On my recent trip to L.A., I pretty much had only one night on my own. The other three nights either involved conference activities or plans with a co-worker. So I needed to choose wisely for my activity that night.

I looked around for some comedy since I figured I would have plenty of options. I found a couple of comedy clubs, but didn’t recognize any performers and did not want to commit to the kind of cab fare it would take to get to the places I researched. Then, I struck gold.

The Upright Citizens Brigade. The venerable comedy organization had a night of improv. The theatre was pretty close to a subway station, and the 7 p.m. show only cost $5. The scheduled group, The Smokes, included Katie Dippold, who I discovered is a writer for NBC’s Parks and Recreation. I couldn’t pass up the chance to see a writer from one of my favorite shows perform.

What a great decision. The tiny theatre created an awesome experience. The actors cracked me up. The pace moved briskly. Nothing prevented the night from perfection. Not even the creepy Scientology center across the street from UCBLA.

Well, one thing could ruin it. I didn’t sign up for the list for the second show that night and the waiting list was way too long by the time my show let out. The third show didn’t start until 9:30 p.m., and I knew I would never make it that long. So I had to sate myself with one hour of improv comedy goodness.