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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If summer days = beer, then summer nights = dining al fresco.

Thursday Twilight Dance Series at the Santa Monica Pier starts tonight at 7pm, July 26! You’ve got two options: 1) fight the crowds for a good spot on the Pier and watch The Bonedaddys and Crown City Rockers from just a few feet away, or 2) Sacrifice the view for a spot on the beach with a picnic dinner in the sand. While not a spot that comes immediately to mind when you think picnic, Joe’s Pizza (famous for it’s Manhattan Bleecker Street location) couldn’t be more convenient. A full pie boxed up and just a short walk to the Pier and you’re ready to groove. Pizzas start at $2.75 for a slice, and $18 - $22 for a full pie. 111 Broadway, Santa Monica, 310.395.9222

For the Cinespia lover, treat your date to a picnic box from the Little Next Door. The baby sister of high-end Little Door restaurant, this market-deli-cafe specializes in local, organic goodies. Order the classic movie box to-go, including a charcuterie plate, sandwiches, Kettle chips and pickled cucumber salad ($65 for two people). Or design your own picnic basket from their extensive menu. All picnic orders include a bottle of water and a baguette, and sandwiches range in price from $10-$15. 8142 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, 323.951.1010 

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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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Take everything that describes the cusp of Santa Monica and Venice Beach - arty, beach-breezy with hidden flashes of homelessness and a bit of hippie “crunch” - roll it into a dark, wooden-laced cathedral of a cafe for young, laptop wielding men and women and you’ve got Novel Cafe.

I used to visit my own hardworking-writer-friend here and it still maintains that Beatnik breathiness that I remember: quiet and peaceful yet lending an impression that for some reason I’m being watched. Double-deckered with an intimate balcony overlooking the bottom floor, Novel Cafe creaks like the den in your grandfather’s house, colorful paint worn smooth and chipped, tables sticky without being gross, and paved with shelves crammed full of weathered books that may or may not be read. The aesthetic recalls some of the well-worn, chalk-menu cafes I know and adore in Northern California but with a touch of Los Angeles’ edge that make it feel a bit more ‘too cool for school’.

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With the ubiquitous local-art on the walls (which I actually liked), a simple yet well-spaced seating area and a door that opens just blocks from the beach on the quiet, Northern end of The 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Infuzion Cafe seems at once common and special.

Reminiscent of a spiffy little “downtown” cafe where office-types pop in at lunch hour to grab a quick sandwich or the morning coffee, it has a “little bit of everything” menu, serving coffee drinks and boba, ice cream, sandwiches, breakfast pastries and even vases.

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A good margarita can sometimes be a rarity. It’s easy to find all kinds of achingly sweet, slushy messes served in Goliath sizes troughs at a number of local bars and restaurants, but if you want a really good margarita, they way they are supposed to be made, you have to find a good, authentic restaurant.

Lares on Pico in Santa Monica is one of those places. The margaritas are GOOD. Not too sweet, a nice kick, and a wonderfully wide rimmed glass so you can squeeze in as many salty sips as you need. They also do margaritas by the pitcher, which actually taste just as good as ordering by the glass.

The food at Lares is simply delicious. A basket of crisp, warm homemade tortilla chips and homemade salsa will quickly find its way to your table. Their wide range of tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and many other traditional Mexican dishes aren’t too expensive - pretty much everything on the menu is under $20, lots of it under $15. It all tastes and looks very freshly made.

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Well our oceans may be getting better BUT they are throughout California and we’re still the worst in the state. Technically they are  safe for swimmers and surfers, but they’re still not great. With Catalina’s Avalon Harbor leading the way in most bacteria-laden beaches, Santa Monica Pier, Poche Beach and North Beach Doheny in South Orange County, Marie Canyon at Puerco Beach in Malibu, Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro and various locations in Long Beach are not far behind.

Drier-than-average weather helped keep most ocean waters cleaner; in rainy conditions, however, more than half of Southern California beaches tested fair to poor for traces of fecal bacteria.

“For storm water pollution, we’re not doing a good job at all,” said Mark Gold, president of the Santa Monica-based nonprofit Heal the Bay, which compiles the report. “The beaches are just as polluted today during rainstorms as they were 15 years ago.”

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Many of you remember the tragic event on July 16, 2003 when George Russell Weller (featured right), 86 at the time, drove his car through the Santa Monica farmer’s market. As Weller drove west on Arizona where the farmer’s market takes place he allegedly became confused and hit the accelerator instead of the brake. After hitting a pedestrian he panicked and hit the gas even harder, consequentially killing 10 people. At the time it was decided that his actions during the event were an accident but the judge said Weller showed “enormous indifference” and “unbelievable callousness” after the incident, which was enough to convict him of manslaughter.

Many of the families of those killed sued the City of Santa Monica for not properly protecting the Farmer’s Market. This week two remaining lawsuits were settled resulting in the city of Santa Monica and other defendants paying $6 million. This brings the total amount of payouts from the accident to $21 million.

The issue still remains, who was to blame for the deaths of these innocent people, was it the individual or the city?

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With rising temperatures, no AC and summer looming on the very near horizon, I’ve had ice cream on my mind a lot lately. There’s nothing more relieving on a hot day than clutching a cold bowl and spooning gobs of frosty deliciousness into my mouth.One of my favorite places to go is Angelato on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. I usually tend to stay away from places in ever-crowded horde magnets like the Promenade, but for Angelato I have to make an exception. Their dizzying array of gelatos and sobettos (over 100 flavors, to be exact) is enough to get you through a heat wave in hell.

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What’s going on with all the traffic in Santa Monica today? Well, they’re cutting down trees. A LOT OF TREES. Although many Treesavers protested the big chop, today they lost. 23 Fiscus trees were chopped down and 254 ginkgoes will replace them. The entire project will cost a total of $8 million. The trees were a popular choice in the 1960’s because they provide shade and required little maintenance, but it is now being said that trees interfered with bus traffic roots, cracked sidewalks, and could cause lawsuits.

 There are fewer ficus trees along the streets of downtown Santa Monica after the city felled 23 of them Friday for a multimillion-dollar street scape project.

The removal capped a months-long battle between the city and members of Santa Monica Treesavers, which filed suit last year over the plan, and whose members had threatened to chain themselves to the trees.

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On 3rd St. promenade in Santa Monica (Map) from now until 7pm tonight will be an awesome event in honor of earth day!

There will be free performances all day long by Naked Rhythm, DJ Raul Campos, Cava, Living Yoga, and more. There are tons of booths set up with important information about global warming, blue lightening, how to reduce CO2 in our atmosphere and much, much more. There are lots of animals and petting zoo’s for kids (or possible adults). At 5pm they will be doing a bike raffle and giving away a brand new bike to the lucky winner!

For more information visit the website now!

Photo by aussiegal

I have a high rate of failure when it comes to working out. I used to attempt to go jogging on the streets, but it’s just so easy to stop. How will that man passing me with his dog know that I’ve only been running for five minutes? Then I joined a gym to use the treadmill. But whenever I stop and think about how ridiculous it is to pay money to drive somewhere and go running indoors, an activity for which you need no equipment, I cry a little inside.

Then I learned about the Stairs, and all my problems were solved. Descending roughly 180 tortuous steps down off the north end of 4th street in Santa Monica, the Stairs are talked about throughout the city with an almost divine reverence. They don’t even need a name - in the same way that New Yorkers speak of the City and our politicians scheme inside the Beltway, the Stairs are so monumental, giving them any additional qualifiers would only take away from their greatness.

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