Category: Los Angeles

JetBlue from Long Beach rules!

While other folks are having problems with airlines and the the awful state of affairs in which you have to figure out which airline sucks the least, I have to admit that I’ve fallen for JetBlue. Direct flight from LGB (Long Beach) to JFK with no layovers or plane switching. Reasonable airfare. Comfy seats for my 6′ 3″ frame and accompanying 15″ PowerBook G4. Satellite television in every seat. Amazingly, JetBlue is profitable and hasn’t gone whining to the federal government at the slightest drop of a loss. I can’t recommend them highly enough, and will continue to vote with my dollars. They’re one of the cult brands I’m happy to be a cult member over.

Flying out of Long Beach is wonderful, it’s how I’ve imagined flying in the 1940s was like. The airport terminal still has it’s period deco architecture and is decorated with period travel and flight posters. There’s no gates really, passengers still go outside to board their planes on the tarmac. Very relaxing place. And you can’t go wrong with the free 802.11b.

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Silver Lake Coffee gets free Wi-Fi

Hanging out in Los Angeles today and was completely surprised and pleased to see that my old haunt Silver Lake Coffee has free wi-fi net access. Really free too, no stupid limited proxy service or anything. Anyway, everyone should visit, drink coffee, buy a muffin and bathe in the 802.11b.

Silver Lake Coffee
2388 N. Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 913-0388
coffeeinfo@aol.com

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Second front opens in the coffee war

2nd St. in Belmont Shore is under siege from two Starbucks – one at either end of town. There are some other coffee bars in town – a Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf and a couple of struggling indie shops but Belmont is pretty much under the yoke of the Starbucks tyranny.

Until today when I noticed the following sign going up on the building directly opposite one of the Starbucks. Finally for once, someone is going on the attack and locating their shop across from a Starbucks instead of the other way around.

 

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I’m unbelievably happy that a Peet’s is going up here.

The Lovetones / Brian Jonestown Massacre at Spaceland on 1 May

Out of the dozen-odd times I’ve seen BJM, the past two gigs have been among the best. The current line-up iteration gives Anton some needed band stability and the new songs are pretty great. Openers The Lovetones (who’s Be What You Want album was released at the gig) played a terrific set of stuff from the new album along with a couple old Drop City songs. They’re touring the western US right now – go check them out.lovetones200305

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Special Agent Dale Cooper sez: “This must be where nam kao tod goes when it dies”

Folks, this is the best Thai food in Southern California – full stop. It may just be the best Thai food in the state. Either way, this is the best Thai meal I’ve had. Renu Nakorn specializes in the spicier Issan-style cuisine from northeastern Thailand and is a complete recalculation of the menus you would find at your neighborhood Thai place. Among the dishes I tried were Nam Kao Tod – a highly spicy stir fry of Issan sausage mixed with green onion, chili, ginger, peanuts and lime juice. A wonderful fried fish, a very spicy ground catfish larb, and perhaps most amazing given it’s relative simplicity: Thai beef jerky. Best beef jerky on this or any other planet.

Two strange things about Renu Nakorn. First is it’s location: Norwalk! It’s located in a rather anonymous strip mall on Rosecrans just east of the 5 in the lost cities between Los Angeles and Orange County. That whole area has never really registered on my food radar at all and I’m kinda shocked. Second strange thing is their neon sign in the window:

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It’s an obvious Twin Peaks reference, but it appears only on the neon sign and nowhere else. No hidden Agent Cooper or Laura Palmer photographs anywhere I could see.

Anyway, everyone reading this should go there immediately. Full address is: Renu Nakorn, 13041 E. Rosecrans, Norwalk, CA, (562) 921-2124. Think I’m going to stock up on more Thai beef jerky on the way home.