Tony Hawk, the skateboarding legend synonymous with daring tricks and modern skate culture, over the weekend faced an experience “WAY outside” his comfort zone: performing in a ballet.
The San Diego native and “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” namesake, 57, made his ballet debut Saturday skating on stage for Golden State Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker.” During the one-of-a-kind showing at San Diego’s Civic Theatre, Hawk appeared in multiple scenes of the beloved holiday ballet, entertaining audiences with tricks while in costume.
“Sometimes you just have to say yes to things WAY outside your comfort zone, especially when your daughter thinks [it’s] funny,” he wrote Sunday in an Instagram post.
Golden State Ballet teased Hawk’s “Nutcracker” cameo on social media earlier this month, announcing, “he’s trying something completely new.”
“He’s supporting San Diego arts,” the original post read. “He’s making his daughter proud.”
“The Nutcracker” is a two-act ballet that follows a girl named Clara who receives a nutcracker doll for Christmas. When the toy magically comes to life, he defends Clara from the Mouse King and takes her on the journey of her dreams through the colorful land of sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy rules.
So how exactly does a pro skater fit in?
Hawk posted several photos and videos from his performance, including footage of his first cameo during the ballet’s opening number. The sports icon, donning a scarf and newsboy hat, disrupts the snowy scene outside of Clara’s home. He skates across the stage balancing on his board with both hands in the air as a police officer runs after him.
In the ballet’s second act, Hawk was not the only skater to take the stage. During the crowd-pleaser trepak, or Russian dance, Hawk and young skater Katelyn West joined a trio of dancers, launching themselves into the air off a quarter pipe. Like the dancers, both Hawk and West wore Russian-inspired fur hats, tunics and baggy red pants. The audience erupted in raucous applause.
Finally, Hawk and West rolled on stage for the show’s curtain call. Not too shabby, skater boy.
Let’s jump into her list and maybe you’ll find your own shop that offers the best of both worlds.
(Lisa Boone/Los Angeles Times )
Flowerboy Project (Venice)
With Flowerboy Project, equal parts coffeehouse, florist and gift shop, partners Sean Knibb and Stella Shirinda have created an intriguing space that offers a feel-good mix for all the senses.
On Lincoln Boulevard in Venice, the concept cafe and flower shop offers apparel, jewelry, Venice Organics chocolate, home decor and apothecary items alongside fresh-cut and dried floral arrangements.
The cafe serves hot and cold coffee drinks, plus a few specialty drinks such as the Dirty Rose Girl (rose latte) and Lavender Boy (lavender latte), served with flowers on top. Custom flower arrangements are offered at prices ranging from $90 to $175.
(Lisa Boone/Los Angeles Times )
Javista at the Atrium (West Hollywood)
Billed as “The Botanist’s Bodega,” the bustling two-story Atrium in West Hollywood is a unique blend of coffee and plants. With Javista Coffee on the ground floor and a delightful array of plants, gifts and additional seating upstairs, the Atrium is a haven for plant enthusiasts and coffee lovers alike.
In addition to coffee staples such as macchiato and espresso, the bodega offers some exotic beverages like the CBTea Latte.
But that’s not all. The Atrium also hosts plant-related workshops, such as a recent one on how to mount a staghorn fern and create a terrarium. Plant lovers will appreciate a variety of plant accessories, including ceramic pots, misters, river stones and LED grow lights.
To support other small businesses, owner Andrew Ruiz stocks a wide selection of books and clothing along with candles from Flamingo Estate, Lavune and Marak, adding a local touch to the Atrium’s offerings.
(Lisa Boone/Los Angeles Times)
Little Nelly (Burbank)
Conveniently located in a Burbank neighborhood with plenty of parking, this takeout spot is a great place to shop for gifts while you wait for your espresso or hot combo sandwich (shaved turkey, hot coppa, Gioia burrata, giardiniera, wild arugula and pesto).
The market and sandwich shop, which also offers catering, is filled with cookbooks, handmade ceramics, wood carving boards perfect for charcuterie displays, candles and greeting cards. And for the foodies in your life, the market stocks unique pantry items such as spices, olive oils, vinegar and hot sauce that are perfect for stocking stuffers.
Made by DWC Cafe and Gift Boutique (Downtown L.A.)
Made by DWC, the Skid Row gift shop launched by the Downtown Women’s Center in Los Angeles in 2011, offers handmade gifts — soaps, bath salts, soy candles and greeting cards — crafted by women on L.A.’s Skid Row area as part of a vocational training program.
All profits from the Made store and cafe, which sells organic coffee, smoothies, salads and pastries from Homeboy Industries, help fund the center’s career training and mentorship programs. Note: The gift shop is not open on weekends.
(Lisa Boone/Los Angeles Times)
Sachi.LA (Del Rey)
Influenced by their Japanese heritage, sisters Sachi and Chiyo Hartley opened their Del Rey coffeehouse in 2018 to share “Sachi” — the Japanese kanji character meaning happiness, fortune or good luck — with their community. The coffeehouse, which serves a wide variety of coffee drinks including matcha and the Sachi Special, a signature cold brew with oat milk and vanilla syrup, is just the beginning.
Adjacent to the coffeehouse, which also serves pastries, the sisters have opened a retail space that is a treasure-trove filled with houseplants, gifts, vintage clothes and plant accessories such as bud vases and planters. They also host occasional pop-ups, so keep an eye on their Instagram for updates.
You’re reading the Essential California newsletter
The week’s biggest stories
(Tomas Ovalle/For The Times)
Crime, courts and policing
Apps, social media and tech
Statewide news
What else is going on
Must reads
Other meaty reads
For your downtime
(Illustrations by Lindsey Made This; photograph by Kim Newmoney)
Going out
Staying in
L.A. Affairs
Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.
L.A. Timeless
A selection of the very best reads from The Times’ 143-year archive.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff reporter Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
I visited Disneyland last weekend expecting huge crowds, busy restaurants and monster ride wait times. But the day was quite enjoyable thanks in part to Disneyland’s Lightning Lane Pass.
I commented to some employees throughout the day, “I thought this would be worse.”
Almost unanimously, each had the same answer: The real rush was yet to come.
You’re reading the Essential California newsletter
That’s when the cost of a single-day adult park-hopper pass, which allows a patron to visit Disneyland and adjacent California Adventure Park, soars to $314 (buy a week later, prices will drop by $50.)
Many Disney experts and influencers advise you to avoid the resort during this time.
But what if you’ve already bought tickets? What if out-of-town family is desperate to visit? What if this is the only free time to take the kids?
Traver explained to me that preparing for the holiday rush is not all too dissimilar from spring break.
One essential tip is to arrive at Disneyland before the park’s opening at 8 a.m.
Security checks begin as early as 7 a.m. and the gate, which opens around 7:20 to 7:30, allowing patrons to line up for the rope drop.
“For people interested in getting on the most popular rides, this is how you cut down on wait times,” Traver said.
He noted rope drop, the insider term for the moment a literal rope around attractions, restaurants and shops drops when the park opens at 8 a.m. is the best time to head to the “Star Wars”-themed “Rise of the Resistance,” which can easily draw two-hour lines later in the day.
Traver added this tidbit: Disney hotel guests receive early entry on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, so the other days are best for early arrivers.
Consider eating at the bigger restaurants
He said patrons looking to maximize time and find a seat should search for larger capacity places.
Those include Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland, the Red Rose Taverne in Fantasyland, the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree in Bayou Country, Galactic Grill and Alien Pizza Planet in Tomorrowland.
“The larger the crowd, the bigger the fight for seats,” Traver said. “Go to places with more seats.”
Next week, there might be one more consideration: Forecasters predict rain on Tuesday and Thursday.
Traver said restaurants like Alien Pizza Planet, which is 90% covered, or the Golden Horseshoe Restaurant in Frontierland, which is completely indoors, will be in high demand.
Take advantage of single rider
Both Disneyland and California Adventure offer a handful of single-rider lines.
If family members don’t mind riding alone, they can cut long waits at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Space Mountain and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Disneyland, the lone single-rider attractions at the park.
Traver’s favorite single rider attraction is California Adventure’s Radiator Springs Racer, where wait times are notorious.
“It will cut the wait time by a third,” Traver said.
Be realistic, but bring a good attitude
Maybe the biggest secret: Set proper expectations, Traver said.
“If you expect things to go smoothly and they don’t, now you’re disappointed,” he said. “But, if you arrive with lower expectations and an understanding that lines are going to be long and you’re just going to have to wait, you may be pleasantly surprised.”
The week’s biggest stories
(Jim Cooke / Los Angeles Times; Photos via Getty Images)
A chance for justice. A strain on today’s classrooms
Starting in 2020, Assembly Bill 218 offered survivors of childhood sex abuse in California a three-year window to sue over past molestation and sexual assault.
The wave of litigation has caused financial strain across the state’s schools and programs.
Tyler Skaggs’ family reaches settlement with Angels
Friday’s settlement in the wrongful death case brings an end to several days of juror deliberations and a four year legal battle.
Terms of the agreement, which follows previous unsuccessful settlement efforts from the former Angels pitcher’s family, were not immediately available.
Reiner slayings
After the fires…
What else is going on
Must reads
Other gripping reads
Nearly a year after the L.A. fires, the television drama “Fire Country” drew inspiration from those who fought it.
Six directors on “wasting” (and saving) money, the future of movie theaters and more.
For your downtime
Lively video projections behind a 1965 Ford Mustang make guests feel like they’re on a ride through Southern California at “American Icon: A Mustang Immersive Experience.”
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Going out
Staying in
L.A. Timeless
A selection of the very best reads from The Times’ 143-year archive.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff reporter Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer June Hsu, editorial fellow Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
