Nick Wilson

It seems like every sweet treat gets its own holiday. Whether it's donuts, coffee cake, pie, waffles, or even taffy, we'll take any excuse no matter how flimsy to indulge in something delicious. Today is national pots de crème day, and to help you celebrate the dessert custard, we've compiled a list of popular pots de crème around town.

Finding the “perfect” bowl of ramen is a never-ending quest for devotees of this Japanese and Chinese noodle dish. In Los Angeles as well as Tokyo, ramen slurpers take to message boards to share their latest finds as well as rehash the same debates over which shop reigns supreme.

With the time suck that was the debt ceiling deal finally signed, it's time for President Obama to get back to raising money for his re-election campaign. Fortunately for the campaign, President Obama is celebrating his birthday today (the big 5-0), which provides ample opportunity to celebrate his accomplishments while collecting campaign cash.

July is National Parks & Recreation Month, and all month long LAist will be featuring a hand-selected park a day to showcase just a few of the wonderful recreation spaces--big or small--in the Los Angeles area.

Independence Day may be long gone, but don't put the grill away quite yet. July is National Grilling Month and when the weather is this good, there's no reason to heat up the house with your energy-sucking oven. If the summer's got you feeling lazy and you don't want to stand over the BBQ in the heat, here are a few grilling events worth checking out.

Marin Hinkle and Francois Chau in the world premiere of David Wiener's Extraordinary Chambers at the Geffen Playhouse (Photo by Michael Lamont) In order to be successful in relationships, business, or politics, willingness to compromise is a necessity. But what happens when you suspect that a series of small compromises has trapped you in a morally questionable place that you don’t quite understand? This is one of many unsettling questions addressed in the world...

Kiki Lambden, Troy Blendell, and Kimberly Yates in the Los Angeles premiere of The Mistakes Madeline Made Ten minutes into the Los Angeles premiere of Elizabeth Meriwether's 2006 play Mistakes Madeline Made, you may find yourself relaxing comfortably in your seat ready to spend the next 65 minutes laughing about having a lousy job working for rich people. We are introduced to Edna, starting a new job as a personal assistant to a wealthy...

James Eckhouse and Maggie Siff in the world premiere of "The Escort" (Photo by Michael Lamont) In a cosmopolitan city such as Los Angeles, we like to think of ourselves as open-minded. More importantly, we want people we interact with to perceive us as liberal and accepting. Despite this desire, every person has a limit to what they consider to be acceptable and proper behavior. The Escort at the Geffen Playhouse brilliantly explores the...

Photo by Franco Folini via Flickr After days of intense negotiations, budget talks between Governor Brown and Republicans have once again reached an impasse. The suspension of negotiations casts doubt on a proposed special election to extend tax increases, a key feature of Brown’s budget proposal. In order to put the proposal before voters, support from two Republicans from the Assembly and two from the Senate is required. The LA Times reports that over...

Another study means another strong showing for California universities. The London-based Times Higher Education just released their first rankings of universities based on global reputations for research and teaching. The results are based on a survey of 13,388 academics in 131 countries.