North Hollywood will be playing host to what organizers promise will be a totally free, big ass water balloon fight this Saturday. more ›

While summer's sticking around for a few more weeks, today IS the final day of August. Whether you're lazing in a hammock, soaking up the SoCal rays along the shore or slouched behind a desk, we hope you're ringing in September on a high note. more ›

While the East Coast is dealing with Hurricane Irene and her winds and rains, we're going to spend our weekend sweltering in SoCal. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for Los Angeles County, as a large ridge of high pressure is gifting us with super high temperatures and high humidity to boot. more ›

Independence Day may be long gone, but don't put the grill away quite yet. July is National Grilling Month and when the weather is this good, there's no reason to heat up the house with your energy-sucking oven. If the summer's got you feeling lazy and you don't want to stand over the BBQ in the heat, here are a few grilling events worth checking out. more ›

For dogs, summer can be the worst time to be without a home, as it's the slowest season for adoption, reports the OC Register. To combat the problem, a local German Shepherd Rescue group is trying to adopt 63 dogs in 63 days -- between July 9 and Labor Day -- in an effort to make room for more who need temporary homes. more ›

Are you sitting at your desk thinking "Holy crap, it's hot out!"? Because we are. Today is another hot, humid SoCal day, although forecasters predict things will cool down and dry out a bit in the coming days. more ›

Already sitting more than a mile above sea level, Wrightwood, CA offers Mountain High ski resort, close proximity to Mt. Baldy, and about 4,000 hardy full-time residents. So what, exactly, is there to do in this mile-high mountain town when the winter powder melts away? Surprisingly, the answer is: go higher. more ›

It’s Saturday, May 28th - Memorial Day weekend for those of you keeping track at home - which means if you’re reading this, you might just be looking for something to do tonight. Now, don’t be ashamed; one of the benefits of living in a city like Los Angeles is that there’s so many options, all the time. And when the trifecta of food, movies, and the outdoors combine? Well, that’s a event more than worth leaving your house for. more ›

The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors would like you to know that there will be a lot of people hanging out on their sands this season and not enough money to pay the folks to clean up after them. Or, as they say, they will "implement beach service curtailments," starting May 1st. more ›

The Los Angeles Unified School District is considering curbing summer for its students in order to better prepare them for first semester exams, according to an AP report published by CBS2. The nation's second largest school district is theorizing that an August start will give pupils a better shot to succeed on tests, because the first semester would end before the calendar year and not be disrupted by the winter break. more ›

Tomatoes are at their, well...peak right now, and the HFM wants to help you figure out what great and diverse things you can do with the bounty. They'll have cooking tips, preservation demos, gardening info, and a tasting of all the varieties available at the market. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Market. Free. more ›

It's a cool, cool summer. In fact, it's downright cold. more ›

As Summer goes, this hasn't been much of one. Temperatures have been cooler, clouds have been hanging above... this is June Gloom on extension. What's been happening iis that cooler ocean temperatures mixed with inland heat coming towards the coast has created a low and dense marine layer, according to the Daily Breeze. more ›

There are few better ways available to Los Angeles residents to cool down from the blistering heat of summer than to hit the beach. And hit them, we do--in droves--on weekends, holidays, and whenever we can find a moment (and a parking place!). more ›

Alone, on a dark stage with just a symphony of crickets in support, Mike Peebler slowly intoned the most important soliloquy in the English language. "To be or not to be," he asked the audience, and, though most could recite the speech by heart, we waited breathlessly for the answer. So it went in Topanga Canyon one summer's eve, where Hamlet, a play performed so often it risks cliche, unfurled through two-plus hours on the strength of a splendid cast who played off each other to create a stirring quilt of a drama. And the good news? They're their all summer. more ›

The vivacious beats of Latin Jazz, the lively notes of Zydeco, the pounding drums of Taiko, and much more can all be heard as part of a series of 78 free concerts sponsored by Los Angeles County this summer and into fall. more ›

The City of L.A.'s 33 seasonal pools will open for the summer on Saturday afternoon. Despite budgetary woes, the price for a swim remains the same as last year: $2.50 for adults (18-64), which drops to $2 if you've got a City library card. Kids 17-under, seniors 65+, and the disabled can swim for free. more ›

Your Daily Thread's Tracy Hepler offers up her picks for the best summer workouts to be found in L.A. on the Huffington Post today. The list is pretty yoga-intensive, from posing for inner peace and outer toning in Runyon Canyon to on the Malibu Pier. One of the quirkiest picks has to be "Running from the Paparazzi," which is running workout-meets-sightseeing tour, taking what celebs do to avoid TMZ to a whole new level for exercise buffs. So what are some other great outdoor workouts to check out? How about running the stairs at the Hollywood Bowl in the morning (when maybe you can catch that night's act rehearsing), or aerial training at Cirque School? Give us your ideas for summertime fitness! more ›

As a child, I tried to avoid any activity whose goal was to bean your opponent as hard as humanly possible with a completely unforgiving red rubber ball. Never in my wildest imagination did it seem possible that the merciless game that is dodgeball would made its way off the elementary school blacktop and into the hearts and sweatbands of the twenty-something set. Thankfully, the sport has become more fun than frightening, with leagues like our friends at The Eagle Rock Yacht Club designed to get you off the couch and/or internet (except for LAist.com, of course) and into the local rec center for "dodgeball, drinking, and the common good". more ›

A UC Berkeley study released earlier this week has found that a gradual decrease in fog over the last one hundred years could put redwood trees in danger and make summers warmer and longer. Researchers, however, are not concluding that this... more ›

Even during a recession, some news outlets are still looking for freelancers. Tonight the Society of Professional Journalists presents “Editors Spill the Beans: What do they want from freelancers?” tonight at 7 pm. On the panel are Sara Wilson, associate editor, Los Angeles Magazine; John Haas, editor, Marketplace; Stephen Pizzello, editor, American Cinematographer. Cost: $18 for SPJ members and students; $23 for nonmembers. The price includes cocktails at 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. dinner at Golden Dragon Restaurant in Chinatown. Reservations are required. Please call the SPJ/LA hotline at (323) 259-3350 or send an e-mail to SPJLosAngeles@gmail.com. more ›

In what turned out to be an unhappy coincidence of timing, the Hollywood Outdoor Cinema presented a screening of the classic 1986 teen flick about love, class consciousness and the prom, Pretty in Pink. The film's screenwriter, Johh Hughes, died suddenly last Thursday in NYC at 59, which has prompted a wave of cinematic nostalgia, many of whom made their way to the parking lot of the empty Circuit City on Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake this weekend to attend the screening. more ›

This recipe from Ina Garten aka The Barefoot Contessa really takes advantage of the flavors of summer and is an easy dish to make early in the day to bring to any of the afternoon BBQs you've got on your calendar or put in a Hollywood Bowl picnic. Ingredients like cherry tomatoes, cucumber, fresh mint, and fresh parsley are what you'll find in abundance at your favorite farmers' market, or perhaps in your own backyard garden, and the main grain--bulgur wheat--is a bargain out of the bulk bins at your nearest Whole Foods or the like (we paid 91 cents for the one cup the recipe called for). more ›

Was it hot enough for you this weekend? Summer is in full effect here in sunny SoCal, which means the mantra for many over the weekend was "Must. Counteract. Heat." The answer for many was simple: Hit the beach! more ›

So today Pink's was giving away free hot dogs and now Pinkberry has announced four hours of free froyo, if you like it, that is. The Froyo craze has definitely ended--interestingly enough, cupcakes never lost their buzz--but add free to froyo and the lines will be there. "This Friday June 26th, everyone will invited to come in and receive a free small yogurt of one of Pinkberry's new summer flavors," says KNX1070."The giveaway will take place from 5 PM until 9 PM at participating stores." more ›

Tomorrow marks the first day of summer, though our overcast skies tell another much gloomier story. Today happens to mark the day when several public City-operated swimming pools open up for the season. It also marks the launch of Operation Splash, a free "learn-to-swim project for area youth," run in partnership by the City of Los Angeles and Kaiser Permanente, according to abc7. more ›

Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders at Rolling Ridge Elementary in Chino Hills and Dickson Elementary in Chino would probably issue their school district admins a great big ol' F for FAIL if they could. Those hundreds of students don't get to sing "no more pencils, no more books" for 34 more days, thanks to "a clerical error on a spreadsheet" at the Chino Unified School District that led to the miscalculation of mandatory time spent in the classroom, according to the LA Times. more ›

Get ready to splash! Come Saturday, 34 pools will open to the public for the summer season, including the new family Aquatic Center at Jackie Tatum (Harvard) Recreation Center in South LA. Additionally, 16 year-round pools will begin their summer schedule. more ›

Neko Case at the Greek Theatre on Friday and the 31st Annual Playboy Jazz Festival Saturday and Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl reminded us of how much we appreciate the summer outdoor concert season. more ›