Troy Corley, author of the Free Fun Guides

Let's not talk about the economy.  Let's talk about all the amazing frugal adventures to be found in the City Of Angels.  And we've got an expert to lead the way.  We were delighted to hear that Troy Corley released the second edition of her paperback travel guide, Free Fun L.A, this summer.  Troy is a local travel expert, and her company, Corley Publications, has produced "Free Fun Guides" for several North American cities including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, and Orange County.  The latest Los Angeles Edition includes several sections on specific areas of the city, including Hollywood and Santa Monica.

This book's tall, graceful size is a perfect fit for your glove compartment, and a logical companion to your own maps or other travel books about the city.  The listings include Thomas Guide references, parking and entry info, and indicate which destinations are kid-friendly.  What we really love is that Troy and her staff do an excellent job of flushing out many of the smaller, mostly unknown destinations that give Los Angeles it's character, but smartly list them side by side with the city's more well known venues.  The book manages to be simple yet thorough at once.

Here's our email interview with Troy Corley, with our questions in pink.

I am so intrigued by your name! Can you tell me more about it?

Sure! In 1958 my parents lived a somewhat bohemian art-centric lifestyle in NYC. They were expecting their first child and wanted an Irish name. They told a friend, who was a travel writer at the time, that if the baby is a girl they were thinking of the name Helen. Ack! he says! Too common (sorry to all the Helens out there!) Since he just came back from Greece, he said, "Why not Troy? Helen of Troy?" My parents loved it! So my name is Troy Kathleen Corley. The name Troy is also Irish for "foot soldier."

What is the story behind the Free Fun Guides? What inpired you to write them?

My two kids inspired them! As a mom and independent journalist and editor living in L.A. I began focusing on travel with kids. Since I was raised in a family with five kids with actor/artist parents, frugal is second nature to me. In my extensive research I came across so many FREE things that families could do, that I knew I could fill a book about free fun for just about any metro area. Since I lived in Los Angeles, Free L.A. 1st edition became the first Free Fun Guide.

What is YOUR personal favorite free fun thing (s?) to do in Los Angeles?

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. I LOVE that place! Architecturally there are few museums left that still have the old wide marble staircases. It has three floors to explore and it always seems to be refurbishing or installing a new exhibit. What kid could resist the "Dueling Dinosaurs," complete skeletons of a Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops in battle, that greet them in Grand Foyer? The Dino Hall itself is undergoing a complete renovation but the museum has some other fun dinosaur stuff happening. Plus it's has the wonderful Discovery Center and Insect Zoo. Kids could spend the whole day there alone. NHM is FREE the first Tuesday of the month.

What's new in this edition that readers should know about?

Free L.A. 2nd edition has about 100 new free things to do and 50 more free things to do than the first edition. That's 400+ free things to do in one book! We added new chapters with a focus on specific areas of metro L.A.: Downtown, Hollywood, Griffith Park, Pasadena and Santa Monica. We also added Metro transit information for nearly every entry and sometimes bicycle options.

A book like this is so valuable because I think there is a misconception that you need to be famous or wealthy to enjoy Los Angeles. But there really is an incredible amount of affordable entertainment! What are the coolest/most intriguing/weirdest things to do in L.A. that people miss out on?

L.A.'s older architecture and traditional tourist spots. I think people forget what's in their own backyard. City Hall is an amazing building and you can go to the observation floor and get a FREE 360 degree view of the City of Angels. Spend a day walking around Union Station, watching the trains, the people and really look at the murals. Then go across the street to the birthplace of Los Angeles, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, where the marketplace is known as Olvera Street. Go on a FREE tour with Las Angelitas del Pueblo, trained docents who show you the 27 historic buildings including LA's oldest standing house, circa 1818. Another cool thing is the FREE 2nd Thursday Downtown L.A. Art Walk that features a FREE shuttle bus called the Hippodrome - a vintage 1940s school bus painted in 1960s psychedelic that features onboard performing artists.

Are there more or fewer free events than the when the first edition came out? (based on the economy, etc)

One might think there would be fewer events or places to visit for FREE, but I'm finding more. Sadly, there have been some long-time free fun staples that have been cancelled, such as SoCal's biggest Pow Wow (breaks my heart as I'm also Choctaw) and the Lotus Festival. In the case of something like the Pow Wow, I think a stronger effort could be made to reach out to the community to let people know that they need help. In the case of the Lotus Festival, it was partially the government budget crunch and the fact that something caused the beautiful water lilies to die off. On the hand, libraries, which are also struggling to stay open, offer a larger array of FREE events, workshops and talks than ever before. I think that goes back to community where people are willing to share their interest in everything from Anime to knitting.

Thank you Troy!

Go here to order your own copy of Free Los Angeles

To get up to the minute updates on more of Troy's free events, visit the Free Fun Guide blog.

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