The best things to do in Los Angeles this week

The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing have returned, with both a Santa Monica drive-in and a new rooftop in El Segundo.

Make up for a year of missed celebrations with this joyous installation in Grand Park. The free, month-long display from web radio collective dublab, artist Tanya Aguiñiga and curator Mark “Frosty” McNeill is blanketing the Downtown L.A. park in a series of five visual and audio pieces.

Jetsetting-yet-cozy LAX-adjacent jazz bar Sam First is hooking up with East Hollywood coworking space Second Home for this series of outdoor concerts. On Tuesdays in May, Second Home Hollywood is opening up its lush campus (which happens to share the same distinctive architect, SelgasCano, as Sam First) for live, in-person concerts.

See more than 100 works pulled from the archives of Judson Studios, L.A.’s celebrated 123-year-old glass studio, in this examination of its collaborations with contemporary artists pushing the boundaries of art glass.

The Natural History Museum’s in-person First Fridays may have gone the way of the dodo, but the museum isn’t letting the after-hours event go totally extinct—instead, it’s digging it up and brushing it off for an online presentation.

See finished looks from Otis College of Art and Design students strut down the runway in the school’s first-ever virtual fashion show and fundraiser. The virtual event shows off works from 2020 and 2021 fashion design classes. Donations benefit the school’s scholarship funds.

Travel a few millennia back in time to see jewelry, sculptures and cuneiform writing from the ancient Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians, dated from the first Mesopotamian cities in about 3200 B.C. to Alexander the Great’s conquest of Babylon in 331 B.C.

This Mental Health Awareness Month event is pulling together a bunch of community events, like a CicLAvia-hosted bike ride and a BLM LA-endorsed workshop on breathwork and healing; digital programming from Get Lit and Drag Queen Story Hour, among others; and a total of 21 in-person art installations.

This must-visit for classic film buffs showcases four days of beloved movies—from the iconic to forgotten gems—courtesy of Turner Classic Movies. While typically you could see these time-honored favorites on the big screen, the way they were meant to be seen, this year’s festival again has had to move online.

The Hammer Museum’s excellent, ongoing series of biennial exhibitions ups the ante each year with its spotlight on emerging and under-recognized L.A. artists, and the fifth edition is no exception—with a co-presentation at the Huntington Library, too.

Not quite ready to eat inside of a restaurant? Here are some of our favorite spots for alfresco eats in L.A.

You’ve eaten through two bags of beans and six cans of chickpeas. Now what? You leave it to some of the city’s top restaurants and bars, who are making your social distancing as painless as possible.

Some of L.A.’s best restaurants and bars have your back when you need a stiff drink at home. Restaurants and bars can now deliver alcohol to your door—whether it’s craft beer, wine or house-made cocktails—as long as they’re offering food, which means we can finally sip from some of our favorite spots in town from the comfort of our own couches.

Cinephiles, rejoice! You can watch a movie from somewhere other than your couch at L.A.’s half-dozen or so old-school drive-ins.

Alfresco screenings usually pop up across the city well past the summer season. But this year, with most screenings pivoting to drive in formats, it seems like we still have months of movies to look forward to.

Finally, our automobile-addicted culture has an upside: You can see some of L.A.’s most stunning scenery safely from your car window.

We’re so thankful that we have access to some many incredible trails in L.A. (assuming you’re following proper social distancing guidelines and wearing a face covering).

If your neighborhood isn’t conducive to walking and you’re looking for a wide-open outdoor space, most major gardens are open again. Do note that tickets are limited and must be purchased online. And remember to keep a safe distance from other visitors.

Most of our favorites are back open again—with a bunch of new exhibitions worth visiting.