For buying.

One of my favorite things to do on weekends is to head to Grand Central Market for brunch, grab a few glasses of wine at the Oyster bar and then roam around downtown collecting pigeons. Over the past few years the market has been modernized and has become a really trendy spot, but it still retains aspects of what it was like decades ago. Some of my favorite stands are The Oyster Gourmet, Sarita's Pupuseria and the Belcampo Meat Co.

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."

One of the great surprises of Los Angeles is that there are several local places to escape and find a bit of nature. I really dig the hiking trails in Elysian Park, where you can enjoy tremendous views of the bustling city below, including Dodger Stadium, while only hearing the sound of your own footsteps and the rustling of bushes as lizards and small mammals go about their daily routines. Below the trails, there's also a traditional green-grass park setting, where you'll find everything from children's birthday party's with pony's, mariachi bands, over-exuberant uncles, and shit-tons of unleashed dogs, to man-whore's cruising for sex, cracked-out hobos, and gangsters of every flag. Griffith Park is obviously world-renowned for its observatory, but it's also home to the abandoned site of the old L.A. Zoo! It's not necessarily undiscovered country, as there are picnic tables and typically a healthy dose of fresh graffiti scrawled over the man-made enclosures, but it is a mildly creepy spot, with a bit of signage explaining its roots. Pack a lunch and climb through the old animal exhibits -- just watch out for puddles of human feces, and the more than occasional Urban Outfitters catalog photo shoot.

Riverside Cliff is a place discovered last week. Its basically a huge mountain where people go dirt bike riding and hike, but I love going there to shoot. Its breathtaking when the sunset starts to hit.