I love L.A.

Holy Crap! Bows and Arrows continues its media domination in the SacBee on Sunday.  The photos are so good!

Also, the CPK is closing? That's cool.  

L.A. was so fun!!!  Liv and I stayed in Echo Park.  Cute neighborhood and walkable stuff, including a walk to the Echo on Saturday night to see Sonny and the Sunsets.  I was so psyched they were playing there, it was totally out of the blue.  I just saw it in the LA  Weekly and tripped.  I wish they would play Sac.

There was a place in the neighborhood that was like a Mexican Dennys, but good.

We went to the "Art in the Streets" show the MOCA.  That was kind of the reason for the trip.  It's a show that everyone is talking about and probably will be for years to come.  It's is mind-bogglingingly huge.  It encompasses everything from graffiti, to surf, skate, lowrider and punk culture.  It's very entertaining but I didn't find any of it very moving.  I guess it kind of felt empty to me.

Part of the exhibit was a full-sized customized ice cream truck that was blasting The Doors.

I thought one of the more thrilling things to see in person was the original Sex Pistols art.

This show runs until August and it's worth a trip.

The gallery is right near Little Tokyo, so we went to a shop afterwards that sells mochi ice cream, and in this case, mochi gelato.

This is like a very dry peep stuffed with "baby lima beans".  Not very good.

Then we ate at Philippe's French Dip, which rules.  It's been open since 1908.  They have a rivalry with Cole's over who invented the French Dip.

This is the pork dip.

and pickled eggs!

We also went to Watts Towers.  Very inspiring!  I am now going to start making art in my backyard every day after work and all weekend.  Perhaps I will start mosaicing the toilet that is sitting back there.

Tour guide in a pith helmet.

After that, to Compton for Bludsoe's Texas-style bbq.  We just sort of randomly picked it and we were STOKED.  Fuck, I just remembered I didn't eat my leftover mac and cheese.  Goddamnit.  The brisket was soooo tender.

We also went to Cole's, which has an awesome bar, but we were all too full to even taste a french dip, which seems ridiculous to me now.  This is a Moscow Mule.

This is an elegant mint julep.

Here was our cute bartender, laboring away.  We kept goading him about how Phillipe's french dips are older.

Next, back to Little Tokyo for some ramen at a 24 hour ramen spot.  That's the REAL test of a world-class city.  24 hour ramen.

Delicious tan tan men.