Walt Disney Concert Hall

I like to think of myself as a pretty cultured person.  I love all the arts, but symphony orchestra is an area that I don't know much about.  Having grown up playing the piano, and a brief stint of the clarinet, I have an appreciation for classical music, but it's not what I jam to in my car, if you know what I mean.  Plus, tickets to see the LA Philharmonic aren't the cheapest and being the huge sports fan that I am, I'd rather be spending my money watching one of my beloved LA teams duke it out with a rival than go outside of my bubble and listen to Mozart.  Regardless, you can imagine my excitement when I was able to snag $20 tickets for a symphony concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.  Our $20 tix got us balcony seats to see the St. Louis Symphony at a mid-week evening performance. 

Since the concert was mid-week, we had to arrange our schedule so we could have enough time after work to grab a quick bite to eat prior to the performance.  In an effort to not get stuck on the parking lots that are LA freeways at rush hour, we headed up to downtown and stopped at La Taquiza for Mulitas to tide us over till we could eat a real meal after the 8pm concert. 

The concert hall, located in the northern part of downtown, is just a block away from the Taper and Ahmanson Theaters.  It was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry and boasts a 3.6 acre complex with a stainless-steel exterior and state of the art acoustics in the hardwood-paneled main auditorium.

This evening, the St. Louis Orchestra featured pieces from Igor Stravinsky and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  They alternated concertos between the two composers and internationally acclaimed violinist Gil Shaham graced us with a number of impressive solos.  I am no classical music virtuoso, but I can definitely tell you that after sitting in that concert hall and absorbing the notes that, at times, seemed as if they were literally dancing amongst the beams of the ceiling, a profound appreciation for the mastery of a symphony orchestra began to grow in my heart.  I found myself mesmerized by the movements of the musicians and the direction of the conductor.  It was like a choreographed dance, without the use of their legs.  After an hour and a half or so, with a brief intermission, they ended closed the evening with Mozart's Symphony No. 36 in C major, K. 245 ("Linz") which in turn received rounds of applause and a standing ovation.

Even if you may have no interest in classical music, the architecture of the Walt Disney Concert Hall alone is reason to visit.  I guarantee you will be in awe of its beauty-- and maybe the music as well. 

At this point, with only one mulita in our stomachs, we were famished.  A late dinner was definitely in need, so we headed to Wurstkuche ("The Purveyor of Exotic Grilled Sausages") off of 3rd street for some late night sausages.  At first glance, Wurstkuche looks like an ordinary order-at-the-counter style hole-in-the-wall.  Totally unassuming from the outside, all you see is a counter and I immediately assumed that we would order and eat in the car.  To my surprise, you order your food and then follow the wall around the corner that opens into a large room with ambient lighting, a large bar, and a number of bench tables for dining.  Techno/trance music played loudly as late-night diners huddled in booths and mingled at bench tables with their beers and fries. 

At, Wusrtkuche there are over 20 sausages to choose from.  From the menu you choose two toppings, pick a sausage, and if you order fries, a dipping sauce.  I ordered the Kielbasa with caramelized onions and sauerkraut, Carla ordered the Buffalo Chipotle with spicy peppers and sauerkraut, and Kelly ordered the Hot Italian with caramelized onions and sweet peppers.  We had two orders of their double-dipped belgian fries with the chipotle ketchup, chipotle aioli, and the curry ketchup; all were delicious!  It may not have been the typical way to cap off an evening at the symphony, but I left quite happy and full.

The Day's Damage: $9 chicken mulitas + $83.90 (3) symphony tickets + $35.12 sausages & fries = $128.02 total.
Item 27 check

Downtown Artwalk & Coles French Dip

Every second Thursday of the month, art galleries and studios stay open late for the Downtown Artwalk. So five of us headed downtown, for a little culture and a little history. First up, CULTURE. The artwalk takes place over a number of blocks along Spring & Main. We ducked into a number of galleries featuring crazy photography, massive graffiti pieces, panoramic cityscapes and kitschy collectables.





The streets were buzzing with a truly dynamic bunch of Angelenos. It’s great to see downtown feel so bustling – I can remember just a few years ago, when nobody dared walk around downtown. But now, patrons hop from gallery to gallery, stopping at one of many foodtrucks parked along the streets, and taking a moment to listen to a reggae band on the corner.



Since our stomachs were growling as soon as we got downtown, we stopped at the Nickel Diner to sample the much blogged about Maple Bacon Donuts. Because of the artwalk, the ladies of the diner were selling their baked goods right on the street, which made for a very easy transaction. After tearing the donuts apart, we determined they would have been better if we had sampled a fresh batch, and we were far too hungry to be that critical. However, there was something about them that left us a bit unsatisfied, perhaps if there had been bacon mixed into the donut batter not just sprinkled on top, felt a bit like an after thought to me. But kudos to the Nickel Diner for a novel concept.



Next, we made our way down a fairly shady alley, which led to an arts and crafts fair. Leather jewelry, nauseating incense, Mexican handicrafts, psychedelic mushroom paintings, crazy neon light performers and churros….it was sensory overload, but fantastic!



After some items were purchased, it was time to make our way to part II of the evening, HISTORY.

Founded in 1908, Coles Original French is said to be the home of the French Dip sandwich. Phillipes a few blocks north, also claims to be the originator, but we’ll leave that argument up to them. We snagged a table outside, where we could still keep our eyes on the artsy characters that strolled by. They are a colorful bunch!

Coles menu is simple, French Dips with a choice of meat (beef, lamb, turkey or pastrami) and cheese (cheddar, swiss, goat or bleu), sides include fries, mac & cheese and potatoe salad. Since there were five of us, we ordered beef and pastrami dips, and one of each of the sides.



The dips arrived with a side of au jus & atomic pickles. Personally, I like the jus on the side as I can control the degree of sogginess. Phillipe’s dips the sandwich for you, so by the time you get midway through, the sandwich its pretty much moosh. the atomic pickles, on the other hand, are an acquired taste. Out of all of us dining, I don’t think anyone was really sold on ‘em. The horseradish mustard, however, was deliciously sinus clearing, and we proceeded to douse it on everything. After experiencing our CULTURE for the evening, we hovered down our share of HISTORY and vowed to return soon.



The Days Damage: 2 Maple Bacon Donuts $5.50 + 5 Dips, 3 fries, mac & cheese, and potatoe salad $50 = $55.50

Item 21 & 25: Check

Beverly Hills: Barney Greengrass & Rodeo Drive

Up until this past weekend, my only knowledge of Beverly Hills was based on the episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210 that I had to sneak to watch as a child (my parents tried their best to keep me from learning about the promiscuity of teenagers- another story for another day.)

My mental image of BH really consisted of the following things:
- Lots of palm trees
- Snooty, pretentious people
- Pompous shop owners that don't let us commoners peruse the merchandise
- Expensive restaurants & hotels
- Celebrities shopping & dining everywhere
...and you have to have lots and lots of $$$$ to be there

Although, we didn't have any run-ins with some A-list celebrities, a good portion of my basic, television-based Beverly Hills knowledge was pretty spot on, but it all made for a quite pleasant day in Beverly Hills.

Barney Greengrass

We started off the day at Barney Greengrass, a supposed "New York food institution" known for their cured meats and New York deli-style bagels and breakfast.  It's located at the top of the Barney's Beverly Hills building, so Carla had called a couple days before to make a reservation for the patio.  We got there early and took advantage of Barney's 2-hour free parking with validation and headed up to the 5th floor for brunch.

The patio was fairly open so we choose a quaint little table for 2 under the sun.  The view was pretty amazing. You can't see it in this photo, but we could see all the way to the Hollywood sign from our table. Our waiter took our drink orders and promptly returned with our drinks and a quaint little basket of bread items and cream cheese to nibble on.

Then came the menu.  It was a little overwhelming at first, considering it had every breakfast item you could imagine, but we were at the home of "The Sturgeon King".  We were not about to let this experience pass without ordering some fish.   We shared the Sturgeon & Nova Scotia Salmon platter accompanied with an onion bagel for me and pumpernickel toast for Carla.  Centered on the platter, was an array of tomatoes, red onion, pickles, olives, cream cheese, cole slaw, and capers.  Now put a smorgasbord of those items on top of the fish on your choice of bread and you have an explosion of flavor. It was the perfect, not-too-heavy meal to have before our afternoon strolls up and down Rodeo.


Although, it wasn't the cheapest brunch, take Barney's fresh smoked fish (flown in from New York, I might add) with the gorgeous view of  Los Angeles, and the experience is well worth the splurge. 

With a little time left before we broke our 2-hour free parking limit, we had a little time to peruse the accessories & jewelry floor of Barneys.  Peruse, is the optimal word here because we weren't about to walk out with a $3,000 jade necklace purchase, although the idea of doing that was very intriguing.

Rodeo Drive

Post-brunch, we made our way to Rodeo for our afternoon adventure.   What many people may not know is that the Two Rodeo center provides 2 hours of free valet parking in its underground parking garage.  We gladly took advantage of this, then made our way up the elevator that spit us right onto Via Rodeo.  The shops and cobblestone streets of Via Rodeo resemble the streets of Europe and New Orleans square at Disneyland. On both sides of the street are upscale designer brands with their glass cases displaying pristinely decorated products. Names such as Prada, Ralph Lauren, Coco Chanel, Gucci, and Valentino all have botiques on Rodeo.

One of the most eye-catching stores was Prada's art installation featuring sparkling-lucite skinned mannequins posed on luggage cases and next to handbags that made their way up the Prada store staircase.  Mannequins were even positioned in underground, glass-covered oval cases.

We made our way up Rodeo stopping to gawk and gaze at various store windows such as Juicy Couture, Harry Winston, Roberto Cavalli, and Yves St. Laurent.  We took a right on Santa Monica Blvd and made a quick stop at Crumbs bakery to drool over the delicious goodies, but kept going to head back down Beverly.  Two days later, Carla and I realized that we should have snagged one or two of those cupcakes for the road.  What were we thinking?  Next time we're buying up the joint.

Down Beverly were some "purchase-attainable" stores and restaurants such as Gap, VictoriasSecret, The Farm, and L'Occitanne.  We stopped in a couple shops and tried on shoes at Nine West where Carla bought a cute pair of black sandals. 

Carla and I are amateurs des fromages, or "lovers of cheese," so we couldn't pass up a drop by The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills to take a gander at all the cheeses and preserves on display.  Stacks of cheese wheels and even an enormous chunk of brie almost dripping over the side of a wooden board were prominently displayed across the cheese counter.  The tall shelves housed everything from speciality wines to jarred honeycomb.  As much as we considered ourselves to be cheese connoisseurs, we lasted about 5 minutes (enough time to sneak a photo) till the pungent aged cheese smell started making our sinuses hurt and we left and moved on.

Alas, a true Beverly Hills experience would not be complete without a pretentious store encounter.  As we made our way back to Via Rodeo we decided to pop-in at Jimmy Choo.  I've heard all the talk about Jimmy Choo heels and I wanted to see what all the hype was about.  It didn't serve us well that Carla was walking in with her Nine West bag, but we were quickly given the once-over by the five store attendants, who immediately stopped conversing upon our entrance.  Dressed in her combat boots and me in my white flats and jeans, Carla and I turned a blind eye and began browsing.  The only female store attendant rolled her eyes at us and gave us the "as if you can afford this" look.  Pshh.... we paid no attention to her and continued on perusing the shelves.  One of the store attendants even followed us from section to section as if we were going to steal something.  Please. Not like we could've run out with just a left shoe-- although that would've been a fun souvenir. We probably spent a good 10 minutes in the store and I made sure to touch as many items as possible (just to get under their skin) till we stepped out and bid Jimmy Choo a "good-riddance" goodbye. 

By this time we were ready for an afternoon snack so we waved to Rodeo and headed down Robertson for some gelato at Al Gelato.  Carla ordered the pear sorbet and I had the creme brule gelato (both highly recommended for a nice summery day like this).  As Carla was paying, we turned to have our one and only celebrity sighting of the day.  In the corner of the small shop, sitting at a tiny table for one was Dennis Farina having lunch.  Now, being the film stud that I am, obviously only referred to him as the "Snatch guy" until I was able to IMDB him for his real name.  We smiled at him and ended our day in Beverly Hills while snacking on our cold desserts.

Overall, not an overly expensive outing, but with the California sunshine and a nice stroll up and down Rodeo and beverly, it made for a great day to do brunch and window shopping in Beverly Hills.

The Day's Damage: $7.50 coffee/tea + $41 sturgeon/lox combo platter + $8 gelato = $56.50 Total
Item 1 & 2: check

Spicy Fish Soup at Pacific Fish Center

The fog rolled in as Laleanne and I pulled into the parking lot on the east side of the Redondo Beach pier. It was cold, a bit damp, windy and we were both wearing dresses, so a little speed walking was in order as we headed to our destination. The Pacific Fish Center is a Korean run seafood restaurant that usually has a line running out the door and onto the pier. The crowd is a mix of Korean families, Filipino couples and groups of Chinese students – insert one blonde haired blue eyed girl on a mission and you can picture the situation quite nicely.



Laleanne and I neared the front of the line where the photo menu is posted for easy ordering. The woman working behind the cash register assured us a small spicy fish soup would be enough for 2, so we took her word but ordered 2 other dishes as well just in case. As we waited for our number to be called, the line cooks plucked wriggling sweet shrimp and crabs from the tanks and plopped them on scales for weighing. This made for excellent entertainment and a good distraction to our growling bellies.



At last, our number was called out in Korean by a Hispanic host (probably one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen, this guy had memorized the numbers 1-100 in Korean!) We were seated next to the window, but we were too ravenous to notice the waves crashing below us or the pristine smell of the ocean. Waitresses whizzed past our table pushing carts piled high with live sweet shrimp, steamed crabs, platters of sashimi and bubbling pots of spicy fish soup. This was torture, we were starving.





Finally, our first dish was served – half a dozen oysters. Simply shucked, served on a plastic plate with lemon wedges, we dove in, adding dashes of Tabasco and cocktail sauce. These were Laleanne’s first oysters, and all I can say is, oysters better watch out, because she’s gonna eat you every chance she gets. Mild with a clean taste of the sea, these were a perfect beginning to some good eating.



A pile of steamed Manila clams in a broth of scallions, jalapeños and garlic was next. The tiny clams were plump and fragrant with the aromatics from the broth, which we sipped using makeshift spoons from the clam shells.



The spicy fish soup was something to behold, still bubbling, fiery red and laden with fish it was placed before us. Slivers of daikon, mushrooms, scallions, onions studded the broth of chili paste, ginger, garlic all perfuming the pieces of halibut and tofu – the stars of this soup. This soup is for those with adventurous palates, as all parts of the fish are used – fins, skin, tail and bones. But if that doesn’t make you flinch, you’ll enjoy every mouthful, I suggest ordering it spicy and pour it over steamed rice.



This place isn’t fancy, but service is prompt and without frills, and décor is non-existent. But with views of the sea, the jam-packed dining room and the chatter of satisfied diners, this is a place you can’t help but enjoy.

The Day’s Damage: $9 oysters + $11 clams + $20 fish soup + $4 water = $44 total
Item 3: Check

Grand Central Market & Fashion District

laleanne: Our first adventure took us to the heart of Los Angeles’ Historic district where we meandered around the Grand Central Market. This open-air market is a captivating medley for the senses. Aisle to aisle there are stands with fresh produce, barrels of beans and nuts, and even clear cases filled to the brim with unique Mexican spices. Immediately, you are hit with a smorgasbord of scents from all of the food vendors freshly grilling, sautéing, and frying made to-order meals. As usual, my sense of smell overwhelmed me and I was eager to eat anything handed to me—literally.

We made our first lunch stop at Sarita’s Pupuseria. Pupuseria? Is that Spanish for where they make Mexican pupu platters? Carla quickly defined “pupusa” for me as something similar to a pancake filled with savory goodness. I’m in! Officially a pupusa is a thick, hand-made corn biscuit-like flat bread, made using a maize flour dough that is stuffed with anything of your choice (cheese, vegetables, or meat). I chose a pupusa de hongos con queso (cheese and mushrooms) and Carla had a pupusa de jalapeno con queso (jalepenos and chese). Wrapped around Sarita’s stand is a counter with bar stools overlooking the cooking area. We perched up on some stools and watched the ladies pound, knead, and cook our pupusas. Served with a side of pickled cabbage and a bottle of a hot sauce, we went to town on our pupusas. Imagine a crisp pancake filled with cheese, paired with the tartness and crunch of some cabbage and the kick of hot sauce. Trust me, it’s tasty. Here’s the big plus, the pupusas are about $2.40 a piece. Cook up a couple of those, mix and match them if you want, and you could have a full meal for under $5.

carla: Next up, it was time to get our ceviche fix. Laleanne and I are huge supporters of Mariscos Chente, so any opportunity to satisfy our ceviche cravings elsewhere are always entertained. Maria’s Fresh Seafood at Grand Cetnral Market makes three kinds of ceviche: fish, shrimp & a mixture of the two. We ordered a pint of shrimp ceviche and headed to Las Morelianas as it was said to be the best spot for carnitas at the market. As we walked up to the stall, we were immediately handed a taco each filled with moist, delicious carnitas. This was a just a mere sample given to us in order to help our decision making, needless to say this did not make the ordering process any easier. Las Morelianas specializes in slow roasting the ‘whole hog’ – the results are delicious. Ears, skin, snout, feet, ribs, stomach, heart – they’ve got it all. Drizzle some mild tomatillo or fiery red salsa over top, and it’ll be the best $2.50 you’ll ever spend.



Once we had demolished our pupusas, ceviche, tacos & a Mexican Coke– we made a quick stop at the bathroom (btw it’ll cost you a quarter) and headed back to our meter on Hill street. As we approached the car, we realized the meter had expired 5 minutes prior so we were faced with one of LA’s finest slapping a fat ticket on my windshield. Begging and pleading didn’t help, we were now proud owners of a $50 parking story. About $10 for every minute we were late:) But no need to worry, we pulled a movie trick and put the ticket back on the windshield for free parking later on!



Fashion District

laleanne: For years I’ve had friends talk about the LA Fashion district and how it is the place to go to buy purses, shoes, and clothes for dirt cheap. Having never really ventured into LA, I imagined something close to the 3rd Street Promenade with different vendors on either side of the street selling fabric, knock off bags, couture clothing, and other items. Boy was I surprised to see what it’s really like. The LA Fashion District is literally building after building of street-style vendors selling everything you can imagine all crammed into a couple blocks of space. Vendors were even selling contact lenses! Now, I don’t suggest you go and buy contact lenses from a street vendor in downtown LA, but still—being able to have the option is intriguing and weird. People crowd the streets, pushing past each other trying to get to the next stall. If you’re looking for a knock-off Chloe, Dolce, or any other brand name bag—this is your place. I immediately eyed a great violet Chloe handbag in the first block (fake badge and all). Carla mentioned how odd it was that they would put the “fakies” in the front display cases—that’s asking for trouble. With the prospects of finding something better in a different store, we moved on with the intention of returning later.

carla: After winding our way through the crowds, and attempting countless negotiations for purses, boots and wallets, we headed into a store which made me very happy. Crazy pink patent stilettos, studded grey platform heels, open toe Gaga booties, prairie girl wedges – the walls were lined with the craziest of shoes. I left with a pair of black gladiators sandals covered in silver and gold grommets. 16 bucks, thank you very much! I also scored a flouncy tangerine tube top for 12 bucks. Happy happy!!

laleanne: So we hit all the stores on this main block and I had yet to find my “IT” bag. So we headed back to the very first stall for me to grab the Chole I saw earlier. To our surprise, the entire store was being reorganized. Guccis being moved to the back and all the blatant handbag knock-offs being scrambled around with the fake leather bags. Weird. Alas, I was too late. The stalls stupidity caught up with them and the store got raided. There goes my Chloe. Oh well, it wasn’t going to be my lucky day. Maybe our next trip for cheap bag and shoe hunts will be more profitable. So we started heading out but felt like a little snack, so we headed across downtown to Bottega Louie.

carla: With our parking ticket strategically placed on the windshield on Grand, we popped into Bottega Louie for a quick snack. Iced tea, a mini-turkey avocado baguette, raspberry tartlet and a chocolate cannele were all enjoyed sitting in the cavernous café space. All in all, this was an excellent way to start our list. Adventurous and unexpected to say the least!

The Day’s Damage: $5 pupusas + $4 ceviche +$7 carnitas ,coke &water + $4 parking + $16 sandals+ $12 top+ $5 parking+ $50 ticket = $103 total
Item 22 & 26: Check

The List

It all started with a conversation. Turned into a list. Now it’s a challenge.

In a quest to fully see and know the soul of Los Angeles, we’ve put together our list of 50 experiences that will bring us closer to becoming a true Angeleno.

Beverly Hills
1. Brunch at Barney Greengrass in BH
2. Window shop at Rodeo Drive

South Bay
3. Fish soup at Pacific Fish Center in Redondo
4. Hangar 18 for rock climbing
5. Explore San Pedro

Hollywood & Melrose
6. Hike up to Hollywood sign
7. Magic Castle
8. Roscoe’s chicken and waffles
9. Hike Runyon canyon

Culver City & Venice
10. Walk Venice Beach

Santa Monica
11. Typhoon Restaurant

La Cienega & West Hollywood
12. Pink’s Hot Dogs
13. Campanile – Thursday Grilled Cheese Night
14. Price is Right
15. The Bazaar

Downtown & MidCity
16. Edison - Wednesday
17. Great Los Angeles Walk
18. Find the best Chinese restaurant in Chinatown
19. Pastrami Sandwich from Langers Delicatessen
20. Drinks at Trader Vics
21. Downtown Art Walk
22. Visit LA fashion district
23. See a movie at the Million Dollar Theatre
24. An evening in K-Town to do Karaoke
25. French Dip sandwich at Coles Downtown
26. Lunch at Grand Central Market
27. Walt Disney Concert hall
28. Go to an LA Derby dolls match
29. Parks BBQ
30. Drinks at the Bona Vista lounge at the Bonaventure Hotel
31. $45 Omakase at Toshi Sushi

Westwood & West LA
32. Go to the Museum of Tolerance
33. Shabu Shabu

Los Feliz & Echo Park
34. Visit Historic Filipinotown

Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank & San Gabriel Valley
35. Picnic at Griffith Park and visit Griffith Observatory
36. Pizza at Casa Bianca

Beyond the Zone & Location TBD
37. A day at Del Mar Race Track
38. Tequila Tasting
39. Pub Crawl
40. Morning at the East Los Angeles Farmers Market
41. Midweek sample sale
42. Eat at 5 food trucks in one day
43. Go fruit and vegetable picking
44. Attend an LA Food Festival
45. Spur of the moment Vegas trip
46. Half Marathon
47. Sign up for a Flying lesson
48. Learn to drive stick shift
49. One Foot reflexology experience
50. Compare the top 3 LA Burger institutions
a. Apple Pan
b. Pie & Burger
c. Cassel’s Burger