If you love karaoke like I do, there's a ton of spots to check out in LA, but none quite as charming (or David Lynch-y) as Melody Lounge. Be forewarned, this spot is intermittently open. You'll know they're ready for business if they plant a sandwich board outside offering cold sandwiches and cheap beer. Hopefully, you'll get a chance to meet the owner Willie, whose (possibly embellished) life stories rival Hemingway. As for the song selection, the campy MIDI versions and painfully less than accurate lyric translations can suddenly turn your favorite tunes into high-wire acts (i.e. "Leaving On A Jet Plane" magically transforms into "Libyan on A Jet Plane"). Hell, they even have a song called "Schindler's List" on the menu! Even if you don't sing, Willie or his wife will gleefully take the stage. Special tip: for a true Chinatown boner, request Willie sing Enrique Iglesias' "Bailamos."

Admiring Pasadena's Glenarm Power Plant. Photographed with a Pentax Honeywell and Takumar lens.

Authentic Korean BBQ in Koreatown. Delicious meats and big variety of mushrooms, interestingly good fried rice, metal chopsticks, and a buzzer you can press to alert the waiter.

For inspiration.

Favorite bookstore. There's an art book + comics section and a chapter books section.