This guy is so sad. He paid $20 for parking and now can't afford to hit any music venues. | Photo by ClownBog via Flickr The Sunset Strip in West Hollywood is notoriously known for its high parking prices. As the Sunset Strip Music Festival approaches, we decided to see to test Sunset Strip business owner's claims of the myth of high priced parking. On a short drive down the famous boulevard, especially on......

Photo by HBuzacott via Flickr Taking a note from a Los Angeles bicycle law, the city of West Hollywood has made the first steps to allow bicycles to legally ride on sidewalks, reports WeHo News. Currently, West Hollywood's law is consistent with LA County law stating that “a person shall not operate any bicycle… on any sidewalk or parkway except at a permanent or temporary driveway or at specific locations thereon where the commissioner......

Tuesday came and went, but not without history being made. Same-sex couples around California signed their marriage licenses, made their vows and rejoiced in a right that they should have had long ago. Hundreds turned out to West Hollywood Park as a new marriage licensing facility opened just that morning. A few quiet protesters showed up, but other than that, the park was full of laughter and smiles. Wandering through the crowd, you could hear......

AP Photo/Hector Mata To help open West Hollywood's new facility to issue marriage certificates, actor George Takei and partner Brad Altman standby before getting their marriage certificate permits themselves this morning. They spoke to The Early Show yesterday and said their wedding will be in September (video below).......

Interchangeable wedding cake toppers as seen at the Renellie warehouse in Costa Mesa, CA (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) The big day has arrived and today, as of 5:01 p.m., the first same-sex couples in California will be married. But like in most counties, Los Angeles County will not officially begin ceremonies until tomorrow morning. Only three counties throughout the state -- Alameda, Sonoma and Yolo -- opted keep offices open after hours to perform marriages.......

A little slice of life in Los Angeles. Here's the well-known Attorney Gloria Allred, left, yelling at anti-gay protesters at the gay pride parade on Sunday. Moments later, she realized LAist Featured Photos contributor discarted and his hefty camera pointed at her.........

Thanks to soaring gas prices and relentless airline woes, the hip thing to do this summer is to go on a "staycation." Of course, if you are one of the many local couples soon to be celebrating your legal same-sex nuptials, a honeymoon may be in order. After shelling out the bucks for the license, the tux rentals, the tastefully done floral arrangements, and the last night out as a singleton drinks bender at Rage,......

Priscilla Ahn plays at her CD Release Show last night at the Hotel Cafe. Tonight she'll play on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. | Photo by Koga/LAist In the comments section of yesterday's post on changes at The Viper Room, concert goers are hoping for Indie 103.1's Check One... Two moves eastward while saying such things as "the Sunset Strip is dead." To that, owner of The Roxy, Nic Adler commented back: "True......

How to Dine at the new Gordon Ramsay at the London in West Hollywood: Step 1: Make a reservation This is surprisingly easy. Unlike the restaurants in Ramsay's New York London Hotel, The Gordon Ramsay is practically a ghost town. Maybe it's because Gordon Ramsay is not at the helm. Neither is the chef-who-cannot-be-named winner of this season's Hell's Kitchen. Who is at the helm anyways? For now, Andy Cook, formerly of Gordon Ramsay at......

Over the last couple of weeks, the scene at the Viper Room has been changing -- bartenders were let go, one of the bookers is gone, and now the internal publicist and talent buyer announced a seemingly abrupt departure. Former publicist Annie Geyer writes in an e-mail: As of Friday, June 6, 2008 Melissa Renee Hernandez and I are no longer affiliated with the Viper Room. We appreciate everyone’s support over the last 2+ years......

Kicking off LA Pride Weekend, the 2008 West Hollywood Dyke March (the first of two lesbian cycle events) hit West Hollywood streets Friday night and was presented by the Lesbian Visibility Committee. The first Portraits of Pride photo gallery from this weekend's events, including the parade, can be viewed here.......

Coolio was arrested early this morning on a routine traffic stop after officers saw that his tags had expired on his 1996 Hummer at the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and Sweetzer Ave. Further investigation found that Artis Leon Ivey Jr. also had an "outstanding misdemeanor traffic warrant for driving with a suspended license," according to the LA Times. He was released from jail this morning at 6:40 a.m. on a $10,000 bond. He will probably......

Thousands poured onto West Hollywood and Los Angeles streets this weekend for LA Pride. From the parade to the two Dyke Marches (photos forthcoming), there was much to celebrate as next week is the beginning of recognized same-sex marriage in California. LAist photographer Tom Andrews was there to capture the festivities and here is some of what he saw.......

Ohhhhh... Sunday breakfast! It can be late but great, big and (probably) bad for you. But, ohhhh! Yeah. Mmmmm. This plate of big-time breakfast goodness comes from LAist Featured Photos contributor kristi.nicole, who gives us the lowdown (and a server shout-out!):We've been going to Basix Cafe in West Hollywood regularly for over 3 years. Their apple pancakes with caramel syrup [pictured] are addicting. They also make a killer Chilaquiles. Above all this, they have......

On Saturday night, local bands Xu Xu Fang (MySpace) and Film School (MySpace) performed at the Henry Fonda Theater, opening for the reunited Swervedriver (MySpace). Xu Xu Fang's next local performances are at the Manimal Festival at Pappy and Harriet's (MySpace) in Pioneertown on June 7th, Indie 103.1 (MySpace)'s Check One... Two (MySpace) on June 15th, and The Viper Room (MySpace) in West Hollywood on June 16th for their The Mourning Son EP release......

The Los Angeles area's growing stock of eco-friendly businesses increased Saturday with the grand opening of O!burger in West Hollywood. The organic burger joint uses only certified organic ingredients in their grass fed beef burgers, free range turkey burgers, hot dogs, salads, French fries and shakes. Previously -- Preview: Fast Food Organic Burger Joint Opens in WeHo......

The marathon may be #27 on the list of Stuff White People Like, but it is by no means their exclusive domain. There are many specialized running groups out there that point out the growing diversity of running enthusiasts. One such group is the Los Angeles Frontrunners, which will be hosting its 27th annual Pride Run on Sunday, June 8 in West Hollywood as part of Pride Weekend. The Pride Run this year benefits......

In Pasadena, Orean claims to be the first vegetarian fast-food drive-thru (fast it is not). And beginning Saturday, a new restaurant in West Hollywood will be taking claim to being Los Angeles’ first fast food burger house using only certified organic ingredients. O!burger will offer grass fed beef, free range turkey, hot dogs, salads, French fries and shakes. And yes, they have veggie burgers made from their own recipe based on spinach and corn. And......

From The Roxy's Flickr page The Roxy is leading the way as a club using web 2.0 to promote what it does best -- good times with good music (their use of Twitter has huge genius potential). This above photo is from their Flickr page, a great way for any organization to publicly document what they do. Green Day's side project, the Foxboro Hot Tubs, are playing tonight at The Roxy (tomorrow at Alex's......

Saint Motel plays the Viper Room next Wednesday | Photo by skampy via Flickr There are four ways to get into The Viper Room's long standing weekly Monday night music bash, 103.1 Check One... Two. The most advertised way is to e-mail them via MySpace to get on the list and enter for free. But if you show up to the door unannounced, it's $10. Likewise, if you show up without the e-mail RSVP,......

After being involved in an accident that turned into a hit-and-run in West Hollywood yesterday afternoon, Drew Barrymore followed fleeing vehicle obtaining the license plate number. The incident occurred near Gardner Street and Santa Monica Boulevard, according to Sgt. Kristin Aloma at the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station. Barrymore was not injured by the accident and the police are trying to find the driver. In other celebrity news, comedian Mike Epps nearly got into an unprovoked......

On March 9, 70-year-old Katan Khaimov went for a walk. He started at his West Hollywood apartment and was later found dead with stab wounds near Poinsetta Park, which is in Los Angeles at the WeHo border. For over an hour, Khaimov cried for help, according to the LA Times. The fact that Khaimov was slain has been hard enough for his neighborhood to accept. But the awful coda of his life has added to......

Photo by the bumblebee via Flickr Just as Banksy was hosting the Cans Festival in a London derelict train tunnel this weekend, New England artist Caleb Neelon hit La Brea near Melrose this weekend to paint a beautiful mural of leaves against a cloudly blue sky in preparation for his West Coast debut at the Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art. Neelon uses leaves from beech trees. For Neelon, they are a symbol of strength......

Tomorrow Los Angeles will take part in Holocaust Remembrance Day--called Yom Hashoah in Hebrew--in ceremonies around the city, with the largest one in California set for early Sunday afternoon in Pan Pacific Park. Mayor Villaraigosa will be among the leaders attending the observance, and Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple is slated to be the keynote speaker. The location of the event is particularly significant, as early this year adjacent land was broken and dedicated......

An LAPD helicopter made an emergency landing today on San Vicente Blvd near the library in West Hollywood. The chopper opted to touch down in the untraditional spot when a warning light went on, signaling "an oil pressure problem in the engine, and possible loss of engine power," reports cbs2.com. No one was injured, and the helicopter will now be inspected to see what caused the light to go off. Photo of an unrelated chopper......

On Saturday night, the German street art duo, Herakut, held their first U.S. gallery show at one of the most exciting up and coming local art spaces, the Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art in West Hollywood. Both Hera and Akut were there to meet fans and prospective buyers, who have bought several pieces and put many on hold. The show, titled Streichelzoo (“petting zoo” in German), runs through May 4. Gallery hours are Tuesday through......

Like Blek le Rat, who had his first U.S. show last week at Shepard Fairey's Subliminal Projects, more European street art comes to Los Angeles for an American debut. Tonight, from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m., Herakut's show, Streichelzoo (“petting zoo” in German) opens at Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art in West Hollywood and runs through through May 4. Of Frankfurt and Erfurt, Germany, respectively, Hera and Akut emerged as two of the strongest young......

Brunchtime is one of life's great ironies. You want to go out, relax, enjoy the company of other people, eat enough to fill you up two meals' worth, sip your beverage slowly, and take your time. And because you are not alone in this pursuit, you tend to go where lots of people go, because they want the same thing. But all those people means all that waiting. But what happens when you find a......

Last Thursday, San Diego-based singer-songwriter (and avid surfer) Tristan Prettyman (MySpace) returned to Los Angeles, headlining at The Roxy (MySpace) in West Hollywood. Australian Whitley (MySpace) was the opener. A self-confessed tabloid junkie, Prettyman performed her signature acoustic cover of Britney Spears' "Toxic," lamenting afterward that she's never around town where the celebrities are. And If there was a theme for (what she repeatedly referred to as) the "spicy" night, it was audience participation, whether......

A view of the Valley from Sherman Oaks | Photo by Dan Wuh via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr So apparently in Kansas there's this lady who decided to sit on the toilet for two years -- this story is so bizarre I can hardly fathom it. How's this for shocking: remember that Downtown housing boom that was luring so many buyers to all those cool new lofts? Well, it's not so......