You can stay at the fancy shmancy W Hotel or Four Seasons when you visit Los Angeles. Or you might choose the classic Beverly Hills Hotel or Chateau Marmont. Sure, you’ll get great service and a luxurious room. But you…
Photos: L.A. Motels
Author: Mark Berman
Staggered Left Turn Lanes
From the transportation files of “good idea in theory, bad in practice” comes the staggered left turn lanes. Not only are they a bad idea, they are potentially dangerous. Most intersections are symmetrical; the left turn lanes are exactly in…
Losing Hollywood Sign View
Many years ago when I lived in New York, my gym looked out on a low-rise building that housed the Tower Records on the Upper West Side. At some point they decided to replace it with a high-rise, and I…
Photos: L.A. Liquor Stores
There really is no need for liquor stores in Los Angeles; after all, supermarkets sell booze at reasonable prices. But thank heavens there are liquor stores here because without them, we would not have some really cool signs dotting the…
Bad Idea: Extended Green Lights
Los Angeles has allegedly synced its traffic lights, but now the city has another problem to fix — extended green lights. On the surface, it seems like a good idea — make the green lights longer on major streets where…
Photos: L.A. Bowling Alleys
There was a time when bowling was one of the great American pastimes. That is no longer the case, and little by little those palaces built for the sport in the 50s and 60s are going away. Many of the…
Photos: L.A. Supermarkets
Among the great things about Los Angeles are the mid-century and Googie-style buildings that dot our landscape. There used to be more of them, but many of these architectural gems have met with the wrecking ball over the years. Many…
LAX Creates Ghost Town
I read an article recently in the Los Angeles Times about a neighborhood called Manchester Square that the good folks over at nearby LAX have turned into a virtual “ghost town.” A ghost town in the middle of Los Angeles?…
NLCS at Dodger Stadium
How is it possible that I have had this blog for three years and have not written about Dodger Stadium, one of my favorite things about Los Angeles? Probably because I hadn’t been there for four years. I kept saying,…
Mmm: Top Round Roast Beef
I was driving up La Brea last week when I spotted something on the otherwise forgettable corner of Olympic — a food stand called “Top Round Roast Beef.” I did not remember seeing it before. Now, I will not soon…