The Red Line escalators have a horrendous performance record, one that has the Mitsubishi Maintenance crews snickering as they work full-time maintaining equipment they acknowledge is poorly designed and completely unreliable. (The upside is lifetime employment for the maintenance crew. Go Metro!) This past week I traveled from the Hollywood/Western station (the escalator has been down since July 1) to the Civic Center Station (the long street level escalator was out of service) and......

The Metro now employs helpful Sheriff's Guides to assist disoriented or lost travelers. One of their first "rescues" this past weekend was this lost and disoriented CHP Officer who pulled off the very confusing LA Freeway system to seek the assistance of the Sheriff's Guides. (notice how he's sitting in an idling vehicle, facing against the flow of traffic)......

Metro's Universal City Asphalt Heat Island is a little cooler now, thanks to a malfunctioning irrigation system that has resulted in days and days (at least five by our count) of continuous water flow.......

COMEDY: Good for the Jews brings their rock/comedy show to the Knitting Factory tonight. Check out their MySpace page for their hits like “Jews for Jesus,” “JDate” and “They Tried to Kill Us.” ...

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), charged with managing the electricity grid in California, has issued a Flex Alert for both tomorrow and Thursday due to the current hot weather and demand for electricity, which is approaching capacity. Flex it by turning off unnecessary lights, turn ing AC up to 78 degrees or higher and not using major appliances until after 7:00 PM Free jazz tonight at Hollywood and Highland along with a wine......

As Guest Day Editor, Siel, a.k.a Green LA Girl, will be joining LAist with a few posts throughout today. Read her interview here and check out her site. Junk mail's one of those things that annoys people on a daily basis -- but seems unpreventable all the same. Those supermarket flyers fill up our mailboxes week after week, and for most, the unwanted mail seems like an uncontrollable influx -- What's worse -- I know......

I am a long time user of your banks. I signed up at one of your Westwood branches because of your witty advertising and I stayed loyal because of your Grade-A customer service, most notably your people working the phones. Because I am headed for a short summer vacation next week I checked out my online statement a few nights ago and saw two charges onto my debit MasterCard that I didn't recognize, so......

We know that ususally our "Lunch Time Video Break" is more light and airy. But we also know that you're informed and in-the-know citizens who would enjoy a great segment from Wolf Blitzer's show on CNN where Michael Moore essentially sticks it to the man, CNN and Wolf. Now yelling at Wolf about how his network operates is a little like yelling at the customer service agent at the baggage counter about the airline......

DirecTV called LAist on the phone and left us a message. The recorded voice said that DirecTV had worked out a deal with WNBC in NY that allowed certain zipcodes in LA the ability to get the east coast channel for just $6 a month. The benefit would be that we in LA would be able to get late night shows like Saturday Night Live and Conan O'Brien at 9:30pm instead of at 12:30am.......

Some tech tidbits that caught my eye this week. • Yahoo and Microsoft are getting cozy. Is there a marriage in the works? • Wally Schirra, pioneer astronaut and 5th man ever to go into space, died of a heart attack this week. He was 84. • Digg has a bad couple days. Is the honeymoon over? • Speaking of obscure digits that unlock encrypted HDDVDs, the guys who are fighting to protect their......

Last October, if you recall, LAist took a road trip around the country. For 40 days we drove an old car around the nation and slept in hotels and motels and even at our friends' homes and the first thing we asked before we booked a room or accepted a spare guest room was, "how's your connection?" And even though it was 2006, we were shocked at how many people we're all, "what connection?" Your......

- LAPD seeks felony charges against a 13-year-old alleged dogfight organizer caught in South LA on Monday. The injured pitbulls are expected to recover. The kid, however, may be another story. - LA Times. - Claiming a victory in mission:gangbusters 2007, LAPD central division Capt. Andrew Smith reports, "We really believe we have taken the head off the 5th and Hill Gang." - Daily News. - The transcripts are out on the Khalid Sheikh......

Cingular customers have been experiencing a system-wide problem today in the Los Angeles area. The current glitch comes two days after announcing a shiny, new mobile/web deal with MySpace. Maybe the Verizon/YouTubers have taken to knocking down towers? I speculate. Below, please find the dramatic re-enactment of my customer service phone exchange. The grumbly lady that answered my call was less thrilled about answering my questions: Is there currently a problem with service in......

Top 3 Trader Joe's, Highest Customer Count 1. Manhattan, New York City 2. San Francisco at Masonic/Geary 3. Los Angeles (Sherman Oaks) at Riverside/Hazeltine Salsa Coiffure Who doesn't love the Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa? It's "slightly sweet with a touch of heat." We even love it more than their Salsa Especial, the closest and best version of restaurant style salsa we can find yet. So when we found 3 pieces of rather large......

I just got off the phone with Helio customer service and I need to rant, so I’m doing it here. It is a true crazy-guy-on-the-internet-style rant. It touches on gadget obsession, Mobile Virtual Network Operators, brand experiences, and shitty fucking customer service. I know a couple of really good people that work for Helio and this is no reflection on them. JUST THEIR SHITTY FUCKING CUSTOMER SERVICE (which ultimately reflects on my experience with......

Appearing at UCLA's Royce Hall tonight and tomorrow night only is Charlie Kaufman's amazing new theater experience, "The Theater of the New Ear". We highly suggest that you run, not walk, to your nearest UCLA box office, or some online venue and purchase tickets. Los Angeles is usually one of the last rungs on the theater ladder, getting touring shows months (sometimes years, sometimes never) after they have appeared on the east coast. Don't......

THURSDAY • Tonight at the Henry Fonda Theater, Sleater-Kinney will be performing with Mary Timony. Doors open at 8 PM; tickets are $18. • Ash and the Rolling Blackouts perform a late show tonight at 10 PM at the Knitting Factory. Tickets are $12. • The Side Hillman Quartet perform with Thee Missouri and The Good Listeners at Tangier. Doors open at 9 PM; tickets are $10. • Celebrate the Project Blowed 10th Anniversary......

The ability to “read” customers is a pleasant attribute in a neighborhood bookstore. A gentleman, whose name we did not catch, at Chevalier’s Books on Larchmont Boulevard helped us select a birthday present for a friend. Armed with basic information — likes nonfiction, considering a career move to teaching or counseling — he made entirely appropriate suggestions. The first, Regarding the Pain of Others, by Susan Sontag, would have been relevant given our friend’s......