Go to the Vons on Virgil and Sunset and you can come away with what’s essentially a sprig of so-called fresh basil for somewhere in the vicinity of $1.89.
Go to the Trader Joes in Silver Lake and for about a buck more you can go home with a metric ton of the undeniably and pungently fresh stuff in either window sill-ready or infinitely transplantable pots. I opted for the latter option:

Viva Trader Joes!
nice work. i used to grow basil in venice. caution: keep eyes peeled for the green caterpillars, man. they will eat that stuff in record time. they are super hungry for it!!
Oooo, I bought those too! Two of ’em!!!