Best Bets: A quick guide to online and in-person entertainment and experiences
This is a continuing listing of online activities and local in-person events.
Lectures & learning
• The La Jolla Community Center presents “Italian for Beginners” at 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays beginning April 4 at 6811 La Jolla Blvd. Paola Baracco will give students the basic tools needed to understand and communicate in Italian. The course ends May 23. $160 for Community Center members; $190 for non-members. ljcommunitycenter.org
• Sierra Club Seal Society docents present a “Talk and Walk about the La Jolla Harbor Seal Pupping Season and Sea Lions” at 2 p.m. every Saturday through April 8 beginning at Mangelsen Images of Nature Gallery, 7916 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The event includes a viewing at the Children’s Pool and Point La Jolla. Free; donations are accepted. Call Ellen at (619) 479-3412.
• The University of San Diego presents “University of the Third Age” from 8:15 to 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday, April 10-13, online. The course for ages 55 and up includes technology workshops, lectures from industry experts and more. $35 and up. bit.ly/U3ASpring2023
• The Pen to Paper writing class is held at 1 p.m. Thursdays at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. The weekly class is open to writers 18 and older of all experience levels. Free. (858) 552-1657
Families & children
• The La Jolla Recreation Center presents the Hoop Bus, a school bus modified with a basketball hoop, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at 615 Prospect St. The group’s organizers will lead basketball clinics for children on both Rec Center courts. Free.
Health & fitness
• The La Jolla Newcomers Club Saturday Morning Walkers meet at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 1, at the La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. Club members or those who have moved to La Jolla in the past two years are invited to join. Call Pat Neuhauser at (858) 888-36666 or Kathleen Franklin at (858) 210-8678.
• Jaruska Solyova presents “Breathe & Bliss: Yoga for Flexibility, Immunity & Serenity” at 4:40 p.m. Wednesdays through April at 1160 Coast Blvd., La Jolla. The weekly class is for all levels. $15 per class. Email solyoga@yahoo.com.
• The La Jolla Woman’s Club presents “Gentle Yoga” at 11:30 a.m. Thursdays at 7791 Draper Ave. The weekly class is for all levels and open to the public. $15.
Arts & culture
• La Jolla United Methodist Church presents the West Point Glee Club at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at 6063 La Jolla Blvd. Free.
• San Diego Actors Theatre presents David Mamet’s “The Duck Variations” at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. The production is the story of two older men sitting at a pond watching ducks and talking about life, friendship, happiness and death. $10-$15; cash only at the door. sdactorstheatre.net
• D.G. Wills Books presents UC San Diego professor Amelia Glaser and poet Olga Livshin at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at 7461 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Glaser will read from Ukrainian poet Halyna Kruk’s “A Crash Course in Molotov Cocktails” and Livshin will read from Ukrainian poet Lyudmyla Khersonska’s “Today is a Different War.” Free. dgwillsbooks.com
• Medium Photo presents the 2023 Medium Festival of Photography April 1-16 online and at various locations across San Diego County and Tijuana. This year’s festival includes 14 artist talks, 11 studio visits, six exhibitions, five workshops, three film screenings and a community pop-up event with 25 artists and vendors exhibiting. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla will present Anh-Thuy Nguyen at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 6; Judith Joy Ross and Joshua Chuang at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 7; and a short film by Debi Cornwall at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 8, at 700 Prospect St. Free; VIP passes are available. mediumphoto.org
• UC San Diego and The Black Studies Project present a guest lecture with Tourmaline at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at SME 149, Structural & Materials Engineering Building, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. Tourmaline is an activist, filmmaker and writer whose work highlights Black queer and trans people. Free. bit.ly/UCSDTourmaline
• Warwick’s bookstore presents recipe developer Heather Mubarak at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Mubarak will discuss and sign her new book, “Stuffed: The Sandwich Cookie Book.” Free, or $29.95 for a reserved seat and book copy. warwicks.com/event/mubarak-2023
• UC San Diego presents “Te Wheke” at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at the Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. The performance by the Atamira Dance Company will explore the dimensions of human experience symbolized by the eight tentacles of the octopus, or “te wheke.” $30-$40. bit.ly/TeWheke
• The La Jolla Community Center kicks off its spring and summer “Concerts in the Courtyard” at noon Friday, April 7, with guitarist Fred Benedetti at 6811 La Jolla Blvd. The series will be held the first and third Fridays every month. Free.
• The La Jolla Village Merchants Association presents First Friday La Jolla Art Walk at 4 p.m. Friday, April 7, at various locations in The Village. Several galleries will stay open late, and food and entertainment will be offered in partnership with local businesses. Free. bit.ly/VMAFirstFriday
• The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library begins its Acoustics Series at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 7, at 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Guitarist Greg Douglass, acoustic duo Blossom & Bloom and Latin group Ritmo Latino will perform. $15 for Athenaeum members; $20 for non-members. ljathenaeum.org/acoustics
• UC San Diego’s Muir Musical presents “Into the Woods” at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 8, 2 and 8 p.m. Sunday, April 9, and 8 p.m. April 13-15 at Mandeville Auditorium, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. $15. bit.ly/UCSDMuirMusical
• Quint Gallery presents “Cosmic Symmetries” through Saturday, April 8, at 7655 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The exhibition features new paintings by Kelsey Brookes. Free. quintgallery.com
• La Jolla Playhouse presents “The Outsiders” through Sunday, April 9, at the Mandell Weiss Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive. The musical reimagines the story of the bonds that brothers share and the hopes we hold onto. $25 and up. lajollaplayhouse.org
• Le Salon de Musiques presents “Mozart, from Major to Minor” at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 16, at the La Jolla Woman’s Club, 7791 Draper Ave. The program for strings and piano will feature pieces by Handel, Mozart and Onslow. $95. lesalondemusiques.com
• La Jolla Playhouse presents its 2023 Without Walls Festival from Thursday to Sunday, April 27-30, at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park in San Diego. Ticket prices and schedules are at lajollaplayhouse.org/wowfestival.
• L&G Projects presents “Stentorian Air. Hear Her Roar” through Sunday, April 30, at 7940 Herschel Ave., La Jolla. The exhibition features works by contemporary artist Sepideh Ilsley. Free. landgprojects.com
• The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library presents “Andrew Alcasid: Turning Pages” through Saturday, May 6, at 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. In homage to the Athenaeum’s beginnings as the La Jolla Reading Room, Alcasid’s exhibit features a collection of figure drawings depicting his partner, Aubrey Mejia, reading at their home. Free. ljathenaeum.org
• The San Diego Watercolor Society presents an exhibition through Friday, May 19, at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. The juried exhibit features works by local artists. Free.
• The La Jolla Historical Society presents “Rare Trees, Sacred Canyons: Torrey Pines — San Diego’s Symbol of Preservation” through Sunday, May 28, at 780 Prospect St. The exhibition features paintings, postcards, photographs, documents and more about Torrey pines and the local reserve in which they grow. Free. lajollahistory.org
• The UC San Diego Visual Arts Department presents “Are We Not Drawn Onward to New Era” through Sunday, June 18, at 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. The exhibition of works by new faculty is the first in the reopened gallery, which had been closed for three years of renovations. Free. mandevilleartgallery.ucsd.edu
• The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego presents two exhibits through Sunday, Aug. 13, at 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. “Celia Álvarez Muñoz: Breaking the Binding” is conceptual artist Muñoz’s first career retrospective and features more than 35 works, including large-scale immersive installations, photographic series and book projects. “Griselda Rosas: Yo te Cuido” is the first solo museum exhibit for Rosas, a San Diego- and Tijuana-based artist whose textile drawings and sculptural installations explore themes of inheritance and intergenerational knowledge. $25. mcasd.org
Easter events
• The La Jolla Recreation Center presents “Hippity Hop Egg-stravaganza” on Saturday, April 8, at 615 Prospect St. The event will include photos with Peter Rabbit, music, refreshments and an inflatable playground. An egg hunt will be held at 10 a.m. for ages 2 and under, 10:30 a.m. for ages 3-4, 11 a.m. for ages 5-6, 11:30 a.m. for ages 7-9 and noon for ages 10-12. Bring your own basket. Free. No registration is required.
• The Estancia La Jolla hotel presents an Easter brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, April 9, at 9700 N. Torrey Pines Road. The event will include live entertainment and menu offerings such as chicken piccata, made-to-order omelets, a carving station and more. $110 per adult; $55 per child. bit.ly/EstanciaEaster2023
• George’s at the Cove restaurant presents an Easter brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 9, at 1250 Prospect St., La Jolla. Brunch will be served indoors only in Level2. Menu items are à la carte and include Eggs Benedict, brioche French toast, burgers, fish sandwiches, toffee pudding cake and vanilla bean crème brûlée. georgesatthecove.com
• Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters presents an Easter brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, April 9, at 2259 Avenida de la Playa, La Jolla. The standard à la carte brunch menu will be available along with prime rib, $8 mimosas and a free dozen oysters with the purchase of a bottle of champagne. sandpipersd.com/reservations
Galas and more
• The Torrey Pines Docent Society and Torrey Pines Conservancy will hold a centennial celebration for Torrey Pines Lodge at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 8, at 12500 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla. The event will feature presentations and proclamations by elected officials; tours of the historic lodge; an old car parade; historical photographs and exhibits; docents in period costumes; ranger talks and guided nature walks; activities for children; cake and more. Free. torreypines.org/calendar
• Songs4Smiles, a string quartet of young local musicians, presents a Disney-themed concert at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. The performance will benefit the Joey’s Wings Foundation for research of childhood kidney cancer. $10 suggested donation. songs4smiles.org
• The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library presents the annual benefit “The Talk of the Town” at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 14, at 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. $250 and up. ljathenaeum.org
• The Lodge at Torrey Pines presents its annual “Celebrate the Craft” food festival at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, April 16, at 11480 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla. The event will showcase regionally grown ingredients and a local wine and craft beer. $250 and up. CelebrateTheCraft.com
Do you have an event — online or in person — that you’d like to see here? Email your leads to efrausto@lajollalight.com by noon Friday for publication in the following week’s edition. ◆
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