Out and about after the 405 reopens

Nothing like taking the 405 Freeway out of commission to put a crimp in L.A.’s weekend plans. But just because you’re being a good citizen and hunkering down during Carmageddon doesn’t mean you have to stay put once the weekend’s over. Here are some outings that are sure to cure your cabin fever once the work week begins.

UCLA Hammer Museum

Human rights activist John Prendergast speaks about his mentoring experiences in the Big Brothers program at the UCLA Hammer Museum on Tuesday, July 19, at 6 p.m. Prendergast recently wrote a book about how his 25-year relationship with his “little brother” transformed both of their lives. The free lecture is part of a series called “Zócalo at the Hammer,” which focuses on important social issues of our times. Tickets and details about the lecture are available on the website.

Also at the Hammer, up-and-coming writers read from their works as the culmination of their Emerging Voices literary fellowship. Hear what they have to say on Wednesday, July 20, at 6 p.m. Five writers will perform their final readings free of charge.

Hollywood Bowl

The hilarious, tangential ramblings of comedian Eddie Izzard take center stage this Wednesday, July 20, at the Hollywood Bowl. Izzard’s irreverent stand-up has earned him a place on Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Standup Acts of All Time, and placed him in the top 20 in a 2005 poll of fellow comedians, “The Comedian’s Comedian.” The show starts at 8 p.m. Purchase your tickets on the Bowl’s website, where you’ll also find directions.

Skirball Cultural Center

The Skirball’s closed this weekend but you can make up for lost time next week when the sounds of Cape Verde ring through the cultural center. Singer Maria de Barros starts the 2011 “Sunset Concerts” series on the right note with her Thursday, July 21, performance. De Barros’s native Cape Verde is an archipelago nation in the Atlantic Ocean about 350 miles off the coast of West Africa. Her music combines the Latin, African and French influences of Cape Verdean music with Spanish, Caribbean, and Latin American sounds. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the free concert starts at 8 p.m. Find out more on the Skirball Center’s website.

The Getty Center

Like the Skirball, the Getty will be closed this weekend. So make it a point to get up there next week, when renowned architect and urban planner Julio César Pérez Hernández animates the architecture of past, present and future Cuba in the latest installment of the Getty’s lecture series. Pérez Hernández recently led a team of Cuban architects in the creation of a new master plan for Havana, and has written extensively within the field. His free lecture accompanies the exhibition “A Revolutionary Project: Cuba from Walker Evans to Now,” which documents Cuba in photos taken before, during and after the 1959 Revolution. It begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 21. Reservations are recommended, and can be made online.

Posted 7/13/11