The L.A. County Museum of Art's all-night, free-admission art party Thursday night had crowds lined up around the block. Think this city is starved for safe non-commercial public spaces and a reason to gather? Seems to be so. I thought it would be a bust, just like I originally thought the LAT book festival would be a sleepy annual affair. It's been packed from the first year, even though getting to it is hard.

The L.A. Times was at LACMA, and Franklin Avenue blogs about it with pictures:

Maybe they promoted it too well, because when we arrived at 9:45 p.m. (the doors opened at 9), the line to get in already snaked around the block, down Wilshire, up to Sixth and around the La Brea Tar Pits. Luckily, Maria found some old friends (including her first boss) near the corner of Wilshire and Curson.

Sweet! Well, kinda. Instead of waiting three and a half hours to get in, we only waited two and a half hours to finally make it to the front door (where we saw Darryl Hannah get in without having to wait -- hey, isn't there a statue of limitations on being famous?).

Now if they can just make LACMA's building more inviting. We're not asking for the steps at the Met in New York, but a grander presentation on Wilshire couldn't hurt.