The Hotel Cafe

I finally got to check out one of LA’s most talked about music venues, The Hotel Cafe. Located in the heart of Hollywood, just south of Hollywood Blvd on Cahuenga, this little jewel has everything it takes to make for a wonderful evening.

They do something here that’s different. They are about the artists they book. They form great relationships and create a inviting atmosphere. Marko Shafer, co-owner arranges bands each evening that will play off each other… okay well I’m not going to get into the psychology of place, that’s what the LA Times article below is for, but bottom line, this place rocks!

Photo by WishByNight

I went to see Mickey Champion but stayed because of how amazing the other bands were. I honestly had the biggest grin on my face all night long.

If you don’t know who’s playing, don’t worry, if you have taste in music, you’ll probably end up liking someone. The place is very cozy with a good sized room with a small stage in the corner.

You know what, hell, if you like music, if you like drinking, listening to damn good music, hanging out with friends, grabbing a bite to eat, make this place into a night and just go.

Photo by kodachrome kid

Check out their website and the article below for more information. You’ll soon discover the personality of the Hotel Cafe. And go and you’ll love it, I swear.

They really go out of their way looking for some of the best artists from all over the world to play here. They have high standards and really do care about the music. Plus they have a great bar with friendly bartenders, and a full kitchen. Get there a little early and order some food and converse, then hang for the rest of the night as the place fills to capacity and enjoy the music.

The Hotel Cafe
1623 1/2 N Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, 90028
(323) 461-2040
No reservations and most of the time there are not pretickets sales. Check their online calendar for more information.

Tip: the entrance for the place is not on Cahuenga, it’s around the corner in the back of the building. There are signs. Park anywhere along the streets. I’ve found that a few blocks over from Cahuenga usually have some free empty spots. Or there are plenty of $8-$10 lots around including one directly behind the hotel cafe.

Mickey Champion at the Hotel Cafe

I’ve heard a rumor that Mickey Champion is going to be singing tomorrow night at the Hotel Cafe. That’s according to an e-mail from her manager and her myspace page. But the Hotel Cafe doesn’t have her on their calendar. hrmm

I’ve been trying to catch her singing somewhere for six months. And every time I go, she had canceled or the place was closed or something. So I’m going! Even on a unoffical rumor!

Who’s Mickey Champion? Play the video below.

Mickey Champion has performed with greats such as Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and Ray Charles, doubled for Little Esther and is the widow of bandleader Roy Milton. She’s a living legend!

Check her out at http://mickeychampion.net/

or her Myspace page, and check out the venue, The Hotel Cafe.

Hotel Cafe
1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Hollywood, CA
8PM
Tickets at the door… have no idea how much. There’s food and drinks there!

Joni and Gina’s Wedding at El Cid

I read about this a few weeks ago and really… I’m dying to go and I don’t know why.

El Cid is this dinner theater in Silver Lake on Sunset. It was built in 1900 by D.W. Griffith and is modeled after a 16th century Spanish Opera House. He filmed Birth of a Nation, the first “talkie” movie here. They have Flamenco shows, salsa dancing, barn dances, ’super sexy show’ with hollywood pin-up girls… Belly dancing girls, and even comedy. And now for the next few weeks, a afternoon LESBIAN WEDDING!

“Celebrate and relate as you become a part of it all! Dine, drink and dance the day away! Meet the brides and many others! Join this ALMOST holy union as two very different families are brought together through love and laughter! Ticket price includes full dinner, wedding cake and champagne toast. Come join the family at one of the the funniest weddings you’ll ever attend!”

So it’s a fake lesbian wedding… that you’re… there… at… drinking and eating… cool. Interesting. Not quite sure what to expect but it sounds very interesting. So does Salsa dancing on Saturdays. hrm. I need to get to El Cid more. I’ve only been once to their old Sunday Jazz Brunch. They don’t do that anymore though.

Just about every event that goes on at El Cid is on Goldstar Events. See the list here. Gotta be a member though so see it. All the shows are half price and the price of the shows includes food. If you’re not a Goldstar member, click the Goldstar link on the right hand side.

El Cid isn’t known for their great food, but it’s okay. It’s gotten better I’ve read. And the brunch wasn’t bad.
Tickets are $40 which includes the show and dinner.

Visit El Cid’s website for info on all the shows.

Shows are almost sold out so hurry!

Joni and Gina’s Wedding!
Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00 pm
February 17,18, 24, & 25
Tickets call 323.769.KISS
$40, @ El Cid (half price Goldstar tickets are sold out)
4212 Sunset Blvd
Silver Lake

You’re not living in LA if you’re not living in LA with KCRW

Some days, like today, I get to web surfing and I can’t stop. What do I surf? Mainly Los Angeles blogs. Food blogs. mainly. Whhhaatttt… I was looking for a new interesting not to expensive don’t need reservations place to try tonight. But then as I start to look around, I’m suddenly bombarded and so so confused with the 1000s of restaurants I want to try in this city. And I know, I’m totally prepared to accept the good with the bad… but when you do want a good night, where do you go? Can someplace new always be good? Or are you going to stick to some place you’ve been before that you know for sure will fulfill your wants and needs. I think LA blogs, yes all those ones on the right column of this site, I think those are some of the best ways to get to know your city, aside from actually getting out there. There aren’t any better guides than unedited personal first hand accounts with no corporate BS to make sure things are news paper column perfect. IE not be to harsh or say bad things or to have run on sentences like this one that’s not formatted correctly.

So there are a few hundred restaurants that give a discount to KCRW members with Fringe Benefits cards. I’ve had it for a year and I’ve never used it despite going to places that accept it and just not realizing that they do. So I’ve started to compile a list of places I want to try by type of food and location that are KCRW FBC members. Meaning I get 10%-20% off the bill.

I did a blog on KCRW before… read it here.

Not only get you discounts to some of the best LA restaurants, but also discounts to hundreds of stores from spas to theaters to clothing stores to yoga classes. Check out their online searchable database of retailers.

To get one of these cards, become a KCRW member. You can sign up online, give as little as $25 and boom, you’re in. That also allows you to win ticket giveaways that KCRW does. You have to be a member to be able to call in and get tickets. Which almost guarantees you’ll get the tickets you want to whatever show, concert they are giving away. Instead of all of LA being able to get them, just KCRW members can.

They also give away tons of stuff during the membership drives. From Apple laptops, to iPods, to cars like a mini cooper to trips around the world! Membership at different levels also includes many perks like CDs from the radio station to gift certificates. And a lot of the time, a gift certificate will be the same amount as the premium you give to the station. So it’s a dollar for dollar thing.

This is the only NPR station I’ve ever become a member of and I love it!

http://www.KCRW.com

If you don’t already listen to 89.9 in LA, or their online feed, do it. They have some of the best programing of any radio station I’ve ever heard. And they podcast most of their shows.

You’re not living in LA if you’re not living in LA with KCRW.

Ahmanson Theatre’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and the Music Center Downtown

Music Center Plaza, Photo by mralenlin

I got to check out “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” last night at the Ahmanson Theater downtown. While this play has been hailed as one of the best plays of the 20th century, right up there with Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” and Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”, I personally am not a big fan. While I think the performances of Kathleen Turner, Bill Irwin, Kathleen Early and David Furr were quite good, the playwright Edward Albee isn’t my favorite.

But I’m not a theater critic so read this: Who’s afraid of a little good theater? by Brian Rubinow of the Loyolan

Music Center Plaza, Photo by Richard-

Regardless though of what play you’re going to see at what theater (the Ahmanson Theater, Mark Taper Forum, or the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion) Music Center of Los Angeles County is beautiful. Especially at night with the LA sky line behind the theater as a backdrop to the courtyard, with the architecture and landscaping make for a very special place.

The Music Center is a large two-block complex bordered by Temple St, N Grand Ave, First St and Hope St. The Ahmanson is the large theatre at the north end of the Plaza, and the Mark Taper Forum is the round theatre in the middle. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the south end is the home of the LA Opera and LA Master Chorale. The Walt Disney Concert Hall at the far south end is home to the LA Philharmonic.

Click here to see the Google Satellite Photo of the complex.

There’s a great restaurant in the middle courtyard that’s a part of the Patina group called Cafe Pinot.

LA.com Says:

“Pinot offers creative, upscale dining without the ducats, with an emphasis on fresh seafood (daily selection of oysters, yellow fin tuna tartar appetizer) and even fresher produce. At night the menu’s a tad pricier, but for mushroom lovers, the casserole of seasonal forest and exotic mushrooms might just make you feel groovy enough to splurge. “

Fridays off the 405 at the Getty … Repost

Sunset at the Getty, Photo by djsoren

One of my favorite things to do in Los Angeles is to go to the Getty Centers’s Fridays off the 405. (see my previous post here) I’ve only been once but it’s great. I mean it’s not like a club or a big party or anything like that, it’s just a really relaxed low key spot to chill out on your way home after a busy week.

Happening once a month all year long, it’s the perfect place to meet up with a group of friends to kind of get the weekend started off right. Take off work early, take the tram up the hill to the Getty, get a drink at one of the several cash bars, watch the sun set while listening to some live music, wonder around the galleries and just breathe. (I mean after all you are above the smog line) It’s a desperately pretty view. Just the perfect night really.

Photo by RayReadyRay

Bar Lubitsch in West Hollywood… boycott

It’s not a big secret, I’m gay yes, so I write about gay things every now and then. Right. moving on. Last Friday night was Guerrilla Gay Bar. GGB is a group of guys, gay guys, some gay girls, some straight girls, a few stray straight guys, who once a month select a target (a bar, a straight bar) and take it over for one evening. Meaning a target is announced, and then 150-300 gay guys all show up at once and boom, you have Guerrilla Gay Bar. It’s a national thing. There are these groups in cities all around the country.

I’ve been to a few… they are fun. But last Friday night wasn’t so fun. Bar Lubitsch in West Hollywood was announced as the target and when everyone showed up, the bouncer didn’t let people in. Here’s a e-mail the group sent out this morning:

GUERRILLA GAY BAR COMMUNIQUE No. 25

Guerrillas,

It was bound to happen sooner or later.  For the first time in our short history, things didn’t go quite as we’d planned.  By 10:15 on Friday night, there was a line of over 75 people waiting to get into the target bar, and the doormen were refusing to let anyone in. 

We’ve heard some scattered reports that the bar employees made homophobic reports, and we know for sure they approached some of the female attendees near the back of the line, thinking they were straight girls, to “explain the situation,” (surprise!  the ladies were with us!)  Our operatives on the inside said the bar was not at capacity.

Fon, Free WiFi for All

I saw this on Gizmodo.com, a tech blog, and thought it was a grand idea. Free WIFI for LA!

From Gizmodo.com:

Fon, those lovable guys trying to make a WiFi sharing community, are celebrating their 1-year birthday with a 10,000 router giveaway. The b/g routers have both a private and public access point, and you can share your broadband with strangers in exchange for free access to other Fon user’s APs around the world, or for cash when non-Fon users pony up.

The router, designed by Cisco, is palm sized. And despite some rumors on the internet, it is not stronger than ye old full sized AP. In particular, I compared it to a Linksys 802.11 A/G router, the WRT55AG. The signal strength for the Fon was only 70% of the bigger router. There aren’t any ethernet ports, either. But look at how tiny this thing is? Use this thing as a second AP. And do I need to remind you that this normally $30 router is going for free now. No shipping. No tax.

Click here to get visit Fon to get your free Access Point.

or visit them to find out more… http://en.fon.com/

Update: there are no more free ones left. But you can get one for $29.99 on their website which includes all shipping and taxes. Or if you own a linksys router, or a few other types, you can download firmware on their site that you can update your router with that will transform it into a Fon access point for free. I got my free one and it’s great. It lives in my window overlooking downtown.

Hip Cooks Cooking Class

A few weeks ago I finally got to try Hip Cooks. I’ve been wanting to try a class ever since I came across it on some random food blog about six months ago.

Hipcooks is a Los Angeles-based cooking school that feeds the minds, imaginations & tummies of Hip Angelinos. Hipster pupils are taught how to impress future guests with dinner party techniques. Hipsters love to entertain at home: they get to show off their fabulous place & amazing culinary talents in a setting that is much more fun & relaxed than a restaurant.

I love cooking I just never really get around to it. Cooking like eating I think of more a social thing than a need. I mean I eat but generally don’t cook unless it’s for at least a few people. I know I’m weird.

The Kitchen