Artisanal L.A.: The Ultimate “Independent L.A.” Post

At the L.A. Mart design center, my sister, J, and I recently went to the Artisanal L.A. Spring Show 2014. We were greeted into the parking lot by the distinctive giant wooden kitchen chair, a gift from a consortium of Italian furniture makers to the company that manages the L.A. Mart. Originally standing tall outside of the Chicago Merchandise Mart, it was shipped to L.A. to take advantage of the nicer weather, just like the rest of us. J and I had been to the L.A. Mart once before, during the Halloween convention Scare L.A. I don’t remember much of that convention, as I spent the entire time clutching my sister, on the lookout for zombies. Because somehow it hadn’t occurred to me that there might be people wandering around in grotesque makeup trying to scare the living daylights out of you. At a Halloween convention.

“I don’t know why you didn’t expect this,” my sister had said, as I shadowed her every move, keeping her in front of me like a shield.

“I don’t know why you think I would have,” I had whispered back, trying to keep from making too much noise lest I attract any predators. “I don’t come to these kinds of things, like, ever. This is your fault.”

To give you a sense of how much I like horror movies, I can’t even watch the trailers that play on TV without covering my eyes. Which meant the fake zombies naturally gravitated toward me, smelling my fear from all the way on the other side of the convention floor, like sharks smelling blood in the water. I told my sister in no uncertain terms that she would have to find someone else to accompany her to future Scare L.A. shows.

Our visit this time, however, was much more my speed. As a show celebrating handmade goods, most of which were food, there was nothing scary lurking around every corner (though J was almost taken out by the dangling legs of a toddler, being airplaned around in the air by the outstretched arms of her oblivious father). We started to make our way around the booths, with J occasionally darting in and out in her patented “business card swipe” move. Her single-minded focus on a vendor’s business card was an efficient tactic, sometimes complicated by my desire to actually speak to the vendor.

One of the booths we stopped by was Laura Ann’s Jams. The strawberry vanilla jam I tried was amazing. “Everyone loves the strawberry vanilla jam,” the lady manning the booth nodded knowingly at me. Laura Ann also makes drinks out of her jams, which I think is brilliant. The lemonade made out of the strawberry vanilla jam was so good that I immediately had to buy a bottle. I played coy about buying the jam—what? There were so many other jams to try before I could make a commitment to just one!—but ended up coming back to buy it later.

I also stopped by the Crème Caramel L.A. booth. Co-owner Kristine de la Cruz was manning the booth herself. She told me they were mainly advertising their catering services, but offered me samples of their vanilla custard ice cream with a hard chocolate shell topping, a brownie, and a chocolate chip cookie concoction that pasted two cookies together with marshmallow fluff. I happily extended my hand out and tried all three while we discussed the new shop she recently opened in Sherman Oaks, right around the corner from my apartment.

J, even though she owns a crafting business of her own, Spookyfinds, isn’t always aware of other artisanal vendors. As we passed the Handsome CoffeeRoasters booth, she laughed out loud at the name and then quickly looked away as the admittedly good-looking gentlemen manning the booth gave her weird looks.

“Are they serious?” she giggled. “Isn’t it kind of weird to call yourself a handsome roaster? Or is that just me?”

Based on the cult hipster status of the Arts District shop, I told her it was just her.

My stomach starting to growl after a couple hours, we hit the food trucks outside the L.A. Mart complex. Tempted by the chipotle burger at the Green Truck, an organic food truck committed to green living, I was super-excited to see that it came on a pretzel bun. Pretzel buns are the best thing ever and it perfectly complimented the lamb patty and mildly spicy chipotle sauce. Very yummy. I briefly thought about taking a picture of it for posterity, but my stomach reminded me that it was hungry and wouldn’t stand for such a silly delay. So I devoured my burger while trying not to swallow any of my own hair being blown about my face by the not-so-gentle spring wind.

With one last look at the giant wooden kitchen chair, my sister and I departed, my strawberry vanilla jam securely tucked into my purse.

Griffith Park, Bigfoot Lodge, and House of Pies, Oh My!

Today’s lovely weather reminded me of the great weather we enjoyed a few Saturdays ago—not too cold and not too hot. It was perfect for a birthday picnic in Griffith Park. I’d been to Griffith Park to see free ISC Shakespeare in the summer, and had even visited the Observatory way back in high school when I first moved to California, but I’d never really come to enjoy it as just a park—a place for people to gather and enjoy spending time outdoors. Amidst the piles of food were cupcakes from Frosted Cupcakery, and they were absolutely awesome. I had the red velvet one, but there were also chocolate and salted caramel versions. They were minis, so I didn’t feel too badly about eating two of them. Just being outside must surely count as some form of exercise.

After hours of lounging on the picnic tables, we oohed and aahed as the birthday girl opened all her presents. As darkness fell, we packed up and headed to nearby Bigfoot Lodge. When you enter the bar, you have the sense that they used the same decorator that Disney did for Frontierland. But after a while, you start to think that it’s just a bit cooler than the kitschy Old West cartoon village; that the bar is in on the joke, and is, perhaps, even the one making the joke. The result? You feel like you’re in a quirky bar in the quirky/cool neighborhood of Los Feliz. Appropriately then, the drinks all bear themed names. I had the Girl Scout Cookie, a martini based off of the Thin Mint cookie by the eponymous organization. It does, in fact, taste exactly like a Thin Mint, only with the more grown-up bite of alcohol. My sister ordered a Sasquatch, which tasted like it was 200% alcohol. Like if you were actually confronted by the mythical creature, the purpose of that drink is to make you faint. Giving up after a few swallows, my sister ordered a Toasted Marshmallow, which was tasty and accented by a . . . toasted marshmallow (kind of obvious, that).

And because no self-respecting night of drinking ends without a case of the munchies, we headed to House of Pies. The patty melt I ordered was good, not spectacular, but the peanut butter cream pie was fantastic. I don’t really consider myself a pie girl, but you can’t go to the House of Pies and not get a slice of pie. And that peanut butter pie might have just converted me.

After a day and night of gallivanting around Los Feliz, the sight of my bed in the wee hours of the morning was welcome. Dreaming dreams of Sasquatches and pie, I drifted off into oblivion.

Casey’s 40th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Street Festival

Determined to wait out the storm in my apartment on Saturday, my sister whined and cajoled to get me to go Downtown to the annual St. Patrick’s Day street bash hosted by Casey’s Irish Pub.

“But it’s never St. Patrick’s Day on a weekend!” my sister pointed out. “We have to go out!”

She dismissed my objections that we might drown in the rain. Eyeing the overcast sky, gloomy but not actually pouring at that moment, I conceded, curious about a festival that can draw thousands of people to the two-block area surrounding the pub.

On St. Patrick’s Day, I usually wear the obligatory green, while resisting my mother’s attempts to get me to wear socks and dangly earrings with shamrocks and pots of gold on them. It is a holiday to ostensibly celebrate the Irish. And as such, it is naturally also a drinking holiday. I don’t drink very often, so that aspect of the day is usually lost on me. Not so my sister. Drinking for her is more like an endurance sport.

When we arrived at the festival, Hollywood U2, the U2 cover band, was playing under the huge tent erected to protect festival attendees from the impending rain. The first order of business was obvious: get a drink. Among the usual offerings was the kitschy classic, green beer. Never having indulged before, we ordered two straightaway. Clicking cups to toast the day, we parked near the band, enjoying the music and the people watching.

After a few hours of singing along to Hollywood U2’s set list (the lead singer looks and sounds eerily like Bono), we decided to find some food. One look at the really long line to get inside Casey’s and we went a little further afield for some grub. In the mood for fish and chips, I did a Yelp search for nearby restaurants. Originally headed to the gastropub Public School 612, we detoured to the adjacent Daily Grill, which was much less crowded (crowded bars being hazards of St. Patty’s Day). The Baja fish and chips I ordered was yummy. The breading on the fish wasn’t too greasy, and the spiced tartar sauce was pretty amazing. It made a perfect dipping sauce for the shoestring fries in addition to the fish.

Walking back to the festival to the opening strains of the AC/DC tribute band’s set, we decided to head out before the moving storm clouds made it to Downtown. Two minutes after we got on the 101, we passed through the oncoming clouds, which poured buckets of water onto my sister’s car.

Thoroughly glad that my sister convinced me to brave the rain to indulge in some holiday cheer, I left the festival having drunk my first green beer (okay, I poured most of it into my sister’s cup). Next year, St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday. Perhaps I’ll leave it to the professionals (drinkers, that is), and happily make myself some corned beef and cabbage at home.

The Moth

When you hear the words “The Moth,” you don’t automatically think “nonprofit dedicated to the art of storytelling.” Or maybe those of us who still live in the dark don’t. According to the organization’s website, The Moth events are often standing room only. After witnessing how packed Royce Hall was on a Thursday night, and judging by the enthusiastic applause, they’re not joking.

But why would you name your organization after a bug? As I sat in Royce Hall waiting to be entranced by live storytelling, I couldn’t get this question out of my head. What was the significance of The Moth? The enlarged graphic of the creature adorning the T-shirts being sold in the lobby loomed in my brain. Unable to stand the suspense any longer, I whipped out my iPhone and googled the organization. So here it is: George Dawes Green, the founder of The Moth, was a native Georgian, and on humid summer nights, he and his friends would get together on his friend’s porch and share stories. Attracted to the light, moths would get through the holes in the porch screen. Thus, the storytellers started calling themselves The Moths.

I have to be honest: when I read that explanation I was a little let down, as it’s not the most romantic of origin tales. As a former UCLA English Major, I like symbols to have more profound meaning, to be more “symbolic” (if you will) of something larger. But as I started thinking more about the moth as a symbol for the organization, it increasingly seemed apparent to me that the symbol has taken on a larger meaning than its initial adoption suggests. [I feel I must apologize in advance for the following paragraph. My brain started thinking I was in college again and got a little carried away.]

The moth, much like its cousin the butterfly, starts life as a caterpillar, before emerging fully formed from its cocoon. Live storytelling is a lot like that process: the storyteller is transformed by sharing, in real time and without notes, a tale of personal experience. With each word spoken, the raconteur breaks free from the cocoon of isolated experience and turns it into a shared, immediate experience with all of the listeners. What makes the moth an apt metaphor (rather than the butterfly) is that when it emerges from its cocoon, its colors are muted—ordinary. Its transformation is not flashy. So too the storyteller’s; shared human experience is not a tangible product, but it is no less meaningful, and the storyteller is still an ordinary person when he or she walks off the stage.

Oftentimes, though, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Kodi Azari, a hand surgeon, talked about how he helped pioneer the field of hand transplantation. After having completed the first hand transplantation surgery ever, Dr. Azari explained how he and the rest of his surgical team sobbed in the hospital room of a U.S. soldier, who had lost his hand overseas, as he slowly wiggled the fingers on his new hand.

During Jennie Allen’s story, about how she dealt with the effects of losing her hair from chemotherapy, she recounts how she felt when she lost her eyebrows too. She felt naked, because “my hair was part of my head, but my eyebrows were part of my face.” It’s an immensely enjoyable moment when a storyteller utters a simply worded statement that speaks volumes.

Jerry Stahl’s story was less uplifting than the previous two stories, chronicling his life as a drug addict, but with a dark humor that had the audience laughing out loud. (With the exception of one moment: wanting to avoid his landlady in order to score more drugs, he drove right past her frantic waving. Later, he found out that her husband had had a heart attack and she had been signaling for help. Her husband later died. Apparently, we Californians were too polite to laugh at the situation.)

Rounding out the storytellers were Brian Finkelstein, who chronicled his fateful last night as a volunteer for a suicide hotline, and Annie Duke, who spoke about her emotional journey as a professional poker player.

The Moth’s goal is to put on three live events a year in L.A. Rudy Rush, the host for the evening and entertaining in his own right, also promoted the nonprofit’s poetry slams. After having enjoyed one evening of live storytelling, I’m looking forward to the next live event The Moth puts on.

West Hollywood Book Fair

This past Sunday, I headed into West Hollywood for its annual book fair. This was the first time I’d actually been, even though the fair has been around for ten years. Held on the grounds surrounding the West Hollywood Library, in the shadow of the Blue Whale (aka the Pacific Design Center; see my visit a couple summers ago here), the fair isn’t as big as the vernal L.A. Times Festival of Books, but it still offered plenty to interest the literary Angeleno.

My first stop was the booth of Bill Cunningham, author of I Wonder What Became of Me, right by the entrance to the library. Last fall, as a side project, I edited Bill’s book, a fascinating look at his life and decades-long career building one of the most respected talent agencies in the world. A quick photo with Bill later, I was on my way to the food court, signed book tucked in my bag, with a promise to stop by the booth again on my way out. There was a variety of food trucks at the food court, including the Hungry Nomad and SliceTruck. I decided to grab a cherry slushy lemonade from A ROCKin ICE, which I ordered from a very happy and very friendly blonde guy dressed in a Hawaiian shirt. The slushy was delicious but it made my teeth look like they had escaped from a horror film. One guy made the mistake of asking me where I got my program, and probably did not expect that the short, harmless-looking curly-haired brunette would reveal a set of (what looked like) bleeding teeth.

My icy, teeth-staining slushy in hand, I set out to explore what else was on offer at the fair. I walked up to the Open Booth stage just in time for “Cats Throw Dark Shadows: From Actress to Author.” Julie Newmar, the original Catwoman, was wearing a pair of cat ears, completing her image as an eccentric creative spirit. Next I wandered over to the Comics, Graphic Novels & More stage and caught the “Comics to Screen & Back Again” panel, featuring, among others, Len Wein, co-creator of Swamp Thing and Wolverine. I don’t have a particularly avid interest in comics, but I find that people who do are usually pretty entertaining. My sister works at a collectible figures company, and while the guys she works with behave like total man-children, they are absolutely hilarious.

After wandering around a bit more, I slid by Bill’s booth again and said my goodbyes. Then it was back into the belly of the Blue Whale to find where I parked my car.

Plans for next weekend include scouring L.A.’s vintage furniture stores for a pair of nightstands. Have I mentioned that I’ve spent the last several weeks looking for nightstands? What? I’m picky.

Hello Again

A lot has changed since I last wrote on this blog. In September, I was jobless and hanging out in mid-city L.A., avoiding the heat of the Valley. I had only been back from New York for a few months. Since the fall, temps have cooled (and have now started to heat up again), I moved back to the Valley, and I now have a job (I even had two for a time).

My new job is in a completely different field than any of my previous jobs, which meant that there was a big learning curve when I first started. My brain was so overwhelmed for a while that I didn’t have any extra RAM (as my techie dad would say) to devote to my blog. Moving to the Valley also limited the amount of cultural opportunities/events to explore and chronicle. Lately, though, I find my thoughts straying back to my explorations of the summer and how satisfying it was to write about them. Now, whenever I visit a new place or do something out of the ordinary, I find myself composing blog posts in my head, thinking about how I would describe something and what details I would include.

Having decided to start writing my blog again, I’ve also decided to change the focus slightly. Although New York will still always hold a special place in my heart and I will always miss it, my life is here in L.A. And there are so many great things about living here that I want to focus on celebrating all there is to do in L.A. rather than trying to somehow console myself that I’m not in New York. Thus, while the name of my blog will still be “Falling in Love with L.A.,” it will be more about exploring what it means to love living in the City of Angels. That’s not to say I’ll never mention New York ever again. I don’t think you should ever forget the places you’ve been, especially the places that really get inside of you. But there’s so much to see in the world that you also have to be open to discovering new places. And maybe even rediscovering places, too.

What to Love in L.A. This Weekend

Free Festivities: Officially, Whole Foods doesn’t turn 30 until Monday, September 20th, but this weekend Whole Foods stores all across North America and the UK are celebrating with all sorts of birthday festivities. The Whole Foods nearest me is celebrating with raffles throughout the entire weekend. They’ll be raffling off all sorts of things, from goody bags to gift cards to bicycles (oh my!). Other activities going on include Texas-themed barbecues (in honor of the store’s roots in Austin, where the flagship is located), birthday cake, cupcake decorating, wine tastings, various kids events, and more. Find the Whole Foods nearest you to see what’s happening at your store.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Alcohol: If you find yourself craving a drink at 10 pm on a Tuesday night but are low on cash, head to CineSpace in Hollywood. Created by two MTV staffers, CineSpace is a hybrid nightclub, lounge, restaurant, event venue, and movie theater. You could have a full night on the town and never even leave the building. Does that seem wrong? Or so, so right? To quench your thirst, CineSpace offers free vodka every Tuesday from 10 pm to 11 pm. Vodka is my alcohol of choice (must have something to do with my Russian blood) and it tastes even better when I don’t have to pay for it.

CineSpace, 6356 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles; Tuesdays, 10 pm to 2 am.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Extras: If you haven’t heard of Fashion’s Night Out by now, then you must not like shopping very much. If this is the case, my condolences. Before this year, though, Los Angeles shoppers had to sit by while their New York counterparts were plied with free food, drink, and entertainment, all in the name of shopping. No more do Angelenos have to do without. Today, the City of Angels officially hosts its first-ever Fashion’s Night Out. Head to the FNO LA website to check out what’s happening at several key shopping destinations around the city, including the Beverly Center, Melrose Avenue, Abbott Kinney, Robertson Boulevard, West Third Street, and Westfield Topanga. Happy shopping!

Fashion’s Night Out, http://fno.lacity.org; 4-10 pm.

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Movies: If you find yourself near Miracle Mile today around 1 pm, head to LACMA’s Bing Theater to check out this week’s Tuesday matinee, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. You can see this Academy Award-nominated film, which features two of the 20th century’s most iconic performers (Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor, if you’re having a brain sneeze), for only $2. That’s way cheaper than going to the movie theater, and you don’t even have to wait for Netflix to mail it to you. If you’re like me and you take your time getting around to seeing classic movies, $2 is a great motivator for two hours’ entertainment.

Bing Theater, LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles; 1 pm; $2, $1 seniors.

Mini Architecture Tour of N. Rossmore Avenue in Larchmont Village

On my way to cute Larchmont Village (read my review of Larchmont Beauty Center here), I walked along the stretch of North Rossmore Avenue bounded by Melrose Avenue to the north and Beverly Boulevard to the south. Highlighted by City Walks: Los Angeles, the 1920s-era apartment buildings reflect a variety of architectural influences. I particularly liked the art deco elements, as well as the medieval turrets of castle-like 540 N. Rossmore. The El Royale, which has hosted some famous residents, is also located on N. Rossmore. For more information on and photos of the El Royale, check out the Houses of Hancock Park blog. While you’re there, take a look at all of Woody's other great pictures of beautiful Hancock Park architecture. Julia Stein of California Writer also has a great post on the Larchmont Village area.

Here are the highlights of my mini architectural tour.




The above photos are actually of the same building.



*sigh* I would love to live in a castle.

What to Love in L.A. This Weekend

Cheap Deals: If you arrive at the L.A. County Fair this Labor Day weekend between 10 am and 1 pm, admission costs you only $1. Yes, $1! If you don't believe me, watch the fair's promo video above. Since regular adult admission is $17, you should seriously think about setting your alarm. But if 10 am to 1 pm is just too early for some (especially if your family, like mine, includes people who keep vampire hours), the fair is also running specials throughout the day, including discounts on food and beverages and $1 carnival rides from late afternoon to early evening. Just think, spending only $1 on admission means you could get yourself an extra fried Oreo or two. I can feel my arteries clog just thinking about it.

L.A. County Fair, 1101 W. McKinley Avenue, Pomona; Labor Day weekend hours, Sat-Sun: 10 am to midnight, Mon: 10 am to 10 pm; admission $1 from 10 am to 1 pm.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Museums: I hardly need to tell you about how great the Getty is. If you live in L.A., you’ve probably already been there, and if you’re a tourist, the Getty is probably on your list of things to see. The museum regularly features a variety of exhibitions, and as an Angeleno, I always check in from time to time to see what’s showing. The exhibition that caught my eye this time was “From Line to Light: Renaissance Drawing in Florence and Venice,” which features drawings by Titian, Raphael, and a variety of other Italian artists. I like the simplicity of drawings; I find it fascinating what a person can do with only a writing instrument and paper.

Admission to the museum is free, but parking is not ($15). If you’re going to drive, do not go alone, because once you hand over your arm and leg for parking (seriously! $15!) you’re going to need some help getting around the museum.

Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles; Tues–Fri, Sun: 10 am to 5:30 pm, Sat: 10 am to 9 pm; free admission.

Independent L.A.: Larchmont Beauty Center

I have a small obsession with beauty products. Well, maybe a medium, somewhat-higher-than-average obsession with beauty products. Okay, okay, I love them!!! I routinely slather myself with every body and face product there is, and I cleanse, scrub, exfoliate, moisturize, and do anything else there is to do.

Thus, when I entered Larchmont Beauty Center in Larchmont Village, I was in heaven. In one sense, it’s a good thing that I don’t have a job or I would be tempted to spend a paycheck (or two) at this small beauty emporium. Since I put so many products on my skin, I’ve been trying to buy natural/organic stuff. This store has a great selection, including Fresh, Jurlique, California Baby, Burt’s Bees, Ole Henriksen (I’m in marry-me-forever love with Ole’s truth serum), mop, and Tom’s of Maine. If natural/organic isn’t your thing, Larchmont Beauty Center carries many of the salon brands as well. Besides hair and skin care products, you can also find perfumes, nail polish, all kinds of beauty tools, and a small selection of makeup.

The store itself isn’t very big, but the shelves are jam-packed with beauty goodies. The shelf housing what seemed like the entire Kiehl’s product line was even bowing a little. I carefully backed away from that shelf, visualizing a repeat of an unfortunate incident in Hawaii that ended with me showered in small tiki idols (it wasn’t my fault!).

Several products even have testers à la Sephora so you can try them out before buying. I tried some of Jurlique’s Sun Lotion SPF 30+ on my hands. Since I’m deathly pale, I appreciate any product that contains sunscreen. The staff was friendly, and there is a small salon in the back of the store that offers full-salon services such as body treatments, waxing, hair and nails, makeup, and even massage.

If you’re a beauty product junkie, it is quite easy to spend all day in Larchmont Beauty Center, but at least try and drag yourself out after an hour or two. The surrounding shops and restaurants of Larchmont Village are well worth checking out.

Larchmont Beauty Center, 208 North Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles; Mon-Sat: 8:30 am to 8 pm, Sun: 11 am to 6 pm.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Screenings: As part of the Taste of Beverly Hills Food & Wine Festival taking place this weekend, the Paley Center for Media is screening popular TV cooking shows in the museum’s John H. Mitchell Theater. The program, called Who’s Cooking @ Paley Center, kicks off today with Baking with Julia Child, Two Hot Tamales (hosted by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken), and Cooking Live (hosted by Sara Moulton).

Paley Center for Media, 465 North Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills; 12:30 pm, Sept. 1–8; free.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Design: If you want to get a closer look at the fantastical costumes of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010), head to the museum and galleries of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising for its design exhibition on the movie. Featured alongside Colleen Atwood’s original costumes for the film are Alice-inspired clothing and products designed by celebrities, designers, and fashion icons, like Sue Wong, Tom Binns, and Avril Lavigne. Also currently showing at FIDM are “The Art of Television Costume Design,” featuring the work of 2010 Emmy-nominated designers, and “High Style: Perfume and the Haute Couture.”

FIDM Museum & Galleries, 919 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles; Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, exhibition through September 30th; free.

Independent L.A.

It is a well-known fact by now that shopping at chain stores is an entirely different experience than shopping at independent stores. The main difference? Indie stores have character. And how much and what kind usually depends on the store’s neighborhood. For example, an indie bookstore in Los Feliz can feel entirely different than an indie bookstore in Malibu, unlike a Barnes & Noble, which pretty much looks and feels the same wherever you go.

This isn’t to say that I don’t like chain stores. I do. In fact, I love Ann Taylor LOFT (but we won’t talk about how many paychecks I’ve spent there) and the aforementioned B&N. But indie stores are about creating a community, whatever kind of community that is, be it people who like books, food, art, design, etc. As part of the generation that prefers to customize everything to our own tastes, I like it when stores display individuality. It makes the entire experience more personal.

That’s why I’ll be introducing a biweekly feature called “Independent L.A.,” which will showcase great independent stores in L.A., one at a time. My very general criteria? That the store has as few locations as possible and be based in California. I may deviate a time or two, though, to highlight a great store that straddles the line between being an indie store and a full-blown chain. I’d rather be more general than less, since the indie spirit can show up in many places, sometimes unexpectedly. If there’s a great indie store around where you live, leave a comment and let me know why you think it’s so great.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Cheap Comedy: Head to Upright Citizens Brigade tonight to see the improv of the Smokes, who perform weekly at UCB. Only $5 gets you an hour of comedy from several funny people (go here to see the list), including Katie Dippold (writer for Parks and Recreation) and Mr. Sassy Gay Friend himself, Brian Gallivan. If “What are you doing? What, what, what are you doing?” means nothing to you, please head to YouTube and fix this unfortunate situation.

Upright Citizens Brigade, 5919 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, 7 pm, $5.

What to Love in L.A. Today

Free Festivals: Created in 1951 as a week-long celebration of California’s early settlers, Fiesta La Ballona has morphed into a three-day event that celebrates the community of Culver City. The festival features live music, carnival rides and games ($1 a ride), a community stage featuring local performers, lots of food vendors, a beer and wine garden, a petting zoo, and pony rides. Admission to the festival is free, as is parking. Free entertainment in the heart of Culver City? Yes, please!


Fiesta La Ballona; Veteran’s Park at the intersection of Culver Blvd. and Overland Ave., Culver City; August 27–29, Friday: 4:30 pm to 10 pm, Saturday: 8:30 am to 10 pm, Sunday: 8:30 am to 9 pm; free.