It’s hard to think of February as the “good old days” but, strangely, it is. Pre-COVID-19, fun-loving fundraisers were held with red carpet wear, canapés and glasses of bubbly. It was just the place to see and be seen.
Lisa White, who heads up the Los Angeles Philharmonic, should know a thing or two about that. Every year, she works tirelessly to put on the glitz, put on the glam, to make sure LA Phil opening nights are the only place you want to be.
The Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Mark Taper Forum also usually among the merry makers. Gourmet dinners are served and the DJs spin their hearts out till the midnight hour. But alas, these A-list premiere parties have turned into virtual toasts.
Amid all the hoop-di-doo gone bad, one of the saddest things is the loss of revenue.
The LA Phil, for example, has raised millions of dollars over the years for the philharmonic and its educational programs like YOLA! [Youth Orchestra LA]
Productions still go on, but at these stay-at-home times, partygoers are more likely to be wearing sweats and joining in the programs via their laptops. “We really wanted to create these virtual events that allow people similar connections and feelings they would at one of our in-person parties,” Jordi Arancio, executive vice president of communications for HBO/HBO MAX, TNT, TBS and TruTV was quoted as saying. Well, seeing will be believing.
COVID BLUES GETTING YOU DOWN?
Well, there’s something bright on the horizon and it’s called outdoor dining. Since indoor dining at some of Malibu’s favorite haunts is strictly off-limits, many restaurateurs have been retreating to the leafy trees and blue skies.
Tents, parking lot tables and umbrellas are all part of the plan.
Taverna Tony, Duke’s, Nobu, Geoffrey’s, Moonshadows, Ollo, Tri-di-Noi, Paradise Cove, Country Kitchen, Carbon Beach Club and Malibu Farm, among others, have always had outdoor eating spots. But there are a few you might not have considered. Just a short drive up Topanga Canyon, you’ll find the shady Canyon Bistro with its stellar French onion soup. Across the way, wilderness abounds at the Inn of the Seventh Ray. So, what are you waiting for? Give these outdoor eateries a shot. You might be glad you got out of that musty old house and headed for the great outdoors.