Sunday, May 30, 2010

Hollywood Bowl Museum

The biggest thrill of a visit to the Hollywood Bowl Museum is the fact that you can go into the Hollywood Bowl parking lot and park where, during concerts, all the limos line up. Just drive in like you're important and park! Right there, in a spot that was once reserved for Toscanini, for all I know.

It's just so cool.

And you're right, it doesn't take much to thrill me.

Furthermore, because I am so important, I don't even have to pay, not to park, not for the museum. Well, nobody does. The museum is open and free till 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday.

Posters and programs of past seasons and all sorts of other memorabilia fill the bottom floor--film of the Beatles' concert in the 60s, etc. This poster was hanging in the bathroom--in 1927, art nouveau was still quite trendy. A program from the same season is shown above. That was the year of the 'teepee' style shell--it was almost immediately torn down and replaced. (Check out the Hollywood Bowl history page, which starts out with pictures of the bowl through the years--just click on the arrows.)

The second floor is full of changing exhibits. Right now, there are all sorts of hands-on try-it-yourself type gizmos that show the science behind sound. "Sound Scape," it's called. My favorite was a two-foot-long tube, filled with water that began to wave and splash as the volume was turned up, showing the water's reaction to sound waves.

Yes, I'm easily amused, but my 14-year-old companion, who is generally far more difficult to impress, had tons of fun as well.

No comments: