Saturday, I went to an invite-only Hollywood club. It is called Magic Castle - dubbed as the "home of the academy of magical arts." Could this be a real-life Hogwarts? I didn't see Harry Potter, but I did see a lot of magic and some really great magicians.
Angie and I went with two of her friends from college. Started the night out at a Japanese noodle place called Asahi Ramen that was actually quite delicious. I'm pretty sure it is real Japanese, not American-Japanese. When I asked for a fork, they looked at me as if I was crazy. I had no idea what to order, so I ended up picking something that looked good in the pictures on the menu - it was called Yakisoba. When it was served to me I realized I actually have had it before - and I love it - I just didn't know its name. I ordered it all the time at the dining hall in Ohio State's RPAC (Recreational & Physical Activity Center)... but under the name "Asian chicken noodle bowl." Yes. I'm serious. We're apparently pretty white.
Magic castle was awesome. You drive up to beautiful lighted fountains as the valet takes your car. Once inside, you say "open sesame" to a wall which "magically" parts to let you in to the 1908 Victorian mansion.
No photos allowed, so I didn't take my camera. I'll rip some pics off of Google images though so you can get a good feel. Here's the outside from about.com and the inside - one of the magic stages - from JoeMTurner.com (some magician's website). Some of the shows we watched were in rooms like that, other times we just sat down at a card table with a magician who would wow you with cards or mind-reading.
I loved Irma though. I'm a sucker for piano bars, and while this doesn't exactly classify as one, they did have a piano - played by a "ghost, Irma" - who played everything from Beethoven to Lady Gaga. It was such an interesting mix of a crowd, especially evident in Irma's room. There was our group in our low-to-mid-20s, a group of exceptionally drunk 40 or 50-somethings, and a group of ancient men who were probably part of the original 150 charter members when the home was transitioned into a night-club in 1963. I couldn't tell if they were offended or amused when the plastered middle-agers requested Sir Mix-a-Lot's Baby Got Back and sang every word to the 6 minutes of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.
Sunday, Allison and I went to Fiesta Hermosa, Hermosa Beach's arts festival held every Memorial and Labor Day weekend. More festival than art, but there were several exhibits of impressive and beautiful photography and paintings. Again, I didn't take my camera, so an overhead shot from the Fiesta Hermosa website will have to suffice:
When I really needed to have my camera ready was when I went to the Hermosa Beach Comedy and Magic Club that night. I was picking up tickets to see Jay Leno perform, when suddenly, he pulls up in his Camaro and is walking in, saying hello and shaking hands with everyone as he walks in to the club. I can't believe I saw my first celebrity on the street. (I'm not going to lie, I get pretty star struck). We had dinner in the lounge next door and got priority (front-row) seating as a result. And wow, was he hilarious. Definitely one of the coolest things I've done and one of the best weekends I've had in LA.
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