Hoping to avoid the crunch -- not to mention the swealtering temps -- the Kid Formerly Known as the Blogger Toddler and I drove out to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books early on Saturday -- and I'm glad we did.
(Maria was at home, still recovering from a terrible virus that knocked her out for several days. Yeah, it's been a pretty rough week here at Franklin Avenue HQ, between that and the car accident.)
Parking was $8, but ultimately worth being so close to the festivities. (In years past, we've gone on a Sunday and hunted for free parking spaces.) The real reason we got there so early: "Johnny and the Sprites."
Getting there before 10 didn't make much of a different with the heat; it was a sauna all day.
If you're going tomorrow, one reminder: Don't pay for the overpriced, disappointing vendor food; just go to UCLA's Ackerman student union, where there are several fast food choices.
Now, some shots from Saturday:
Ahh yes, the main reason we were there with the Kid Formerly Known as Blogger Toddler: A live performance on the Target Children's Stage by Playhouse Disney's "Johnny and the Sprites." "Avenue Q" star (and "Sesame Street" alum) John Tartaglia headlines the show, and appeared on stage with two of the show's puppet characters. Ex-Blogger Toddler enjoyed it, as did his cousin (who we met up with); I now have those damn songs in my head. (It was actually a pretty good, nearly half-hour show -- not bad for free. Gladly took this over seeing those creepy "Doodlebops." Would have liked to have seen "Choo Choo Soul," but that performance was slated for the afternoon.)
J. Eric Lynxwiler and L.A. Observed's Kevin Roderick man the Angel City Press book, signing copies of their Wilshire Blvd.-themed book.
The spirit of the book festival: Strangers standing side by side, solving crossword puzzles together.
Hi De Ho Comics promises "books with pictures."
Pop culture historian Charles Phoenix holds up one of his great books, a colorful look at life in post-war Southern California. Charles confirms that he's taking a break from doing his Disneyland-themed tours of downtown L.A., but he's excited about his Roller Skating Spectacular at Glendale's kitschy, historic Moonlight Rollerway. Event, which takes place May 17 and 18, includes Charles' retro slide show, this time celebrating roller skating, and an after show all-skate party, among other things.
The "Comix Strip" row of mostly animation/comics-related booths (although, strangely, several non-comics booths resided there as well, including Tribune's Metromix).
Pretty self-explanatory.
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