Free Museum Shuttles Launch for the Summer Today

Los Angeles, CA · May 23, 2026

The marine layer is holding firm this morning, providing a cool start to the long weekend. If you’re heading toward the coast or the canyons, the clouds should keep the hiking trails manageable before the afternoon brightness breaks through.

📰 The Lead

Starting at 10:00 AM today, a new fare-free shuttle service begins connecting the Metro D Line at Wilshire/Western to the Miracle Mile museum row and up to the Hollywood Bowl. This pilot program, dubbed the "Art Connect," aims to ease the notorious parking crunch around LACMA and the Academy Museum during the busy summer months. Funded by a mix of county grants and museum partnerships, the shuttles will run every 15 minutes on weekends through Labor Day. For residents in Mid-City and Koreatown, it offers a seamless way to hit the galleries without circling for a thirty-dollar parking spot. The first 500 riders today will receive a commemorative tote designed by a local Boyle Heights artist.

🏙️ Local Pulse

  • Venice Boulevard Bike Lane Extension — The final segment of protected lanes between Lincoln and Abbott Kinney is now open for cyclists.

  • Echo Park Lotus Festival Prep — City crews are installing temporary fencing around the lake today to protect young blooms ahead of the July festival.

  • Pasadena: Early Summer Flea Market — A special holiday weekend pop-up market takes over the Rose Bowl parking lot starting at 9:00 AM.

☁️ Today's Outlook

  • High 74°F · Low 59°F — Overcast
    • Keep a light sweater handy for that morning coffee run before the clouds thin out.

📅 What's On Around Town

  • Fiesta Hermosa — Hermosa Beach Pier, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM The Memorial Day weekend staple returns with live music and local vendors.

  • Topanga Days Country Fair — Topanga Community Center, 10:00 AM Eclectic mountain festival featuring food, games, and a lineup of local bands.

  • Main Street Farmers Market — Santa Monica, 8:30 AM–1:30 PM Enjoy live jazz alongside the season's first arrival of local stone fruits.

  • Cinespia: 'The Goonies' — Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 7:15 PM Classic outdoor cinema on the Fairbanks Lawn — bring a blanket and picnic.

  • Long Beach: Pirate Invasion — Shoreline Village, 11:00 AM Short drive for costumed sword fights, tall ships, and family-friendly treasure hunts.

📸 Spotlight & Story

  • The Old Zoo at Griffith Park
    • Tucked away near the merry-go-round, the stone grottos of the original 1912 zoo remain open to the public. While the animals moved to the current site in 1966, these iron-barred caves now serve as one of the city's most surreal picnic spots. Look closely at the masonry; much of it was built using rubble from local quarries during the Great Depression.

Los Angeles Daily Digest — compiled from local sources as of 6 AM. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.

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