Someonewonderful.

Remember all those times you were at the taco stand or the quesadilla cart or the churro truck and you thought, "Man, I want MORE." Sure, tacos, quesadillas, and churros are all great individually and within a few blocks of each other. But why walk all those blocks?

When the weekend comes around, you don't have to. Lined up for about a block are vendors selling every kind of Mexican dish you could imagine and even some you can't. Highlights include a taco truck that also serves soup from the meat juice, jars filled with all kinds of aguas frescas, quesadillas stuffed with various fillings like squash blossoms, a big pan overflowing with potato tacos and mole-covered enchiladas and tortas, and a lady walking around with a big tray of real flan.

And I'm pretty sure nothing is more than $2.

A delightful little cafe has finally opened in Santa Barbara and, boy, does this put my mind at ease. No more Starbucks. They serve excellent coffee from Verve in Santa Cruz and the baristas really know how to work that La Marzocco espresso machine.

The space is small, but cozy, and perfect for enjoying a coffee and one of their beautiful pastries on any given day. There is even a little shop in the back. I don't know what they have back there, but little shops are always inviting.

I recommend going at a non-busy hour so they'll French Press coffee fresh for you. Fresh is best.

This is a pretty interesting place to hang out and they have pretty good coffee, probably one of the best (if not the best) coffee shops in Southern Utah.

They have live comedy on Friday nights and live music on Saturdays, which is probably pretty cool if you're in Cedar City, where there seem to be very few cool things around.

Also, any coffee shop that uses "latte" where "a lot" goes ("thanks a latte", "we rock a latte", etc.") is rad by my standards.

Decent coffee, but I think there are two main draws to this place: it's open reeeeally late and you can smoke inside after 10. It also has gnarly decor.

With 60 flavors of syrup for your snow cup and with cups starting at $1, you can't go wrong at Sno Shack. I happened upon Sno Shack one day as I was wandering the streets of Idaho Falls (or walking from Albertson's to my car). With such titles for their cool treats as "Godzilla" and "Tiger's Blood," I couldn't resist. I had something called "Suicide" (because I wanted to kill myself for being in Idaho - no offense if you live in Idaho), which had the Godzilla combination and the Tiger's Blood combination and two or three other syrups. Suicide is right! It was way too sweet. But I ate it anyway because it was hot and I was suicidal.

There is nothing I love more than coffee made on the Clover. What's better than coffee that's made fresh by the cup? Nothing!!

The espresso is also excellent quality.

And the baristas are snotty.

What more could you ask for in a coffee shop?

Well, I like good coffee. Really good coffee, that is. And really good coffee is exactly what Verve has to offer. The baristas are highly-ranked in competitions so you can bet they know how to pull those espresso shots to make your latte or whatever it is most enjoyable. They also know the best brew-methods for coffee, so your cup will be fresh and tasty.

Yum.

This small and unassuming little restaurant had what was probably the best tofu scramble I have ever had. I would even say it's worth the forty-minute wait--and I don't wait for things.

This free museum ($3 suggested donation) showcases a lot of really cool Danish art. They currently (through July 5, 2009) have this exhibit with rad art called "Lost and Found" that you'd never expect to relate to Denmark or Solvang if you based your perceptions on the surrounding buildings, towns, and hordes or touristing families.

The art seems to be pretty abstract, usually, and is really nice. What a great way to become acquainted with Danish art and culture!

They also sell some Danish things in the gift shop.

I've never actually been inside the Arboretum that I can remember. I'm sure I went there a few times when I was little because my mom always liked to take my sister and me to see outdoorsy things so we would not become hermits.

The surrounding neighborhood is famous for the peacocks running around, jumping on local rooftops. When the arboretum closes, the peacocks get ready to roost when the sun goes down. From five to sunset, the Arboretum is a great place to peacock-watch. If you're lucky, you'll see one jump into a tree in one quick swoosh. If you're luckier, you'll get attacked by one of them. Post-arboretum-closing peacock-watching is a fun and free summertime evening activity.

In Westwood, there aren't very many affordable dining options unless you're anorexic and can live off of a $2 create-a-salad from Whole Foods or your idea of affordable is warped because of your trust fund. One day, with only $10 in my pocket, I wandered around Westwood, looking for food, knowing I would need $1.25 to take the bus home. What could I get for $8.75?

And then I found Nature's Way Cafe, a healthy and inexpensive restaurant. Nothing is over ten dollars, I think, unless you stack up those side orders. They have a variety of veggie burgers and other vegetarian items, as well as some turkey and tuna sandwiches. The veggie burgers are pretty delicious, also. Until 11, you can get a pretty big breakfast wrap for $4. And those wraps aren't bland like normal healthy food; they spice that shit up!

As far as veganism goes, the breakfast wraps have cheese and I'm pretty sure it's not vegan because it melts and stretches. They have a lot of vegan options, though. Just ask.

Also, I don't venture into Westwood during peak hours, so I'm not sure how crowded it gets, but I've been there are about 10:45 and about 2:30 and I was the only person in there both times. You know what that means: no line!

When I heard this coffee shop was opening in Isla Vista, I was pretty stoked. Not for me, but for my sister who goes to UCSB. When I looked at the description of the place and it described their fair trade coffee and good lattes with only SCAA-approved latte art, I assumed that it would be a pretty good cafe.

Boy, was I wrong! I went to check it out the other day when I was visiting my sister. Granted, I'm a little bit of a coffee snob, but this was ridiculous. I asked them what the smallest size cup they had was and they showed me a 12oz cup. Now, that's just a little too much liquid for me, so I asked if I could have an Americano but filled half-way up.
"Ummm do you still want the two shots?" Of course I did.
"It's gonna be like... really strong."
"That's kind of the point..."
My Americano tasted like rotten fruit.

The moral of this story: just because a cafe claims to be serious about coffee and cites the SCAA on its employment ad doesn't mean the coffee is good.
The second moral of this story: UCSB students are pretty dumb anyway, so how can you expect them to make you coffee?

HOWEVER
they have an amazing selection of bagels and cream cheese if you're into that kind of thing.

At most specialty coffee shops in Los Angeles, the baristas are kind of snobby. Don't get me wrong, nobody loves snobby baristas more than I do. But it gets a little old having people just toss a cup of coffee your way, so once in a while I have to head on over to Espresso Profeta, where they are always friendly and joking.

If you go in the morning, you're pretty much guaranteed an amazing drink. I went in the afternoon once and was given a cappuccino with what I can only describe as "macro-foam" (as in big bubbles and not delicious). I guess that's what I get for ordering a cappuccino, am I right?

They only serve espresso drinks and they get their espresso from Vivace in Seattle. It's pretty amazing all around.

They close at six, which is kind of a bummer. Word on the street is they're going to be extending their hours in the near future to cater to the UCLA students nearby but hardly any of them stray from Starbucks and Coffee Bean (thank goodness) so we'll see what happens.

The cheap part: they stamp your card each time you get a drink and when you get twelve stamps, you get a free drink!

This place is so rad. I mean, all I've ever wanted was a gnarly mustache and the Echo Park Time Travel Mart made that happen.

Decisions, decisions.
Option A: Check Twitter/Kogi website/whatever to see where, oh, where, the Kogi truck is going to be, drive and drive, wait in a looong line until they run out of food.
Option B: La Taquiza, located in a strip mall in South LA. It's stationary, the line is virtually non-existent compared to the Kogi truck, and it probably won't run out of food in forty minutes. Maybe not-so-convenient hours for night-crawlers.

I've never tried their Korean BBQ tacos because that's just how it is.

But I can say that the al pastor is amaaaazing. And if you really want something special, have a mulita because that seems to be their speciality and all. A mulita is basically just a taco with melted cheese and guacamole. Nothing particularly special, but still amazing.

There are plenty of choices of frescas, including watermelon and guava and maybe strawberry. Totally refreshing.

Along the Pacific Coast Highway, there's a green house--Patrick's Roadhouse. It's a pretty cool place. The inside is very old-looking, as in old, not re-done. They have all kinds of old board games you can play while you wait, including chess, checkers, and maybe backgammon.

There are plenty of different varieties of hamburgers that are available on a beef, veggie, chicken, or turkey patty. They also have sandwiches and omelettes. I think most of the items on the menu are under $10, except, perhaps, the "Rockefeller, Hughes, Getty, Onassis Burger". I don't know how much that one is because, as the menu says, "If you have to ask how much, you can't afford it." And I can't.

In theory, Sunset Blvd is one of the worst places for a park: cars whiz by at all hours, releasing exhaust and loud honks. Amazingly, Will Rogers Memorial Park is wonderfully peaceful for such an odd location.

There's a fountain closer to Sunset with some benches located around and some other benches further from Sunset, near the big houses. It's usually pretty quiet and it's very well-lit at night, but they lock the bathrooms pretty early, which might be a contributing factor to the surprising lack of homeless people. There are also a lot of trees and things, so it's good for playing tag.

The only downside is that rich people like to hang out here on weekends and take pictures of their dogs or kids or birds or whatever and they don't really show concern for other people, so they'll just sit on your bench and scream and photograph. Not that I'm making a sweeping generalization or anything.

As we all know, TV is becoming digital on June 12, 2009. For those of us with no digital converters, no cable, no whatever, this will mean no television. This will mean no daytime soap operas, no daytime talk shows, no way to find out who the daddy of those fourteen children are.

But, don't fear! The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills offers TV shows for FREE (see: suggested contribution), so you can get your fill of the Beverly Hillbillies, Seinfeld, and other classic television shows at your convenience (as long as 12-5 Wednesday through Sunday is convenient for you). If you're lucky, they'll be showing your favorite TV show in the theater. Otherwise, you'll have to go to the media library upstairs and pick your show or movie.

Not in the mood for television? There's also a radio room where you can listen to classic radio shows. Or look at the gallery, where they show different kinds of media-related artifacts.

I sure love choices. I'd rather have a choice between 101 things I don't like than be suckered into ordering from a menu containing only one thing I do like. That's what brings me to places like the Egg Plantation, where I can choose between 101 different kinds of omelets and even have the option of choosing additional toppings.

Good thing there's usually a long wait, because it gives me time to decide which omelet I want. Chicken livers? Oysters? Italian sausage? Cherry pie?

They have absolutely amazing omelets and I don't even particularly like eggs. It's definitely the best breakfast spot in Santa Clarita.

They have salads and sandwiches and soups for those who don't want eggs, as well as the option to make omelets with egg whites for the health conscious.

Leo Carrillo is a really beautiful beach. It's next to a pretty great campground, which is convenient for all your summer-camping and beach-going needs.

The real draw is the grunion-hunting. Around mid-June, the grunions swim up to the sand to mate, and we silly Americans like to run after and catch them. Yes, it's cruel, but when else are you going to be able to catch a silvery fish in the middle of the night? I don't recommend eating your catchings because grunions aren't very tasty.

J. Paul Getty sure knew what he was doing when he made his purchases because the views from his estates are amazing. The Getty Villa overlooks the Pacific Ocean because so does the whole city of Malibu.

There are a lot of old statues that were pieced together and some ceramic tools and ancient jewelry. I don't know how Getty acquired all of those supposedly important ancient relics, but he did, and it's all available for your viewing pleasure.

Admission is free, parking is $10. If you take the bus, you have to get your ticket punched by the bus driver or else they won't let you inside the museum. They don't accept walk-ins, so you need to make an appointment in advance.

Yeah, the address says Pacific Palisades, but it's in Malibu, k thanks.

The art is okay. You'll find a lot of European paintings and photographs, with some American stuff thrown in for good measure. But you can see art anywhere. When you come to the Getty, you come for the garden and the view of Los Angeles. The garden and its view are probably the most beautiful things you can find in LA. I know it doesn't happen often, but if you come the day after it rains, the view is amaaaazing.

Also, if you hit the bricks on some of the walls, you can make your own wall-music and that's pretty rad.

Admission is free. Parking is $10 per car, there is bicycle parking in the parking lot, or you can park your car somewhere like the Veterans Administration and shuttle on over. I recommend taking Metro Rapid 761, which will take you right to the gate of the tram on Sepulveda, or your bicycle. Watch out, though, because it can be tricky getting there on your bike at certain times of the day (or all day, depending on your bicycling abilities). You know how LA drivers get. And if you don't, you will.

After new owners acquired The Scene Bar in Glendale, the good bands started playing at The Redwood. What luck!

The food and drinks are totally over-priced and it's kind of weird and piratey inside, but that's okay because you're not there to eat, drink, or enjoy the uglies (at least, I hope you're not); you're there to see whichever good band is playing.

It's also very conveniently located to the Metro Red Line stop at the Civic Center because we all love taking the subway.

I guess they also have some kind of cool brunch on Sundays but I don't know much about that.

Back in the day, The Scene used to have the best shows in town. Now it's under new ownership and it pretty much sucks.

I would say the glittery curtain in the back pretty much sums Spaceland up: totally classy. It is like being in space, or at least I'd imagine it is.

Some pretty great bands play at Spaceland and it's a good size and I think sound is okay. People say parking sucks but if you have trouble finding parking then it's probably more a problem with you than with the system. Yeah, I said it.

I think it's a really nice place to go to because the shows are cheap (free on Mondays) and people don't try as hard to stand around looking cool when there's a band instead of a jukebox.

They kicked me out once when I was fifteen. Bummer.