What's more awesome than going out on the town in LA? Going out on the town and saving money at the same damn time. Counterintuitive, you say? Impossible? Not with the following LA-only member benefits programs, which give you access to amazing stuff all across the city while simultaneously helping you support some of LA's best cultural institutions and independent businesses. So go forth, support and save!
KCRW Fringe Benefits
If you've never listened to LA's local NPR station, please stop whatever you're doing and tune your radio to 89.9. KCRW boasts some of the best music programming in the country, plus top-notch news coverage and innovative, compelling storytelling. What's more—if you support this non-profit, they're prepared to thank you with some pretty incredible benefits, starting with the Fringe Benefits card. For a monthly donation of as little as $5 (that's $60 a year, friends), you'll be sent a colorful little card that'll score you discounts at more than 1,100 local restaurants and retailers across the city (check out the full, very impressive list of participating businesses here).
KPCC Member Benefits
Much like KCRW's card, KPCC offers listeners a Member Benefits card for a $60 yearly donation, providing discounts to more than 300 restaurants, arts and cultural venues and other establishments—and the list (which you can check out here, complete with a handy map function) is growing every day.
Club 5
LA-based pop band Yacht is behind 5 Every Day, an app designed to help folks find the five best things to do in the city each day: one art, one cultural, one food and one music event, plus one fun "wildcard." The picks are uber-hip, and while some repeat, they're always the best of the best and worth a second (or fifth) look. To keep the app ad-free (and to bring Angelenos even more awesomeness), 5 Every Day designed a nifty Club 5 pin. For just 15 bucks (plus $4.99 shipping and handling) each year, you'll unlock discounts all across the city—check out the always-growing list of participating businesses here.
MOCA&
Becoming a member at LA's Museum of Contemporary Art (starting at $85 a year) comes with some pretty sweet perks, including free and discounted admission for your friends and family; discounts at the MOCA store and MOCA Lemonade location (yum); and a subscription to Dwell magazine (who knew!). But the best bonus by far is the MOCA& card, giving holders access to discounts and perks at 17 LA restaurants and local businesses, many of which are located Downtown, a convenient walk from the museum. The list is small but mighty—check it out here.
And a few pretty rad reciprocity programs:
Become a member at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, the Chinese American Museum, the Japanese American National Museum, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, MOCA or Skirball Cultural Center and gain free admission to a whopping 842 member institutions through the North American Reciprocal Museum Association.
Become a member at the LA County Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Descanso Gardens or the Van Nuys Japanese Garden and gain free admission to 300 gardens throughout the US and Canada—check out a complete list here.
Become a member at California Science Center, Kidspace Children's Museum, the Natural History Museum or the La Brea Tar Pits and gain free admission to more than 300 science centers and museums nationwide—click here for a complete list.
Become a member at the LA Zoo and gain free or discounted admission to more than 170 other zoos, including 15 in California (San Francisco and Santa Barbara!). See the full US list here.
Oh, and have you checked out how much money your library card can save you each year?
(Hint: It's in the thousands.)