Seafarers meet starlets at the HMS Bounty

August 22, 2011

LOS ANGELES, US – Hollywood has long had a romance with tales on the sea, especially the kind that intertwine love and disaster (Titanic, anyone?). In Hollywood’s imagination, the ocean’s expanse is like the “Wild West,” uncharted territory where anything is possible and the rules on land don’t necessarily apply.… (more)

Martini madness for the new millennium at Lola’s

August 4, 2011

WEST HOLLYWOOD, US – Remember apple martinis? The fruity-tart cocktail was all the rage in the ‘90s as the martini became the favored cocktail palette for novel flavor combinations galore. Apples may have originated in the Garden of Eden, but this ‘tini temptation was invented right in Hollywood’s backyard at… (more)

Dancing, sans disco balls, at Crown Bar

January 30, 2011

WEST HOLLYWOOD, USA – On the LA nightlife scene, it can be hard to find a good place to get your dance on.  At some of the scene-iest joints, most are too cool to break a sweat or bust a move. If you want to find great dancing tunes and… (more)

Swinging with (and under) the stars at Cameo Bar

October 9, 2010

SANTA MONICA, USA – Cocktailing at Cameo Bar, the slinky lounge in the Viceroy Hotel, convincingly conjures up the 1960s with the lounge’s grass green sofas, slick white leather wingchairs, stylish shag carpets, and candlelight throughout the indoor portion, or if outdoors, with poolside cabanas, huge white armchairs, and sofas… (more)

More than just a nod to Hollywood’s heyday at Tower Bar

September 9, 2010

WEST HOLLYWOOD, USA – The Hollywood nightlife scene of today can’t seem to get enough of referencing the Hollywood of yore. Overrun as it is by show-it-all, do-it-all starlets and tell-it-all 24-hour streaming TMZ videos, it’s no wonder there’s a nostalgia for a more demure day, when a spirit of… (more)

A “stripped down” scene at decadent Bardot

August 14, 2010

LOS ANGELES, USA – When a bar shares a name with French siren Brigitte Bardot, you know there’s going to be some serious va-va-voom involved. Such is the case at Bardot in Hollywood, a sexy 1920s-themed nightclub where Brigitte’s signature fashion statement–various states of undress–can be seen at every turn.… (more)

Atop the poolside pecking order at ABH

July 8, 2010

BEVERLY HILLS, USA – To outsiders, it might seem as if any address within the rich-and-famous playground of Beverly Hills is a calling card for chic cachet. But those who know its bounds well know that there are gradations of poshness within the city’s grid: the flats versus the hills,… (more)

A little bull goes a long way at El Carmen

May 30, 2010

LOS ANGELES, USA – At some Hollywood hotspots, the staff of bouncers nearly exceeds the number of patrons allowed to cross the velvet ropes.  When the scene is thick with celeb antics, the heavies need to be plentiful to keep things in line. At El Carmen on 3rd Street, the… (more)

Salsa, with a side of steak, at Stevens Steak and Seafood House

April 5, 2010

LOS ANGELES, USA – A steakhouse in a post-industrial area of Los Angeles is probably the last place you’d think to look for the hottest salsa bands and dancers in town. But Stevens Steak and Seafood House, a restaurant-cum-banquet hall right off the 5 Freeway in Commerce (just southeast of… (more)

From femmes fatales to Violent Femmes at Bordello

March 30, 2010

LOS ANGELES, USA – A rainy winter night, driving amongst industrial warehouses, looking for an unmarked door…it all sounds like the beginning of a pulpy noir film. In actuality, this was my introduction to downtown L.A. nightlife darling Bordello, which occupies the former Little Pedro’s space in the gritty grotto… (more)