Vintage store off the beaten path, with good prices and cool decorations. Have found many good things here!

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."

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!

Located less than one mile from my home in downtown, this is the best cafe in the area. It is nestled in a corridor between two buildings on a brick path with beautiful outside seating — quite the hideaway. They have the best prosciutto sandwich and the coffee is delicious.

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