High above the urban milieu of the Hollywood and Vermont intersection, Barnsdall Art Park is almost Japanese in its clean and tidy aesthetic. Donated to the city in 1927 by live-theater impresario and philanthropist Aline Barnsdall, the grassy, tree-lined park and arts complex sits atop Olive Hill, an East Hollywood topographical aberration that looms over the Rite-Aid- and Fatburger-anchored strip mall below like some magical mini-kingdom of healthy, artistic respite. Climb up the terraced hill and enter a world of art classes, gallery exhibits and the occasional cultural festival. The giant L.A. Municipal Arts Gallery offers everything from sculpture and photography to sound and video installations, while the Barnsdall Gallery Theater hosts diverse live events, ranging from the 18th annual Thai Cultural Day to the Firesign Theatre’s comedy revue “I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus.” And with the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Hollyhock House, even your architecture-snob friends will be sated. Barnsdall has something for everyone. 4800 Hollywood Blvd., E. Hlywd. (323) 660-4254, barnsdall.org. —Adam Gropman

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