New York - June 5-10. 2013

LAX to JFK - 6/5/13

JFK to LAX 6/10/13

Griffith Observatory: Face Lift or Slap In the Face?

Don't know about the rest of you but the Griffith Observatory has been a trusted fortress over the years -- a place to retreat when feeling like taking a break from the gridlocked streets below; a place to take first time visitors to L.A. for a spectacular panoramic view of the city from the valley to downtown and out into the ocean; a place to make out like crazy teenagers with a date no matter your age; a place to obsessively stare out wondering where in the hell your mate is on that star glittered night; or a place to reenact the famous knife fight scene from 'Rebel Without A Cause' -- come on Angelenos...you have to know what I'm talking about. I can't tell you how many times I came upon a spontaneous impulse to make a sharp turn up Vermont from Hollywood or Sunset for a visit to the Griffith Observatory. Most of the time it was to clear my head of some dumb situation I was in or it was to get my son out of the house on and off the sofa on a Friday night. Part o...

Life As A WiFi Vagabond In L.A.

In mid-August of this year I decided to cut living expenses by canceling my land-line phone service along with the ridiculously expensive and seemingly unknown long distance carrier I had. It occurred to me that I was spending upwards of $100 a month for the sake of reporting spam to my email providers only to find the same messages in my box the following day. Seeing how I had access to the Internet at work I figured I could live without the nightly and weekend habitual mindless logons to email and Myspace. How was I to know that in a short couple weeks I would be dismissed of my position at Tu Ciudad thus finding myself without access to the Internet. Anyone in their right mind would be freaking out over the fact that they've just been "laid off" but that's where I'm different. When I was sitting in the office with my supervisor and the general manager going over the formalities of being let go all I could think of was how I had just been blindsided off the Inte...

Where'd You Go Joe?

These days it's harder and harder to find a good cup of old fashioned coffee shop coffee in Los Angeles. It's hard to believe there was a time when coffee wasn't served by Barista's at caffeine pusher chains into cardboard cups with sleeves to protect your hand from burning. I'm talking about the days before the fancy latte and Tall, Grande or Venti servings. Ordering a cup of coffee was just that -- a cup of coffee poured into a heavy duty restaurant-style cup set nicely on a doily lined saucer. What was best about the deal is you could usually get an entire breakfast for what the average cup goes for now. Sure, I may be holding onto the past with an over glorified sentiment but I can't help myself. The impersonal interactions I've encountered when getting my morning rush fix have left me feeling weak. I miss the days of Norms, Chips, Googie, Tiny Naylor's and the rest. I've got a problem with leaving an obligated tip for someone who does nothing mo...

Site Scene in L.A.

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