Score! Uhh, now what do I do? (won concert tickets. need to prepare)

Cafe Society
1

For the second time in five months I have successfully competed in Mark and Brian’s “No Apparent Reason” game, and scored tickets to a concert at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

The last time I got a pair to see Chicago v. Earth Wind and Fire (EWF kicked Chicago’s ass, btw, and yes I am joking about it being a competition). The concert itself was a lot of fun, but even considering that I had four months between playing the game and attending the concert, I was incredibly ill-prepared for the evening.

I gave myself about two hours to drive from Anaheim to L.A., stop at a Subway for some sandwiches, and park. The first snag came* when it transpired that the Subway restaurant I had selected had no parking lot. WTH? I had no choice but to drive straight to the Staples Center and park.

The Yahoo! maps driving directions got me straight to the venue, but imagine my consternation when I arrived at the corner of Figueroa and Chick Hearn Way and saw a huge barrier there, preventing me from driving into the complex and looking for the parking garage. I wound up paying ten bucks to park at an unsecured lot across the street, and a little ways down, which did nothing to enhance my mood.

I saw a couple of eateries in the Staples Center complex, but there was absolutely no time to eat at one, which resulted in kaylasmom and me eating arena food at arena food prices (twenty-five bucks will get you two Chicken Caesar salad wraps, and two small sodas, if you adopt the attitude that you don’t tip at McDonalds, so why would you feel obliged to tip at a stadium snack bar?).

So, this time, I’m going to be prepared, provided I can get the kind assistance of my fellow LA Basin Dopers. So, anyone who’s been to enough events at Nokia Theatre/Staples Center to know their way around, please help me out:

First, where’s a nearby place to eat a not-extravagently overpriced meal (something in the general price range of Black Angus/Chili’s/Marie Callendars, although I know none of those are actually within a reasonable distance from the venue)? It should be a place that has parking, and I could also use some insight into how much time I should allow for having dinner and getting to the theatre for the 8:00 start time (it’s probably okay to fudge that by fifteen or twenty minutes, if they do like they did at the last concert).

And how does one approach the complex so as to take advantage of the venue’s parking facilities (I refuse to countenance the possiblilty that they don’t have any)? And how much does it cost to park there?

Thanks very much for any help you can give me.

*ETA: Come to think of it, the actual first snag came when it turned out that a bunch of other people were also using the Santa Monica Freeway that evening, and I arrived in the neighborhood only about an hour before the show time printed on the tickets

2

Get a good pair of earplugs. Trust me. You’ll be much happier.

3

Might not be a bad idea. The sound in the EW&F set was vibrating the floor in the back of the loge section, and I think that’s why the dog threw up that evening, and again the next morning.

I’m not sure Hall and Oates are going to have such a robust approach to their amplification. Would they? Or are you merely commenting on the acoustics of the venue itself?

4

Better to have them than not. They’re small, you can keep 'em in a pocket. It’s more of a general rule of thumb when going to a concert.

5

Funny, I didn’t feel any need for them at the Michael Buble concert…

:wink:

6

Umm, I am tired and maybe missed it, but what concert did you win tickets to?

7

Hall & Oates? Take a lighter, and rest your lungs. Few acts are more worthy of the derisive Free Bird call.

8

mswas, yes, as Oakminster says, Hall and Oates. And I don’t think lighters are used so much any more. It’s more about holding up your cellphone, and letting the glow of the screen do the work.

Anyway, does anyone know how to get to the parking structure?

9

Bah. Didn’t mean to be such a dick. Sorry for the threadshitting.

10

Subway?? Chili’s?? Marie Callendars?? It’s been a long time since I’ve been to LA, and I can’t say I’m familiar with the layout of the city and its neighborhoods so forgive me if I’m way off base, but I was under the impression the city was a treasure trove of countless interesting, authentic and reasonably priced ethnic restaurants of all types? If I’m halfway correct, maybe you could look up some recommendations from Jonathan Gold?

11

I’m sure it is, and I’d be greatly appreciative of somebody recommending one or more of them, with a little knowledge of approximately how much I’m prepared to spend.

That said, thanks for pointing me at Jonathan Gold. I’ll look him up.

And Oakminster, don’t worry about it. I don’t think Hall and Oates ever played “Freebird”, but kaylasmom and I aren’t really the types to go screaming out song suggestions in the middle of a set anyway. We’re more the kind who wish the folks in the front row seats would just sit down and enjoy the music (and stop blocking my view).

12

Sell the tickets and buy their albums. You will enjoy the experience more and longer.

13

And not even Ethnic. The Original Tommys Chiliburgers, the Original Pantry Cafe
877 South Figueroa Street, http://www.pantrycafe.com/
Clifton’s Cafeteria, Philippe’s French Dip Restaurant (where the sandwich was born, or was it Coles? also a good choice), or the famous Pinks hot dogs.

All of which are historical, serve moderately priced tasty food, and are in or near downtown.

You’d eat at a mass chain like Subway, Chili’s, or Marie Callendars? When you could scarf a Pinks or eat a great steak at the Original Pantry? Fah!:stuck_out_tongue:

Trust me, dude- try one of those. It will make your trip more of an experience than simply grabbing some cheap fast food.

14

It’s a thought, but kaylasmom and I have been working on getting back to dating at least a couple of times a month. It’s been easy enough for the past three weeks with Michaela out of the house, but overcoming inertia to go out once she’s back in school will be a lot easier when we have an opportunity like this.

And thanks for the suggestions, DrDeth. I’m fondly familiar with both Pink’s and Tommy’s, although I would have thought either one was a bit out of the way. Anyway, kaylasmom would probably just as soon have comfort food. So, I’ll forget that I’m a Democrat for the evening and line Mr. Riordan’s pockets some. The Wednesday specials menu looks pretty tasty :stuck_out_tongue: (that’s supposed to be a licking-my-chops smiley, not a raspberry).

15

You can’t get more Comfort Food than The Pantry.

What do you mean by " So, I’ll forget that I’m a Democrat for the evening and line Mr. Riordan’s pockets some. The Wednesday specials menu looks pretty tasty…"? What restaurant are you referring to?

16

Richard Riordan, former Republican mayor of Los Angeles, owns the Pantry.

17

Staples Center Parking

18

Thanks, lawoot. Just what I was hoping for.