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Soap Plant--the neon sign out front glows "Wacko"--is a great little store on Hollywood near Vermont. They sell a mix of books, toys, CD's and other trinkets and collectibles. There is also a...
Soap Plant--the neon sign out front glows "Wacko"--is a great little store on Hollywood near Vermont. They sell a mix of books, toys, CD's and other trinkets and collectibles. There is also a gallery that features pretty cool lowbrow art. They cater to various types of hipsters, featuring Beat literature, books on punk rock , tattoos and various underground movements and arts--stuff that is outside the mainstream, but cool outside, not scary for the most part. You could spend hours there.
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The Machine Project is a gallery space that is really quirky but usually thought provoking. Any art space can feature paintings, ceramics or drawings...the Machine Project has exhibitions of things...
The Machine Project is a gallery space that is really quirky but usually thought provoking. Any art space can feature paintings, ceramics or drawings...the Machine Project has exhibitions of things like moulded fungi and variously manipulated electronics. They offer workshops at various times, everything from knitting to electronics. They even had a program where you could experience being burried alive for several minutes. They are out there, but in a good way.
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33 1/3 Books is a radical leftist bookstore and gallery on Alvardo & Sunset in Echo Park. They have a large selection of zines and political books and pamphlets as well as a selection of poetry and...
33 1/3 Books is a radical leftist bookstore and gallery on Alvardo & Sunset in Echo Park. They have a large selection of zines and political books and pamphlets as well as a selection of poetry and art books with a political slant. Their gallery space has sometimes interesting propaganda exhibits and they show documentaries there too. Good for what it is. The guy who runs it is pretty nice, not at all hard to take.
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The Long Beach Museum of Art has a nice little niche for itself. It has a great location, right on the ocean nestled in-between two parks. Some art museums in similar, moderately large cities try...
The Long Beach Museum of Art has a nice little niche for itself. It has a great location, right on the ocean nestled in-between two parks. Some art museums in similar, moderately large cities try to bolster their collections by purchasing lesser works by well-collected artists. But what's the point of having a Picasso or a Monet just to have one? LBMA has collected wisely, focusing mainly on California artists and the decorative arts, building a strong and unique collection in these areas. It's small, but worth a visit. Be sure to visit the cafe and have a beverage on the patio facing the water.
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The best thing about Amoeba Music is that they have a huge selection of new and used CDs, records and DVDs, along with some vintage posters and other music collectibles. If you are looking for...
The best thing about Amoeba Music is that they have a huge selection of new and used CDs, records and DVDs, along with some vintage posters and other music collectibles. If you are looking for something relatively obscure, you have an even-money chance that they will have it. Their prices on new CDs aren't too bad, but I object to their used prices. Used CDs shouldn't cost more than $9, at least not in most cases. They have a good selection, but too much of their used inventory is overpriced. What's the sense in paying that kind of money? It's a good place to go if you have some idea of what you are looking for, but I seldom find those items there that I do at other stores
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The Museum of Contemporary Art used to be a vital part of downtown LA, but I don't feel that way about it now. It used to be the museum was free Thursday nights, but the trend now is for MOCA to...
The Museum of Contemporary Art used to be a vital part of downtown LA, but I don't feel that way about it now. It used to be the museum was free Thursday nights, but the trend now is for MOCA to have big mega-exhibits, which are never open to public without paid admission. When there isn't some big exhibition there, it is anyone's guess whether it will be open at all. The music programing has gone completely downhill; there used to be great jazz performances on summer Thursdays, but the new curator axed that in favor of a half-baked DJ party. No fun. The exhibitions are sometimes worthwhile, though, and there is decent modern art in the permanent collection.
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Meltdown Comics is a nice, modern comic book store in a fairly safe part of Sunset Boulevard right on the verge of West Hollywood. They have all kinds of comics, with the staff seeming particuarly...
Meltdown Comics is a nice, modern comic book store in a fairly safe part of Sunset Boulevard right on the verge of West Hollywood. They have all kinds of comics, with the staff seeming particuarly enthusiastic about alternative comics. They are good neighbors with the community--they have sponsored programs with the public library and have book signings and other in-store events. Friendly enough for kids, but somewhere adults can go and feel normal, too.
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Fingerprints is something of an little bohemian oasis on the upper crust sidewalks of Belmont Shore in Long Beach. A big little record store, the selection is heavy on Indie rock, but there are...
Fingerprints is something of an little bohemian oasis on the upper crust sidewalks of Belmont Shore in Long Beach. A big little record store, the selection is heavy on Indie rock, but there are small but well-maintained sections of jazz and classical as well. Hip older rock--timeless stuff like the Stones and all kinds of psychedelia--is represented pretty well in the stacks. They make a strong effort to get limited edition vinyl pressings and have some great rare vinyl. I don't think they pay especially well for used music--they aren't bad, but they aren't as good as Rockaway or Amoeba--but they do buy just about everything. They have unbelieveable in-store performances...Jonathon Richman, Dave Alvin, Iron & Wine, even Patti Smith have all played there.
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Skylight Books is a pretty good bookstore for the neighborhood of Los Feliz. They keep a good selection on-hand of what are hip books for the community and have a succesful series of book readings...
Skylight Books is a pretty good bookstore for the neighborhood of Los Feliz. They keep a good selection on-hand of what are hip books for the community and have a succesful series of book readings and signings. Even if you happen to miss one of the events, you can usually pick up a signed copy of the book afterward. I saw the late Hubert Selby, Jr. read here once and it was amazing.
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The Jazz Bakery in Culver City is a great place to hear live jazz. A non-profit, the folks at the Bakery bring in fine talent and keep the prices reasonable, with special prices available for...
The Jazz Bakery in Culver City is a great place to hear live jazz. A non-profit, the folks at the Bakery bring in fine talent and keep the prices reasonable, with special prices available for students. The environment is a bit on the sterile side, but the acoustics are solid. Besides, the no-frills approach is just evidence that they are putting their money into the music and not anything else.
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