I came across this roundup of bars in Hollywood and east when I was looking for links in the MyLA post. It is a kinda fun read and covers most of the bases. Here is the review of 4100:
We went to this bar on like, Thursday. Maybe it was Wednesday or Tuesday. Anyways, the point is, is that there was an unusually high number of females there. The interior design is all “magic-carpet” style. All of a sudden, we were surrounded by intoxicated ladies. It was like our own harem. It was great.
It is, however, a bit outdated. I know at least Lava Lounge and Star Shoes have closed and where is Cha Cha? Anyway, have a look and post your score. I’ve been to 17 of 30.
MyLA is purple and gold. It’s the city that outsiders love to hate and the city I love to love. MyLA is energy and sunshine. MyLA is only swimming east of the pier. MyLA is equal love for the north, south, east and west. MyLA is KCRW on the road. It’s stopping in at the Stussy Store, visiting my brother on the west side and refreshing my soul on the east side. MyLA is caring about the city. MyLa is my friends and family. MyLA is waking up on Saturday mornings and playing soccer. MyLA is my photography students at North Hollywood High School. MyLA is thrift stores and sushi. MyLA is caring about the Kings, Dodgers, Lakers, Galaxy and Sol. It’s going to the Melrose Trading Post and sharing wine with my parents at Oliva. MyLA is the VALLEY. My La is making sure that transplants spend time everywhere. MyLA is getting off the 10 fwy at Vermont and driving north to remember the LA everyone seems to forget. MyLA is Northridge. My La is the Irish spot. MyLA is urban hiking through downtown’s art’s district. MyLA is working random jobs, meeting random people and saying hello and thank you. MyLA is highschool. MyLA is eating at shady restaurants and loving them. MyLA is transit. My La is going public whenever it makes sense. MyLA is black gold from GroundWorks. MyLA is 15 people deep on a balcony, drinking, eating and chilling. MyLA is bbq’s in the ridge to the north. MyLA is the summer. My La is born. MyLA is raised.
MyLA is a feature I’d like to start for the people who call LA home to say a few things about what this town means to them. This can be whatever makes sense to you. What makes it your LA? Please let me know if you’d like contribute your piece to the MyLA project.
My LA is my morning cup of Zen Blend from Nature Mart on my balcony. My LA is a pen, a notepad, and a large drip coffee at Silverlake Coffee or Psychobabble or maybe Sabor y Cultura. My LA is Griffith Park – from hiking up into the hills to shagging balls at the driving range with a tall can to shooting on a goal made from a trash bin and a tree. MyLA is eating on Hillhurst. Brunch at Mustard Seed, lunch at Alcove, dinner at Green Leaves. My LA is flicks at the Vista, Los Feliz 3, or Arclight. My LA is frozen veggies, tandoori naan and 2 buck chuck from the Trader Joe’s around the corner. My LA is Sapphire & tonic at 4100, Tecate at Cha Cha or $1 tequila shots at The Gold Room if I’m really looking to tie one on. My LA is racing to Mt. High for 5pm-10pm night boarding (only $30). MyLA is a fun-filled afternoon at the track, seriously one of the most enjoyable (and surprisingly inexpensive) ways to spend a day …especially a work day. My LA is watching soccer on Saturdays and Sundays and probably Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (but only sometimes Mondays and Fridays). My LA is shows at Spaceland, The Echo(+plex), and The Greek. My LA is shopping at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and then cooking a fresh Sunday dinner with my LA fam. But more than anything else, my LA is the view from my balcony as the sun sets over the city I call home.
President Obama will be in Los Angeles on Thursday for a town hall meeting that is taking place at an undisclosed downtown location. A ticket lottery is running until noon Tuesday – enter here.
I was lucky enough to get hooked up with a pass (thx La) for the X Games this weekend and we nabbed an amazing spot on the deck for the Skateboard Superpark Comp. Check out the photoset on flickr.
This Saturday in Santa Monica there is an all night art festival. From the Site:
Glow will fill the hours between dusk to dawn with compelling, enchanting and effervescent sights and sounds situated in spaces and times that expand possibilities for where, how and when the public experiences contemporary art.
With the historic Santa Monica Pier and adjacent world-famous Santa Monica Beach as their space, artists were commissioned to create unique and inviting works of art that welcome the public to be both audience and actor for twelve celebratory hours. Inspired by the wildly successful Nuit Blanche in Paris, Glow takes its spirit from the fabled grunion that live in local waters and come ashore several times a year to spawn in the sand creating a momentary sensation of iridescence.
Sounds like something worth supporting to me and it could be a hell of a lot of fun to chill on the beach into the wee morning hours.
The hills behind Santa Barbara and Goleta are on fire and evacuations have come down over the last week for the hills very near where I used to live. But things seem to be looking better.
The fires have lead to some pretty spectacular photos – such as this one, posted on a NASA astronomy site.
Explanation: On July 5th, wandering planets, bright stars, and a young crescent Moon graced western skies after sunset. Arrayed along the solar system’s ecliptic plane, the three celestial beacons forming this skyscape’s eye-catching line-up with the Moon are Saturn (upper left), then Mars, and finally Regulus, alpha star of the constellation Leo. Of course planet Earth itself lies in the foreground, a scene dominated by the city lights of Santa Barbara, California. The smoky haze hanging over the city is from threatening wild fires still burning along the hill at the right. On Thursday evening, Saturn and Mars can be seen in a much closer pairing or conjunction, separated by only about 3/4 degree on the sky.
Sunset Junction is coming up August 23-24 and the lineup is definitely the best in years. Broken Social Scene (pictured), Cold War Kids, and The Black Keys will all be performing. For those of you not aware, this festival takes place on Sunset Blvd – a drunken stumble from my house (you can clearly hear the music and even see the fest from my balcony). Get your reservations in now for couch space if any out-of-towners want to join the festivities.
The LA Film Fest starts rolling today and runs through next weekend in Westwood and, new this year, at the Landmark. Featuring a number of Sundance faves and a few new indies, the rather select lineup is really quite good. It seems the documentary competition is especially interesting this year. Kudos to the folks behind the website for the fest – write-ups are packed with useful info on the film and filmmakers, links, and trailers. Here are some of the flicks I am most excited about. Check out the full post after the break for more notes.
Dirty Hands: The Art & Crimes of David Choe
David Choe is famous for his dirty style of art and graffiti that I have long been a fan of. This docu looks at his life and career and chronicles a recent stint in Japanese prison for vandalism. (Photo above)
Wonderful Town
An interesting looking Thai drama about a couple finding love in post tsunami Thailand.
Let the Right One in
Let me take this opportunity to most heartily recommend this Sundance flick, which I caught at the Seattle Fest a few weeks ago. It is a touching a brilliant coming of age story of a young boy who falls in love with the new girl next door in a Swedish suburb, only to discover she is a vampire! The story unfolds in a stark and subtle way that makes the eventual action so much more effective. I can’t say enough good things about this film. It has quickly joined The Wackness as one of my very favorite films of the year.
Reprise, a Norwegian film by director Joachim Trier, was probably my favorite film I saw in 2006 (it premiered at that year’s Toronto fest). Now it has finally come out in theaters (thx Miramax) and will be gone before you know it. I am planning to go see it tomorrow, Tuesday 6/17 at the Regency Fairfax (oh I’m back in LA btw). Anyone who wants to take this chance to see a truly innovative narrative on the big screen should come along. Norwegian Trailer – US Trailer
