10 Reasons Why I Love L.A.

(Not necessarily a Top ten, but a good showing of why I love the town I live in.)

KCRW - I am a proud subscriber to this public station - easily the best radio I've turned my dial to. Morning Becomes Eclectic is just the tip of the iceberg. If you don't live in L.A., you can still stream most of the broadcasts if you have a decent enough connection.

The Last Remaining Seats - Previously mentioned by my partner in crime (not in life, people...) , this is a great opportunity to see some classic movie palaces and some classic cinema. I'm torn this year because the same night To Have and Have Not screens at the Alex, Outfest Wednesdays is showing Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? at the Egyptian. What's a good 'Mo to do?

Olvera Street - A little slice of Mexico in the heart of Downtown El Centro. A special treat at any time, it becomes muy especial on nights like Cinco De Mayo (tonight!) or my favorite, Dio De Los Muertos (the Mexican Day of the Dead). Food is the star attraction (how can you wrong with 50 cent churros?), but you can't go wrong with just about any of the little cultural nuances here.

The Hollywood Bowl - Cher said goodbye to touring at this landmark just last weekend. But fear not - the Bowl still offers many pleasures to music lovers of all kinds. This summer's series looks to be exceptional - Tony Bennett (a Bowl staple) & Chaka Khan (with orchestra!) are just two on a brilliant roster. You can bring a picnic, buy food there, and stare at the stars while listening to classical, pop, rock, jazz, or anything else your heart desires.

Amoeba Records - Best. Music. Store. Ever. In-store appearances galore at this place. If you're a music geek, or if you're attracted to music geeks, this should be the center of your universe. Vinyl hounds like us tend to dig through the $1 record bins and find all sorts of prize platters.

Phillippe’s - They claim to have invented the French-dipped sandwich, but even if they're exaggerating, the sandwiches are damn good. And the menu is so cheap, be sure to buy two or three lemonades.

LACMA - King Tut's coming back this year. And if you're into modern art, this place is for you. If you're not, this is still the place for you. I love just walking around this museum and don't go anywhere near often enough.

Bergamot Station - I love love love trains and train stations. So to turn an old station into a culture hub and gallery space is a slice of heaven to me. There's a lot of variety in these spaces - and even a cafe to stuff your face at in between high priced purchases. I once saw a painting of Dennis Hopper's there.

Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic - The absolute coolest concert I ever attended was the first ever Silver Lining benefit for this community resource. Just like you would expect, it provides a whole spectrum of free medical services. About the concert, you ask? Rufus Wainwright, Aimee Mann and Beck performed in the backyard of an old mansion in Silverlake, while Christina Ricci and Rupert Everett perused the silent auction, drank, and sampled delicious treats from local restaurants. (I had the best lamb chili ever at this benefit. But I digress...) While free clinics are not unusual from city to city, but this one obviously has friends in high places. Which brings to the last item on this list:

Stargazing - Similarly, there is no denying this fact: most folks can't separate Los Angeles from Hollywood. (It's like thinking Kleenex^tm instead of tissue.) For a few years, Corey Feldman and I ran into each other everywhere I went. He might have thought I was stalking him, but this was before his Surreal Life comeback, so I'd say it was more likely he was stalking me. My roommate had a similar series of encounters with Corbin Bernsen. Cameron Diaz and I have attended some of the same concerts. Ditto kd lang. And a waiter at Jerry's Famous Deli who I had a crush on ended up on General Hospital for a time. It's true - the Biz is everywhere, but if you don't want it to annoy you, do like I do: observe it from up close while making fun of it.

So there you have it. A little sampling of why I actually like living in L.A. There's not enough of that out there these days. I'm sure BF will blow this piece away with one of his own in the near future - if I love L.A. then he makes love to it. Tomorrow or this weekend, we'll give a report on our Cinco De Mayo festivities at Olvera Street...

-L.A. J.

p.s. Just so you know, this post was intentionall dressed in all black to give an L.A. chic to it. Call it a nod to our recent unofficial Fashion Week.

This post was sponsored by the Civic Pride Committee.