Though I'm quite happy to be living in Atlanta for the time being and would have mixed feelings about moving back to L.A. were it to happen before I felt I had thoroughly explored the South, there are times when I long for places and things that are closer to my heart. Other than family and friends, these are some of the things I find myself sentimentalizing over during the swampy days of August and the rainy, wintry days of February.
1. Casa Bianca Pizza Pie
2. The Downtown L.A. Art Walk
3. The sea breeze (I long for your gentle caresses)
4. Reading the L.A. Times in print (even though the paper is slowly going in the toilet)
5. Warm sun year-round (I took you for granted all those years)
6. The best burritos to be found anywhere (I get more specific below)
7. Culver City
8. Bumping into people I know
9. Psychedelic sunsets
10. Taco trucks
11. Santa Monica Mountains
12. Boba drinks everywhere (Boba Time is my favorite chain)
13. Valley Boulevard (my favorite street in L.A. to wander around from Garfield Ave. in Alhambra heading east)
14. LACMA
15. American Cinematheque and especially the Film Noir Festival in April
16. Pink's Hot Dogs
17. Vegan restaurants everywhere
18. Langer's Deli
19. The Tomorrow Show at the Steve Allen Theatre (though it's not quite the same without Brendon Small and Craig Anton)
20. The Bradbury Building (my favorite piece of architecture in L.A.)
21. Union Station (with the sun pouring in the giant windows)
22. Warm summer evenings without the jungle-like humidity of Atlanta
23. Farmers Market
24. Griffith Observatory (this has really improved, but the parking situation is not so good)
25. UCLA Thrift Store
26. The drive up the 110 (Arroyo Seco Parkway) to Pasadena
27. The PCH to Malibu
28. Extreme multiculturalism (like Mexican families shopping in Thai markets, etc.)
29. The Brand Library
30. Orean The Health Express in Pasadena
31. Koreatown
32. Korean tacos (can't find those anywhere else I don't think)
Update: Actually, I found out there is a Korean Taqueria in Atlanta. Will head there soon.
33. Biltmore Hotel
34. San Vicente Blvd. to the ocean by car or bicycle
35. Sunset Blvd. from the 405 to the PCH (that would be my favorite segment, the Beverly Hills part is nice too, though the Hollywood section doesn't do anything for me except make me worry about parking)
36. Stan's Doughnuts in Westwood (the chocolate chip doughnut, the blueberry buttermilk doughnut)
37. Bob's Big Boy in Burbank
38. Daytrips to Ventura
39. Pico Blvd. (Next to Valley Blvd. and Sunset, Pico would rank third among my favorite streets and I love the whole thing from Downtown to the beach)
40. Papa Christos (a nice stop on Pico, near where Jabberjaw used to be)
41. Campos Famous Burritos (the avocado burrito at any location)
42. Puebla Tacos in Pasadena
43. The Salvation Army in Pasadena
44. The drive along the 134 through Eagle Rock (near sunset is a good time)
43. The connector to the 110 from Hollywood to Downtown going South
44. The San Gabriel Mountains (there are no real mountains on the East Coast or in the South)
45. The Old Bank District Downtown (I wish that I lived there when I was 23 or so, except that it was messed up then)
46. The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (generally better exhibits than at the other MOCA location for whatever reason)
47. Los Feliz Blvd. as you cross the L.A. River toward Atwater Village
48. South Pasadena
49. Watching Clippers games (you really have to be an Angeleno to care at all about the Clippers and it is a love/hate relationship for all fans).
50. Griffith Park
51. HMS Bounty on Wilshire (old bars with tons of atmosphere are not something you find in Atlanta)
52. El Cholo (guacamole prepared table side, sitting in the special booth where you get a free plate of nachos)
53. Foggy Westside evenings
54. Main St. in Alhambra (and the Mallternative gang of teenagers that hangs out there)
55. Bahn Mi sandwiches in the San Gabriel Valley
56. Craftsman homes in Pasadena
57. Pickup basketball at the LA Fitness gym on La Cienega (games are at my slow pace)
58. The hot sauce at Flore Vegan in Silver Lake, along with the Eastsider Tacos (I'm always afraid, though, that I'm going to contract hepatitis or herpes from the hipster wait staff)
59. The hot sauce and the JVC burrito at Burrito Express in Pasadena
60. 99 Ranch Market in San Gabriel
61. Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena (reminds me of the book Mildred Pierce)
63. The eggless salad (tofu) sandwich at Whole Foods (these are not available at Whole Foods in Atlanta)
64. The Colorado or Suicide Bridge in Pasadena
65. Pupusas everywhere
66. Grand Central Market downtown
67. Ticktocker Thrift Shop in Culver City
68. Jewish Delis on the Westside (Fromin's, Junior's)
69. 99 Cent Only Stores
70. Pickup basketball at the Venice Beach Boardwalk
71. Regional Chinese food
72. Horchata (It's available here, but it tastes better in L.A. for some reason)
73. Old diners in the San Gabriel Valley (even the ones with crummy food)
74. Glendale Avenue in Glendale (especially the very Armenian part south of Colorado)
75. Brand Bookshop in Glendale
76. Din Tai Fung Dumpling House in Arcadia
77. Alta Dena Cottage Cheese (can't find that in Georgia)
78. So many art house movie theaters and movie theaters in general
79. Sunset Junction Street Fair
80. Tacos La Flama in West L.A. (Is the menu the same as Campos? This used to be a Campos. Anyhow, this place on Barrington is even better)
81. Mario's Italian Deli in Glendale
82. Washington Boulevard in Pasadena (a lot of varied neat stuff on this street like weird, old gas stations)
83. Altadena
84. Little Saigon
85. The old theaters on Broadway Downtown, though I've never been inside the majority of them
86. Musso & Frank Grill
87. City Hall (not so much the people inside, but the iconic, phallic building)
88. Videotheque in South Pasadena
89. Neurotic Jews everywhere (mostly in their cars late to get somewhere)
90. Tough Latinos everywhere (I have never seen a tough looking Latino in Atlanta)
91. Santa Anita Race Track
92. Coyotes (never seen one of those in Atlanta)
93. Mulholland Drive (a good place to bump into coyotes)
94. The 101 drive into Hollywood from the Valley with the view of the Capitol Records building
95. Vietnamese food everywhere
96. Zelo cornmeal crust pizza in Arcadia
97. The Mid-Wilshire District
98. bicycling on the beach
99. Museum of Jurassic Technology
100. Things that have disappeared in recent years such as the Mann National Theater, Laemmle's One Colorado Cinemas, the Rialto Theatre, Rhino Records, Dutton's Books, Gene de Chene Books, the Westwood Arcade and the Ambassador Hotel.
Posts
4 comments:
Interesting! For a "westsider" there isn't much on this list from the west site!
i'm still in love with sixth street...but also having an affair with Normandie driving north, esp. at night. noir fest is listed as TWO weeks this year!! maybe a misprint on the site?..the schedule is not posted yet
Wow, you really miss LA. I'll have to try Tacos La Flama, since it's just down the street from my apartment - are you sure they don't use lard? Anyway, Whole Foods in Atlanta has some good things they don't carry out here. You should try the mock chicken salad. I get it every time I'm out there. Also, on my last visit, I discovered they have these delicious vegan oatmeal raisin cookies that they bake in their bakery. Mmm.
That's one of the best LA lists I've ever read.
Post a Comment