Roundup: Free Museum Day Sept. 27; Virgin America flies JFK-LAS with HBO's ' Entourage'; local Greek & lobster festivals

Weekend festivals around L.A. | Looking for something to do this weekend? The L.A. Greek Fest 2008 will be going on this weekend (Sept. 5-7) at St. Sophia’s Cathedral at Pico Boulevard and Normandie Avenue. Enjoy Greek food, dancing and lots of music. The festival is hosted by Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson. Read: A Greek festival in a Latino area? Zorba would say, ‘Why not?’

The Original Long Beach Lobster Festival is also going on Sept. 5-7. There will be lots of live music, a children’s stage with jugglers, mimes and magic and, of course, a lobster feast served by Bristol Farms. Tickets, directions and an online coupon (available until noon Friday) are available on the festival’s website.

Airline news | Virgin America launches its New York (JFK) to Las Vegas (LAS) route today with the newest member of its fleet, a custom-wrapped Airbus A320 named “Entourage Air.” Those on the flight have the chance to partake in a pre-boarding party with Richard Branson and the cast of HBO’s “Entourage” and get a sneak preview of the show’s first episode of the season. Imagine, sipping Dom Pérignon champagne cocktails with Vinny.

Travel deal | Go see one of your favorite museums for free (or try one you haven’t been to yet!).   Smithsonian magazine is sponsoring Museum Day on Sept. 27, 2008, when admission fees will be waived. SoCal museums include: L.A.’s Skirball Cultural Center, Craft and Folk Art Museum and Japanese American National Museum; the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. (The Getty Museum, Fowler Museum and California Science Center are already free.) Read: Magazine boosts free Museum Day and search for participating museums state-by-state at the museum day website.

– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger

[Photo: L.A. Greek Fest]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 8:37 am by Jen Leo and is filed under Good Morning, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.