LA recommendations?

[pete]

I'm in the process of planning a last-minute/spur-of-the-moment trip to LA with a friend.  Does anyone have recommendations for cheap places to stay/fun things to do?  I know almost nothing about LA and was wildly irresponsible in booking this trip. 

[hugman]

ucb jr. for sure
http://www.ucbtheatre.com/la

Thursday nights at ImprovOlympic West (IOWest) is a great improvised show called DASARISKI.  It is top fudging notch. Be aware that the saturday night Beer Shark Mice show (of which David Koechner is a member) often does not feature David Koechner.

The Steve Allen Theatre http://www.steveallentheater.com/

Largo at the Coronet of course, although that is the fucking opposite of cheap. http://www.largo-la.com/largohome.html

There's a beautiful bust of Johnny Ramone at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary.  Actually they're just starting the cinespia summer series at the cemetary where they show movies on a mausoleum wall just after dusk on saturday eves I believe.  Get there EARLY.
http://www.cinespia.org/

the arclight theatre, although not cheap by any means, is an awesome theatre and has fun screenings with director/actor Q&A's and stuff like 70mm prints of Ben Hur and shit like that.
www.arclightcinemas.com

The Silent Movie Theatre http://www.silentmovietheatre.com/

musicwise, check out what's happening at: spaceland, the echo, silverlake lounge, the smell, redwood bar, troubadour (although the troub is expensive)

Go to amoeba music just to take it in.

Great lowbrow art can be seen at http://www.laluzdejesus.com/ there are also a number of galleries on la brea just south of beverly. I stumbled upon a Jill Greenberg show at one of them that was great. Just walk up and down those couple of blocks and poke your head in.

You can always get cheap tix in the back at the hollywood bowl which is definitely worth doing. and you can bring a picnic, including booze to that.

palms thai is pretty good inexpensive thai food and on weekends Thai Elvis performs.

The cat & fiddle is my favorite pub (morrissey's too). happy hour is 4-7 weekdays.  the drinks aren't all that cheap (still around 5 bucks a pint) but they set out some free pub food.  Usually banger rolls and stuff like that but if you get really lucky they spring the fish and chips on you.

Go to the beach. That don't cost nothin'.

You can crash on Stevie NoHo's couch.  He can stay at Nate Hartley's.

Seriously, though.  My folks always stay at this place called Orchid Suites.  It's hidden behind the Hollywood/Highland monstrosity but it's very convenient and last I saw had rooms with kitchens in the $70 a night range which is CHEAP for LA plus you can save dough by making your own meals some of the time.  There's a Ralph's right down the street.

Cheap Drinks is a toughie around here.  I had a great place in Koreatown, but they took it away years ago.  You can bring your own into UCB FYI.

Update with dates and if there's something I know of going on, i'll give you a heads up.

[hugman]

oh, and any time there is an option to make a reservation (especially at ucb jr) make one. and even then get there early so you can get a good seat.

[hugman]

oh, and IO West usually has cheap beers at their bar, now that I think of it.

[pete]

Hot goddamn, man, thanks.  This is fantastic.

As for dates, it's looking like the late on 23rd to midday on the 26th.  

[hugman]

also right next to the luz de jesus gallery at WACKO there is a new record store that's supposed to be good but I haven't checked it out yet and I don't even know the name. But some very cool friends of mine from my amoeba days run it.

[Tom Scharpling]

I can second the Orchid Suites as a decent cheap place to stay, although I haven't stayed there in years. So if you get murdered while staying there you cannot blame me. Blame Hugman!

Tom.

[hugman]

I can second the Orchid Suites as a decent cheap place to stay, although I haven't stayed there in years. So if you get murdered while staying there you cannot blame me. Blame Hugman!

Tom.

I stayed there the first time in '98.  Back then murder was more of a possibility, but if you get accosted by Superman or breakdancers you can blame me.

[pete]

Turns out I'm going to be staying with friends.  I would still appreciate some kind of "no-murder" guarantee, though.

[J. Garbage]

Go to the Gold Room on Sunset and Echo Park.  Trust me.  The drinks aren't as cheap as they used to be, but they'll bring you stew if you get there early and stay for four hours like I did with my dad one time.

[pete]

Ok!  Saturday night's arrangements fell through, and the Orchid is booked up.  I'm looking around for other interesting places, but I'm realizing I don't even know what *area* to stay in.  Recommendations of someplace cheapish within stumbling distance of some fun things, or even, "this is where some cool things are, stay in this area!" would be much appreciated.  I really don't know anything about neighborhoods/regions/anything in LA.  Clearly I am wildly unprepared for this trip.

Also looking to go to the free ASSSCAT Sunday night.  I know when I used to go in NYC years and years ago, lines would form hours in advance, is that still the case?  Should I plan on getting there super early?  Maybe I'll just man up and pay the $8 for the Saturday show.

[buffcoat]

Drive to Vegas.

[hugman]

Ok!  Saturday night's arrangements fell through, and the Orchid is booked up.  I'm looking around for other interesting places, but I'm realizing I don't even know what *area* to stay in.  Recommendations of someplace cheapish within stumbling distance of some fun things, or even, "this is where some cool things are, stay in this area!" would be much appreciated.  I really don't know anything about neighborhoods/regions/anything in LA.  Clearly I am wildly unprepared for this trip.

Also looking to go to the free ASSSCAT Sunday night.  I know when I used to go in NYC years and years ago, lines would form hours in advance, is that still the case?  Should I plan on getting there super early?  Maybe I'll just man up and pay the $8 for the Saturday show.

i think an hour and a half of lead time for assscat should suffice. maybe two.  i'd say stay in hollywood. it's as central as it gets. come for the location, stay for the trannies (and no, i ain't talkin skateparks).  Silverlake or echo park would be good too. BUT BE CAREFUL.  I'd go to tripadvisor.com and look at hotel reviews for anyplace you're thinking about (and take them with a grain of salt).

what kind of music do you like (if you're looking for recommendations in that area)?

[hugman]

THIS JUST IN!
brand new bbq joint/record store
http://www.territorybbq.com/

[pete]

Well, I was in LA for under 48 hours, so I didn't get to much/any of this.  Drove on Mulholland, through the mountains (amazing), somehow got into a fancy-dan club wearing a shirt i'd bought 45 minutes earlier at Goodwill and spent the evening talking to girls 2-3 orders of magnitude out of my league, got half-heartedly "mugged" by  walked down the walk of stars (for some reason), went to Venice Beach, saw Merv Griffin/Rodney Dangerfield's grave, bought suits at Out of the Closet to wear on our first class Virgin flight to Seattle, went to the Museum of Jurassic Technology (awesome, deeply unsettling), drove all over the city and ate at the Rainbow with my slightly crazy LA-resident uncle.    As we were driving to LAX Monday morning, we heard the song "I'm in LA, trick" on the radio, which was probably the best cap to the trip I could have imagined.

My only major regret is not taking any pictures or making it to UCB.  Next time, I suppose.