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.

Leo's is an institution. I thought there was only one truck on Venice and La Brea but turns out they have eight across LA. Watching them slice pork and pineapple in one fell swoop is both drool-inducing and an art form. Open til 3am most nights I think.

Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. Music. And, more Music. Don't forget to check the Punk and Metal Underground sections!

This is the fast track from downtown to Hollywood. I get all my exercise here, it has the perfect amount of hills and is the by far the safest bike route, as motorists are more used to the cyclists than other streets. Anything you can think of is on Sunset Blvd, so I can pick up my dry cleaning, eat lunch, visit my friends, and exercise all in one trip.

If you make it to the top, you can get an incredible 360 degree view of practically all of Los Angeles. Below you to the South is Hollywood, and beyond that, on a clear day, you can see over a hundred miles of mini malls all the way to Mexico. To the West on your right go the hills until they turn into mountains and meet the Pacific Ocean. Behind you to the North stretches the entire San Fernando Valley, above which stand the gorgeous San Gabriel mountains. To the East the mountains eventually disappear above hundreds of miles of urban sprawl, and beyond that is the dessert.