The Brief

I hope you had a great Fourth of July. I checked out the Earth, Wind & Fire show at the Hollywood Bowl, and what a great party that was, with folks of all ages dancing to the hits. It was also my first time seeing the fireworks there (well, unless you count seeing them from a far-away house party on a hill one year) alongside the phenomenal L.A. Phil playing a stirring soundtrack — what a treat.

Explore more at LAist.com, where people like you weigh in on what they think of the new Brutalist LACMA building, get the latest report on beach safety as we head into the prime of summer, and now that this year’s Independence Day is over, get ready to plan for the biggest party of them all — next year’s 250th celebration.

Events

Through Sunday, March 1, 2026
Jack Kirby: Heroes and Humanity 
Skirball Cultural Center 
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A.
COST: MUSEUM ADMISSION $18; MORE INFO 

School’s out and fun summer reading is in. That means comic books and graphic novels are on the table. Where better for adults and kids to get inspired than at the Jack Kirby exhibit at the Skirball? Every Thursday from 12 to 4 p.m. on the museum terrace, visitors are invited to create their own comic book character, inspired by the exhibit.

Through Sunday, July 20
The Reservoir 
Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood
COST: FROM $45; MORE INFO

(

Jeff Lorch

/

Geffen Playhouse

)

Intergenerational friendships are having a moment (see: Hacks) and that is certainly the case in the new comedy-drama by Jake Brasch, The Reservoir, premiering this month at the Geffen Playhouse. The play stars Jake Horowitz (Bones and All) as Josh, whose four grandparents act as a Greek chorus of sorts, helping him through his struggles with alcoholism while on leave from NYU.

July 9-11
Yeah Yeah Yeahs 
Orpheum Theater
842 S. Broadway, Downtown L.A. 
COST: FROM $150; MORE INFO 

Yeah Yeah Yeahs performs during the Rock en Seine Festival on August 26, 2023 in Saint-Cloud.

(

Kristy Sparow

/

Getty Images

)

Karen O and co. hit the road for this intimate tour coming to the Orpheum for three nights this week. Map(s) your way downtown for the show, which on previous stops has featured some rarities and new songs live, including acoustic versions at their stop at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside a few weeks ago. The shows are all currently sold out, but tickets are available on third-party sites.

Thursday, July 10, 7 p.m. 
Macy Gray 
House of Blues
400 Disney Way #337, Anaheim 
COST: FROM $30; MORE INFO

Macy Gray performs onstage during a concert at Simm City on June 16, 2025, in Vienna, Austria.

(

Manfred Schmid

/

Getty Images

)

It can't be possible that Macy Gray’s now-iconic album, On How Life Is, and her huge single “I Try” came out more than 25 years ago. Is it? I guess the listings don’t lie. If you miss the soulful songstress in Anaheim, she’ll be back in the region for a show downtown at the Palace Theater on August 16.

Through Saturday, July 26
Shakespeare by the Sea
Multiple locations
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

There’s no shortage of Shakespeare around the region this summer. For starters, check out the traveling Shakespeare by the Sea shows, all of which are free and going on at or near beaches. Up this week: As You Like It and Julius Caesar, both at Valley Park in Hermosa Beach. It does get chilly, so bring layers, and head to the far side of the bandshell on the rolling grassy area directly behind it.

Tuesday, July 8, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 Y2K Gaming Paradise
Complex L.A. 
433 N. Fairfax Ave., Fairfax
COST: FREE WITH RSVP; MORE INFO

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 03: American skateboarder Tony Hawk performs at the Sydney 500 Grand Finale on the Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit on December 3, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

(

Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

/

Getty Images AsiaPac

)

Nothing says L.A. summer like skateboarding, and the '90s golden era of the sport is coming to Complex. Activision is hosting a preview of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 three days before its official release, complete with an appearance by pro skateboarder (and playable character) Bam Margera. The free, all-ages experience features retro décor, high-score competitions with collector prizes, and a custom fingerboard skatepark inspired by new game levels.

Outdoor Pick

Tuesday, July 8, 9 a.m.
BLEACH Walking Club 
Silver Lake Reservoir 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Film industry folks now have a walking club for low-key hangs and Silver Lake Reservoir views. The BLEACH walking club invites everyone industry-adjacent to join for a two-mile walk — and really, who can’t make an argument they aren’t around here? It starts from Silver Lake Boulevard and Rockford (on the bridge). Plus, LaMill is right there to grab a coffee to take with you.

Dine & Drink Deals

Mondays, starting July 7 
Bachelor in Paradise special 
Islands Restaurants
Multiple locations 
COST: $9; MORE INFO

(

TIMM EUBANKS

/

Courtesy Islands Restaurants

)

Attention, Bachelor Nation! There are happy hour drinks to be had at Islands every Monday to celebrate the tenth season of ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise. The collaboration includes a limited edition drink flight, the Flight to Paradise, for $9. Plus, get chances to win a vacation, Islands and Bachelor in Paradise swag, takeout deals and more.

Monday, July 7, 5 to 9 p.m. 
Strong Water Anaheim x Thunderbolt 
1263 Temple St., Echo Park
COST: VARIES; MORE INFO

(

Strong Water Anaheim

)

If you haven’t made the pilgrimage to two-time James Beard Awards nominee Strong Water Anaheim for their unique immersive cocktail experience, they are coming to L.A. for a pop-up at Thunderbolt in Echo Park with signature cocktails. Strong Water is an AAPI-owned, nautical-inspired bar and restaurant concept that transports guests onto a sunken ship — a “tik-easy” if you will, serving original, rum-based, stirred and zero-proof craft cocktails.

Wednesday, July 9, 6 to 8 p.m.
Pickle N' Tequila x Sushi Roku
1401 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

(

Pickle N' Tequila

)

Pickleball social club, Pickle N' Tequila, is hosting a community happy hour at Sushi Roku Santa Monica. The happy hour menu will be extended exclusively to attendees with a complimentary cocktail. Guests can enjoy menu items like fried chicken sliders, hamachi serrano, popcorn shrimp tempura and spicy tuna rolls.

The restaurant:

Detroit-style pizza is hard to find in Southern California, given how far away it is from the Motor City.

Angelenos can consider themselves fortunate though to have a spot tucked in West Hollywood — DTown Pizzeria. The pizzeria is owned by Ryan Ososky, the 2025 Pizza Maker of the Year at the International Pizza Expo. He's received numerous honors for his pan pizzas.

The food: 

Oskosky's been all over the map during his time as a chef, and he's worked under the likes of Michael Mina, Charlie Palmer and Wolfgang Puck. After gaining all that experience, he’d eventually start a pizza pop-up in West Hollywood.

“I’m a chef by trade, but I guess I just happen to own a pizzeria and won some awards around it,” Ososky said.

What Austin tried:

• Goomba
• "Haole" aka not Hawaiian
• The 313
• The 1946 cheese

The verdict:

“Excellent puff of flavor in the middle of an excellent pizza, soft crust,” Austin said after trying the pepperoni-topped Goomba slice.

When taking a bite of the 313, Austin said “the pesto on top of this zings it up,” adding, “It stays moist … but it’s got a moist and crisp with soft dough.”

Listen:

Los Angeles Angels legend Garret Anderson has died. The team announced his death today on social media.

The cause and location of his death were not immediately announced.

"Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons," owner Arte Moreno said in a statement, "and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship."

Anderson's story is a Southern California one in so many ways. He was born in Los Angeles and graduated from Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, where he was a three-sport star in baseball, basketball and football. He won All-Los Angeles City and All-League Honors as a junior and helped lead Kennedy's basketball team to an L.A. City Championship.

The Angels drafted him out of high school in 1990, and he made his Major League debut in 1994.

He spent all but two of his 17 Major League seasons with the Halos and was a key player on the 2002 team that won the franchise's first, and still only, World Series.

After the Angels decided not to renew his contract at the end of the 2008 season, Anderson signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2009 before returning to SoCal in 2010, this time as a member of the Dodgers. He spent a single season there before retiring in 2011.

He leads the Angels all-time in a slew of statistics, including games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), doubles (489) and several others. He was a three-time All-Star, the 2003 Home Run Derby winner and All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.

But Angels fans will probably remember him best for his go-ahead, three-run double in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series. It gave the Angels a 4-1 lead, which they never surrendered.

But despite all the accolades, one of the most impressive stats from Anderson's career was his reliability. He had a stretch of eight seasons where he appeared in at least 150 games and played in at least 140 games in 11 of his 17 seasons in the pros.

Shortly after he retired, he joined the Angels television broadcast team to provide pregame and postgame analysis.

The Angels will wear a special "GA" memorial patch on their uniforms for the remainder of the season. They'll also play a tribute and hold a moment of silence in his honor before tonight's game against the San Diego Padres at Angel Stadium.

This story first appeared in The LA Local.

For Koreatown resident George Chan, the appeal of public transit in Los Angeles is simple: avoiding the daily grind of driving.

“I don’t like cars, so I’m all for having more public transportation,” said Chan, who lives near Olympic Boulevard and Hobart Street and uses transit about twice a week to get to work in Culver City. “I feel like that’s one of the things L.A. really lacks, a working public transportation system. You go to any other major city and you’re able to take a train anywhere, but here you can’t.”

Even if it takes longer, he said, public transit offers something driving doesn’t.

“I don’t have to sit in traffic. I don’t have to deal with drivers at all,” he said. “I feel pretty comfortable on the train and bus, so it’s not a big deal for me.”

That’s why Chan is looking forward to the opening of the first phase of the Metro D Line extension on May 8, which Koreatown residents like him say will make it easier to reach some of Los Angeles’ most visited cultural hubs without sitting in traffic.

Where things stand

The project, more than a decade in the making, will add three new underground stations along Wilshire Boulevard at La Brea, Fairfax and La Cienega, closing an important gap between Downtown Los Angeles and the Mid-Wilshire area.

From Koreatown, the new stops will put destinations like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and the La Brea Tar Pits within roughly a 15- to 20-minute ride from Union Station, offering a faster alternative to driving along one of the city’s most congested corridors. 

Another view of the Wilshire/La Brea Station.

(

Courtesy Metro Art

/

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

)

Metro projects the new stations will add roughly 16,200 daily riders and increase foot traffic for local businesses. The opening comes more than three years behind its original 2023 timeline and about $700 million over budget, with this part of the project now reaching around $3.51 billion. 

The project is part of Metro’s “Twenty-Eight by ’28” push to finish major transit expansions before the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.

For Chan, that could mean easier trips west, whether that’s grabbing brunch near Miracle Mile or visiting museums that currently require multiple transfers.

How residents are feeling

Other residents said the expansion is also expected to reshape how often they use transit, particularly for trips that currently require driving. Davis Read, a Koreatown resident who is a part of the Wilshire Center Koreatown neighborhood council, says he uses Metro about once a week now, but that will likely change once he gets more access to the museums by La Brea. 

“I’m also excited to be able to go to Beverly Hills, where a lot of my medical appointments are,” Read said. “That’s something that was usually like a half-hour drive.”

But while many welcome the expansion, residents say the city still has work to do — especially when it comes to building housing people can actually afford, shortening timelines for major transit projects and improving bus infrastructure.

Sherin Varghese, a Koreatown resident and organizer with Ktown for All, said buses remain essential for many in the neighborhood.

“A lot of our neighbors, housed and unhoused, don’t have cars,” she said. “Building out infrastructure that isn’t car-forward is generally a good move.”

At the same time, she noted that buses, which often serve lower-income riders, have historically been deprioritized.

“I’m really excited about the trains,” Varghese said. “But I also want us to continue investing in bus infrastructure, like dedicated bus lanes that don’t get closed off that aren’t just for rush hour.”

Wilshire/La Brea Metro station remains closed off to the public as of April 14.

(

Marina Peña

/

The LA Local

)

For Varghese, who relies on transit regularly, the D Line will open up parts of the city that currently feel out of reach.

“I’m going to be able to take the D straight to LACMA or to the Academy Museum to see a movie,” she said. “It opens up a huge amount of access to the west side.”

Metro's overall plan

The D Line extension is part of Metro’s broader plan to connect Downtown Los Angeles to Westwood through a nine-mile subway, with future phases expected to open in 2027. Additional stations will include Beverly Drive, Century City, Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital.

Another major project — the K Line Northern Extension — would further expand that network by linking South L.A. to West Hollywood. But with funding not expected until 2041 and an opening still years after that, between 2047 and 2049, many residents say the timeline highlights a broader frustration.

After last-minute negotiations between Mayor Karen Bass and local leaders, Metro’s board voted unanimously in late March to approve the route. The planned underground extension would tie into four major rail lines and is projected to carry up to 100,000 riders daily

“There’s a repeated trend in which these great public projects are having to conform around the needs of wealthy home ownership groups. I think that’s frustrating,” Read said. “I think at this point, we should be pressuring our elected leaders to act quicker on the Metro.”

He pointed to the K Line extension as one example, where opposition from a group of homeowners in Mid-City, particularly in affluent Black neighborhoods like Lafayette Square, raised concerns about construction, safety and property values, contributing to delays.

“That’s the most important stitch in the Metro system — it would be a game changer,” Read said. “A two-seat ride to LAX from Koreatown or downtown would make a huge difference. Right now, it takes about three lines and can take just as long as driving in traffic.”

The Wilshire/Fairfax station where the D line and K line would meet is expected to add 33,000 riders, according to Metro.

Residents ask: Why'd it take this long

Varghese, who has lived in Koreatown for 15 years, said her frustration is less about the current timeline and more about missed opportunities in the past.

“I wish we had started this 50 years ago,” she said. “But I’m glad it’s happening now.”

Alongside transit improvements, residents also raised concerns about what new development around stations will look like, particularly whether it will include housing that current residents can afford.

“A lot of the housing is built for upscale renters,” he said. “If they built low-income or cheaper housing, that would be great, but that’s not what’s happening.”

Read said transit and housing need to be planned together.

“If we don’t act drastically to construct new housing, we’re never going to dig ourselves out of this crisis,” he said.

Varghese echoed that concern, pointing to what she sees as a gap between policy goals and what’s actually being built.

“We need to build housing that people can actually afford now,” she said. “We need to be affecting the supply directly and not hoping that housing eventually trickles down in terms of pricing.”

The post ‘I wish we had started this 50 years ago’: Koreatown is ready for Metro’s D Line appeared first on LA Local.