Shopping for a food enthusiast for the holidays? Whether they like to be in the kitchen, stock their larder with gourmet goodies, or go out to eat, we've compiled this list of gift items found in and about Los Angeles. more ›

Health and fitness: it's a gift category upon which one must tread delicately. Give the wrong person a piece of fitness equipment and you risk wreaking havoc upon a fragile self-esteem, or simply having your gift received with the silent treatment and a single, lonesome tear rolling down their cheek. more ›

Admit it. We have all done it one time or another. Re-wrapped something that ran counter to our oh-so-fabulous taste and passed it along to some unsuspecting schmuck &/or loved one. It's not very nice. It reeks of cheapness and laziness. Still, in a recent survey more than half of the Americans polled said they re-gift regularly and unashamedly. Hey, we all got our reasons: couldn't make it to the store in time for the office Kris Kringle; spent our last few bucks on baby's new pair of shoes; already have one; this figurine with the clock in it's belly would look so damned good on my best bud's mantle. more ›

Not sure what to buy your environmentally conscious friend or family member for the holidays? Opting to make this holiday season's giving more earth-friendly? more ›

Tired of the same old gifts? Who needs another tie, or some tchotchke that just becomes one more thing to dust? How about giving someone a gift certificate to swim with great white sharks? I'll bet that's one gift they will always remember - hopefully for the right reasons. 99 Blue Bananas provides gift packages that arrive at the recipient's door in a tasteful blue folder including a gift card and relevant information for the... more ›

Still haven’t found the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for kinky family member? Not sure what to get for the Samantha Jones of your group? Or just broke, and would sooner choke on a reindeer cookie than knit another scarf? There’s hope yet—and thank the gods of crafting, it doesn’t involve mastering a new sweater pattern. This Friday, Babeland, L.A.’s loveable educational sex toy store, will offer up Craftnight. Hosted by Julianna Parr—or “JP the... more ›

photo by gotomattex via flickr more ›

Driving down Sunset tonight we saw smoke billowing from what we feared was Safari Sam's. As we got closer we saw that it was not the rock club ablaze nor the 99 Cents store (thank God) but a car in the parking lot. All by itself. As if it had just spontaneously combusted. more ›

Black Friday has come and gone but there's one more killer sale that you shouldn't miss - the Obey Sale. For the last few years we have been lucky enough to learn about the sale, this year held in a warehouse The OC, and today we are very happy to share the dates with you. When: Friday, December 7th from 9a - 7p & Saturday, December 8th from 9a - 5p Where: 3500 West... more ›

The Lovely Mistresses of George W. Bush Calendar. more ›

I’ve been an avid fair-attendee and crafter for years and must say it’s my favorite place to get that special unique, handmade something for the people who seem to have just about everything. more ›

Have a food-fanatic on your shopping list? May we suggest some local sources for fabulous gifts, both big and small. LAist will help you Eat It, Use It, Learn It, and Read It with our food-focused installment of the Holiday Gift Guide. Some of these items will last for just a few precious bites, and some will let your lucky recipient get their own hands dirty. Since the clock is ticking, you'd best high-tail... more ›

Stocking stuffer alert for the foodies on your list! When it comes time to make New Year's resolutions, oftentimes at the top of ours is "Try more restaurants!" And this is when "new" is a relative term; sometimes "new to us" is as good as new, if not better. But then as any given mealtime approaches, we find ourselves scrambling for ideas: Where should we go? How much of a dent in the wallet will... more ›

It's time. As much as we hated seeing silver stars and winter white wonderland at the Beverly Center as early as October (did they completely gloss over Halloween or did we just miss it when they were promoting it back in, say, July?), we must accept that Holiday shopping is indeed upon us now that it's December. To make it easier on us all, LAist has toiled, worn out our mouse clicking fingers, scoured... more ›

Welcome to the latest edition of “Ask the MACist", the column where I answer your Mac and Mac-related questions with hopefully more clarity and insight than you could ever need. As always, I want to thank those of you who sent in questions this week. They are much appreciated. Keep it up! more ›

Right now you might be heading back into the kitchen for thirds, or you're thinking about some sweet potato pie, or perhaps you're about to snake the Lay-Z-Boy from Grampa as he takes a leak. But around the country people are gearing up for Black Friday specials. Black Friday being the day after Thanksgiving where major retailers unload a few choice deals to sucker lure the madding crowds into their stores. We met up... more ›

We are rapidly approaching the season where we have to go out there and shop for our family and friends. Maybe you're like LAist and hate shopping, maybe you're like the rest of the world and find some pleasure in crowded parking lots, lines at the registers, and hours spent wrapping and shipping off presents. If you're like us you praise Jah for Internet shopping that allows you to avoid lines, get your crap... more ›