The Holidays - LA Style

Saturday we headed into LA for dinner and holiday lights. We were joined by a friends from base and LA for a fun holiday evening.

We met at Uwink for dinner. Uwink bills itself as “Social Entertainment Returant.” The idea is rather clever. Each table has a touch screen which allows you to order food, summon the wait staff and play games.

Uwink turned out to be a place where the ideals failed to meet the reality. Our video screens never really worked. We successfully placed our meal orders and that is where the system shut down. We were unable to link our multiple tables for group games and then most of the single player games broke down. (We did all partake in the “love match” game though to mixed reviews.) The food was mediocre at best. Uwink would be better to focus on a smaller menu or perhaps just be a burger place – since that is what they do best. The worst part however was trying to pay the bill. The system does not allow you to put more then one person on the bill – leading to LOTS of card swiping. So much card swiping that the system couldn’t keep up. The good news is that the group we went with is very laid back and all this rolled off them in an attempt to save the evening.

After finding our way over to the Griffith Park Zoo we headed toward the Griffith Park Lights. The show is actually officially known as the “Department of Water and Power Light Festival.” Its a 1.6 mile walk through lights show. Coming from GA I expected a light show to rival Callaway Gardens. I expected a nativity or at least non-denominational Christmas themed displays like the 12 days of Christmas or snow. Instead we were treated to an DWP advertisement. The show was best summed up by a member of our group who pondered if at the end they were going to ask us to sign up for water and power service with them. It was clear that without DWP Chrismtas would not be possible.

All kidding aside though – it was a nice group outing. The weather in LA at Christmas can’t be beat. It was just cold enough to wear a scarf and hat but not so cold as to make the walk unpleasant. The lights stimulated lots of laughs and conversation.

Would I go again? Probably not, but I’m glad we spent some time with our friends enjoying the holiday season.