The Happy Place Arrives in Los Angeles
There’s a new pop-up exhibit in Downtown LA’s Arts District that’s bright and quite delightful.
It’s called The Happy Place and ever since it opened to the public on November 20, droves of Angelenos are flocking Palmetto street (around the corner from the Museum of Ice Cream) to see what the bright-colored buzz is all about. We recently visited The Happy Place and thought the concept was everything people love at the moment–– unique experiences, fun photo opps, sweet snacks, did we mention plenty of Instagrammable options?
Here’s a breakdown of what makes this place a worthwhile experience (and a few things we wish were a tad better):
The Happy Stuff:
Lots of Yellow. The Happy Place is full of vibrant, cheerful colors that are, well, happy hues. Specifically, you’ll get a generous dose of yellow everything, from ginormous yellow pumps, in which you can actually sit and pose for all your Instagram needs–– to loads of yellow rubber duckies and even an elevated marigold installation that makes all guests turn into all smiles. There’s also giant pot of gold coins where you can dive into.
The kids. It’s a perfect place for kids to feel happy. They’re allowed to walk, run and skip on top of a mega-sized birthday cake and play with the cake’s bendable candles. They’re also able to stand on a unique mirrored platform where pictures will make them look like they’re standing upside down.
The treats. Get ready for M&Ms, cake pops with sprinkles and even rainbow-colored grilled cheese sandwiches. Your taste buds will thank you.
The installations. We don’t want to give too much away (besides everything we’ve already shared) but every exhibit room presents a new set of fun experiences. Hint: you’ll want to give yourself a chance to enter a special dome where flying confetti abounds.
The environment. People are spending anywhere between $30 – $199 to enjoy an experience that promotes happiness. By nature, all guests seem happy and joyfully curious about the next installation along the tour.
The Not-So-Happy Stuff:
The Parking. It’s not very easy to find parking in Downtown LA’s Arts District, especially when the location you’re visiting is right around the corner from Urth Caffe and other popular lunchtime destinations. The Happy Place doesn’t offer Valet Parking service nor is it affiliated to parking spaces in the area. Prepare to walk several blocks before you reach the yellow structure.
The Exit. Once you’re done with the tour, you’ll have to exit from the back of the building since guests aren’t allowed to return to the exhibit’s starting point. Problem is, if you parked a distance away from the building, you’ll have to walk three blocks just to return to the building’s entrance area.
The Long queues. The social media-friendly society we live in, generally translates to a need for photos. Lots of them. If you’re there just to see the installations, you’ll have no problem walking through each room in a timely manner. However, if you want to personally check out the different experiences, get ready to wait in line until the folks in front of you have finished taking their photos, in different poses, with different members of their group and using different devices. Say cheese!
The Happy Place is located at 1242 Palmetto Street in Downtown Los Angeles.
