Best Record
Store in Long Beach since VIP Records closed
Fingerprints
Records
Where does
one go in the LBC for a fix of vinyl, bobble-heads and copies of both LA and OC
Weekly? Fingerprints Records has been a go-to spot for almost twenty years.
With VIP succumbing to the tide of public record buying whims, Fingerprints has
managed to stand tall in their recently expanded space in Long Beach’s East
Village Arts District. Now they have enough space for people to browse records
and watch a show without the two groups jockeying for elbow space by the
“exotica” selection. Their carefully chosen selection of new and old music is
enough to keep everyone satisfied, from sullen teens to slightly less sullen OGs. 420
E. 4th Street. Long Beach. (562) 433 4996.
Best place
for cheap vinyl
Last
Bookstore
Downtown’s
Last Bookstore is an oasis of all kinds of dusty culture. Their newly-opened
sprawling second floor dollar book room can steal hours of your life. On the
first floor, closer to the street, are just as many records. 10s of thousands
of LPS and 45s are meticulously stacked by genre, alphabetically. It’s a
stunning achievement that that space stays so consistently organized. In less
than an hour you can build a massive collection of soul 45s for less than a
hundred bucks. Need a few good small-print West Coast jazz LPs for five dollars
apiece? Or some late 70s New York punk albums? Grab a basket cause you’ll need
help carrying them. 453 South Spring Street, dwntwn.
Best
Under-The-Radar Jazz Festival
Central
Avenue Jazz Festival
Los Angeles
used to be a major jazz hub. From the 1920s until the 1950s a small strip of
Central Avenue, around Vernon Avenue, played host to every major jazz figure
passing through town: Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Duke Ellington, Charlie
Parker. These days almost every building from that era is gone save for the
Dunbar Hotel which housed many of those aforementioned musicians. Seventeen
years ago, however, initiative was taken to preserve what little remained. A
great oral history entitled Central Avenue Sounds was released, the
Dunbar is under renovations and the Central Avenue Jazz Festival was born. The
free, two-day festival now attracts a few thousand people each day and is a
great annual reminder of this town’s once-vibrant jazz scene. 42ndStreet and Central Avenue, South Central.
Best Place
to Hide From Your Editor
Redwood Bar
Been
avoiding that story about Miley Cyrus’ newest hairdo? Having trouble coming up
with something nice to write about Dwight Howard? Turn off the Blackberry and
climb aboard the Redwood Bar. A steep block from the LA Times, Redwood Bar is a
cozy, nautical-themed bar that also happens to be a full of disgruntled Times
writers. Have a good Sam Zell joke? This is your forum. It’ll probably even be
better than the open mike comedy show offerings. For low-lighting, cheap drinks
and a decent burger, this is a safe place to dodge those early morning,
alt-weekly deadlines while feeling like you are in the bottom of ship. 316 West
2nd Street, dwntwn.
Best Jazz
Venue
Blue Whale
There are
few nice jazz rooms in Los Angeles but none are as accessible and forward-thinking
as the Blue Whale. Joon Lee’s dark low-key room atop Little Tokyo’s Weller
Court is consistently booking some of the most important young jazz musicians,
not just locally but globally. People actually bring dates there! Sometimes
there are more women than men. Ok, at least one time. The Blue Whale has done a
lot to boost the city’s profile and give some really great musicians ample
space to stretch out. An indispensible part of the scene. 123 Astronaut E S
Onizuka Street, Little Tokyo.
Best Jazz
Jam Session
World Stage
Jam Session
The best jam
sessions are ones where musicians actually learn something. People who come to
jam sessions looking to be comfortable and play the same tunes every week have
lots of options around town. For amateur musicians looking to determine whether
or not they’ve got the chops to make it, the World Stage is a great place to
check because if you aren’t up to snuff, someone will tell you bluntly. The
World Stage, a Leimert Park landmark since the early 90s, has been the home
base for countless great local talent. If you get through ten choruses of
“Cherokee” and people are still smiling, it isn’t time to quit yet. 4344 Degnan
Boulevard, Leimert Park.
Best Hidden
Mini-Golf Course
Arroyo Seco
Golf Course
Why is
croquet so refined but mini-golf is not? Is it the windmills? Is it the bright
orange golf balls? Located a 5 iron from the 110 in South Pasadena, nestled
between the driving range and the par 3 course, is an adorable 9 hole mini-golf
course that provides endless challenges. It doesn’t have any lakes or
fire-breathing dragons but it has enough log cabins and castles to provide a
half hour of entertainment in a sunken oasis that most South Pasadena residents
don’t even realize is there. Plus they have a four stool bar! 1055 Lohman Ln,
South Pasadena.
Best Public
Library to Spoil You Rotten
South
Pasadena Library
Los Angeles
has some great public libraries. With the ability to order any book from any
branch, all of the libraries can be pretty great but South Pasadena, that tiny
tree-lined enclave, has created the library we all wish we could have. Entirely
self-contained, the budget for music and movies seems to be endless. New albums
roll in everyday and the entire Criterion Collection hovers on the shelves
waiting for someone to spend three weeks with Nanook of the North. Aside from
the intrigue choices on the shelf, the lights are on seven days a week and they
stay open until 9pm Monday through Wednesday making them practically a
late-night spot by sleepy suburban standards. 1100 Oxley Street, South
Pasadena.
Best Bar Bathroom
HMS Bounty
The HMS Bounty, the
beacon of light on an otherwise sleepy strip of Wilshire Boulevard, is a great
bar and has a time-capsule restroom. The 3300 block of Wilshire wasn’t always
sleepy. The Ambassador Hotel used to loom large across the street and the
Bounty is one of the last witnesses to that faded glamour, the presence of
ghosts felt in the old jazz jukebox, wood paneling and strong drinks. The
spooky restroom is located through the lobby of the neighboring, 20s era
apartment building, past the front-desk clerk, a wall of mailboxes and down a
flight of stairs towards the sound of rumbling washers and dryers. Maybe that’s
where all the ghosts wash their sheets. 3357 Wilshire Boulevard, Wilshire
Center.
No comments:
Post a Comment