The taco is as friendly a Recession Obsession dish as can be consumed. At best they're warm, flavor-dense, transcendent, and $0.50 to $3 each. At worst -- I don't need to tell you. We've all been sold a few ghastly tacos. FYI, you can throw them out before they taint your lips. more ›

A Recession Obsession is, 1) a meal so great that it sticks in your mind long after digestion's end, and, 2) plays nice with your sensitive wallet. Is there a better place than Los Angeles to eat a wide variety of amazing food that happens to be inexpensive? Probably not. We're as lucky as we are well fed. We last obsessed over this series' Greatest Food Hits and Thai Town 2.0's Krua Thai. Today, we obsess... more ›

If you see a group of people moving on foot from one end of the city to another today, you're probably seeing the folks taking part in the 3rd annual Great Los Angeles Walk. It's run by Mike and Maria of Franklin Avenue, and takes place to prove that people really can--and do--walk in LA. This year's route is the entire length of Santa Monica Boulevard. (Past walks have traveled down Wilshire and Pico.) They got underway at 9 this morning at Union Station, and are headed all the way out to the Britannia Pub in Santa Monica for their post-walk celebration. Want to keep up with the walkers? There will be plenty of Twittering going on via the Great LA Walk, and many of the participants are expected to tweet on their feet, too. Good luck, walkers! Can't wait to hear how the journey goes. more ›

Last month a program called Project 50 aimed at identifying homeless individuals most in need of immediate housing was begun in Los Angeles, and a similar program kicked off today in the City of Santa Monica. more ›

Can't muster up the incentive to pay $3.25 for a cupcake? Then head on over to Sprinkles in Beverly Hills to get one for free! For today only, Sprinkles is teaming up with FOX's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles for a promotion. The first 1000 customers will get a free "red eye red velvet" cupcake and according to the store, cupcakes are still available and probably have a "couple hours left" until they hit 1000. So head on over there before its too late, because apparently the cupcake fad isn't over. more ›

Assorted Cupcakes at Crumbs Bakeshop Crumbs Bakeshop, a New York haven of baked goodies, has staked claim to 9465 S. Santa Monica Boulevard. If that address sounds familiar, it is about two blocks east of LA cupcake mecca, Sprinkles. With flavors at Crumbs like Oreo, Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough, Reese's, Heath Bar, and M&M, the difference in style is clear. Crumbs has the warm feeling of an old-time candy store. Nostalgic childhood favorites Twinkie, Hostess... more ›

Because no one was seriously injured in this afternoon's fire in West Hollywood, it's probably ok to bust with some tasteless jokes. But we wont lower ourselves to that level. In fact we won't even snicker that the fire started at 4:30pm, mere minutes after the infamous 420 which many in WeHo celebrate. (Here in EaHo we celebrate it too) Instead we will simply run this photo sent to us by Scott from Boi... more ›

If there is one thing to be learned from the current Sitham Theater Company production of David Lindsay Abaire’s Rabbit Hole, it is that there is a very fine line between dramatic theatrical realism and overdone Lifetime TV-style icky-ness. Granted I am a part of that jaded, selfish, and not quite old enough to remember the happy Clinton-years crowd, so my perception of bearable and unbearable dramatic palpability is surely skewed in the direction of fatigued cynicism. But now that I have self-disclosed and absolved myself of critical responsibility, I feel free to elaborate on the clashing of Rabbit Hole's realism and icky-ness. more ›

Last night I put on a white “I Love WeHo Dykes” t-shirt, merged with the throng of Dyke March 2007 attendees, and paraded down Santa Monica Boulevard, a street coincidentally named in honor of the patron saint of abused, victimized, and neglected women. It may seem strange to some that I would do such a thing given that I am not Dyke, Lesbian, or Queer. But as a woman, a West Hollywood resident, and a lover of civil rights, I cannot lie. It is true. My t-shirt is accurate. I do love Dykes. I love them for their courage, their defiance, and their sacrifice. And as women, we share a traceable genealogical line that extends beyond 180,000 mitochondrial generations, making us all grand-daughters of the same Eve-of-origin. more ›

Most great athletes do things to benefit charity. Sometimes their publicist makes them do it. Sometimes it's part of a league sanction for that silly little fight with the referee. Sometimes they just want to. Here's something the philanthropic athlete in you will want to do -- drink beer for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Larry & Cheech's 1st Annual Flip For The Kids is a tournament unlike any LA has ever seen. It'll have red... more ›

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In order to provide more space for drag queen street races, and due to the Annual West Hollywood Halloween Parade, the following streets will be closed from 1pm to 6am: -- Santa Monica Boulevard between La Cienega Boulevard and Doheny Drive. -- Robertson Boulevard between Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. -- San Vicente Boulevard between Cynthia Street and Melrose Avenue. From 6 p.m. through 6 a.m., La Cienega Boulevard will be closed between... more ›

by Sabrina C. Photography as a medium conveys blink of the eye captivity of humanity at its core. The work of Matt Mascaro is no exception as it introduces levels of metaphysical philosophy into his latest art exhibition, Objectification. It incorporates the use of still photographs and video, which are used to counter the typical negative association of objectivity. Mascaro explains, “I am obsessed with the idea of how human being are objectified through... more ›

No more Stalin...you only have two nights left to see a group of earnest actors gyrating under a dirty bedsheet, and singing "U....topia!" like Animal Farm. We pointed to this revival production two days ago, but we saw it last night, and, God, is HOW TO EXPLAIN THE HISTORY OF COMMUNISM TO MENTAL PATIENTS the scariest story on Santa Monica Boulevard. more ›

The Cinespia film society screens Detour, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, tonight at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Going to see the final resting places of old Tinseltown names like Rudoph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Peter Lorre, Janet Gaynor and Tyrone Power is cool enough -- but add a flick and music to the mix and how much more Hollywood can you get? more ›

The morning starts off typical enough. Snooze three times, a half-asleep rush to get out the door, forgot my lunch on the counter. All of this would be fine if it weren’t for the car I was stuck behind for 8 blocks on Santa Monica Boulevard with the “Charlton Heston for President” bumper sticker. There would be a picture if coffee would have been involved first, but alas. If you only chose to put ONE bumper sticker on your car, why that one? If anyone has a picture of this or sees a car with a bumper sticker that is just crying out to be rear-ended, please send it along! more ›

LAist is going on a delicious spree from A to Z. This weekend, we finish up G as we attempt to sober up at Gozar after a few too many at The Abbey a few doors down. more ›

Tomorrow night West Hollywood’s trendy O-Bar celebrates their second anniversary by putting you, the customer, in charge of pricing. It's a whole new spin on prix-fixe, because you're doing the fixing! They will be offering the entire food menu for whatever price customers feel they should pay for the evening. Menus will be presented without prices, and the check will be presented with blanks next to the listed items. Guests will simply write in the amounts that they wish to pay. Any amounts paid over the actual price will be donated to a children’s charity. Kind of the like the Price is Right for hip eateries. Just be sure to remember to tip your waitress! more ›

It's a given that weekend nights were made for going out, which includes dining. Even though LA is pretty close to a 24/7/365 town (close in some respects, far far from it in others, but that's another issue entirely), some restaurants find themselves with empty tables every now and then. One thing that many hot eateries have come up with to draw folks in are specialty nights, where things are shaken and stirred or just a tad bit different from the norm. LAist has a roundup of some current special nights running at some top restaurants. Because nothing lasts forever, we suggest you double check with the restaurant to be sure the event is on, and what time it runs before you head out. more ›

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In today's "Los Angeles Times" Column One, reporter Daniel Hernandez pays a visit to El Congo Manuel on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood and shares the world of Santeria with readers in his article "Little Shop of Santeria." We're not crazy about that title--would a Times copy editor have called Cotter Church Supplies "Little House of Catholicism"? more ›

Over the holiday weekend, while most people were watching Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning flee from aliens, LAist visited a new day spa in Santa Monica, and had a very earthly experience. more ›

Poor David Denby. In this week's "New Yorker" magazine, the critic screens "Batman Begins" and "Mr.& Mrs. Smith" and doesn't like what he sees. more ›

Before we get into the week that was, there are a few announcements. As should be obvious from what he writes about, Phil Wallace is our Sports editor and the staff page now reflects that. Jessica Ritz is our resident queen of interview and the staff page showcases that now as well. You'll also notice that we've made it easy to print items from LAist now. There's a cool little print link on all items featured on the homepage. We'll be adding that option to the archives as well very soon. more ›

Hamburger Mary’s 8288 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Sweetzer) (323) 654-3800
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We recommend breaking your carbo/sugar fast with a piece of Alligator (currently available at Gelson's Markets, pictured above), those delectable pecan encrusted pasteries. Growing up, we couldn't get enough of the flaky, buttery treat enlivened with marzipan and have fond memories of patronizing the bakeries around Robertson and Pico. more ›

With the holidays all around us, LAist has noticed that some people aren't fully embracing the "treat your fellow man respectfully and with love" concept. And so, we decided to take advantage of the stress and the chaos and the ill-will around town by seeing just how many annoyed dashboard notes we could elicit by parking in two spaces at once, too close to the driver's side doors, at awkward angles, double-parking and a myriad of other "no-no's." more ›

LAist realizes that it is entirely possible, and even mildly enjoyable, to do all of your holiday shopping on-line without bothering to leave the house or change out of your pajamas. You could also head to the local mall, buying gifts from the Gap and Banana Republic. more ›

Today is World AIDS Day, and our community, along with other cities around the world, will mark this day of remembrance in a variety of ways: more ›

WeHo Ages! more ›