You’ve met someone new and you’ve got your first date coming up. Here are a few ideas for a fun (and hopefully a successful) date on the Westside.
1 – Go Rock Climbing
Skip the long drive out to outdoor rock climbing terrain and hang out at Rockreation in the Westside, where you’ll have 9,000 feet of indoor wall to get your rock on. Whether you’re experts or beginners, you’ll find plenty of courses and get a good workout. You can rent all the gear you need, and the staff is friendly. One-day adult pass $17, plus $8 for an equipment rental package including chalk.
• Rockreation, 11866 La Grange Ave., West LA. 310.207.7199. rockreation.com.
2 – Stars At The Planetarium
Gaze up at the stars at one of the planetariums in the Westside — they’re smaller and more intimate than the one at Griffith Park. You can take a look through their giant telescopes, and on a clear night you’ll see a view that’s out of this world. The John Drescher Planetarium at Santa Monica College has a night sky show every Friday night, followed by a featured show and special observations. Or check out the free UCLA planetarium show, presented every Wednesday night at 8 pm by UCLA astronomy graduate students.
• Drescher Planetarium, 7 pm Fridays, Drescher Hall, Santa Monica College campus, tickets $6 for the night sky show or $11 for both shows, free parking. 310.434.3005. smc.edu/planetarium.
• UCLA Planetarium, 8pm Wednesdays, 8th floor Mathematical Sciences building, UCLA campus, 405 Hilgard Ave. Room No. 8224. Free show. 310.825.4434. astro.ucla.edu/planetarium.
3 – Take A Class
Take a class together and have fun learning something new. There’s a class for any interest, be it paddle boarding, sign language, hip-hop dancing, guitar, photography, and more. Some schools offer classes designed for couples — for example, The Gourmandise cooking school in Santa Monica has couples classes where you’ll learn to prepare a themed multicourse dinner, and at the end of class you’ll sit down to eat your dinner with a glass or two of wine. The Camera Obscura building in Palisades Park has crafty classes of all kinds, and Go Surf LA offers surfing and paddle boarding classes at Westside beaches.
• The Gourmandise School, Santa Monica Place rooftop market. Classes $85 pp. 310.656.8800. thegourmandiseschool.com.
• The Camera Obscura, 1450 Ocean in Palisades Park, Santa Monica. 310.458.2239. smgov.net/1450ocean.
• Go Surf LA. A 90-minute lesson is $80 per person. 310.428.9870, gosurfla.com.
4 – Try Trivia Night
Sunday and Wednesday nights are trivia night at clubs and restaurants around the Westside. What’s the capital of Morocco? Where was Beyonce born? Put your heads together and you could score the prize for the winning team: free food or drink certificates.
• Ye Olde King’s Head (8 pm Wednesdays in the pub), 116 Santa Monica Blvd. in Santa Monica. 310.451.1402. yeoldekingshead.com.
• Barney’s Beanery (9 pm Wednesday nights) 1037 Broxton Ave. in Westwood. 310.443.7777. barneysbeanery.com.
• Barfood (7 pm Sundays), 12217 Wilshire Blvd. in Brentwood. 310.820.3274. barfoodla.com.
5 – Dine Al Fresco
If eating is on your date agenda, make it al fresco. Cora’s Coffee Shoppe has a cool outdoor patio under a canopy of bougainvillea vines. You can have fun watching the tourists who stray in from the nearby hotels; it’s small, so expect a wait on the weekends. Bonus: it’s a few blocks away from the Santa Monica beach and pier. The Getty Center is famous for its art and architecture, but at this time of year it’s the sweeping city views that really shine. Grab a table overlooking the garden and take in the fresh spring air.
• Cora’s Coffee Shoppe, 1802 Ocean Avenue, 310.451.9562. corascoffee.com.
• The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive. Closed Mondays. 310.440.7300, getty.edu.
