Alysia Gray Painter

Los Angeles

Travel Writer at NBC Universal

LA Scene and California Travel Writer at KNBC-TV (Los Angeles, CA)

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Articles

Knott's juiciest fest boasts a Tasting Card brimming with boysenberry kick

6 days ago | nbclosangeles.com | Alysia Gray Painter

Are there more boysenberries growing on a particularly lush bush or are there more dishes to select from on the Boysenberry Festival Tasting Card menu? That's a sticky one to figure out, but we'll wager that the dozens of dishes and drinks that fill up the Tasting Card roster are just about as plentiful as ripe berries on a healthy plant.
A free guide is helping families make the most of an Academy Museum visit

6 days ago | nbclosangeles.com | Alysia Gray Painter

Visiting any sizable museum can be thought of, in a way, like starting a movie: The opening credits are analogous to the information you'll receive upon entering the museum while the plot, characters, and themes will become more apparent as you stroll through each new gallery. And if you're a museum devoted to movies?
A Randy's Peeps-topped donut is a quintessential SoCal spring sweet

6 days ago | nbclosangeles.com | Alysia Gray Painter

If June in Los Angeles is all about the goodies that stave-off gloom - think warm sips and toasty soups - and September is for devouring gooey caramel apples at the Original Farmers Market, then spring is made for Peeps-centered sweets at a certain legendary donut shop. There are many opportunities and places to enjoy the marshmallow-y favorite throughout the spring, of course, for Peeps-obsessed people are devoted to the chewy, toothsome, utterly iconic confections.
Pink's Hot Dogs just debuted at the LA Zoo (yep, there are Betty White Dogs)

1 week ago | nbclosangeles.com | Alysia Gray Painter

There are plenty of memorable things about chowing down at Pink's Hot Dogs on La Brea Avenue - that celebrated first "snap" as you bite into the famous frankfurters, the colorfully named menu items, and the chance you'll run into someone you know in line are all Pink's-tastic - but plenty of fans especially love the Hollywood headshots decorating the interior walls.
Enjoy Easter festivities and Earth Day events

1 week ago | nbclosangeles.com | Alysia Gray Painter

Easter festivities: Sweet, fragrant, and joyful Easter doings will be hop-hop-hopping through Southern California over the holiday weekend, with a spring-themed family festival at Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark (do get weekend tickets in advance) and fun at Irvine Park Railroad (closed on Easter) coming up. The Autry has a bunny-inspired family day April 19, too, and Tanaka Farms in Irvine has fresh-air'd activities and a separately ticketed Easter Hilltop Luncheon.
'Star Trek' fans, board the Enterprise-D at 'Universal Fan Fest Nights'

1 week ago | nbclosangeles.com | Alysia Gray Painter

You don't have to be fluent in Klingon, or know how to operate a Turbolift, or be able to untangle a particularly thorny Kobayashi Maru to know that visiting a "Star Trek" ship, or at least a detailed and dazzling recreation, is a thrill. Devotees of the nearly 60-year-old space phenomenon will be able to do just that beginning April 25 when the brand-new "Universal Fan Fest Nights" open at Universal Studios Hollywood.
'Put an Egg on Everything Day,' no yolk, is a Smorgasburg LA tradition

1 week ago | nbclosangeles.com | Alysia Gray Painter

Scrambled, poached, hard-boiled, or fried: An egg really can top just about any dish, or sit under any grain, or add a filling element to a lighter salad or sandwich. Adding eggs to all sorts of dishes is just what we do, but when Easter dawns, and the vendors of Smorgasburg LA begin to set up snacky shop at ROW DTLA, the quest begins to "Put an Egg on Everything," if it can be done.
Anglers, it's almost time for 'Fishmas' in the Eastern Sierra

1 week ago | nbclosangeles.com | Alysia Gray Painter

CASTING A LINE... in the heart of winter in Mono County? Chances are as good as Mammoth Mountain is tall that the bait would hit a patch of ice or at least some very chilly water. For the Eastern Sierra is famous for its frosty weather around January and February, right around the time that Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain are humming with skiers and a substantial amount of snowfall.
NORMS is saluting LA Galaxy's home goals with a freebie

1 week ago | nbclosangeles.com | Alysia Gray Painter

Southern California is home to some mighty fine pancakes, from retro diner specials to stuffed crepe-like discs that are light and airy. But if you head to NORMS, and you can do so in a few cities around SoCal, you're going to get a perfectly classic flapjack, the sort of hotcake that is so golden and round and fork-sinkable that it regularly appears pictured on menus and in advertisements.
Plankton races and dolphin joy will make a splash at this free Earth Day bash

1 week ago | nbclosangeles.com | Alysia Gray Painter

While Earth Day might first summon "earth" to mind, as in the soil where seeds and roots flourish, it of course can also be thought of as Earth-and-Water Day, too. True, there is an official World Ocean Day - that's coming up in June - but choosing to celebrate Earth Day at the epic edge of the Big Water is also an ideal option. And families are invited to do just that April 19, when the Roundhouse Aquarium hosts a free festivity inspired by our planet, from soil to surf.