One of my favorite local record stores. They stock over 15,000-20,000 LP’s and 12" singles and have a great selection. I usually stick to the left side of the shop where soul, disco, and international records are.

The greatest video store in the world! With 72,000 VHS tapes in their collection, they have dedicated themselves to the art of losing yourself in a great movie and pride themselves on their vast collection of rare and oddball films. As Blockbuster video stores have begun to go out of business, Eddie Brandt's still lives!!!!

One of my favorite special occasion dinner places. Always low dim lighting and a calm vibe. Piano in the background and lighting make you travel back in time. An LA classic. 

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.

The Smell is a non-profit, all-ages music venue who's run the gamut of completely rad and completely shitty acts, but is doubtlessly an interesting and worthy place to use up a pair of earplugs. After all, it's not everyday you see a dude shred his fucking face apart playing an amplified shard of glass! The Smell is a little difficult to find, but when you hit the dark alley in which it resides -- and which every fiber of your being tells you will be host to your mugging -- just clutch your purse, keep your chin up and head straight down until you run into a grip of hipsters in a haze of smoke, donning asymmetrical haircuts, and one-too-many animal prints, and you're there! It's alcohol-free, so make sure you either drink before you arrive, or head out between acts to one of a couple local bars to sauce up!