If you're from the Northeast, like I am, your memory of leaving home for the brighter shores of Los Angeles may be saturated with people mocking you, and asking you things like "why the hell would you want to live there?" Ah, family. Anyway, if you've bottled up the answer to that last question for fear of bringing on more ridicule, you don't need to be scared anymore -- The Huffington Post is asking readers to share their personal relocation tales more ›

We may be 3,000 miles away from the apocalyptic events that are bombarding the Northeast (now some experts thing that in addition to earthquakes and hurricanes, tornadoes may make their way through the area), but we're not wholly unaffected: most flights heading east have been cancelled because of Hurricane Irene, reports CBS News. Air traffic control has been suspended as of 10:00 p.m. GMT last night at five airports in the New York area, including JFK and LaGuardia, and Logan International Airport in Boston is reporting numerous cancellations. more ›

Here are some hurricane-appropriate covers to get you through the storm (of media coverage). "Come on Irene" to the tune of "Come on Eileen" is now a meme, but it's not the only cover with slightly-changed lyrics. more ›

Christopher George Latore Wallace is better known as Biggie Smalls, Big Poppa, and The Notorious B.I.G. In Los Angeles to promote his upcoming record release, and making a video for his single "Hypnotize," the East Coast rap superstar was gunned down in a drive-by shooting following a party on March 9, 1997. He was 24 years old. The murder case remains unsolved. Let's go back to Cali, 1997 style. more ›

Rain will drain, but snow turns to ice. Good luck Antarctica, I mean New Jersey. This time-lapse video documents the white flakey drama as it piled up in one dude's back yard in Belmar, NJ. Using a Canon DLSR on a tripod and remote timer, Michael Black took one photo every five minutes for approximately 20 hours. Enjoy the 40 second version of nearly 40 inches. California dreaming... more ›

Saturday afternoon found several major airlines departing from LAX having to cancel flights to East Coast cities where a brutal winter storm forced many airports to shut their runways. By last night, however, "the flight schedule had returned to normal," reports the LA Times. Passengers with reservations for Sunday and today will face no more than the usual holiday travel headaches and hassles, however those whose flights were canceled Saturday may still find they are in a holding pattern as airlines work to accommodate them. Airport authorities say Saturday's storm, which affected travel in cities such as New York, Baltimore, and Washington D.C., "affected more than 6,000 passengers," some of whom were told they could not be re-booked to travel until Christmas Day. more ›

Although our palm trees are swaying in the 80 degree warmth, it was wintry snow and blizzard-like conditions that foiled the plans of many travelers looking to leave from LAX yesterday. "At least 38 flights from Los Angeles International airport to East Coast destinations hit by winter storms were canceled Saturday," according to LA Now. more ›

Reporter Leo Stallworth and Chief Bratton have a difference of opinion and at yesterday's press conference about violence in South LA, the no-nonsense East Coast sensibilites of LAPD's top cop came out in front of everyone... and ABC aired it. more ›

Sara Melson has been in LA for some time now after graduating from Harvard with a degree in English (she's shy about this fact). First it was acting, now it is music. She loves living in classic Los Angeles area neighborhoods, especially those with history, roots and the word "canyon" in it. Currently living in Beachwood Canyon, which she describes as a "true oasis," her past homes have been Topanga Canyon and Laurel Canyon, both places seeded for artistic inspiration. more ›

Bargain airliner Skybus is adding a route into Burbank's Bob Hope Airport starting Monday. The airline has two US hubs, and has been operating flights to and from the one in Columbus, Ohio for some time now, and is now linking BUR with its other hub in Greensboro, North Carolina. more ›

Trader Joes, based here in Southern California in Monrovia, made a big announcement today regarding imported food from China:

Garlic, frozen organic spinach and other "single ingredient" food items from mainland China will be phased out by April 1, although products that include ingredients from both China and other sources will remain. more ›

Local singer/songwriters Meiko (MySpace) and Priscilla Ahn (MySpace) share similar qualities -- they are part-Asian (Meiko is quarter-Japanese and Ahn is half-Korean), and originally from back east (Meiko from Georgia and Ahn from Pennsylvania). So perhaps it was coincidental that both were booked in back-to-back shows last week at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, with Meiko onstage last Wednesday and Ahn last Thursday. more ›

The WGA Board voted unanimously last night to not picket the 50th Grammy Awards, February 10th at Staples Center. more ›

Venues are still recovering from New Year's Eve as not many concerts are happening tonight. But that doesn't mean there's good music to check out. Local organic hip-hoppers, Swamphouse (a mixture of R&B, rock and jazz), open up at Temple Bar in Santa Monica tonight at 9:30 p.m. They are followed by the Manhattan Beach based reggae band -- International Farmers -- at 11 p.m. more ›

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Taste-Buzz will fill you with ramen cravings in this post on Asa Ramen in Gardena. Rameniac (noodle porn!) is also on the scene. More and more, it seems like the real culinary finds in this region are in the cities surrounding central L.A. Is Whole Foods (Whole Paycheck) a necessary evil for those seeking high-quality, low-impact organic food? Or is the company less interested in ethical consumption and more involved in "creating a retail... more ›

It’s a beautiful, wonderful day! Why, you ask? Have they pulled the troops from Iraq? Is America’s Next Top Model going to be syndicated twice a night, every night? Has the retail industry decided that Christmas should just be about spending time with family and loved ones, and yanked their holiday marketing bonanzas? No…it’s even better. For those of you who missed it this morning…Dunkin’ Donuts coffee will now be available for purchase in... more ›

I was a bit skeptical at first, I knew nothing about chiropractics. But I kept having this pain in my neck that no amount of massage or yoga could take away. I was at a loss and then I met Dr. Robin Hawkey who explained, for the first time in my life, what exactly chiropractics was without any strings attached at a dinner party we both attended. So I decided to try it. My... more ›

Our trust and honor system on the subway, at the light rails and over at the Orange Line has been stripped away. Last Thursday, Metro voted to install the first phase of gates at stations, 275 to be exact (what's going to happen to those TAP Here machines that are everywhere?). The original intent behind the current honor system is "to buck East Coast practices and reduce operating costs," according to the New York... more ›

For those of you driving over the river and through the woods to grandma's house for Thanksgiving -- this picture is going to hurt. This particular Chevron is on the corner of Cesar Chavez and Alameda in Downtown LA. And we're sure it's not the only one around town with prices like these. From today's LA Times: California motorists paid an average of $3.395 for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline, up 2.9 cents... more ›

My folks are Republicans. I am not. On a recent visit from the East Coast, they wanted to go to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. I kinda didn't. But since they were only in town for a few days -- to see me and I wanted to spend time with them -- I put our political differences aside and drove them out to Simi Valley (via the 118 -- the Ronald Regan... more ›

Whitney Bedford is a truly unique artist. Her subjects- shipwrecks, pirates, and impending disaster, are far from the norm of what L.A based painters are doing these days. more ›

Day Four began with jazz hands. I started off at Cake Shop to see NY native Patrick Cleandenim. He struck my interest with his brand of flamboyant, jazz-infused pop. However, it'd be nearly impossible for him to replicate the orchestral backing live and thus his live performance seemed a bit flat. Regardless, Patrick is destined for large things. His latest effort Baby, Come Home was recorded in Kansas at a studio I am quite... more ›

La Cabana has been one of my favorite places to eat in Los Angeles almost since the day I arrived four years ago. It's just about perfect for anything you need. more ›

Wait a damn minute. You people demanded that Van Halen get rid of the Red Rocker and reinstate Diamond Dave. Sure Michael Anthony had to step down so as to get replaced by Eddie's boy Wolfgang on bass - but doesn't that make for better rock? Not according to slow-as-molasses ticket sales here in the Southland where none of the four Van Halen shows at Staples or the Honda Center have sold out. [Update:... more ›

I’m not a fan of hip- hop. Now, I’m not saying that I don’t appreciate the impact it has made on our society or certain songs that take me back to my middle school Sadie Hawkins dance days, but I’m more of an alterna-rock kind of gal. This is ironic because my current boyfriend is a Wu-Tang loving, Jay Z worshipping, Biggie quoting fool – but somehow we work. And since I’ve been very busy... more ›

"Yeah, I do think this one sounds grittier, but the songwriting on both are kind of dark. On the first album, some of the songs are immediately catchy, where some of the people don’t realize it’s dark and on the second one, the music can be a bit darker, immediately." more ›

Visiting Washington D.C. during the summer is like reliving all your high school field trip nightmares. Every snotty-nosed kid and their mother was there. Despite the heat, humidity, and the rampant smell of Republican carcass, I had a great time. When Maryland and Virginia donated some land for Charles L'Enfant to build Washington D.C., as a capital city for this nation, I don't think they envisioned the polarity and contrast that metropolitan east coast city... more ›

I've complained about the scheduling of my beloved Trojans' games in recent years. We seem to have had a lot of late starts. 5:00, 5:30, 7:30pm... someone seemed determined to maintain the oft-speculated upon "East Coast bias" by making sure half the country was getting into bed before USC had finished its first quarter of ball. more ›

Maxwell Lemuel Roach was born on Jan 10, 1924 in New Land, NC. He would go on to become one of the all-time great masters of rhythm. Max Roach's command of instrument, and his musicality as a drummer -- anchored and accelerated the evolution of jazz and moreover everything that is good music. A primary catalyst of the progression of bebop to hard bop -- Max Roach made the drums the hottest instrument on... more ›