Last night's powerful rains beat down on Los Angeles, and Southern California in general, with a vengeance. Widespread power outages, mudslides, and flooded roads are just some of the consequences of the overnight downpour. Most of the road flooding occurred in the San Fernando Valley, reports the Daily News: "Among them, Forest Lawn Drive between Memorial Park and the Los Angeles Zoo was closed because of excessive run-off, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Jason Lee......

Sick of sushi? Tired of Thai? Want to impress your friends by turning them on to an exciting new cuisine? Try a little Colombian! La Maria Restaurant on Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood is one of those little holes-in-the-wall that foodies dream about - undiscovered and unspoiled, with reasonable prices and an experienced chef. Chef Antonio Prado worked in such Los Angeles favorites as Hugo’s and Joan’s on Third before opening La Maria. The......

The local papers can't get enough of The Orange Line. The Daily News ran what seems like their hundredth front page story on the new transitway today and the Times took it to the editorial page making the case for more parking at the orange line/red line transfer location. LAist rode the Orange line for the first time last week and was pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable the ride was. It felt a little......

Can we talk about the insane gas prices for a minute? What's the point of having a fuel efficient car if it's still going to cost you $30 to fill your 10 or 12 gallon tank? The California Auto Club's weekly gas price report says that the average price for gas is currently $2.64 for regular unleaded with no relief in site. $2.64? We can't take it anymore. The cheapest gasoline we've found is......

LA Fired Department Blog relays info of street closures as of early Monday morning as a result of this weekend's storms. Mulholland Drive is closed to through traffic between Laurel Canyon and Coldwater Canyon. ** Coldwater Canyon is closed to through traffic between the Beverly Hills city limits and Ventura Boulevard in Studio City. ** Beverly Glen Boulevard is closed to through traffic between the San Fernando Valley and Bel Air. ** Burbank Boulevard is......

LAist is not only a daily weblog of all things Los Angeles, but also an avid friend to animals great and small. This, of course, includes our friend the dog. But here in a metropolitan monolith of steel and brick our furry friends don't have as many places to romp freely. There are dog parks, this is true — but which ones are worth visiting and which ones are, no pun intended, a bunch......