The Season has begun...

Well, its that time of year again...

that's right, the summer season of the Hollywood Bowl officially started last week, and we celebrated by going to one of the first of many shows on Sunday.

Now, you can't tell, but that is DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist ripping it up. They used all original 45's on a 2x4 to knock the house dead (that's 2 set's of turntables, not a piece of wood!!!). A set like that, and you expect nothing other then pure genius. And for aficiandos, that's what it was. I had Vinyl Richie and DJ Vala sitting next to me, and they were blown away. However, everyone else I was with, who doesn't understand music like that, was less then impressed.
Overall, I thought it was pretty damn cool, but it just was not the right venue. That show is perfect for a small club who's patrons get what a set like that takes. This crowd, they just didnt. You could feel it in the air. Making matters worse, a huge technical difficulty during the finale prematurely ended the set. It just did not feel like a good show, even though it was.
But hey, 13 more shows left this summer to see, so I think everything will be alright...

Went for a little bike ride thru Culver City the other day. Came across some interesting things... like this beautiful tree-lined street.

Always wanted to live on a street like that. Also this strange military parking lot right on Culver that I, for some reason, have past a million times but have never seen.

And of course, the film statue at the park on Overland and Culver honoring the rich history of Culver City.


On Tuesday I found myself out in Santa Fe Springs on some business right around lunch time. As I passed this place on the way to the meeting...


... I knew I had to stop on the way back. I mean, the Chairman's Reserve? How can you not go to a place that offers the Chairman's Reserve!
The place was like a truck stop, literally. There were a good 8 or 9 diesel's parked in the oversized lot right off the 5 in Commerce.
I walk inside and was immediately greeted by the super friendly waitresses. And even though it seemed like everyone there was a regular, I, the stranger, was still treated like a VIP.
So I saddled up and ordered the Chairman's Reserve - Steak and Eggs! It was awesome.

Nice Skirt Steak with salsa was a great touch, not to mention "Ozzie's Potatoes" smothered with green peppers and onions. It was amazing, and all for only $6! I love Ozzie's!
Wait, what's this? Ozzie's also has a lounge! Perfect for the midnight Truckers who just need to have one for the road. I will definitely have to go back some night and check out the scene. Any takers?

And finally, while at Hank's the other night, I ran into the hotel lobby next door and came across this:

There, clearly visible next to the coke machine is the change machine. Yet, for some reason, the hotel finds it necessary to post a large note right on the coke machine stating that the clearly visible change machine is right next to the coke machine. I can only imagine what goes on in that fleabag hotel...

mike

Ethiopian?

A few nutty adventures since Friday...

Saturday I decided to ride my bike down to Santa Monica and eat at Pancho's Tacos.

Just look at that place, how can you not go in there? mmmm, nothing like good ol' Mexican food on a Saturday afternoon.


Later that night, Umar, aka Hi Fidel, aka Frohawk TwoFeathers, aka Link80, had a going away BBQ for Chinatown legend Joe Mak.


They started at 2pm, I got there at 10pm and there was food everywhere. I left somewhere around 3am and they were still going strong on the BBQ pit Umar hastily dug in the ground. I was still full well into the next day. Good luck, Joe Mak, wherever you may end up...

Sunday, the Avengers were at STAPLES, so I decided to bike to work to 1) enjoy the beautiful Sunday afternoon and 2) see if I could survive riding down Pico without getting hit. Never realized how many El Salvadorean restaurants were packed on this street. Also never realized that there is a giant Ethiopian Church sitting right there on Pico, not far from St. Sophia, the giant Greek Orthadox Church.

The Avengers won, and instead of biking home, I ended up at Hank's again. Don't really remember what happened after that, but I woke up the next morning in bed with my bike laying in the middle of the living room floor. Thanks mysterious stranger who drove me and my bike home...

Today, I wound up in Atwater Village around lunch time, so I drove around, knowing I was bound to run into some greasy jem. And that's when I saw it, the Gold Star Drive-In restaurant.


I was sold immediately. Gold Star! And the Star is actually Black!!! Done.
I swing in by the huge tree that shades the restaurant and pull in back. It has a Drive-Thru!!! And this place is perfect, I wouldn't really call it a restaurant, more like a food shack that has a nice dining area. And that dining area is packed. The menu was half Mexican food, half American. What do I go with? Although I know the Mexican food here has got to be good, this place has that All-American feel to it, so I decide it has to be a Pastrami sandwich or something along those lines. Wait, Steak Sandwich? Done.

Everything was perfect. The awesome styrofoam cup from the early 80's with the fake sunset on it, the perfectly fried and golden steak fries, and the steak itself, nice and tender. Sure $10, but totally worth it. And looking around to what everyone else ordered, it felt like I could come here everyday, order something completely different, and never be disappointed.
Gold Star, you get 5 Gold Stars from me... and 3 exclamation points.


On the way home through Silverlake, I happened upon this Pizza place...

Is it really called Hard Times Pizza Co.???
I had this great rant I was going rattle off here about the unbelievably poor choice yet amazing title to name your business. But then I did a little research and found out that this place has been around forever and has a few locations (who knew?). And in doing said research, I came upon some really funny reviews that might be able to say it better then I can. Here are two from Yelp:
"What an appropriate name. At times, it's hard to love this pizza place."
and
"Oh Hard Times...
Hard Times and I used to date 2 to 3 years ago. I've since moved on. While I was attracted to her greasy thin NY style pizza, change of management has caused overall pizza quality to go down. Being once a heavy hitter in the LA pizza scene, hard times is more of a memory these days. We still talk, but its awkward."

mike

A little Vicodin goes a long way...

Went to the Airliner last night to check out my buddy Sanchez's band, Gadget Car. Its an all Latino punk rock band. Here they are...

Wait a second, that's not them...
But it should have been. The Airliner double-booked, and instead of letting on Gadget Car, who had the place packed with fans, they let on these chumps who couldn't even keep up with the rhymes on their own CD.
Pissed, Sanchez and the rest of Gadget Car tell the owners to stick it and are off

Quite the downer, we decide to head to Hank's in downtown, where the drinks are strong and there is always room at the bar.
After a few beers and a couple vicodin, Sanchez is starting to feel much better about the whole situation.

I end up talking to some artist dude who is 46 and living in his parents garage. We
skip the art talk and get right into a 20 minute conversation about his vasectomy. Oh, and I met a former stripper who now makes a kick ass living in the tech field. Ahhhh, Hank's...

mike