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Best things to do this week in Los Angeles and Southern California: September 15-18
Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a grand slam home run during the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on September 10, 2025.
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Katelyn Mulcahy
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Getty Images
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Our Picks
Hey there, and welcome to Best Things to Do.
If you have a fall long weekend in you, I’d be remiss not to point out that San Diego is having a real arts moment. Just this week, The Joan — a new performing arts center in the Arts District’s Liberty Station — opened in a historic former Navy building and will be the Cygnet Theatre’s new home. The first season includes shows like Stephen Sondheim’s Follies this month and Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike in October. Well worth the drive, it sounds like!
Closer to home, the Hollywood Bowl is a classic rock delight, with The Who’s farewell tour on Wednesday night and Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts on Monday. Licorice Pizza has more music picks, including Nine Inch Nails at the Forum on Thursday and Friday and Jeff Goldblum & the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra at the YouTube Theater on Tuesday.
More from LAist: Catch up on all the fall TV filmed in L.A., learn about the group teaching kids with autism to surf, and — best news ever — make some downtown diner plans, because the Original Pantry has reopened its doors.
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Also this week...
Events
Weds. Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m.
The Moth StorySLAM: 'Underdog'
Los Globos
3040 W Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake
COST: $15; MORE INFO
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Matthias Wagner
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Unsplash
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Bring your best David-and-Goliath story because The Moth’s StorySLAM theme this month is "Underdog." Participants are chosen at random to tell a five-minute tale that wows — and could qualify for the Mainstage performance. If you have a good one about beating the odds, this night is for you.
Roberto Benavidez: Bosch Beasts
Perrotin Gallery
5036 W. Pico Blvd., Mid-City
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Perrotin Gallery
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When I first saw Roberto Benavidez’s elaborate piñatas at a show at the Craft Contemporary several years ago, I was so blown away. I had to get in touch with him. In the years since, his work has exploded like the piñatas he’s inspired by, with features in the New York Times and shows of his work in L.A. and around the world. Perrotin hosts this latest exhibition, and his first with the gallery, where he creates incredible, intricate paper piñata sculptures inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights. They will transport you to a whimsical and wild world.
Monday, September 15, 8 p.m.
Emma Heming Willis in conversation with Maria Shriver
Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre at New Roads School
3131 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica
COST: $25-$80 GENERAL ADMISSION, $48 VIRTUAL; MORE INFO
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The Open Field
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Two women who know what it’s like to care for someone with memory issues come together this week to share stories. Maria Shriver famously wrote about her father’s battle with Alzheimer’s and founded the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement; Emma Heming Willis is in the middle of caretaking for her famous husband, action star Bruce Willis, who is suffering from dementia. The pair will discuss Willis’ new book. The event will be available online for five days, starting Monday, Sept. 22.
Monday, September 15, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Drag Bingo
About Last Knife at The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood
1400 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood
COST: FREE, MORE INFO
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The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood
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“The Bingo Babe” Roxy Wood hosts one more night of Drag Bingo at About Last Knife, the excellently named restaurant in Hollywood’s The Godfrey Hotel. Guests will enjoy complimentary bingo cards, daubers and markers, while Roxy guides them through multiple games with her infectious energy and charm — with real prizes!
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Monday, September 15, 6 to 9 p.m.
Pitch Please: Freelance Journalism 101
Junior High Los Angeles
603 South Brand Blvd., Glendale
COST: $25; MORE INFO
Have a story you’re passionate about but not sure where to start? As a freelance journalist myself, I’ll tell you that it’s rewarding, but the hustle is real! This all-ages workshop at Junior High with Ari Saperstein (This American Life) will show you the ropes, and you’ll leave with a ready-to-send-out pitch on whatever topic you’re working on. We are big fans of freelancers, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a home for your story in public media? If you go, keep me posted.
Wednesday, September 17, 7 p.m.
North Mississippi Allstars
Troubadour
9081 N Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood
COST: $39.69; MORE INFO
Cody Dickinson of the band North Mississippi Allstars performs onstage during the third annual Austin Blues Festival at Moody Amphitheater in Texas.
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Rick Kern
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Getty Images
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Ooooh, if you have never seen the North Mississippi Allstars, you’re in for a treat. Regular readers of this column know I’m a big New Orleans jazz/funk fan, and I try to make it to Jazzfest every year. Lucky for us, Jazzfest is coming here in the form of the North Mississippi Allstars’ Still Shakin’ Out Now tour, headlining at the Troubadour. Get ready to boogie!
Wednesday, September 17, 7:10 p.m.
Dodgers Nurses Night at Dodgers vs. Phillies
1000 Vin Scully Ave., Elysian Park
COST: FROM $55; MORE INFO
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 18: An exterior view of Dodger Stadium before a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 18, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
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Getty Images North America
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Calling all nurses and the families who support them! It’s Nurses Night at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. First off, you get to see two of the top teams in the National League go head-to-head, while also enjoying a special pregame ceremony that recognizes the heroic efforts of our local nurses. The ticket package also includes a special Nurses Appreciation Night gift.
Viewing Pick
Through Saturday, September 20
Hola México Film Festival
Multiple theater locations
COST: FROM $16.60; MORE INFO
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the largest Mexican film festival outside of Mexico, Hola México. This 17th annual edition runs through Sept. 20 and features Spanish-language films from comedies and dramas to animation, soap opera epics and many more.
Dine & Drink Deals
Ongoing
High Holiday catering
Jyan Isaac Bread
1620 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica
COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
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Jyan Isaac Bread
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Get your carbs to celebrate the season, from babka and bagels to challah — long (24 inches!), round and raisin — are ready for preorder at the always popular Westside bakery, Jyan Isaac. Well worth the trip west, orders are open for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Bagel kits require a 72-hour advance notice.
Thursday, September 18, 6:30 p.m.
Inside Japan’s Hyper-realistic Food Replicas
Japan House Los Angeles
6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Iwasaki Co. via Japan House Los Angeles
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How do they do it? Those teeny-tiny perfect replicas of intricate dishes that you see across Japanese culture didn’t just come out of thin air. Join special guest speaker Takashi Nakai of the company Iwasaka, which started making food replicas in 1932, to learn about the history of shokuhin sampuru — the art of making hyper-realistic food replicas. It's had a place in Japanese culture since the late 1800s.
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