Vintage LA by Jennifer Brandt Taylor (Harpers Collins) is one of those rare books you just know everyone would love. I mean everyone. I mean I’m getting a copy for all my peeps, from my retired Firefighter Father-in-law to my funky sculptor friend Roberto. It’s the perfect gift for hardened LA natives and for those who have just discovered our fair city. But, let me stop gushing and tell you why this is your next purchase.

I figured it would take me a week to read this thing, but instead devoured it in an evening. You can’t judge a book by its cover and blah blah blah but the cover of Vintage LA even made me excited. Excited. About LA? Yeah. The familiar depictions of The Beverly Hills Hotel and The Cineramadome share cover space with the Sunset Junction sign and Bob’s Frolic Room! This is not your average tourist book. Because I thought I already knew every cool spot in the city, it was refreshing to crack open this gorgeous book and actually learn things. (I mean, did you know Belushi was rumored to have his last meal at Dan Tana’s? Neither did I!!!) To get inspired about a city I thought I was growing bored of. To discover hidden treasures in your own hood. Yes!

Vintage LA is broken up into neighborhoods. You can read it straight-through or flip right to your own corner of the city. LA native, Jennifer Brandt Taylor reveals restaurants, bars, hotels, vintage clothing stores, book stores, music stores, roller rinks, parks, movie theatres, museums, cemetaries and movie studios with an ease and quirkiness that only a local girl could possess. Neato-burrito features pepper the pages, such as her “Inside Scoops”, which provide useful information to the reader such as the fact that Rydell High (from Grease) was actually Venice High School, a fact I’m glad I didn’t know during my years of living in Venice. (They would’ve found me on the bleachers singing for sure.) Another feature sure to win you over is the “Vintage Q & A”. These interviews highlight a real ‘vintage’ Los Angeleno at their favorite Los Angeles haunt. Two standouts in the book are the author’s sit-downs with Rodney Bingenheimer (Rodney on the Roq) at Canters and Johnny Grant (The Honorary Mayor of Hollywood) at The Roosevelt Hotel. Super fun stuff.

There are excellent photos throughout the book, making it coffee table worthy. The author is depicted in many of the photos, which could have easily been cheese-ball but ends up working to the book’s advantage because of the personal feel to the reviews and because they fit the tone of the book; enhancing it rather than mucking it up. Another reason to fall in love with Vintage LA? The fun facts you’ll learn that you can casually mention over cocktails to sound smart and cool. Here are a few to wet your whistle (taken from my hood because my hood rocks, y’all) :

• Walt Disney lunched at Tam O’ Shanters frequently. They called it, “The Tam.”
• The Vista Theater was once HQ for Ed Wood Productions.
• Millie’s (in Silverlake) chef is/was Keith Morris. Yes! Circle Jerks! Have I been consuming a little punk with my scrambled eggs?

That’s all you’re getting right now, folks. For oodles more, you have to buy the book!

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