Nestled amongst the rich, green landscape of the Hollywood Hills sits the old historic Hollywood Bowl. Home to the LA Philharmonic and live performances held in this outdoors amphitheatre, it's one of the best places to be on a warm summer night in Los Angeles. It's more than just a visit; it truly is an event. A night out at the Bowl typically starts hours before the show begins. With picnic baskets in hand, blankets to cover the park benches, and bottles of your most favorite wine (or drink), you're set for a great evening of fun and relaxation!
Last Friday, MM and I planned to picnic before the 8pm live NPR broadcast of Prairie Home Companion. We arrived at around 6:30pm and got a spot in the Bowl's stacked parking for $13. It was convenient to the location, and we camped out in Picnic Area 10 near the Bowl. With our cooler and bag full of food goodies, we shared a table with a few friendly Prairie Home companions and had a wonderful dinner for two.
MM was inspired by Everyday Italian's Giada De Laurentiis and made a salad with Arugula lettuce, chunks of Brie cheese, and slices of fresh Prosciutto. We had this wonderfully refreshing and light salad with cups of red wine bought from Trader Joe's Smooth and creamy cheese was mild and blended nicely with the bitterness and bite of the lettuce as well as the saltiness of the cured Italian ham. We also munched on some Chinese-food takeout from Twin Dragon off of Pico Boulevard. I picked up two Mandarin Dinners complete with: Sizzling Soup (which we didn'’t eat because we didn't bring plastic bowls with us); appetizers of Paper-wrapped Chicken, BBQ Ribs, Strips of Cha Shu, Shrimp Toasts, and Vegetable Egg Rolls; Entrees of Beef & Broccoli as well as Honey Walnut Shrimps. My family has gotten take-out from this LA Chinese restaurant for years, and it's quite convenient for some quick cravings for Beef & Broccoli and Chow Mein. My all-time favorite from Twin Dragon is definitely the shrimp dish with walnuts and vegetables, and last Friday we were not disappointed. And some fresh slices of sweet ripened Cantaloupe finished the meal nicely.
After we packed the cooler in the Hybrid, we trekked up to the Bowl where we found boxes and boxes and rows upon rows filled with Prairie Home companions. We were seated on the Far Left of the amphitheater in Section E, Row 3 - bench seats. (Unfortunately, no Box or SuperSeats for us.) Lucky for us, though, it was an LA Philharmonic sponsored evening and we were able to bring in our opened bottle of red wine, some frozen tiramisu from Trader Joe's for dessert, and our beach towel to sit on top of - all in bags no bigger than 12" x 12" x 22" into the venue. (Check the website for more details about picnicking under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl.)
As soon as we walked into the amphitheatre, I recognized Garrison Keillor's soothing and crooning voice on the microphone as he welcomed everyone to the show that night. Garrison Keillor's voice was definitely made for radio, and I was so excited to be watching the show LIVE in Los Angeles without having to travel to St. Paul, Minnesota for the regular broadcasted show.
This week on June 9th, the Prairie Home Companion movie hits theatres across the country. The film follows "a fictitious radio variety show that has managed to survive in the age of television" with an all-star cast including Meryl Streep, Virginia Madsen, and John C. Reilly - three celebrity guests who appeared in last Friday's live performance at the Bowl. What a great sneak preview for the film, with great sketches and live music by Shelby Lynne and other performers.
The Prairie Home Companion show with Garrison Keillor and friends at the historic and beautiful Hollywood Bowl was definitely one of my best LA summer nights to remember. An evening under the stars, listening to some good music and entertaining live performances with a glass of wine and a bite of tiramisu - with great company, what else would I need?
Hollywood Bowl
www.hollywoodbowl.com
street: 2301 north highland ave | los angeles, ca | 90068
tel: 1.323.850.2000
Prairie Home Companion
Broadcast from St. Paul, MN
KCRW 89.3 FM | Sat: 3p/6p & Sun: 11a
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org
Twin Dragon
street: 8597 w pico blvd | los angeles, ca | 90035
tel: 1.310.855.1550
7 comments:
cool! i've been hearing the plugs for A Prairie Home Companion coming to the Hollywood Bowl on KPCC for months...didn't realize it already happened! I guess I'll just have to catch the broadcast!
Hey Elmo! Definitely make the trip up to the Bowl one of these days while the summer nights make for a great picnic under the stars! You can catch PHC every weekend on KCRW/NPR. =)
You are such a geek. Prairie Home Companion. Garrison Keillor. Me too! Who wants to go see the movie??? Have you seen it yet? I'd love to go to the actual show one day. I've seen a "live" performance on KCET/PBS once. It was pretty cool to hear it and see it.
God, what a dork I am!
Hey Eddie! Yes, I am said Geeky Dork. And proud of it, thank you very much! Hey - did you see my list of links to good things... Huell Howser's on it! ;)
I *SO* wanna see the movie too!!! The live show was great! And listening to it the next day on KCRW made it that much greater!
I'm glad there are other geeks out there! But then again, we're all foodbloggers... which is a pretty unique kind of dorkiness all in itself!
Huell Howser!! You are the ultimate public broadcasting dork!! I actually met him...thrice! And have two photos with him during the Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration at the Dorothy Chandler every Christmas Eve. Have you been to that? Every group is there doing the holiday performance thing - even the Scientologists! It wouldn't be LA without them, I guess.
Hey Eddie! Hmm... LA County Holiday Celebration? Is it expensive to attend? I've never been and it sounds kind of out my budget. muhaha! I too have met Mr. Howser, way back when the Japanese American National Museum had its grand opening of the new Pavilion. He's a very nice guy, just like on his shows! =) See you tonite!
The LA County Holiday Celebration is very affordable because it's FREE!!! You should go this year. KCET does a live simulcast each year. Last year Henry Winkler and some other actress hosted the show. It's nice and you get in the Christmas spirit right away.
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