architectural star of 4,210-acre Griffith Park, with three green copper domes, prime views of the Hollywood sign and a bust of James Dean, who sulked here in the 1955 film “Rebel Without a Cause.”
Parking is rare and pricy ($10 per hour), so you might want to hike up from the Greek Theatre or Fern Dell or see about Dash shuttle bus service from Vermont or Hillhurst avenues or the Sunset-Vermont Metro stop.
Besides its public telescope and shows in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium (32 to 35 minutes each; $6 to $10 per person), the observatory offers an array of free indoors exhibits, plus presentations in its Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater. When hunger calls, the Café at the End of the Universe awaits (with some of the city’s best balcony views). The observatory is closed on Monday.
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(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
Dig for rare books and vinyl in the Last Bookstore
Los Angeles County Bookstore
For: Bookworms
This is not the last bookstore downtown, but it might be the largest new-and-used bookstore in California. Bookseller Josh Spencer started with a dead bank building on an iffy downtown block and turned it into a reader’s refuge full of drama and hope.
The Last Bookstore opened in 2005 as booksellers were faltering across the land. Since then it has expanded twice and has been housed in this 22,000-square-foot space since 2011. The ground floor is filled with new and used books; used vinyl, CDs and DVDs; an annex for art and rare books; and a stage for readings and other performances. The tall, white columns, circa 1915, suggest you may be sifting through the ruins of a lost civilization. Dangling artworks hint at magic in progress, while the Last Wall offers books for $1 each.
But the flashiest bit is yet to come. On the upstairs mezzanine, you find the Horror Vault and the Labyrinth, where used books might be arranged by subject, color or shape. Don’t miss the tunnel. Around the periphery, studios harbor makers with work for sale. If literature is dead, or downtown is, don’t tell this place’s 150,000 Instagram followers. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. And the bookstore has a smaller sibling location (with books, plants and vinyl) in Montrose: Lost Books.
This is not the last bookstore downtown, but it might be the largest new-and-used bookstore in California. Bookseller Josh Spencer started with a dead bank building on an iffy downtown block and turned it into a reader’s refuge full of drama and hope.
The Last Bookstore opened in 2005 as booksellers were faltering across the land. Since then it has expanded twice and has been housed in this 22,000-square-foot space since 2011. The ground floor is filled with new and used books; used vinyl, CDs and DVDs; an annex for art and rare books; and a stage for readings and other performances. The tall, white columns, circa 1915, suggest you may be sifting through the ruins of a lost civilization. Dangling artworks hint at magic in progress, while the Last Wall offers books for $1 each.
But the flashiest bit is yet to come. On the upstairs mezzanine, you find the Horror Vault and the Labyrinth, where used books might be arranged by subject, color or shape. Don’t miss the tunnel. Around the periphery, studios harbor makers with work for sale. If literature is dead, or downtown is, don’t tell this place’s 150,000 Instagram followers. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. And the bookstore has a smaller sibling location (with books, plants and vinyl) in Montrose: Lost Books.
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