One might deduce from the “Fly the friendly skies” license plate frame above the “United Will Stand” bumpersticker that this transplanted Coloradan might be an enthusiastic employee of that airline. From the handwritten black-and-blue demand marring the trunk one could also reasonably establish that what passes for humorous to some is crassly moronic to others. Welcome to Los Angeles, douchebag. What a shame you feel compelled to make the streets far less friendlier than the skies you want me to fly.

Oh Hai!

Okay, where were we? Oh yes, Classic Eats! 

Now that we’ve had our Very Special Episode of Classic Eats, we can return to the relaxed monthly event that is our standard get together at various parts around town. 

So save the date: July 18 for Classic Eats #6! I will put a poll together in a week or two so we can vote on our next destinations.

Looking forward to wearing less food shaped clothing and actually getting a chance to sample the food or drink at whatever place we go next.

My skates are cooler than yours

This Thursday night, while you’re reheating that tired macaroni and cheese and making love to your sofa, I’ll be painting on my lycra disco pants and tube top for Down and Derby.

For one night only, The Echoplex will be transformed into a 1970s roller disco featuring multiple DJs and tons of casual making out. Well, that last part I can’t guarantee, but *fingers crossed!*

You can bring your own skates (mine pictured here) or some will be available to rent for $5. For half-off the cover charge, RSVP at downandderby.org.

I am not sure why The Annenberg Space for Photography, in Century City, has adopted 133tspeak to title their inaugural exhibition, but whatever their choice of typography, they have currently on exhibition a nice retrospective of Los Angeles photographers.

What in LA would you photograph?

The exhibit, through the end of June, features works by eight photographers, from several styles. Julius Shulman and Tim Street-Porter capture architectural elements of LA, often homes designed by well-known architects. Douglas Kirkland and Greg Gorman do the artsy pictures of famous people that act as marketing staples of our local culture industry. More interesting to me were the images of Lauren Greenfield and Catherine Opie (and, of course, John Baldessari) who try to perform some cultural analyses with portraits of the ordinary people of Los Angeles, considered from the perspective of how they are shaped by socio-culture forces. Also in the mix is international reporting by LA Times photojournalists Carolyn Cole, Lawrence Ho, Kirk McKoy, and Genaro Molina–not pictures of LA, but perhaps ones inspired in style by the LA base of these reporters.

E is tweeting from the Laker parade. The city is happy.

Well.. are you happy?

This saturday from 6-9PM, Heather Cantrell will be taking over Kinkead Comtemporary as part of her Study in Portraiture exhibition series, this being Act I. The gallery has been transformed into a photo studio, where subjects are also somewhat transformed.

I had the opportunity to see some of these photos and had my own taken as well and can attest this is going to be a great exhibition well worth attending. The opening is Saturday in Culver City but the show runs through July 18th in case you can’t make it but want to check it out at a later date.

Photo by Reba Baskett, used with kind permission.

Three Girls and their Buddy are coming to the Greek Theatre on Wednesday, June 24, and LA MetBlogs has a pair of tickets for you.

The three girls are Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, and Shawn Colvin and their buddy is Buddy Miller.

I am very excited to see the legendary Emmylou Harris, and Griffin and Colvin are no songwriting slouches, either. The one I’m most looking forward to, though, is Buddy Miller.

Although Miller has been writing and recording with the biggest names in Nashville for years, I never heard of him until late-2007 when I saw the video below on Don Was’ “My Damn Channel” podcast. The song had been written the night before the session by Buddy’s wife, Julie Miller. At the time it was called “So New, There’s Still No Title.” It has since been renamed “Chalk,” and appears on Buddy & Julie Miller’s most recent album, “Written In Chalk.”

Click through to see the captivating video, and win your tickets to see Three Girls and their Buddy live at the Greek.

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Found yesterday evening in Crumbs Bake Shop on Larchmont:

Since they were behind a glass partition, I shattered it with a trash can, stole one and tagged the other three, because that’s how real Laker fans celebrate.

The rest of you can go to a parade today starting at 11 a.m. from Staples Center south to the Coliseum or until martial law is declared.

Who needs a parade after the parade of terribles exhibited in the aftermath of the Lakers’ championship on Sunday?  Oh, we still do.  Well, no fear!  Thanks to a high-profile list of Who’s-Who of Rich Heterosexual Couples in Los Angeles (Plus a Band of Indians) who will foot the estimated $900,000 cost of the parade, we can join the Lakers downtown this morning at 11 to celebrate their/Kobe’s Shaq-less win.  The festivities will start at Staples Center, then will proceed down Figueroa to the Coliseum.  From the looks of this map [links to PDF], it looks like all surrounding streets en route, including Venice, Washington, Adams, and the area around USC will be closed or severely impacted, so plan your morning commute accordingly.

After this amazing event, who wants to see what other kinds of donation magic the Mayor can tap from these donors?  An example script: “GO LAKERS!  Please contribute to our general education fund so we don’t have to lay off teachers at schools your kids don’t attend.  GO LAKERS!”  Ah, so that’s how business is done in this town.

Photo courtesy of view from a loft via the Metblogs Flickr pool.

"The first diet cola for men" (3rd St, Near Fairfax)I

Your author, Lulu, is a manly man. Brimming with machismo and testosterone. And yet I never knew until just recently how badly I was threatening this masculinity by consumption of those girlish, effeminate colas I drank until I learned of the virtues of “Pepsi Max”!

It is true that I had already learned, through the joys of commercial advertising, to conform with my gender identity by choosing shampoos, perfumes (sorry, colognes), razors, vitamin, cocktails (though I drink rarely), yogurt (I know to drink mannish kefir), and media, that flatter my swagger.  I am happy my local corner alerted me to this additional constraint.  Oh, the pitfalls of gender!

Meet Ignacio, Downtown Los Angeles loft dweller.

Ignacio is likely feeling the pinch of recession. Here we find him pitching his crib as a vacation destination. It’s very nice.

While Iggy has given us a great tour of the place, and while he seems like a swell guy, there are three things that stick out here.

Consider it the Top 3 Vacation Rental Video No-No’s:

1. Take out the Bluetooth before filming. No call is important enough to ruin a good take.

2. Don’t flush the toilet. It conjures up memories of getaway weekends sabotauged by the likes of Jack Daniels.

3. Avoid bouncing on your bed. We’ll have trouble letting go of that image, and wonder what else has bounced there.

Good luck on your summer rentals, Ignacio. The Bonaventure has nothing on you.

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Juneteeth is upon us once again. There are two major events this weekend on opposite sides of LA County.

From the east, the 20th Annual Pomona Valley Juneteeth Family Jazz Festival is being held at Ganesha Park in Pomona.

Artists Line-up includes Wayne Linsey (Keys), Sekou Bunch and The Next Level (Bassist), Marcus Coleman (Keys), Ron Powell & the IGABA Drum Ensemble (Percussions), Dr. James Benson & The Gow Dow Experience, and Special Guest Harold Land, Jr. This year’s music direction embraces the legacy of jazz as a part of Black Music Month and the ongoing efforts to educate the public about the significance of the Junetenth National Freedom Day, celebrated all across the country. Founder and Executive Director of Juneteenth America, Inc., John H. Thompson, Sr. comments, “As President of The National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP), its a pleasure to present one of many featured jazz festivals around the country, that are a part of the Celebrate Juneteenth Jazz, African American jazz legacy preservation initiative during Black Music Month.”

There will also be an $5 Green Workshop and the crowd-pleasing Black Porsche Club will display their classic collection. Admission is also free as is the shuttle bus running between the Park & Ride and the park. Read the rest of this entry →

Hat tip to Tricia S. for informing me that David Sedaris will be appearing at the Barnes & Noble at The Grove tomorrow night to speak about his book “When You Are Engulfed in Flames,” a collection of writings on smoking, quitting smoking and other related tales. He will be appearing at 7:00 PM. This is one of my favorite of all of Sedaris’ books. I also have this one on my iPod. Definitely check him out tomorrow night if you can. He is amazing and hilarious.

Barnes & Noble at The Grove at Farmers Market
189 Grove Drive, Suite K 30, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Throwing a real-life wiener dog into the mix when delivering spoken haiku kinda lands you as the ringer, but our own Will Campbell also spake a lovely passage. Missed the haiku? Don’t know what we’re going on about? There’ll prolly be a Hot Dog Death March next year. Start training now!

To see all the amazing contestants, please click here! Thanks to Chal for shooting these.

You might think that after an event called Hot Dog Death March I would be in no mood for any sausage type food what-so-ever. Well, as co-hostess of the famed event on Saturday, I had a grand total of one (1) hot dog. And just a plain old “with ketchup and relish” dog at that. So by Sunday afternoon I was really bummed I’d not partaken of more of the wiener goodness. Luckily my husband suggested we take his mom for a late lunch at Wurstküche downtown and boy am I glad we went! 

The restaurant is Belgian and basically you get sausage, fries and beer. Simple. Pure. Delicious. The sausage menu is extensive starting with your basics like bratwurst and spicy Italian to more LA ish types of chicken mango/jalepeno and on to “Exotics” like buffalo/beef/pork and rattlesnake rabbit. No, I’m not making that up! They also know their market and have 3 vegetarian options on the menu. I sampled the veggie “bratwurst” and it was delicious. The waiter suggested I try the veggie Italian next time, as it is even better.  On your sausages (they come in a bun) you get a choice of two toppings: sauerkraut, onions, sweet peppers and spicy peppers. Plus there is a variety of Must Tards to choose from as well. 

Then there are the fries. Big crunchy fries with a plethora of yummy dipping sauces. The blue cheese and bacon was crazy good as was the BBQ and chipotle aioli. Get lots of fries to share!

And the beer is Belgian and German, on tap and in bottles, with a few from North America. They also have an extensive gourmet soda menu for the soft drinkers. 

A good friend wanted to know when we were going to plan the Bratwurst Blitzkrieg. Now we know where to go!

WurstKüche
800 East Third Street
Downtown (way downtown)
213-687-4444

More photos after the jump.

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