What's going on lately in the L.A food scene? Chew on this! There's a Vegas import Japanese style burger spot now open in Hollywood, a year of dining for a cause at a Venice favorite, a Halloween inspired taco, and more. more ›

The Museum of Neon Art is getting ready to turn on the lights at their new, permanent home in Glendale. MONA announced via email that on March 22, they signed their lease agreement with the City of Glendale for the space, which is located directly across Brand Boulevard from the Americana. In December 2010, the Glendale City Council approved $252,000 in additional funding to the design firm overseeing renovations to the vacant, vintage building in which the new facility will be housed. more ›

Owners of the Golden Key Hotel and Americana at Brand in Glendale "agreed to postpone a hearing on their competing redevelopment proposals to allow more time for negotiations," reports the Glendale News-Press. The new hearing is scheduled for Feb. 22. more ›

Don't we have enough tricked-out, over-the-top, strangely Disneyland-esque malls in L.A. to last...a lifetime? Rick Caruso has a different vision for Los Angeles malls and wants to expand the 15.5 acre Americana at Brand to two additional properties, according to the Glendale New-Press. Caruso is hoping to expand his soulless mall empire by acquiring the Golden Key Hotel at 123 W. Colorado Blvd. and another property nearby. The two properties combined would add another 60,000 to 140,000 square feet to the already large Americana mall and would cost roughly $50 million. more ›

Is life in Glendale boring? While the existence of Porto's Bakery suggests NO, a citywide survey says YES, according to the Glendale News-Press. The article reports that despite culturally rich neighborhoods, busy businesses, mega shopping complexes and a positive reputation, The Big G's low profile has registered more like a no profile in a survey of 209 residents, 200 non-residents and 128 civic leaders. more ›

A pursuit that began in Burbank via car ended up inside The Americana at Brand mall and residences where the suspect hid in the parking structure until apprehended by police. The crime for which three suspects were sought was a liquor store robbery that took place in Burbank late this morning, according to LA Now. more ›

Like so many teenagers before him, when Ryan Sollee was fifteen he asked his parents for a guitar. Due to his less than perfect grades, they turned him down, but young Sollee was not to be deterred. He went down to the garage and built one from scratch with some of his dad's fishing line and some balsa wood. "It sounded horrible," he admitted, "But my parents were so impressed, that they broke down and got me one. Either that or the noise was getting to them." more ›

At 45 years old, Charles Phoenix has achieved a sort of legendary status in Southern California and beyond. Though he is well known for his Disneyland tours of Los Angeles, Phoenix has toured this country in search of the kitschiest cities and most vibrant offenders of class. His travels have brought him to Tulsa, Portland and Denver, which he calls the most kitschy city in the nation. But he calls Silver Lake home and has devoted extensive hours to documenting the history of Los Angeles and its environs in the most unique way one can. more ›

The folks at Barnes and Noble at the Americana "shopping experience" in Glendale are bracing for the Monday arrival of Martha Stewart. The lifestyle guru will be on hand to sign copies of her latest cookbook, Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook. more ›

Grove and Americana developer Rick Caruso is running for Mayor. No wait, he is not running for Mayor, but he is, oh no he isn't... and so the broken record goes. Today the LA Weekly takes a look at Rick Caruso, his background, his developments and his political aspirations. Some worry as mayor he would turn the city into one big Disneyland-like development with Cheesecake Factories everywhere, but the Weekly looks at the closer into the man who has influenced a lot of what Los Angeles is today. Here's a little from the large profile: more ›

For a while we couldn't pay them to visit Los Angeles and now we can't get rid of them. Fresh off a visit by her father, Sen. John McCain, Meghan McCain will be showing off her newest ode to literature tomorrow when she reads, signs and talks about her recently penned children's book "My Dad, John McCain" at two exalted outposts of Republicanism: The Americana at Brand and then at USC. more ›

Two LAist Featured Photos contributors happened to submit similar photos around the same time. A new trend in street photography? Probably not, but where else can you put a biker looking dude's head? more ›

• In the wee hours of the morning, a cop driving west on Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys crashed his patrol car into a tree in order to avoid a collision with another driver who was believed to have been under the influence. The suspected DUI driver allegedly was driving away from a bar, and got away after the cop's crash.
• A small wildfire broke out this afternoon north of Arcadia in the Angeles National Forest. No homes are in danger, but a group of Boy Scouts had to leave their camp.
• Did Caltrans ignore warnings saying that the stretch of I-5 that saw a deadly 30-car crash last fall was imminently dangerous? An AP report claims "transportation experts had made repeated requests to close the road in stormy weather that went unheeded."
• Think California is a 'land of plenty'? This year's average income as reported by the Franchise Tax Board might change your mind. "Tax returns filed before this year's recession began showed that the average Californian earned $35,390 a year."
• Need to know the latest about the SAG contract talks? Deadline Hollywood Daily has an update.
• Glendale is getting ready for next week's grand opening of the Americana, SoCal's latest shopping "destination." The mall is expected to cause 20,000 more drivers to hit the streets of Glendale per day, making for a potential traffic headache.
• Up in Ojai, folks are talking about Jennifer Moss, an eccentric resident who likes to ride around on her motorcycle in a hemp g-string and flower-shaped pasties in the name of environmentalism. Her latest outing was on Easter Sunday outside a Catholic Church, which locals did not appreciate.

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