Astoria VIII

cheap sunglasses...and my first pair....of visvim

If you like Polka Dots on your sneakers, I recommend picking up a pair of Foot Patrol Air Max 90s if you think you can get away with weraing an AM90...but you'd have to try eBay if you want a pair or pay some extortionist price via some online retailer like We Sold Out.

I'm not sure of any spots to check out cause I didn't get the chance to do that when I was there but I have one very important tip: Get a translator of some sort (electronic or human being is preferable). I lived in Spain for 2 years and thought I could get away with my sketchy Spanish in Portugal...but I couldn't be more wrong. Portugese has got to be on of the hardest languages to understand and attempting to pronounce the words correctly is just not worth trying...

OK. Probably not my favourite song of the moment but it's very close to it:

Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side covered by Julian Casablancas and Friends...

Ok this is off topic as hell but is it anyone here that know an asian girl working for A McQeen in New York. I can not remember her name i i have lost her card! A long shot i know but anyway

Hahaha. That must've been some girl...and I hope someone knows her. I'm all for re-establishing that stalker connection...slightly scary but always entertaining...just kidding man. Seriously. All you have to do is just look up the ph. no. for Alexander McQueen NY and call...if that is what you wanted to do. As for what you would say, I can't really help you there.

And seeing as I'm a nice guy, I've even gone to the trouble of looking up their no. for you: +1 212 645 1797. Good luck.

I wouldn't walk the Sunset strip - its quite long but if you rent a car you can drive right through, up to the big houses through Beverly Hills - Bell Air - Pacific Palisades - etc.

As for Pink's (LaBrea + Melrose), it is an experience for just the hot dogs but never worth the wait. In-n-Out (Hollywood + Gower) is also highly recommended but if you want to keep it real, don't forget about Fatburger (Highland + Wilshire).

You can also cruise down Melrose to see some funky stores, and further down you can check out high end boutique stores such as Fred Seagal, Paul Smith, etc.

Woodranch BBQ is located in the Grove (Fairfax Ave), an outdoor type of shopping mall with department stores and a movie theatre. Some really good food in there.

Although you might pass on the ethnic food, I do recommend that you get some soul food. There's a place called Aunt Kizzy's in Marina (south of Santa Monica) or get some chicken and waffles at Roscos (Labrea + Pico).

Hope this helps.

Thanks dizzhizz. That's great. I plan on actually stopping and looking at the stuff on Sunset though so...do you recommend I drive, get out take a look and then get back in the car and repeat? And let's say I do drive through Beverley Hills etc. what will I find ther other than people who thinkthey are or are richer than me.

Rosco's sounds good. Aunt Kizzy's...what exactly classifies food as "soul food" anyway? I really never figured that one out.

Thanks also for the insight into Pink's etc. That's the stuff I'm looking for that you'd never normally find in a guide.

And the HOLLYWOOD SIGN!!!. Shit. I completely forgot about that. How hard is that to get to and anyone know of any good vantage points to take photos from?

(Thanks for the reminder miguel).

Keep the info coming. This is really great. I promise I'll make a report of L.A. when I do return (in October) if people are interested. And anyone have any questions about Australia yet? I feel like I need to give something back in return for all this help.....

and shit. brook hogan is singing now? Is that who I think it is? If so, that’s humorous, depressing and intriguing all at once. But mostly humorous.

That "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to" song

Ha. That's great.

jesus...

mine:

friday i'm in love - the cure

my way home - kanye

wonderful place - NERD

12:51 - the strokes

I'll second hahnstch's opinion on "stars are blind". I mean seriously, if any song lacked substance and credibility that would be it...but if a catchy song that will be off everyone's radar in a few weeks is your thing then I won't hold anything against you. Sometimes that's just what you need.

And 1251 is my favourite time of the day...Oh really, your folks are away now? Alright, let's go, you convinced me...

dude...you are the coolest person of all time. thank you for telling me. is it out yet?! (albert's solo album i mean). love the ask me anything signoff too. the strokes are my favorite band of all time. currently listening to "the modern age"

edit: ask me anything is a song by the strokes, which he quoted in his signoff

Haha. No problems startmeup. Albert's album is coming out October 6 (I think) via Rough Trade but only in the UK. I'm assuming it will be available via Amazon or another online retailer as well though so...fingers crossed. He has a myspace page so check that out for more info.

And nice work on recognising the quote too. I'm very impressed. I actually saw Julian and Co. in concert last week...well worth the effort.

What Ever You Do, Dont Go Eat At Pinky's Or Pink's Hot Dog, Its So Fucking Retarted...not Good And Just No Reason To Eat There.

Ha.Just saw this after I posted my last reply. Any reason to your extreme objection to eating at Pinky's? Have you tried their Hotdogs more than once or did you have a bad experience the first time around and not go back?

Wow. That’s great. Thanks for the detailed responses. It is much appreciated.

poopie boy, I will be in L.A. for a bit over 4 days. Thanks for pointing out the Los Angeles is not really a sightseeing city. I think I was beginning to figure that out and I understand that now. I’ve never really wanted to travel to L.A. (and although I have been before, I was 4 yrs old so it doesn’t count) as I always imagined it to be the most superficial place on earth right down to the manufactured women everyone always seems obligated to point out…but I’m still curious nonetheless.

I will actually be staying in Downtown LA as that seemed to be the only area with decent accommodation at a reasonable price (traveling alone really doesn’t help). As long as the place is clean and in a relatively central location that is more than enough for me as all I want to do there is sleep…I’d rather spend my money on other things which I can keep or do…monogrammed bath robes which I can steal are a plus but not a necessity.

So what do I want to do in LA? To be honest, there really isn’t anything that I categorized as a must see/do…and even after buying and reading the DK Top 10 Los Angeles guide, there still isn’t anything I would categorize as a must see/do. I will say that I would’ve loved to have stayed at the Chateau Marmont just because. But it’s booked out for the year. That’s one hotel I wouldn’t have minded forking out for…

(and in case any of you are judging me for buying such an amateurish touristy type guide, I am only going to be in LA for 4 days so I really didn’t want a Timeout, Frommer’s or Lonely Planet with so much information that I would be wasting half my time reading through the history of a place before I finally got to the part I wanted. Also, I find that researching stuff on the internet is a must and covers most of the info in those guides anyway. + I like the pretty pictures in DK…)

So what do I think I will do in LA? I do consider myself an avid amateur photographer so here’s what I’ve got so far:

*Please feel free to point out whether any of these “attractions†are really not worth my time…and feel free to add to the list.

Walk down Sunset Strip. From what I’ve gathered, the main attractions here are the Giant Billboards, the Chateau Marmont, The Argyle Hotel, Sunset Plaza, Rainbow Bar and Grill and the Viper Room.

I figure I’ll just be taking photographs of all these things as they’re just buildings etc. I would check out the Viper Room if I was traveling with more people but I think I’ll give it a pass this time around.

Also, going back to one of my first Qs, how long would it take to walk Sunset Blvd and see all the things I listed above?

Walk down Hollywood Boulevard and check out the Walk of Fame, Hollywood Entertainment Museum, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Mann's Chinese Theater, El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood and Highland, The Egyptian Theatre, Frederick's of Hollywood Lingerie Museum, Capitol Records Tower and Pantages Theatre.

Again, I figure I will mostly be taking photographs here.

Check out the Getty Center.

Any idea what is the best way to get there from downtown assuming I don’t have a car? Also, approx. how long is the journey and what would be a good period of time to set aside for the visit (5 hrs, 1 day)?

The société anonyme collection sounds great but unfortunately it will be finished by the time I arrive.

As I’ll be staying downtown I’ll probably take a lot of photos of Walt Disney Concert Hall as that seems fairly interesting from an architectural point of view and maybe the Bradbury Building if it is close by.

I would definitely go see the Dodgers as I have been to a couple of baseball games (Blue Jays in Toronto) and really enjoyed the experience (esp. the ridiculous singing during the 7th inning stretch) but it doesn’t look like there are any games scheduled when I’ll be in LA (I’m assuming the regular season will be finishing up by then and the playoffs will be starting soon) but it’s not a big deal as I’ll almost definitely check out the Giants whilst I am in San Francisco and see for myself if Barry’s head is as big as it looks.

I guess I’ll do a tour of Universal Studios…and maybe WB Studios…any objections here?

I’m also curious about It’s A Wrap! (3315 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank/http://www.itsawraphollywood.com) and Larry Edmunds Bookshop (6644 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood/ http://www.larryedmunds.com) which was recommended in the DK guide but only if I have time and happen to be passing by. Anyone been to either of these stores and can tell me if there is anything of substance there?

Also, what do you guys think about going to a live taping of a show (http://www.tvtickets.com/)? Worth the 3hrs or will I better of spending my time elsewhere…

As for eating, I’ll definitely try and find Pink’s Hotdogs (I recall Gordon Ramsay featured it on Hells Kitchen which btw is the worst show on TV due to its intellectually stunted contestants…The F Word is much, much more entertaining for those who are fans of Mister Ramsay)…..I’ll keep an eye out for In-N-Out burgers though we’ll see how hungry I am before I order a Double Double Animal Style burger.

Texan Woodranch BBQ sounds like a safe bet as well but any other less chain style type eating spots will be much appreciated.

Thanks for the link to Desert Hills azn8oi. I’ll have to try and fit that in somewhere along with hitting Rodeo Drive etc.

I’m most probably not going to hit the beaches this time around as I do live in Australia after all and when I travel I do like to do things at either a hectic speed or relax and do nothing at all, there’s no in between. So for this trip, everything will be go go go and as such, for the most part beaches don’t fit into the plan.

If Venice Beach isn’t too far I might check out the stalls and street performers there.

I’m not a huge fan of Rollercoasters etc. so Six Flags will also have to be saved for next time and Disneyland is probably too far away…+ I figure Universal Studios will have some rides if I’m not mistaken.

I probably also won’t be checking out Chinatown, Little Korea etc. cause to be honest it just doesn’t sound that appealing. I truly don’t believe the Chinese or Korean food etc. will taste any better over there than it does here or anywhere else…

Lastly, I realize getting a car won’t hurt but say if I wanted to travel from Downtown to Sunset Blvd. Can I catch public transport an if so what would you recommend (bus/subway) or will this be more trouble than it’s worth.

OK. That’s it. I realize I’ve written a fair bit here but any additional answers you can provide would be great and thanks for ALL the info so far…

OK I found it. Chatuchak Market: http://www.into-asia.com/bangkok/markets/chatuchak.php

There is a massive market which has a lot of stuff (most of it useless to be quite honest, but interesting nevertheless)...can't recall the exact name at the moment but it truly is massive. I actually got lost and I'm pretty sure I only saw approx 1/3 of it before my friend's constant complaints about the heat got to me and I gave up and went back to the city. It takes about 20 min. by train/tram thingy to get there from the city.

I should note that there are a number of other markets closer to the city which have essentially the same product but if you want the biggest and are looking for a truly unique object, that's the one to go for. When I recall the name I'll post it here.

As for accomodation, I found Bangkok to be super cheap as opposed to other major cities. As you mentioned money is no object, if you're staying with one or more people you can pretty much take your pick of the hotels. I'm pretty sure you could get a really top range hotel for about AUD$125-150 per person...probably less. The hotel I stayed in was one of/if not the tallest in Bangkok and I'm pretty sure it set me back less than AUD$100 per night. Go to any travel agent and pick up a brochure...there should be more than enough options in there.

OK. Apologies in advance if there have been topics with similar questions to mine in the past but I did a search and didn’t find anything recent so…I have some specific Qs that hopefully, L.A. based supertalkers will be able to help me out with.

(If anyone will be visiting Sydney or Melbourne and has any questions I will be more than willing to return the favour…)

I must also point out that I will be traveling alone and that the primary purpose of my trip is for business in SF but seeing as it’s such a long flight from Australia, I figured I may as well take a look at L.A. whilst I am there.

Also, most superficial things such as a chance encounter with a celebrity doing his/her grocery shopping or those “See where the stars live!†tours really don’t pique my interest one iota.

(Note that I said MOST superficial things as I am not opposed to spending money on material objects although I would imagine most people who visit superfuture are the same…)

So here are my enquiries:

[1] Is it worth attempting to catch public transport or succumb and get a car? My main concern with getting a car is that we drive on the opposite side of the road down here and with all those freeways...I'm concerned I would spend more time lost than saving time getting to my destination.

[1a] Are parking meter charges reasonable or not?

e.g. In Sydney/Melbourne, parking usually goes for about AUD$3.00 per hr. on avg. depending on which part of the city you park…this is reasonable. Anything above that I will classify as borderline extortionist.

[1b] Is it possible to see the majority of the main attractions on Sunset Strip or Hollywood Blvd (or both) on foot in less than 1 full day?

[2] Is there really anything to do in L.A. except shop? Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing but apart from a few architectural attractions, from what I can see that’s pretty much all there is to do…

[2a] Whilst we're on shopping, are there any factory outlets along the lines of a Woodbury Common Premium Factory Outlet in NY?

[3] Will eating at Spago or Koi etc. really make me feel like I’ve experienced a true culinary delight or simply force me to stop by a fast food stand for a burger with the lot?

[4] Lastly, if anyone could be bothered feel free to list one thing I MUST do and one prominent attraction which doesn’t live up to the hype…

Thanks in advance.

In Transit (Obstinate) by Albert Hammond Jr.

Search for the video on YouTube...completely worth it. Or if you can get your hands on a copy of the In Transit DVD even better.

If you just want somewhere to sleep, try the Herald Square Hotel. It's cheap, clean and you can't beat the location. I will warn you though, the ONLY thing you'd want to do there is sleep. There are NO luxuries when you stay there but it certainly provides all the necessities.

Got this short wool herringbone jacket with leather details by Neil Barrett. I've always wanted something in herringbone pattern, but not conservative. Finally.

That's very decent. Gives the impression of a clean cut Stroke...in an entirely good way.....and I didn't realise C21 would stock those types of jackets. Good find.

I think the Arctic Monkeys are decent. The hype is definitely overblown but they're far from being shithouse.

But speaking of bands who can thank hype for helping make them what they are, I still think Mister Casablancas and his Strokes are still the standard...and I mean that in a good way.

AstoriaVIII.com

If you are in NY, Burberry's flagship store will make you a custom trench coat fit to your exact specifications. You can even choose the type of pattern lining you want on the inside.

AstoriaVIII.com

Damn. I forgot about the launch for this. Oh well, I'll try and check it out before it ends.

AstoriaVIII.com