🍟 Free french fries, party at the zoo, and summer movies

Welcome to your bite-sized Valley update for Thursday, July 11, 2024.

Did you know that Universal Studios was the first film company to build a production studio in the San Fernando Valley?

In 1914, film producer Carl Laemmle bought an old ranch in the Valley and converted it into a thriving production complex.

The original Universal Studios maintained a working farm and zoo on the property.

For just $0.05, visitors could watch movie stars filming new movies and interact with the animals at the farm and zoo.

The year before he died, Carl Laemmle's cousins created the Laemmle movie theater chain to showcase the best new movies, which is still in operation today.

Here’s what’s happening this week:

News

• 🚄 Plans for a new monorail through Sherman Oaks were canceled. However, Metro still has other ideas on how to connect the Valley to West LA with a project called the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project. Trains, buses, and underground systems are being discussed.

• 🧨 A Studio City man is being sued by the Justice Department for shooting his Lamborghini with fireworks from a helicopter.

• 🌮 Ever dreamed of opening a taco truck or hot dog stand in LA? The cost to get a street vendor license in Los Angeles just dropped to $27 from $541.

Food

• 🍟 Fatburger—Various Locations. Get free french fries with any purchase. Celebrate “National Fry Day” until July 14th.

• 🍸️ Gray Tavern—Studio City. Daily happy hour at an upscale gastropub. $7 beer, wine, wells, and snacks. Every day from 5 PM to 7 PM.

Things to do

• 🎬️ Barbie Movie Night —Sherman Oaks Park. Free movie night sponsored by the Sherman Oaks neighborhood council. Pack a picnic. Wear pink. Movie starts at dusk. Saturday, July 20 at 6 PM. Free.

• 🦓 LA Zoo Roaring Nights—Griffith Park. 21+ dance party, yacht rock cover band, painting, silent disco, food trucks, and after-hours zoo animals. Saturday, July 13. $25.

Random

• 🚗 Streets for All is a local non-profit that wants to reduce emissions, promote public transit, and protect citizens during transit. They mobilize voters and host events to spread their message.

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