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Category: Adventures in L.A.

  • Vidéothèque is Now Open in Highland Park. Go Rent a Movie.

    Vidéothèque video store in Highland Park, Los Angeles. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)

    Vidéothèque is back! After moving from South Pasadena to Highland Park, the 20-year-old video store is open again for rentals from its catalog of 45,000+ releases. 

    I stopped by on Saturday night to check out the new shop, which is located on Figueroa, near where Cypress Park and Highland Park meet, and was immediately impressed by how spacious it is. There’s a front room dedicated to movie posters and store merchandise. In the main room, you’ll find Xenon set up towards the front window and there’s now plenty of room for you and your crew to hang out and play a few rounds of pinball. Behind the maze of DVDs and Blu-Rays, you’ll find an alcove with a jukebox as well as the store’s record selection. 

    If you already rent from Vidéothèque, you’ll enjoy the new space. If your reaction to this post is, “wait, video stores are still a thing?”, then you should make plans to visit and see what you miss when you stick with streamers. 

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  • Breakfast at Philippe’s Is an Affordable Way to Start the Day

    breakfast at Philippe's with a cup of coffee and a donut. Photo: Liz Ohanesian
    At Philippe’s, you can get a cup of coffee for 46 cents and a donut for $1. (Pic: Liz O.)

    I grew up in a family full of staunch Angelenos who love to dispense advice on crucial subjects like rush hour short cuts and where to get a good meal. When it comes to the latter, one of the best pieces of advice I heard from multiple family members was, “Get breakfast at Philippe’s.” 

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  • Weekend Recap: Echo Park Rising, Plus Dancing, Records and Trains

    Nolune live at Echo Park Rising outside of Bar Henry, September 9, 2023 Photo by Liz Ohanesian
    Nolune live outside of Bar Henry for Echo Park Rising

    For one baffling moment, the thought of walking the 1.2 mile stretch of Sunset Blvd. between Spacedust and Bar Henry for Echo Park Rising on Saturday afternoon sounded doable. I quickly came to my senses and vetoed that option, though, on account of it being somewhere around 90 degrees, per the weather app on my phone. Plus, the list of things I wanted to do that day was out of control. So, instead, I stuck around Bar Henry long enough to see Nolune, Micah Preite and Datamaps play fantastic sets on the sidewalk as traffic whizzed past us. 

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  • Visit Corey Helford Gallery To See the Latest Work From Top New Contemporary Artists

    An installation of wild animal sculptures by Camilla d'Errico for "Nurtured by Nature" at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, September 2023. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)
    An installation of wild animal sculptures by Camilla d’Errico for “Nurtured by Nature” at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, September 2023. (Pic: Liz O.)

    If you’re interested in new contemporary art, you really should visit Corey Helford Gallery. Founded in 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and television producer Bruce Helford, this hub of pop surrealism, street art, new figurative art and related styles has hosted shows from the likes of Eric Joyner, D*Face, Kristen Liu-Wong, Brandi Milne and so many others. But, what’s really cool about CHG is that the frequent shows here are accessible whether or not you’re able to buy art.You don’t need to wait for an opening or make an appointment to visit. They have regular, open hours five days a week.

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  • Joe Joe’s Bizarre City Pop Night Brought Smooth Grooves to Silverlake Lounge

    Joe Joe's Bizarre City Pop Night at Silverlake Lounge on September 6, 2023. Photo by Liz Ohanesian
    Joe Joe’s Bizarre City Pop Night at Silverlake Lounge on September 6, 2023. (Pic: Liz O.)

    I love it when I don’t know the music at a club. Maybe that’s a DJ thing or a music snob thing. It could just be a Liz O. quirk, IDK. Still, I’m the last person who will run up to the booth and say, “play something I can dance to.” I will, however, run up to the booth and compliment the DJ for playing something that’s unfamiliar to me, but sounds like funky Cocteau Twins, which is what happened on Wednesday during my friend Elvin Estela’s set at Silverlake Lounge for Joe Joe’s Bizarre City Pop Night. 

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  • My Final Trip to Oracle Tavern

    Oracle Tavern in Chinatown Los Angeles August 29 2023 (Photo Liz Ohanesian)
    Inside Oracle Tavern (Pic: Liz O.)

    By some fluke of the algorithm, I saw a post on Instagram that Tinglez were playing at Oracle Tavern for Unusual Tuesdays last week. Since relevant event information has become increasingly rare on my timeline— I frequently see Insta flyers days after the fact— that this post even reached my eyeballs on a night when I happened to be free was surely a sign that I had to go. 

    And I did go to Unusual Tuesdays later that evening. Tinglez packed the dreamiest space disco into set that was shorter than Patrick Cowley’s remix of “I Feel Love.” The energy in the crowd was electric as people pulled in closer to the stage. I was glad to be there, not only to catch this set, but because it would be my last venture at Oracle Tavern. 

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  • A Lucky Night of Sopranos Pinball at EightyTwo

    The Sopranos pinball machine at EightyTwo arcade in Los Angeles' Arts District. (Photo: Liz Ohanesian)

    I’m not sure why we decided to drive to EightyTwo. It’s Saturday night, so parking in the Arts District will be scarce and, now that the Little Tokyo/Arts District Metro Station is open, we could have just taken the A. But we didn’t. Instead, we’re driving around in circles past taco trucks and small armies of party people. We’ve probably spent more time looking for parking spot than we spent driving from home to wherever we are on Traction. 

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  • Lost in Time at King Richard’s Antique Center

    1960s vintage home goods at King Richard's Antique Center in Whitter. Photo by Liz Ohanesian
    This is basically my dream home. Spotted at King Richard’s Antique Center in Whittier. (Pic: Liz O.)

    The best way to experience King Richard’s Antique Center is when you have a lot of time on hand and, probably, a good amount of money to spend. However, on my most recent trip to the 57,000 square foot vintage and antique market in Whittier, I had neither and it was still a very good time. 

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  • L.A. State Historic Park After the Storm

    L.A. State Historic Park August 2023 Photo by Liz Ohanesian
    Los Angeles State Historic Park after the storm. (Pic: Liz O.)

    Less than halfway through the mile-long track that runs the periphery of L.A. State Historic Park, I realize that today’s outfit is entirely inappropriate for the weather. I pulled over a KXLU hoodie that I’ve probably had since I was a DJ at the college radio station because there was a chance of more rain in the morning, but that chance looked slim-to-none by 10:30 a.m., so I wasn’t about to walk around with an umbrella. A hoodie was a good just-in-case alternative, I thought before leaving the apartment, failing to remember that it’s August, not January, and it’s muggy af outside. 

    I’m sweating more than I should be for something even less intense than a power walk, a lot more. I’m actually disgusted with myself and my inability to acclimate to a summer where the heat has been far from dry. I don’t know how to dress, let alone deal with moderately curly hair that’s prone to frizz, in this weather. It’s a culture shock— like that time I spent a Labor Day Weekend in Atlanta baffled by warm rain and people calling every woman “ma’am”— except that I’m at home. 

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  • A Story About Public Bathrooms and Public Transit in Downtown Los Angeles

    Little Tokyo Arts District Los Angeles Metro Station
    Inside the Little Tokyo/Arts District Metro Station (Photo: Liz O.)

    I chose the most inconvenient entrance to the 7th Street/Metro Center Station. It’s the one on the corner of 7th and Figueroa, the first one you’ll notice if you’re walking from Target, which I was, and the one that might be most convenient if you’re trying to take the Metro to Long Beach or Santa Monica, which I was not. I was going to Chinatown, which meant that I needed the A towards Azusa. This also meant that I would head down to the A/E platform, then upstairs to cross the tracks, then down again to board the Azusa train that might have been pulling up to the stop right as I hastened my pace. I darted up and down steps despite hauling two totes— one loaded with groceries, the other with a wet bathing suit and towel— and a purse. 

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