The City of Angels

I had no plans to leave the Bay Area for the Memorial Day weekend. I would have been perfectly content to spend my 4-day weekend relaxing at home. After all, the weather has been less than stellar so I probably wouldn't have gone out for my hikes. Then my mom calls advising me to come visit. So I made the 6 hour drive to SoCal Thursday night. Since I rarely see my brother, I let him know that I was venturing down, so why not hang out Friday night? He still had to work, but definitely wanted to check out the Tease If You Please burlesque show.

My parents live about 26 miles outside Los Angeles of which most is freeway miles. Considering it was a Friday and a holiday weekend, I gave myself extra time for the traffic. There really wasn't much traffic; much to my surprise, but the interchange was backed up once I hit the city limits, so I exited Soto and drove down Whittier Blvd. (the L.A. version of El Camino Real) to downtown L.A.

What I love about this route is the crossing over the L.A. river along the 6th Street-Whittier Bridge and the downtown skyline in the distance. Although the San Francisco Skyline is the most beautiful, there's something remarkable about the downtown L.A. skyline. Of course the appeal ends once you complete the crossing into L.A.'s skid row.

Once I arrived at my brother's loft, he informed me that he wouldn't be home for another hour as he was still on the Metro Link. So that meant having to kill time. I walked along Spring Street to the Last Bookstore. With each passing street, I kept thinking how downtown looked much like San Francisco; only cleaner. So many friendly faces greeted you with a hello which is a rarity in a big city. At that point, my opinion of DTLA has changed to a more positive one. However, I still love San Francisco and I still think Portland far exceeds the appeal of Los Angeles. After all, at every corner I kept seeing Dodger Blue. In fact I gasped when a few Dodger clad men were checking me out and I blurted out, "I'm a Giants fan, sorry!" I wasn't sorry that I'm a Giants fan, but that we kicked their butts the past few days. They just laughed in a humorous way (not insulting) and kept walking. Then I landed in front of The Last Bookstore. Yes, that is indeed the name.

I really enjoy coming here not only to browse their inventory, but also for its ambiance. I must applaud them for their creativity. They created an art of showcasing their inventory.

My favorite is this tunnel into the labyrinth of bookcases. It is structured completely from books.

Once you get through the labyrinth, you descend into an art gallery housing artists' work booths and a display of their paintings and functional art.

There are also some antique shops, but they were not open for business. They had already closed an hour before my arrival.

Side note, I really loved how my reflection came out relative to the 1940s suitcase. In fact, I'm kicking myself for not having taken a photo of my outfit. I wore my latest dress acquisition from the Alameda Vintage Fashion Fair, my dark brown 1930s ankle straps, a black swing coat and a black scarf to shield my hair from the wind. The scarf seemed to have made my cat-eye glasses more alluring. I received several compliments from both patrons and employees at the store. One even stated that I HAD to be an out of towner. I smiled and said that I was visiting from San Francisco. 

My favorite room, though is this work of art entitled Diagnosis. It is like a scene right out of a Tim Burton film.

One last room I entered was the rare book room. I thought that meant really old books from a century ago. Not quite. While there were some older selections, many of them were 1st edition contemporary novels or those signed by the author. The entrance, though, wasn't in vain for I saw the most stunning art collection. It wasn't so much the collection, but the its arrangement. It left me breathless.

Yes, I did leave with a purchase. I bought a Dashiell Hammett collection of his novels for a mere $8. Detective and crime novels are my favorite literary genre. I've read Chandler extensively as well as the contemporary Ellroy with many unknown authors in between. But I had yet to read a Hammett novel, but I have seen films based off his novels and short stories as well as those he had screen written. If I'm going to pursue a PhD in Literature focusing on crime/detective fiction and film noir, I owe it to myself to read his work.

I walked back to my brother's loft once he informed me that he arrived home. I love his place. He lives on the top floor with a commanding view of Los Angeles. Inside, he maintains a jazz themed decor. I only took one indoor photo as I want to respect his privacy.

From his bedroom, you can see the Eastern Building. On his balcony, you see the downtown skyline. Across the way, I noticed what I thought was a bbq. He informed me that in fact they were shooting a film or television show in the alley. He says it a popular spot to shoot scenes including on the top parking lot. My brother is definitely a city boy whereas I prefer the quiet suburb or the even quieter country life. I love San Francisco, but it's more a playground before retreating to the quiet city of Burlingame. Although, I see my future along the coast where it's most serene. But I digress.

My brother recommended stopping at the Edison for a cocktail before heading out to the burlesque show. I've heard about this venue, but had never been. I am so glad he brought me there. It definitely had its Prohibition era vibe and it was nearly identical to San Francisco's bar Local Edition. You walk down a flight of stairs to the central bar location. 

There are several rooms designed for those who wanted a quiet spot to converse with their party. The walls were projected with early 20th century silent films. The restrooms had servers supplying soap and paper towels just like the old days. Because this was once an electric company, there were many old circuits and other machinery that I know no name for. They were integrated into the decor providing a glimpse into old Los Angeles underground.

My evening martini

We finally made it to Tease If You Please. It was unlike any burlesque show I've been to in San Francisco. In SF, they are large venues to serve a large audience. In LA, it was a very small, intimate setting. The decor and architecture was strictly Art Deco; at that point, I new that I would love this show. The ladies were absolutely stunning not only in their performance but as a true artist. I wish I could have taken more pictures, but the audience was barred from doing so. These were just the few sneaking shots I took.

The night ended with us walking a few blocks in downtown and my brother pointing out the architecture and the new construction. Apparently, Los Angeles recently appealed a city ordinance that required all tall buildings have a flat top. Now new constructions will have spires or be more pointed. One new building currently in construction will be the tallest in LA. "The skyline's appearance will change by 2018," he said. I found that a bit disheartening since most new buildings look sterile, but he's more optimistic stating that Los Angeles will have a nice mix of classic and contemporary. We'll see. I'm sure he's right. For now, lets just appreciate how it looks today.