For
a small sample of L.A.'s countless identities, spend a day
roaming the swath of city bordered by Beverly Hills on the west
and Hollywood on the east. Here one finds a half a dozen
distinct mini-cultures that rival the urban idiosyncrasies (if
not the neuroses) of Manhattan.
Start the day at the Farmer's Market (3rd
and Fairfax), a charming indoor/outdoor collection of shops,
stalls and restaurants pervaded by an Old World flavor. This
haven for the various immigrant populations of the surrounding
neighborhoods offers some of the best people-watching in the
city, as well as an abundance of culinary treats that will put
you in mind of a slightly exotic country fair.
For a more concentrated ethnic experience,
head north to Fairfax and Beverly, the slightly past-its-prime
but still vibrant hub of Jewish L.A. Wandering from kosher
bakery to kosher butcher to kosher restaurant, it's interesting
to note that the dominant establishment on this three-block
stretch is the not-so-kosher Canter's (419 N. Fairfax Ave.), a
deli that migrated west with the city's Jewish residents a
generation ago. Further up Fairfax, the Israeli influence starts
to make itself felt as knishes give way to falafel while Yiddish
fades into Hebrew.
Follow Fairfax north to Melrose,
immortalized forever by Heather Locklear and pals. Ten years
ago, this mile-long stretch of novelty shops and restaurants was
too cool by half, attracting hordes of the young and pierced.
Melrose still boasts some of the heavier foot traffic in L.A.,
offering a dizzying abundance of absurdly proportioned women and
Brad Pitt lookalikes, but thankfully it's mellowed out a bit
since its '80s heyday. Food skews toward Italian (Cucina, 7381
Melrose, is one of the best), but you can also find Mexican
(Antonio's, 7472 Melrose), Thai/Japanese (Tommy Tang's, 7313
Melrose), Indian (Star of India, 7212 Melrose) and even
Argentinean (Lala's, 7229 Melrose). Then there's Pink's (711 N.
La Brea Ave.), the legendary hot dog stand whose unmistakable
aroma draws beggars and movie stars alike into its cozyair
confines. For appetites of a different nature, drop into Drake's
(7566 Melrose), a sex shop that stocks everything from the
latest in S&M paraphernalia to bath-salt aphrodisiacs.
Melrose/La Brea also houses L.A.'s premier
revival theater, the somewhat tattered but resilient New Beverly
(7165 Beverly Blvd.). It's amazing that in the film capital of
the world this theater has to struggle to keep afloat, but the
owners seemed undeterred, quenching the thirst of cinemaphiles
with everything from Fellini to Flesh Gordon.
Speaking of tattered but resilient,
Hollywood beckons. For Hollywood dining the way it used to be,
Musso & Frank Grill (6667 Hollywood Blvd.) -- a fixture since
1919 and host to the likes of Hemingway and Chaplin -- is
unsurpassed, if pricey. A close second is Miceli's (1646 N. Las
Palmas Ave.), where chianti bottles hang from the ceiling and
the '40s ambience is as thick as the spaghetti sauce. The
All-Star Theatre Cafe at the fabled Knickerbocker Hotel (1714
Ivar Ave.) is another favorite throwback, while Catalina Bar &
Grill (1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd.) ranks as one of Southern
California's top jazz clubs. For other tastes, the very hip
Three of Clubs (a white building with no sign on the northwest
corner of Santa Monica and Vine) is one of the only bars in L.A.
whose owners know anything about lighting. To work up a sweat,
there's Dragonfly (6510 Santa Monica Blvd.), a dance club/bar
with a cool garden patio in back.
While nightlife still thrives in Hollywood,
within ten minutes' drive can be found three entirely different
scenes. Head west on Sunset and you'll hit the Strip, a winding
three-mile stretch lined with screaming billboards, ritzy hotels
and a slew of clubs, including the cavernous yet seductive House
of Blues (8430 Sunset Blvd.), the intimate Roxy (9009 Sunset
Blvd.) and the raucous Whisky-A-Go-Go (8901 Sunset Blvd.).
Running parallel to Sunset is Santa Monica Boulevard, the main
artery of West Hollywood, L.A.'s gay capital. Bookstores --
including the excellent A Different Light (8853 Santa Monica
Blvd.) -- cafes and clubs abound, as do one-of-a-kind
establishments such as the French Quarter Marketplace (7958
Santa Monica Blvd.), which somehow melds a queer sensibility
with Southern gentility.
For yet another slice of nocturnal Los
Angeles, head back to the Fairfax District and check out
Canter's Kibitz Room (419 N. Fairfax Ave.), a bar/club with a
certain seedy charm. Across the street, the darkly elegant Largo
(432 N. Fairfax Ave.) offers up live music six nights a week,
with an accent on Irish folk/rock. Slice lovers will want to
duck into Damiano (412 N. Fairfax Ave.), a late-night dive with
the best New York-style pizza this side of Little Italy. It's
just one more reason why refugees from the Big Apple whine a lot
but never go home. All-nighters will need Insomnia (7286 Beverly
Blvd.), a subdued coffeehouse where introspective types armed
with laptops coax screenplays from the depths of sleep
deprivation. Sweet dreams, indeed.
For
a small sample of L.A.'s countless identities, spend a day
roaming the swath of city bordered by Beverly Hills on the west
and Hollywood on the east. Here one finds a half a dozen
distinct mini-cultures that rival the urban idiosyncrasies (if
not the neuroses) of Manhattan.