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mayhem forwarded a message from his friend who is headed to LA and seeking shopping/events for a burner-minded vacation. I didn't think I had much to recommend, since I haven't lived there in years, but when I sat down to write a few quick comments I came up with more than I had expected! Posting it here for posterity.
***
Sarah,
A few tips on LA:
-Venice Beach for general peoplewatching and that "LA vibe" you've
heard so much about. I usually last about an hour there, but it's a
fun experience :) Look for the dude in gold spraypaint acting like a
robot.
-GO TO IN'N'OUT if you don't know about it already. If you're
vegetarian, order grilled cheese. Mmmmmm in'n'out. Mmmm neopolitan
shakes. (Find the hidden menu online before you go).
-Of course, there's also Roscoes Chicken N Waffles. Best at 2am. Kind
of a post-party hangover standard.
-For "burner clothes".. I find the concept pretty amusing, as 80% of
my stuff is homemade! However, if you're in the market for things like
hot pants and weird jackets, you can always hit up the strip of shops
on Melrose. Near Highland/La Brea cross streets. There are some
overpriced but fun crazy costumey places, plus an Aardvarks used
clothing store and tons of good record shops. And people walking their
chihuahuas wearing matching pink sequinned sweaters... ahh, Melrose :)
-If you're crafty, HEAD TO THE FASHION DISTRICT POST-HASTE. Make your
way to 9th & Main streets downtown. Pay to park in a lot (safer and a
lot less hassle, and it's totally worth it). If you head south from
9th & Main, you get into the fashion-district area with shops
specializing in womens' clothing, prom dresses, accessories, you name
it. If you head north you get into the flower district with lots of
ribbons and trimmings and things like 1,000 plastic martini glasses
for $10. Right around 9th & Main you can buy fabric super cheap -
however, do NOT accept their first price. Haggle. Show some skin to
the creepy guys running the fabric store, and comparison shop. I'm not
up on the current pricing scheme, but I'd guess you can probably find
basic fun fur for less than $8/yard if you look, and crazier patterned
furs for more like $10 to $15/yard, if not less. The bargain bins are
a great place to head for inspiration and strange prints. Good for
curtains and capes and the like. There are a few FABULOUS trimmings
shops on one of the north-south streets, I want to say Santee, but I'm
not sure. Find the "blue moon" or somethingorothermoon fabric store,
and head south on the nearest north-south street. If you want hooker
boots, head further south to Santee Alley. If you do some research
online you can probably find a map to the fashion district. This is
your best bet for CHEAP stuff and WEIRD stuff, but it can be pretty
exhausting (and there are NO bathrooms nearby, prepare
appropriately!). Also, BE SURE to go during the week if you can - it
caters to businesses, not single-item purchasers, so half the shops
will close down on the weekends. It's best during the day midweek.
-You can also check out stores on Hollywood Blvd for cheap hooker
clothes.. east of Vine St. Much pricier than the fashion district, but
more.. um.. "authentic" :P
-If you happen to be on Hollywood Blvd, you MUST have a martini/bloody
mary/manhattan at Musso & Frank's. The bartenders are all at least
retirement age, and they mix like nobody else in town. The place is
all wood paneling and old diner customers - quite an interesting mix
when the happy hour young professionals show up. It's been there since
1919 and it shows. 6667 Hollywood Blvd.
-You can also check out the eastern Hollywood area for shopping -
there are some vintage-ey thrift-ey type shops on Vermont, I think, in
the vicinity of Franklin. Definitely east of the 101, on one of the
major north/south streets.. possibly Western, possibly the extension
of Hollywood Blvd. There's a whole strip of shops in there somewhere..
you just gotta drive around to find it. This is the place for more
expensive stuff, not fun lighthearted hot pants, but more like $200
vintage dresses. Poshity posh.
-For events: friends have recommended "Mountain Bar" in china town as
having burner related events with some regularity. Also DEFINITELY
check out $2 tuesdays (at Sugar, I think? thrown by the Moontribe
crew) if you can find info. They tend to have a good, positive, fun
vibe, though the drinks (as with anywhere in LA) are absolutely
exhorbitant. Another friend recommended Robotronik's events for tech
house dancey stuff - http://compression.robotronik.com.
-The museum of neon art in downtown is a fun way to spend an
afternoon. Particularly if you're already in the Fashion District,
which is only a few blocks away.
-The best museum in town, however, is the Museum of Jurassic
Technology. I can't describe it, all I can say is GO and check it out.
You won't be disappointed. There's a passable Indian restaurant
nearby, and plenty of stereotypically LA-style apartment buildings to
ogle in the sunshine. A fine way to spend a morning, preferably if
you're hung over. The museum is fairly low-light and
high-freakyfactor. http://www.mjt.org/
-If you're around on a Sunday night, check out the L.A. video artists
event called "share". It's mainly a working session for video artists
so you might not be as "entertained", but if you're at all technically
minded it's a fascinating place to meet interesting people and see
awesome video artists in action. My good friend Surya coordinates it.
www.la-va.org for more info.
Let me know if you have any more questions. This is mainly a series of
starting points - if any of these really pique your interest, let me
know and I can try to track down more details.
And have a great time! :)
Cheers,
Morley
mayhem forwarded a message from his friend who is headed to LA and seeking shopping/events for a burner-minded vacation. I didn't think I had much to recommend, since I haven't lived there in years, but when I sat down to write a few quick comments I came up with more than I had expected! Posting it here for posterity.***
Sarah,
A few tips on LA:
-Venice Beach for general peoplewatching and that "LA vibe" you've
heard so much about. I usually last about an hour there, but it's a
fun experience :) Look for the dude in gold spraypaint acting like a
robot.
-GO TO IN'N'OUT if you don't know about it already. If you're
vegetarian, order grilled cheese. Mmmmmm in'n'out. Mmmm neopolitan
shakes. (Find the hidden menu online before you go).
-Of course, there's also Roscoes Chicken N Waffles. Best at 2am. Kind
of a post-party hangover standard.
-For "burner clothes".. I find the concept pretty amusing, as 80% of
my stuff is homemade! However, if you're in the market for things like
hot pants and weird jackets, you can always hit up the strip of shops
on Melrose. Near Highland/La Brea cross streets. There are some
overpriced but fun crazy costumey places, plus an Aardvarks used
clothing store and tons of good record shops. And people walking their
chihuahuas wearing matching pink sequinned sweaters... ahh, Melrose :)
-If you're crafty, HEAD TO THE FASHION DISTRICT POST-HASTE. Make your
way to 9th & Main streets downtown. Pay to park in a lot (safer and a
lot less hassle, and it's totally worth it). If you head south from
9th & Main, you get into the fashion-district area with shops
specializing in womens' clothing, prom dresses, accessories, you name
it. If you head north you get into the flower district with lots of
ribbons and trimmings and things like 1,000 plastic martini glasses
for $10. Right around 9th & Main you can buy fabric super cheap -
however, do NOT accept their first price. Haggle. Show some skin to
the creepy guys running the fabric store, and comparison shop. I'm not
up on the current pricing scheme, but I'd guess you can probably find
basic fun fur for less than $8/yard if you look, and crazier patterned
furs for more like $10 to $15/yard, if not less. The bargain bins are
a great place to head for inspiration and strange prints. Good for
curtains and capes and the like. There are a few FABULOUS trimmings
shops on one of the north-south streets, I want to say Santee, but I'm
not sure. Find the "blue moon" or somethingorothermoon fabric store,
and head south on the nearest north-south street. If you want hooker
boots, head further south to Santee Alley. If you do some research
online you can probably find a map to the fashion district. This is
your best bet for CHEAP stuff and WEIRD stuff, but it can be pretty
exhausting (and there are NO bathrooms nearby, prepare
appropriately!). Also, BE SURE to go during the week if you can - it
caters to businesses, not single-item purchasers, so half the shops
will close down on the weekends. It's best during the day midweek.
-You can also check out stores on Hollywood Blvd for cheap hooker
clothes.. east of Vine St. Much pricier than the fashion district, but
more.. um.. "authentic" :P
-If you happen to be on Hollywood Blvd, you MUST have a martini/bloody
mary/manhattan at Musso & Frank's. The bartenders are all at least
retirement age, and they mix like nobody else in town. The place is
all wood paneling and old diner customers - quite an interesting mix
when the happy hour young professionals show up. It's been there since
1919 and it shows. 6667 Hollywood Blvd.
-You can also check out the eastern Hollywood area for shopping -
there are some vintage-ey thrift-ey type shops on Vermont, I think, in
the vicinity of Franklin. Definitely east of the 101, on one of the
major north/south streets.. possibly Western, possibly the extension
of Hollywood Blvd. There's a whole strip of shops in there somewhere..
you just gotta drive around to find it. This is the place for more
expensive stuff, not fun lighthearted hot pants, but more like $200
vintage dresses. Poshity posh.
-For events: friends have recommended "Mountain Bar" in china town as
having burner related events with some regularity. Also DEFINITELY
check out $2 tuesdays (at Sugar, I think? thrown by the Moontribe
crew) if you can find info. They tend to have a good, positive, fun
vibe, though the drinks (as with anywhere in LA) are absolutely
exhorbitant. Another friend recommended Robotronik's events for tech
house dancey stuff - http://compression.robotronik.com.
-The museum of neon art in downtown is a fun way to spend an
afternoon. Particularly if you're already in the Fashion District,
which is only a few blocks away.
-The best museum in town, however, is the Museum of Jurassic
Technology. I can't describe it, all I can say is GO and check it out.
You won't be disappointed. There's a passable Indian restaurant
nearby, and plenty of stereotypically LA-style apartment buildings to
ogle in the sunshine. A fine way to spend a morning, preferably if
you're hung over. The museum is fairly low-light and
high-freakyfactor. http://www.mjt.org/
-If you're around on a Sunday night, check out the L.A. video artists
event called "share". It's mainly a working session for video artists
so you might not be as "entertained", but if you're at all technically
minded it's a fascinating place to meet interesting people and see
awesome video artists in action. My good friend Surya coordinates it.
www.la-va.org for more info.
Let me know if you have any more questions. This is mainly a series of
starting points - if any of these really pique your interest, let me
know and I can try to track down more details.
And have a great time! :)
Cheers,
Morley
