It’s not every Friday night of the year I dress up in an electric santa suit and go biking around Los Angeles  — just this one upcoming Friday night for the Midnight Ridazz 6th-Annual All-City Toy Ride.

This yearly convergence of multiple rides starting at various points around the greater Los Angeles area will bring hundreds  of toy-bearing cyclists together December 9 at 10 p.m. at the historic Plaza de Los Angeles gazebo to donate their gifts to The Alliance for Children’s Rights a worthy organization serving children in need.

All participants are asked to bring an unwrapped toy valued at $5-$25. The celebration will then continue after the toy collection with a ride through downtown that will end up at what I’m feeling will be the most kick ass after-party in the history of All-City Toy Rides, where there will be delicious foods, drinks, musics and funs.

The satellite rides to Olvera Street that are presently organized are as follows, so find the one nearest you and get yourself some of the most unique holiday spirit to be found in town (with or without an electric santa suit):

• Downtown
• East Hollywood
• East Los Angeles
• Echo Park
• Griffith Observatory
• Huntington Park
• Koreatown
• Long Beach
• North Hollywood
• Northeast Los Angeles
• Pasadena
• San Gabriel Valley
• West Los Angeles
• West San Fernando Valley

IMPORTANT: The post-ride party will have a guest list and you won’t be able to get in if you don’t RSVP, so if you’re coming do so either through the All-City Toy Ride’s Facebook page or via email at allcitytoyride@gmail.com.

Driving up Cahuenga in Hollywood the other evening, my compadres and I spotted this odd-looking house strewn with a variety of dummies, some of them holding cans of spray paint. While it was still technically the week of Halloween, my feeling was that we were well into the month of November, so Halloween should be over and done with already. (more pics after the jump) Read the rest of this entry →

According to the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors (see top link under “News and Press Releases”), “[t]here will be no fireworks display this year in Marina del Rey in celebration of Independence Day on Monday, July 4, 2011 due to budget curtailments.” That has got to be a big disappointment not just to locals who enjoy the big fireworks show from the Marina Boat Channel, Burton Chace Park, Venice Beach, and Playa del Rey, but also to many other Angelenos who braved the local driving and parking nightmares in previous years to see it too.

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Back by very popular demand, blogging.LA is proud to announce the 2011 Donut Summit, the sequel to last summer’s showdown, from which Glendora’s Donut Man emerged with the much-coveted title of Donut King!  Mark your calendars for Sunday, July 31, and join us for another battle for the Los Angeles Donut Crown!  Check back next week for more details.

And today, not coincidentally, is National Donut Day!  I suggest you pre-game for the Donut Summit with a donut or twelve from your favorite donut establishment.  Or check out some of the extra special Donut Day offerings that some local eateries have on the menu just for today:

BLD, at 7450 Beverly Blvd., is offering a three donut flight that includes a blueberry ricotta donut with maple syrup, a banana cream pie donut, and a pulled pork donut.  (via LA Weekly)

The Buttermilk Truck has donuts on offer this week in conjunction with the Geffen Playhouse’s new show, Superior Donuts.  They’ll be in front of the Geffen in Westwood from 11:30-2:00 today, with donuts served up by members of the cast.  You can follow the Buttermilk Truck on twitter.

This year is actually the 73rd National Donut Day, believe it or not.  It was started by the Salvation Army to honor veterans after World War I, and more specifically to honor “lassies,” who were female volunteers who provided piping hot donuts to American troops during the war.  Many local donut shops are accepting donating part of today’s proceeds to the Salvation Army.  A list of participating LA donut shops is available here.

If you’ve got any favorite spots to hit for National Donut Day, let us know in the comments!  And don’t forget to join us on July 31st for the Ultimate Donut Showdown!!!

Yes, this Sunday is Mother’s Day, or as some of us like to think of it, Avoid Brunch Restaurants As If Your Life Depended On It Day. My fellow bloggers have helped you figure out where to shop for your momma and where to take her out. I’m here to let the dysfunctional family set know the Egyptian Theater has planned a Sunday evening just for us. In the programming equivalent of scheduling My Bloody Valentine on February 14th, the Egyptian is screening Mommie Dearest at 7:30 Sunday night. You’ll never look at a wire hanger the same again. See you there.

Yes kids, it’s that day again. April 20th. The day cannabis imbibers all over the world celebrate the new ‘Cannabis Culture’ that is sweeping through our nation.

From it’s humble beginnings back in the 70′s, the date of April 20th has grown into a world wide holiday to celebrate all that’s good about Cannabis. It’s reputed that 420 was the time and secret code that a group of high school stoners in Pt. Reyes, CA used to plan meet-ups to search of a secret cache of marijuana growing on the coast. They never found it, but now, all over the world cannabis lovers use the day and number to celebrate their love for the miraculous qualities of their beloved Marijuana.

Here in Los Angeles, a number of dispensaries are celebrating with heavy discounts on products, free food and lots of samples.
In Hollywood, one of the biggest and best collectives in town, ‘Kushmart’ on Selma, just past Cahuenga, is having a huge raffle all day and the prize is a 5 oz of several of their top shelf meds. Wow! Can’t beat that for gratitude and support of their patients! They are also giving lots of meds out at 50% off. If you check them out, don’t miss the Ganja Goddess Brownies and Gingerbread. They are seriously the bomb. Not to be missed and famous for their healing strength and amazing yummy taste!
Starbudz on Lankershim in Noho, is another collective that has great meds and is offering specials for 420. Go in and ask about their 420 specials and Angela will hook you up.

Anyway, if you’re a medical marijuana patient, you can find deals galore just about anywhere in Los Angeles today. Luckily, we live in one of the most patient friendly cities in the world!

Hey, Easter is coming! And we all know what that means: FUZZY BUNNIES. If you are excited about the impending onslaught of cuteness, here are some ways that you can treat yourself to a hopping (oh, admit it, the bad puns, you love them!) bunny-themed Easter weekend!

1. Forget the lions and tigers and bears, the LA Zoo is hosting Big Bunny’s Spring Fling, Friday through Sunday, with bunny face painting, bunny ear making, and lots of real live bunnies. But most important of all, their website says there will be FREE PEEPS. Oh, happy day! (April 22, 23, and 24 at the LA Zoo. More info available here.)

2. At Olvera Street, you can bring your pets for the annual Blessing of the Animals, which is a charming tradition that moves even my largely agnostic heart. And while this isn’t bunny-specific, I imagine there will be some bunnies in attendance, or, if photos from past events are any indication, at least some puppies in bunny clothing. (Saturday, April 23, 12pm-5pm, El Pueblo Historical Monument, 125 Paseo de la Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012. More info available here.)

(More bunny rabbit fun after the jump!)

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For those of us who aren’t necessarily sold on the idea that the King of the Jews rose from the dead in fulfillment of scripture one Sunday morning a couple thousand years ago, this upcoming weekend is little more than a nice time to celebrate Spring. When I was back in the Midwest this was really something meaningful, as the cold, snowy, wet season often seemed to last nearly half the year. Hell, most years it was probably something more like three and a half or maybe four months, but something about that kind of cold also seems to slow down time a little bit. Easter, then, was really a time for some rejoicing. With the bizarre weather patterns we’ve been experiencing this year in LA, unfortunately Easter may just be about little more than the resurrection of a crucified hippie.

But thankfully for us, we have something the son of God didn’t have: vehicles that periodically bring some of your favorite food selections to your neighborhood for easy access. (And no, all of my posts are not going to be about food trucks; I just happen to be excited about any opportunity to check them out in my ‘hood.) To that end, this Saturday there will be a small gathering of food trucks in North Hollywood, at The Other Door bar, complete with “kid-friendly games, coloring contests, a special DJ and prizes! Of course, lots of Easter libations that are big-kid friendly too!”

As specified on the Nom Nom Truck’s site, here are the details:

SATURDAY, APRIL 23rd
12:00PM – 3:00PM
10437 Burbank Blvd,
North Hollywood CA 91601

As an aside, while I’m really stoked to see that one of my very favorites the Frysmith truck will be there, I’m slightly irritated by the existence of the Phydough truck. This is probably only because I saw the word “dough” in the name and got my hopes up that it might be a dessert truck of some type. But no, it’s a food truck for dogs. (Yes, I can be a little slow on the uptake; “Phydough” ~ “Fido” – whatever, I knew that.) Seriously – more space for pet food means less space for people food, am I right? Does your dog even care that its snack came off a truck?? </rant>

For the love of god, get thee to a Gelson’s (or a Mayfair), and get a hold of about the only yummy thing on the Seder plate!

Don’t just use it for that though – put it in your oatmeal – an excuse to have wine for breakfast!

I know single people are supposed to hate Valentine’s Day the way dogs hate cats, but I think I actually enjoy this fake holiday more as someone who is not partnered up and saddled down.  No pressure to read between the lines (if she claims to hate Valentine’s Day, does that mean I shouldn’t buy flowers, or does it mean that I damn well better?), no dinner plans that must be made weeks in advance, no need to placate and please.  Yes, I’ll admit that this loving-my-alone-time-with-the-occassional-fling may be short-lived (my friends threaten me with the “One day, you’ll wake up and realize you want a partner” talk, which sounds awfully similar to the “One day, you’ll wake up and realize you want a kid” talk – why isn’t there a “One day you’ll wake up and realize how happy you are to pursue what you’re pursuing in the way you want to pursue it” talk?), but for now, I’m content with not celebrating V-Day with anyone other than the dog and friends.

For those who love today, or for those who don’t but still must deal with it, this is a last minute guide to get you out of a jam if you haven’t planned anything just yet.

• Susan Feniger’s Street has a special Valentine’s Day menu [links to PDF] or try OpenTable for a list of restaurants with availability tonight
• Platine Cookies in Culver City has heart-shaped cookies and will stay open until 6pm
• Win-win: Pick up last minute flowers for him/her at Parisian Florists in Hollywood, mention Ricky of Ricky’s Fish Tacos, and you’ll get a free fish taco the next time you hit Ricky’s stand
• If you forgot about today are planning a romantic dinner at home, check out Jonathan Gold’s Top 10 Aphrodisiac Foods for Valentine’s Day
• …and for after dinner: an adult toy surprise, perhaps?

Regardless of what you do, I’m sure it will be very nice and sweet and full of the love that should be apparent every day of the week.  Happy holidays!

Photo by Renee Rendler-Kaplan via the Blogging LA Flickr pool.

It’s the eve of Valentine’s Day and some of you may be out shopping even as I type. Many others I know, will rush out during lunch break tomorrow to pick up that perfect little something for your lover. Our series should provide you with a number of possible ideas from sommelier costumes and corsets to lightsaber whips and beginner butt plugs shaped like pacifiers. If sex shops aren’t your thing, you can always order something online (though you better be spectacular to compensate for the inevitable lateness of the gift). And when you’re all done with your new toy, you can recycle it because green is sexy.

We’ve got Valentine’s Day licked because pink boxes and haiku aren’t just for doughnuts anymore.

I needed a reset. I’ve been down with the flu for a week, so I decided I would visit some lingerie shops to try and get some hotness on for Valentines Day. I picked the two sexiest shops I had heard about, “Coco La Mer” and
Agent Provocateur”.

Note for future Love pumping: I mentioned to my paramour that I was going to tour some lingerie shops.  For the first time ever, he volunteered to go along with me while I shopped! Hmm. I declined, a good tease is half the fun of romance!

My first stop was Coco La Mer on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood.  This place has a lot of intrigue.  Set back from the street, you enter after wandering down a short path.  The setting is very Marquis de Sade.  Very high end, very French Chateau Mistress action. It looked good, but the mix of low lighting and plush furniture made me want to sit down and eat a chocolate.
Nevertheless, I was on a mission, so I picked some corsets, had them turn up the dressing room lights and went to work. Wow.  Very expensive.  (Why is it that silky sexy pieces of fabric strategically placed cost more than a whole outfit?) No matter.  It’s the end result that matters.

At Coco La Mer, there are lots of classy looking leather pieces that hoist, tighten and in general mold the female body into fetish art.  There are also lots of very art like dildos, vibrators and bondage items.  Not your everyday plastic stuff, we’re talking hand blown glass objects, gold vibrators, leather mixed with feathers and steel.  Very super high end fantasy stuff.  This is life-style we’re talkin’ here, not a ‘role-play for the night get-up’.  So as they say, ‘why not invest in something that will last forever?’

Alas, I didn’t find anything.  But it did work some magic.  As I was walking out, aforementioned love puppy sent a picture of him posing in his shorts.  This was new territory!

On to my next stop, at “Agent Provocateur” on Melrose, I got lucky. First the saleswoman had me try on some sizzle worthy red pumps, telling me that everything looked better in heels. She was right. I had a really hard time choosing between the corsets and stockings and a short number with fringe and amazing push up action. Damn it American Express! I bought both. And the red heels. (Did I mention lingerie is ridiculously expensive?)
Now…. how to choose just one outfit for Valentines Day?

And by the way, as a result of this research, my boyfriend can’t wait for Monday!
I highly recommend going lingerie shopping to make V-Day memorable, if only to come home with the pink box! Anticipation is everything!

It happens out here (most recently, at a Culver City sex shop near the home of a woman I was dating), it happened back East, it happens everywhere.  You walk into a sex shop, begin browsing, and, within two minutes, a young Goth staffer comes over and says, “I use this at home, and I really love it.”  Then she proceeds to give you a sexual symposium on the merits of German vs. Japanese (and I don’t mean cars), furry vs. metallic, water vs. oil, etc.  The problem is, we didn’t ask.

I call this The Nordstrom Effect.  It reminds me of those Nordstrom salespeople who, though typically not young nor Goth, are just as overly helpful as the sex shop girls.  In both cases, what starts out as accommodating quickly becomes annoying.

At Nordstrom, I think the salespeople do this because (1) commission is likely a big part of their compensation; and (2) they want to uphold Nordstrom’s well-deserved reputation for excellent customer service.  However, at the sex shops, I think it’s nerves.  Specifically, the salespeople and their managers figure that many customers in their stores are uncomfortable and in need of hand-holding.

And sometimes they are right.  I’m sure there are many people — perhaps women more than men, if this series is an indication — who feel shy about striding into sex shops and picking out personal items.  (Guys often have their own problems in other stores, such as when picking out lingerie for their women).

The cure for The Nordstrom Effect, and the shyness which may cause it, can be found online.  There are tons of Internet retailers out there, such as Adam and Eve , 123 Adult Store, and Sex Toy Sex.org (links NSFW, obviously), where you can shop in the privacy of your own home.  Moreover, some of the Los Angeles area shops profiled in this series provide online shopping as well.  Many of the well-known sites will send your items in discrete packaging designed not to raise the red flags (or any other parts) of nosy neighbors and pervy postmen.  Coincidentally, I met one such retailer the other night, the woman who runs the Los Angeles-based Sex-Butter.com (not to be confused with Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax for your surfboard, unless you are using “surfboard” as a euphemism), who sells her products primarily online.

Of course, it is a fun experience to grab your sweetheart or friends and check out a sex shop or three in the flesh, whether as a bona fide shopper or simply a tourist.  Our writers in this series have done just that, profiling some of the sex shops they like in the Los Angeles area.  However, if avoiding The Nordstrom Effect is a priority, then shopping online might be just what the Naughty Nurse ordered, on Valentine’s Day or any other day.

[Part of blogging.la's "We've Got Valentine's Day Licked" series]

(Pleasure Chest logo photo from smussyolay)

Let me start with the disclaimer that I’m personally sort of sexual Luddite. Once I went to a sex toy (aka f***erware) party and the hostess began by explaining that there are 6000 nerve endings in the clitoris and it just made me wonder why we think we can improve upon that fine creation. So know that I approach the whole issue of sex shops as far more of a novice than a professional (or should I say “expert”).

That said, I think one of the best things about Touch of Romance is that anyone can find something sexy/fun there and pretty much anyone can feel comfortable shopping there (well, anyone who would be reading this post anyway). The atmosphere is enough like hot-topic-for-the-orgasmic-set to put the shyer shoppers at ease, and at the same time, there’s still a reasonable selection of ball gags for the rest of you. 

We asked what the most popular Valentine’s Day gift was and our helpful hostess/shop girl told us that the We-Vibe, supercalifragalistic vibrator that it is, was this year’s top seller. We-Vibe markets itself as the couples’ vibrator so it’s kind of a perfect Valentine’s Day present, plus since it reaches the clitoris and the g-spot, it pretty much ensures that no matter how rotten a lover you are, your lady will have a good time in the sack. This, to me, seems like a wise investment.

For those on more of a budget, Touch of Romance also has a fine selection of videos, toys, massage oil, and cute lingerie, including the modern day pasty, “nippies patch of freedom,” in a variety of shapes and colors. As you would expect, there is a Baskin Robbins-ish assortment of lube, including, I noticed, something labeled “rim job flavored” lube, “a tasty anal treat,” perhaps unsurprisingly featured on the clearance table.

A few other things worth mentioning because they amused me–the “bounce back Bob” inflatable penis punching bag, the DIY make your own sex toys book, and the “lube injector.” Who knew? I mean, good idea, but as my road dog noted, “Some people are thinking every minute.”

So happy shopping. Have fun and be safe kids.

The details:
Touch of Romance
19212 Ventura Blvd
Tarzana, CA 91356
818-774-9030
Mon – Thu: 11am – 10pm
Fri – Sat: 11am – 11pm
Sunday: 12pm – 7pm