Welcome to the first official edition of CurationsLA. CurationsLA carries forward the spirit of CuratedLA with a broader vision and a deeper sense of place. We’re in soft launch mode, but the direction is clear: more stories, more connection and more LA as we continue to grow. So cool that this passion project is getting noticed.

👀 You’ll begin to see emails from la.curations.cc soon (with ‘cc’ standing for Curations Community). As that shift happens, I’m also working behind the scenes on tech and deliverability to make sure nothing lands in your spam. If I happen to miss Friday’s edition, though I don’t plan to, it’s only because background work is underway to make this experience smoother for everyone, and to incorporate the CurationsLA brand across the digital board + PR outreach. I’m also aware of some formatting issues in previous articles.

🤝 There’s already been early interest in bringing this format to other cities, think CurationsNYC, CurationsSF, and CurationsVEGAS. If you’re thinking about collaboration, investment, or helping shape this from the ground up, reply anytime or reach out to me via email.

🔖 A few notes for today’s issue:

💜 This space will never compete with other newsletters or local outlets that bring Good Vibes. We need more of it in Los Angeles, not less. And now, onto our Good Vibes for today and tomorrow. - Wyatt

1964 Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax tosses his third career no hitter; beats Phillies 3-0 in Philadelphia.

Lucia, a new fine dining Afro Caribbean restaurant in Beverly Grove, brings elevated island flavors to Fairfax Avenue with a refined menu by chef Adrian Forte, a Top Chef Canada alum. Opened by hospitality veteran Sam Jordan, the space blends modern elegance with Caribbean warmth, serving inventive takes on oxtail pepperpot, coconut fried chicken, and Trini mac pie alongside cocktails like an oxtail washed Old Fashioned. Lucia aims to spotlight Caribbean heritage through contemporary technique and thoughtful design.

WILDBIRD has opened a new location in El Segundo on Utah Avenue, continuing its mission of serving free range, antibiotic free chicken marinated in citrus herb and carved to order. The Southern California brand blends health conscious fare with bold flavor, offering dishes like Tacos Dorados, Harvest Bowls, and the Superfood Ensalada, all made from scratch with local ingredients. The El Segundo spot is open daily for dine in, takeout, and catering.

Chef Marcos Spaziani, fresh from Bravo’s Below Deck, brings his deeply personal culinary vision to Downtown LA with O by Marcos Spaziani, now open inside the O Hotel on Flower Street. Blending Venezuelan heritage with Italian influences, the menu unfolds like a story that features standout curations like lobster ravioli, red snapper ceviche, and a mochi-wrapped tiramisu. The space pairs moody elegance with hidden VIP nooks and a welcoming bar, while Chef Marcos adds a rare touch of hospitality by greeting diners himself. With high praise for both flavor and atmosphere, O is quickly becoming a must-visit in the DTLA dining scene.

Hearth Restaurant & Coffee has officially opened its doors in Moorpark, bringing curations of Latin American street food and wood-fired cooking to Ventura County. Located on Zachary St., this dual-concept eatery transitions from a specialty coffee shop by day to a lively dinner destination by night, offering sourdough pizzas, grilled arepas, and espresso in a warm, inviting space.

PeopleTalk Coffee & Wine has quietly emerged as West Hollywood’s newest neighborhood gem, blending European charm with California ease. Located on N Fairfax Ave, this family-owned café offers a unique menu featuring Eastern European and Russian-inspired dishes like syrniki, alongside specialty coffees and curated wines. With its soft opening hours from 7:00am to 7:00pm on weekdays and 8:00am to 7:00pm on weekends, PeopleTalk provides a cozy, inviting atmosphere for locals seeking a relaxed spot to work, socialize, or unwind.

TONIGHT: The Aquarium of the Pacific’s First Wednesdays returns tonight with Shooting for the Stars, a lecture by Ashley Kidd of the Sunflower Star Laboratory on restoring sunflower sea stars to West Coast ecosystems devastated by sea star wasting syndrome. The evening blends science and community with cocktails, music, crafts, and access to the interactive Paint-a-Fish exhibit. Recommended for ages fourteen and up, the program runs from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at the Honda Pacific Visions Theater. Walk-up tickets are $10, parking is $6.

TONIGHT: Junior High in Glendale hosts an all-levels oil painting workshop tonight at 6:30pm, led by artist Tanya. Participants will learn canvas prep, proportion sketching, color mixing, and step-by-step painting techniques to create a personal portrait masterpiece. All materials included, beginner friendly, and centered on capturing the essence of a subject through hands-on instruction.

STARTS TOMORROW: The Original Farmers Market kicks off its free Thursday Night Music Series tomorrow with weekly performances from 7:00pm to 9:00pm on the Market Plaza, running June 5th through August 28th. Expect a rotating mix of jazz, Motown, salsa, and local flavor in one of LA’s most beloved gathering spots. This year also features a special July spotlight on Altadena Musicians Month, supporting artists affected by recent wildfires with onsite donations benefiting instrument recovery at altadenamusicians.org.

THIS WEEKEND: BET Experience Fan Fest 2025 takes over the Los Angeles Convention Center this weekend with two full days of free live performances and immersive cultural activations. Presented by SheaMoisture, this year’s lineup features GloRilla, Mustard, Amerie, BossMan Dlow, Mario, Keri Hilson, Pretty Ricky, and more across a multi-stage setup. Highlights include a reimagined 106 & Park set, Club Eden lounge, BETX Industry Talks, open casting calls, and the We Got You, Sis! salon spotlighting Black beauty. Registration is free online, with the BET Experience leading into the 2025 BET Awards on June 9th.

FRIDAY: Natural History Museum’s First Fridays 2025: Amplified continues June 6 with an immersive evening exploring how music shapes our minds and well being. Live sets from Ha Vay and Nymphlord, DJ sets by Glenn Red and DJ Jen Rock, and a featured discussion with neuroscientist and producer Susan Rogers, PhD, moderated by Dr. Yewande Pearse, anchor the night. The program also includes a sound bath, drum circle, art station, and sound exploration talk, all unfolding after hours across NHM’s vibrant campus.

THIS WEEKEND: Amazon MGM Studios brings The Boys with Vought on Ice, a free Emmy campaign activation at Westfield Century City this weekend. Inspired by the show's in-universe holiday special, the immersive event includes a satirical three-minute live ice performance of Put The Christ Back in Christmas, public skating sessions every hour with original costumes from Season 4. Fans can reserve free tickets online 💌

THIS WEEKEND: Gardena Cinema, South LA’s last old-fashioned single screen theater, hosts a free movie weekend this weekend with screenings of Grease (sing-along), Saturday Night Fever, and Ghostbusters as part of Pluto TV’s Free Movie Weekend campaign supporting independent cinemas. The event kicks off Pluto’s Summer of Cinema, with Oscar-winner Sean Baker nominating the beloved family-run venue for the national initiative. Screenings are free with RSVP on Eventbrite 💌

The 2028 Paralympic Games will span Downtown LA, Exposition Park, Venice Beach, Long Beach, Carson, and Arcadia, leveraging existing venues to create an immersive, citywide celebration of adaptive sport. With all events located within a 35 mile radius of the UCLA based Paralympic Village, LA28 aims to foster accessibility, unity, and efficiency. Highlights include wheelchair basketball at Crypto Arena, para athletics at the LA Memorial Coliseum, and para triathlon at Venice Beach, with Santa Anita Park hosting para equestrian and Long Beach welcoming para swimming and the debut of para climbing. The Games will run August 15th through 27th, 2028 💌

June gloom holds steady across LA today, with cooler temperatures and stubborn coastal clouds lingering through the morning. Inland areas will gradually warm, but highs remain slightly below seasonal norms. The unstable weather from yesterday has moved on, leaving calmer skies and only a slim chance of isolated drizzle near the foothills. Expect a slow warming trend into the weekend, with valley temperatures climbing while the coast stays cool under a thick marine layer.

Branded Arts recently concluded its spring 2025 mural festivals at Manual Arts and Augustus F. Hawkins High Schools, transforming LAUSD campuses into vibrant hubs of creativity. Students collaborated with renowned artists like Shepard Fairey and Lauren YS, engaging in the mural creation process and attending arts symposiums featuring organizations such as the Lucas Museum and Sony Pictures Animation, thereby exploring potential careers in the creative industries. Looking ahead, Branded Arts plans to continue this initiative with additional LAUSD schools in the 2025–2026 academic year, aiming to inspire and empower more students through the arts 💌

A new eight-story building has been proposed on Francis Avenue in Koreatown, bringing 53 units—52 affordable for very-low income households. Designed by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects, the project replaces 1920s structure and features a sculptural design with a central courtyard, rooftop and second-floor decks, and shaded garden areas beneath lifted volumes. The project is in early planning and qualifies for density bonuses under state law.

Two new eleven-story affordable housing buildings are planned at 1708 and 1715 S Wall Street, just south of the I-10 Freeway. Submitted by Pasadena-based Garwood Incorporated, the fully affordable developments would include 219 units total and limited retail space, with all apartments reserved for low to extremely low income residents. Designed by BAR Architects with landscape by Relm, the towers aim to leverage Executive Directive 1 and are part of a growing corridor of tall affordable housing near Metro's A Line.

Dave’s Hot Chicken, the viral fried chicken chain founded in an East Hollywood parking lot and now headquartered in Pasadena, has been acquired by Roark Capital for roughly $1bn. With over three hundred locations already open and more than one thousand franchises sold across the US, Middle East, and Canada, the brand is poised for rapid expansion under its new ownership. Roark, which also owns Subway and Dunkin’, is betting on Dave’s to be a standout in the fast casual space, bolstered by its cult social media following and leadership with roots in Wetzel’s Pretzels and Blaze Pizza.

GC AI, the fast-growing legal tech startup built for in-house counsel, has closed a Series A round led by Sound Ventures, the Los Angeles-based firm co-founded by Ashton Kutcher. Since launching last April, GC AI has earned trust across 350 enterprise legal departments by embedding company knowledge directly into its AI workflows, streamlining compliance, document drafting, and high-volume tasks. With nearly 3x revenue growth this year and customers like Webflow, Snyk, and Liquid Death, the platform now plans to scale its team and expand functionality, aiming to become the trusted AI operating system for legal teams worldwide.

Sony Pictures has unveiled the trailer for A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, a romance fantasy directed by Kogonada and starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. The film follows two strangers pulled into a whimsical, magical realist world as they revisit formative memories through love and imagination. Also featuring Jodie Turner-Smith, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Lily Rabe, the project marks Robbie’s first return to screen since Barbie and Farrell’s latest feature after The Penguin. Written by Seth Reiss (The Menu), the film opens in theaters September 19th.

Ahead of the 78th Tony Awards this weekend, The Hollywood Reporter's Ben Zauzmer uses a data-driven model to project likely winners based on past trends, critic scores, and award precursors. Maybe Happy Ending leads the pack and could become the first Asia-premiered musical to win Best Musical, while Oh Mary! is favored for Best Play. Jonathan Groff, Audra McDonald, and Sarah Snook headline competitive acting categories, and design-heavy productions like Stranger Things: The First Shadow and Sunset Boulevard are poised for technical wins.

Clayton Kershaw returned to the mound under stormy skies and mixed results, but the Dodgers rallied late to beat the Mets 6-5 in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium. Despite a rough outing that saw Kershaw give up a two-run homer to Juan Soto and leave on the hook for a loss, Los Angeles tied the game in the ninth with Max Muncy’s second homer and won it on Freddie Freeman’s walk-off double in the 10th. Ben Casparius delivered 2.2 perfect innings in relief, while Betts, Freeman, and Smith fueled an early four-run burst before the offense went cold until the dramatic finish.

The Angels eked out a 4–3 win in 10 innings Tuesday night at Fenway, capitalizing on a Boston error and Taylor Ward’s double-play grounder to score Zach Neto with the go-ahead run. Neto finished with two hits, two runs, and an RBI, while Reid Detmers locked down his first career save with a scoreless 10th. Travis d’Arnaud added three hits as the Angels won their second straight against the Red Sox. Boston, now 6–17 in one-run games, saw a strong night from Ceddanne Rafaela, who went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, but stranded 11 runners in the loss.