The Official Recession has been upon us for thirteen official months. It’s still not a reason we can’t enjoy life on the cheap. This is LA -- we’ve got options! We last feasted on Thai Town for just a few bucks, and stopped to smell the daisies for even less. more ›

1812: A major earthquake struck Southern California, destroying the church at Mission San Juan Capistrano and damaging the San Gabriel Mission. more ›

How do you get over the hill expeditiously? Last night we walked our talk, as we often do, and headed over to Firecracker in Chinatown after a few early drinks at The Sapphire on Ventura Blvd. When the time came to drive over the hill, two routes to Chinatown were obvious: 101 all the way or take 4 different freeways. Not only is it fun to say, but the 101 to the 134 to... more ›

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Sometimes grabbing an ice cream cone on a mellow LA evening can be a quick, inexpensive, and wholly satisfying thing. Having recently found ourselves exiting the Red Line at Pershing Square, on our merry way to an evening of Grand Performances, we were presented with the idea of snagging a cone at the just about to close for the evening Grand Central Market. The Market happens to be one of our favorite destinations for food and people watching downtown; this time we were in an out in seconds flat, for less than a dollar apiece. The Tropical Zone Ice Cream & Juice Bar--one of the two ice cream vendors there--is at the front of the market, on the Hill Street Side. They have a decent selection of standard flavors; we're not sure who their supplier is, and, unlike Bennett's, Fosselman's, and Mashti Malone's, we're pretty sure they don't make their own. One scoop of Rocky Road was loaded onto a regular cone, followed by one scoop of Strawberry Cheesecake on another cone for our ice cream indulgent companion. Happily we licked our 90 cent cones and almost literally walked off into the sunset. Dusk started to inch its way over the city, as we slurped down our ice cream. Craving: satisfied. Sure, Tropical Zone can't boast more than their bargain prices, but for this time, that was plenty to do it. We'll rank them #4. This week our Ice Cream summer was quick and dirty style. We'll be out tasting again next week... more ›

Graham Crackers? more ›