3 posts tagged “los angeles”
On Thursday we flew to LA for Baljam. Shana got herself booked to DJ at Lindygroove and arranged to stay the weekend with Lance and Vicky. The plan was to shop, eat, DJ, and dance Balboa. All four were accomplished.
Thursday:
We arrived at Lance and Vicky's in the afternoon. It's an understatement to say their house is beautiful, even though it's still in progress. The location is wonderful&8212;just off Melrose in West Hollywood&8212;and the 20s Spanish architecture is charming. The guest suite is gorgeous, with an incredible bathroom (marble, tile, HUGE bathtub with dual shower heads), and French doors from the bedroom opening onto a lovely, enclosed front courtyard. It's going to be even more amazing when they remaining work is completed.
After some nice chatting and a dinner at a local place called Table 8, we headed off to Lindygroove in Pasadena. I had a great time, even though I took it easy dance-wise. The floor at the venue is beautiful, and it was packed from beginning to end&8212;Shana's set killed. One quote from a Lindygroove regular, related by Lance (paraphrased by me): "it wasn't at all the kind of music I like dancing to, yet, I was having such a good time I couldn't stop dancing." I think when you go to an established venue and succeed in giving the regulars something new, that's saying something.
We ended the night with a delicious late night snack at In-n-Out. Yum!
Friday:
We spent the day shopping and eating. Lance and Vicky introduced us to a little, crappy-looking sushi place called Sushi Time, where we had an amazing omakase. It was so good my head swims thinking about it.
Then Shana and I went to a few shops, including ReMix. I'm glad to finally have seen their men's shoes in person&8212;I don't like them and so can stop thinking about buying some. Later, we went to AOC Winebar for Shana's birthday where we had awesome Tapas, mediocre wine, and crappy service. The friend who suggested it later told me that she forgot to tell me to sit at the bar to get the best pairings. Oh well, it was still fun.
Then, off to Santa Monica for the first Baljam event: DJed dancing at a nice little event hall. Marianne and Kyle DJed, and I would like to say, in the nicest possible way, that I am fucking sick of the monotonous instrumental trad dreck served up by these two (punctuated by obnoxious, ear-splitting, loud-mouth commentary from Kyle). Granted, Kyle has a great collection and incredible knowledge, but you must also know how to spin. Of the two of them, I have only seen Kyle dance, and then only occasionally and only just passably.
Saturday:
We made our way to Beverly Center to visit H&M. We got some staples there and then, on the way out, I spied the Ben Sherman store and had to stop in. Then, on the way out, I spied the Eilatan store and had to stop in, where we each proceeded to find dozens of shoes. I bought these:
I found out later than the brocade ones are girls shoes. So, if my feet turn queer, that's why.
We also visited Modernica to decide if we want a pair of these for matching office chairs:
Answer: Yes pleeeeze!
That night we had a low key dinner at Whole Foods before heading to Baljam and Jonathan Stout in Santa Monica. It was also low-key, and the orchestra was somehow not totally on. We were both a little grumpy and edgy and Shana decided to go home while I went to the late night dance. The contests were good, but the floor sucked. I enjoy dancing with Teni in part because, when it sucks, she's right there embracing the suckness. That's what we did on Saturday, preferring to stand pulsing and doing touch-steps than continue to struggle with the crappy, rosin-covered floor.
Sunday:
We got up late with a plan of wandering around, maybe going to a flea market, and then going to Ikea on the way to Bobby McGees in Brea. Lance and Vicky decided to join us, so we walked together the two blocks to the flea market. On arriving, it looked kind of lame, but Lance convinced us to go in, offering to pay the $2 cover.
Inside, we started find booths full of good stuff. Great vintage pieces of jewelry, interesting, unique furniture, and lots of books at records. And great prices. Thanks to Lance for dragging us in.
We rounded a corner and my heart leaped when I saw a booth displaying vintage posters. It was one of those moments when you see, or hear, or taste something completely unknown to you, but which you recognize immediately. It was a booth full of original, vintage serigraphs from the 60s and 70s. The style was "familiar" but I had never seen the work before and I fell in love immediately. As I got closer, I realized they were all signed, numbered originals.
They turned out to be from a designer named David Weidman. He had been a Los Angeles illustrator and designer in the world of ads and cartoons from the 50s to the 70s, and then started creating serigraphs as art. Anyone familiar with "Fractured Fairy Tales" might recognize his style. I know it's not everyone, but for me, this is exactly what one hopes to find at a flea market: an under-valued treasure. We bought four prints of various sizes from his nephew&8212;a surly man who implied that he would do nasty things to me if I did not return to buy the prints I had asked him to hold. He became much more friendly when I returned with a fist full of cash.
On the way back we stopped at Fluvog to try on shoes, and the at Goorin Bros. hats. Whereupon I bought hats, undeterred by the fact that I never wear hats.
Ikea and Bobby McGee's? Eh....not so much.
Back at L&V's we hot tubbed and then headed off for the Derby for the last night of Baljam. This was preceeded by a stop for Pho. I learned that I Taiwan Beer is yummy. Also, pho is not too bad.
Shana and I had some really fun slow, made-up Bal-esque dances to Mora's and it was cool to finally see the Derby. Mora's sextet was tight and awesome.
But the true highlight of the weekend was getting to know and hang out with Lance and Vicky, who could not have been better hosts and who, we discovered, are fun, gracious, interesting people. I love uncovering little treaures like that.
I'm convinced that arriving in LA is one of the most disheartening things one can do. For me at least, the unremittingly grey-blue skies, dingy freeways, and scrubby vegetation is always a disappointment--no matter how low my expectations.
This is not a wholsesale attack on LA--just on arriving here. No doubt, LA has its charms. Perhaps I'll find some while here....
Tomorrow I fly to Los Angeles for a quick, two-day biz trip. Meeting/hanging with Byron both days, going to the Six Apart seminar on Thursday, and generally staying connected. Should be fun--I've found that in doses of 2-4 days, LA is perfectly acceptable.
