Best Bets for the Break: A quick guide to online entertainment for La Jolla and San Diego
If the current quarantine has you in a quandary with your calendar canceled, now might be an excellent time to explore the vast, virtual world of online entertainments.
Below are some inspiring activities to undertake, so fire up your computers and tablets and enjoy something different. All programs are free unless otherwise noted.
Cooking & Creating
• Channel your creative energy at Debi’s Design Diary. Daily DIY crafts and other activities will keep your hands busy! bit.ly/debidesign
• An 84-year-old Italian grandmother had to cancel all her cooking classes and workshops in northern Italy, so she’s bringing her homemade pasta class to your kitchen! From 50 euro (about $54); register at nonnalive.com
Family & Children
• Londoner Joe Wicks runs a YouTube channel where he posts exercise videos for the whole family — with physical activities for seniors included.
Last week, he began uploading daily “PE with Joe” videos for children stuck at home that are watched and adored worldwide. Grab the kids and get a move on! bit.ly/pewithjoewicks
• Draw with renowned children’s author Mo Willems during his lunchtime doodles! kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems
•Los Angeles-based pianist and entrepreneur Oksana Kolesnikova is teaching piano lessons online to children 9:30 a.m. Saturdays. Register: info@oksanafoundation.org
Health
•The Jewish Community Center now offers virtual classes in a variety of subjects. Try out chair yoga from the comfort of your own home. bit.ly/jccchairyoga
•For those seeking to practice mindfulness, psychologist and mediation instructor Tara Brach offers guided meditations. tarabrach.com/guided-meditations
Art & Culture
• The Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park is closed for now, but concerts go on: visit spreckelsorgan.org at 2 p.m. Sundays to listen to a streamed organ program
• Take a guided tour of The Jewish Museum onscreen. Audio tours, explanations and more abound over the museum’s many floors and galleries. thejewishmuseum.org
• The Old Globe Theatre’s Shakespeare Reading Group offers a chance to explore The Bard’s plays with other audience members and Globe actors. Live-streamed discussion meetings will begin with “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Henry V,” noon Mondays and Thursdays, beginning April 2, via Facebook Live. bit.ly/GlobeReading
• North Coast Repertory Theatre hosts Theatre Conversations via its YouTube channel, in lieu of canceled performances. There will be one or two performances weekly, with artists like Omri Schein, the cast of “The Homecoming,” Yvette Freem, Paul Slade Smith, and more. bit.ly/3anjurp
• La Jolla Playhouse has new online content to connect with patrons while its theaters are dark. Find it at lajollaplayhouse.org, as well as on the Playhouse’s social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Each week, the LJP Vault will feature an artist, staff member or volunteer sharing a favorite La Jolla Playhouse photo, video or memory. LJP Vault launched March 27 with a post by Christopher Ashley, the Rich Family Artistic Director.
• Stay connected to the San Diego Symphony virtually during this time:
Follow musicians on Instagram @sandiegosymphony and @sandiegosymphonymusicians or listen to concert rebroadcasts on 88.5 KPBS 8 p.m. Sundays, or check out its Spotify channel where you can find playlists and subscribe to Nuvi Mehta’s podcasts on iTunes or through sdsymphony.org
— Note: What have you found to entertain from a (social) distance? E-mail your leads to efrausto@lajollalight.com
