a 22-year-old ex-film student wandering around los angeles and wondering what to do with her life
I have mentioned before that I’m always on the lookout for good late night dining. There seems to be a surprising shortage of it in Los Angeles, a city where I would expect to find it on every other corner. There is a small beacon of hope, however, in this vast, barren landscape of impossibly early restaurant closings - Swinger’s Diner.
Swinger’s is the L.A. version of an Americana diner. It has good food and wonderful hours. It will be open at three AM when you’re done partying and you want something to eat. It will be open early in the morning when you and your friends need an easy breakfast. It’s open when you’re on your lunch break and when you’re trying to find a place to eat dinner at midnight.
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Tags: Restaurants · Reviews
I have mentioned before that I’m always on the lookout for good late night dining. There seems to be a surprising shortage of it in Los Angeles, a city where I would expect to find it on every other corner. There is a small beacon of hope, however, in this vast, barren landscape of impossibly early restaurant closings - Swinger’s Diner.
Swinger’s is the L.A. version of an Americana diner. It has good food and wonderful hours. It will be open at three AM when you’re done partying and you want something to eat. It will be open early in the morning when you and your friends need an easy breakfast. It’s open when you’re on your lunch break and when you’re trying to find a place to eat dinner at midnight.
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Tags: Restaurants · Reviews
July 19th, 2008 Written by: Devon · 1 Comment
If you’re looking for something to do tonight, you might want to check out Glow at the Santa Monica Pier. Glow is a massive event that brings together a collection of very unique artists to create an interactive exhibition of light and sound. It’s based on a similar event in Paris called Nuit Blanche and, according to the website, takes its spirit from the fabled grunion that come ashore several times a year to spawn in the sand, creating a fleeting luminescence.
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Tags: Local LA · Upcoming events
Here are a handful of pictures taken at a recent competition at the LA Equestrian Center. There were some good jumps and some ‘whoops’ jumps…because even horses make mistakes.
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Tags: Image Gallery · Local LA
Although the 4th of July was technically yesterday, let’s be honest… you have been invited to multiple BBQs on Saturday and Sunday too. When the 4th falls on the Friday or a Monday, the holiday becomes a grueling, three day marathon of charred meat and tepid beer consumption.
After a weekend such as this, you’re bound to have a plethora of leftovers. When I BBQ, I usually cook off all my hamburger meat, even if people stop eating them, because I’d rather have them in my refrigerator cooked than raw. Although the last thing I want to see on Monday is another hamburger, it’s really easy to change them around and use them to make new dishes so that they don’t go to waste (and so that I can indulge my laziness by already having part of my dinner cooked).
Here are five ways to utilize leftover, already grilled burgers:
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Tags: Edibles · General
On Monday, the L.A. Department of Water and Power released hundreds of thousands of shiny black plastic balls at the top of hill above one of L.A.’s last open air reservoirs. The balls thundered down the slope and into the water, bobbing on the surface like some kind of giant government Chuck E. Cheese attraction.
Although this sounds like a massive April Fools Day prank, it’s actually a potential solution to a very serious problem. The LADWP has already drained two other of its six open air reservoirs because a rare chemical reaction between the sun and the chlorine is tainting the water. The reaction produces bromate, a cancer causing compound. Officials say that the level of bromate in the tainted water wasn’t above federal regulations, but that the water was dumped as a precaution.
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Tags: Local LA · News · local news
June 28th, 2008 Written by: Devon · 1 Comment
While we may have just had our “Best Coffee in LA” competition, there are still a number of places that are very much worthy of mention.And here’s why:
This week I discovered the most incredible coffee I have ever tasted. Before Tuesday morning, I did not know that it was possible for me to pleasantly sip an espresso without first defacing it with milk and sugar. I was unaware that coffee isn’t, in fact, a bitter drink. My standard for good coffee has been raised so high, I don’t know how I’ll ever show my face in Starbucks again.
Caffe Luxxe is an espresso bar whose philosophy is grounded in the older, European view of coffee - a smooth drink that is meant to be sipped and enjoyed over easy conversation, not a drug to keep you awake. You won’t find any venti caffeine jolts here. Instead, you’ll find absurdly high quality, delicious, rich espresso drinks that will make you wonder how you ever drank the other stuff.
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Tags: Beverages · Reviews
You know the Washington Mutual building at Sunset and Vine? The one with the sculpture of a lady riding the bull in front? The one with Mary Poppins on the side? I bet you didn’t know that in the basement level of that bank is a vast collection of Harry Houdini’s props and secrets. I bet you also didn’t know that those artifacts are currently being held hostage by a high concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls.
On December 13, 2004, a LA Dept. of Water and Power transformer exploded, contaminating the Washington Mutual building with the carcinogenic PCBs. The branch manager who opened that morning said her eyes and nostrils burned for weeks after coming into contact with the toxic chemicals.
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Tags: Local LA · News · local news
June 25th, 2008 Written by: Devon · 1 Comment
I already highlighted my trip to Big Sur, but I had so many pictures that I wanted to share a few more this week as another photo essay. The scenery is so beautiful up there that it’s pretty much impossible to take a bad picture. Enjoy!
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Tags: Image Gallery · LA Backdrop
June 22nd, 2008 Written by: Devon · 2 Comments
Well, summer is officially here. In case we had forgotten, Mother Nature was kind enough to remind us with a blistering heat wave. As I sit in my apartment, enjoying a lovely, relaxing 80+ degree evening on the couch, I once again shake my fist at builders of days gone by. It seems that in many parts of Los Angeles, builders operated under the grave misconception that our climate is so perfect, no one really needs air conditioning. My apartment has complete central heating. The ducts are there, why not just plunk an AC unit next to that heater? It seems so simple.
Since I am untrained in AC installation, I must resort another method to ease my suffering - disguised loitering. Here is a list of some of the best AC’ed places where you can pass the hottest hours of the day…because you can only stand in the Vons freezer aisle for so long before you start to look suspicious.
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Tags: General · Local LA
June 21st, 2008 Written by: Devon · 3 Comments
For a long time, I have wanted to try Wildflour Pizza on Main St. in Santa Monica. I was always drawn to the restaurant’s cheery yellow exterior and hole-in-the-wall vibe, and a sign outside says “#1 Pizza LA Times” (although it does not mention when). This week, I finally got to sample their pie. The verdict? I was hoping for better.
The inside of Wildflour Pizza is very tiny and dark. The walls are heavy brick and the floors are covered with wood shavings, a throwback to another era. A few rustic tables and chairs crowd the space. The building itself looks incredibly old, so from an atmospheric standpoint it gave the restaurant a somewhat enchanting feel.
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Tags: Restaurants · Reviews
June 14th, 2008 Written by: Devon · 2 Comments
If you’re ever in the mood for a short escape from LA’s urban sprawl, consider a one night trip up to gorgeous Big Sur. Big Sur refers to a region of the coast roughly 40 miles south of the Monterey peninsula and 300 miles north of LA. It’s defined by a dramatic, rocky coastline, stunning azure waters, towering fragrant pine forests, and an untouchedquality that is very refreshing.
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Tags: Image Gallery · LA Backdrop
I have mentioned before that I’m always on the lookout for good late night dining. There seems to be a surprising shortage of it in Los Angeles, a city where I would expect to find it on every other corner. There is a small beacon of hope, however, in this vast, barren landscape of impossibly early restaurant closings - Swinger’s Diner.
