Cinespia - Movie in Hollywod Forever Cemetery

Cinespia is probably one of the best kept secrets (or not so secret) events in Los Angeles.  It is...a movie, at night, in a cemetery.  Not just any cemetery, Hollywood Forever Cemetery.  I say it's not so secret because it's been featured in everything from LA Magazine to the NY Times and Wall Street Journal.  All of the press and it still has a neighborhood feel.

It's the 10th season of this wonderful summer event and it seems to get better with time.  I'm not quite sure how it got started but it's definitely grown in popularity.  We went this past Sunday and ran into a couple that has been coming every year since it started.  They said that night was the largest crowd they've ever seen by far.  It could have been that it was the Sunday before Memorial Day or because Young Frankenstein was playing but it was packed.  We arrived an hour before the gates were supposed to open and there were already ~200 people there.  They roped off rows for people to wait in on the grass so groups were picnicking and drinking wine while waiting.  We were in the last row of grass, everyone behind us had to wait on the sidewalk so we were lucky. We put our blankets down, popped open a bottle of wine and started snacking.  It was a fairly warm day and the sun was just beginning to set.  It was great to spend time people watching and enjoying the night.  We bought tickets online ahead of time so we were guaranteed a spot for the movie.  Apparently the ticketing use to be donation based at the gate but now it is recommended buying online where the only option is $10 (still cheaper than the movie theater.) 

Around 7:00, when the gates were supposed to open, people started standing up.  They started letting people in slowly but surely.  It took about 45 min for us to actually get through the gate.  We walked down the main path of the cemetery to find a very crowded grassy section with people sitting, facing the mausoleum.  It looked like people had been there for quite awhile with tables set up and candles lit.  We walked through sites to find a little area near the back of the main section but right in the center.  We put down our blankets and set up our camp.  We only had blankets so it was easy.  We continued to eat and drink while the DJ played music.  As it got darker it got much colder.  Around 8:30 the movie started.

The picture and sound was great on the movie.  We had to reposition ourselves quite often because it's hard sitting on the ground for so long.  I even ended up laying down and falling asleep for a bit towards the end.  When the movie finished it was pretty cold by that point.  Everyone headed out, in the dark following the person in front of them.

If you go (which you should!) here are some tips!
1) Get there early
2) Bring low sitting chairs
3) Bring warm blankets, it gets cold at night
4) Make a fancy picnic, some people had awesome looking meals, I was a bit jealous
5) Bring a flashlight, in case you need to go to the bathroom when it's dark
6) Don't pay for parking, park in the neighborhood and walk
7) Even better...ride your bike if you're close enough
8) Buy your tickets online, it will guarantee you a spot if you get there late

Movies are typically on Saturday nights, check the website for movies and start times.

Starling Diner

The Starling Diner is right around the corner from me, literally in my back yard and I had no idea it was there.  The diner blends into the neighborhood so well that you can pass it and not even realize it's a restaurant.  That was the creators intention.  Not that they didn't want to be recognized but they wanted to blend in and be apart of the neighborhood. Settled in the quaint Long Beach neighborhood of Belmont Heights the Starling Diner is a great fit.

We decided to go on a Saturday morning around 10am.  The restaurant was packed inside and out but the waitlist wasn't long. We waited outside for about 10 minutes and had the opportunity to look at everyone plates.  It all looked delicious. I really needed some good food and coffee because we threw a party the night before and were still recovering :)

Inside, the decor of the diner is warm and homey in a good way.  We sat down and immediately was brought water and much needed coffee.  After glancing over the short menu we ordered their signature Broiled San Francisco Stuffed French Toast and the Apple Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scramble, and would share both.  Everything on the menu sounded good but we were happy with our selection.

When the food came it looked better than I could have imagined.  I started with the scramble and Grete started with the French Toast.  The eggs were savory, flavorful, and filling.  All of the ingredients tasted fresh and cooked to perfection. For the french toast we choose the seasonal cherries for our topping.  It was almost like desert.  Stuffed with creamy Mascarpone and crème fraiche every bite was amazing.  Splitting both plates  really made the meal because it was like we had dessert after a entree.  On top of all the good food, the bill was about $23 including our coffee's.  Amazing food at an amazing price, you just can't beat it.  By the time we left there was quite a long wait, around 30 minutes.  I'm glad we got there when we did.

I really wish I would have known there was this amazing diner so close to me.  This is a place that I say go out of your way for, everyone should try to get here. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Santa Monica Pier

The Santa Monica Pier has to be up there on the list of most photographed places in LA.  I've been before but this time I went with one intention - to ride the Pacific Ferris Wheel.  The pier is picturesque.  On the water, it has a great beach vibe, an aquarium, and an amusement park all in one place.  It is a landmark that cannot be duplicated.

 The pier originally opened in September 1909.  The first roller coaster, The Blue Streak Racer was put in in 1916.  The pier flourished through the decades with rides being replaced or updated or even shut down.  Attractions were added and it quickly became a destination spot for tourist and locals alike. In 1983 a pair of storms wiped out nearly 1/3 of the pier however the people of the community came together, raised money, and it was rebuilt by 1990.  In 1996 the last major addition was added to the pier, the Pacific Park which brought back the full scale amusement park with coasters and an old fashion carousel.

 

Ideally I wanted to ride the Ferris wheel while the sun was going down but because of other constraints ended up there at night. We got to the pier around 8ish and it was quite dark.  It was a breezy weeknight so it wasn't as crowded as I  expected however there were a lot of tweens running around. We bought our tickets to the Ferris Wheel which were $5 each.  There was a short line but they take your picture while you wait (to of course sell you later).  The ride was about 5 min but it stopped frequently to let  people get on and off.  The view at the top was still amazing even though it was dark.  After our ride we went to the arcade and played a couple of games of skeeball before taking off.

The pier would be a great 1st or 2nd date activity. There are street vendors and lots of concessions and restaurants.  If you go in the winter check the calendar for time for the rides because the hours are limited.

Ramenya - Japaneese Noodle Soup

I've been told Ramenya is the best place in LA for Ramen! The funny thing is it's no where near Little Tokyo.  The website is modest, and features some of their top picks.  I love Asian soups so I was definitely on board to try it out.

We went on a weekday for lunch and arrived around noon.  We were waiting for a third so they asked us to wait to be seated until our party was complete.  We waited in the chairs they have outside the restaurant.  Inside, it was fairly crowded, as people left more people came.  After 20 min. or so I began to worry that we would have to go on the wait list once my friend arrived.  Since there was still a table open Grete and I decided to take a seat and let our friend Jeff catch up once he got there.

Everyone inside was having some sort of soup.  The menu was not overwhelming but everything looked really good.  I'm not schooled in ramen so I didn't really know the differences between the offerings outside of what the description indicated.  I decided on the Aho Noodle which is their garlic ramen. From the look of other people's bowls the 1 order would be enough for Grete and I to share.  We also got an appetizer of gyoza (Japaneses potsticker) just in case.

The potstickers were amazing and the soup came not too long after.  The bowl was huge, the soup was piping hot and smelled amazing.  Now, just fair warning, if you go and get this soup, it is FULL of garlic.  It was great, because I love garlic, but there are literally whole cloves floating in the soup.  They even have garlic cooked multiple ways.  Of course I doctored my soup a bit by adding some rooster sauce (my new favorite condiment.)  We finished the whole bowl.  The meal was incredibly satisfying.  This could be my new go to for the cold days in Chicago very near in my future. It's good we took our seats because when we were leaving there was a long line of people waiting.  Jeff ended up meeting us later in the day, instead of joining us for lunch.

If you're looking for something different, or maybe not so different just something good, grab some soup from Ramenya!  They're open from 11:30 - 9:30 everyday except Wednesday (closed).  Just bring cash because that is all they take :)

San Pedro Art Walk

Even though San Perdo, the self declared Edge of LA, is so close to Long Beach I had never been to the town before so I thought what better way to see it than through an Art Walk.  Their Art Walk is every 1st Thursday of the month.  We wandered down there this past month which happened to be Cinco de Mayo, so it was an especially festive event.  They have a free 1 hour tour that people can jump on if you're not familiar with the area or just want a little more direction.

We met at the Chamber of Commerce which is where the tour starts.  We were a few minutes early so we were led to the Chamber's board room and gallery for some light snacks and wine.  Most art walks or gallery events feature wine so this wasn't surprising.  We talked with the other patrons who all seemed to be regulars.  Promptly at 6:30 we headed outside to meet a larger group waiting for the tour.  The docent mentioned this was one of the largest tours they have ever had.

We went to 3 galleries on the tour the 1st being Studio 345 where artists Pat Woolley and Gloria Lee had a variety of their own acrylics and watercolors. It was mostly non objective works by Gloria and French village scenes watercolors by Pat, who lives part time in Provence.  We were also able to see their workspace which is in the back of the gallery.  Our second stop was the Croatian Cultural Center which featured 10 artists of Mexican descent.  This was great for Cinco de Mayo because there was Mexican art and lots of Mexican food and drinks.  Very festive and appropriate for the walk.  The last stop on the tour was the Annie Appel Photo Studio for the exhibit Afterglow by Amy Chambers.  Her images were colorful and summer like.  She is a self taught photographer doing very original work.  She also uses a common digital camera (not an SLR) and a photo printer at a local drugstore.


The art district in San Pedro is very cute.  There is a huge difference from where the galleries start to the rest of the city that we saw.  The downtown has a regentrified, urban-chic feel. There are 26 galleries and over 30 restaurants around the art area.  The next walk is this coming Thursday, June 2nd.  If you're looking for a fun, free, relaxing outing you should go to the San Pedro Art Walk!

Pinks Hot Dogs

Pink's Hot Dogs!!! They claim they are the most famous hot dog stand in the country.  I'm not sure about that, but it's probably the most famous one in Los Angeles. Without a doubt!

The stand was started by Paul Pink in 1939.  It was a push cart in those fays.  The oversized dog had chili (his wife Betty's recipe), with a large warm bun, mustard, and oinos which sold for 10 cents.  In 1946 Paul traded the cart for a building which is where it stands now.


The menu offerings are spectacular.  I can't even count how many different dogs they have but it's insane.  They have multiple dogs named after celebrities who frequent the stand. Some of the celebrity dogs include the Martha Stewart dog with mustard, relish, onions, chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut, bacon, and sour cream.  Another is the Rosie O'Donnell Long Island Dog which is a 10" dog topped with mustard, onions, chili and sauerkraut. The Huell Howser Dog is a standard chili dog with two of the regular hot dogs on a single bun while the Ozzy Spicy Dog named for Ozzy Osbourne features a polish sausage, nacho cheese, american cheese, grilled onions, guacamole, and chopped tomatoes.

We went on a weekday around noon.  They only accept cash so we had to find a BOA ATM before getting in line.  We were gone for maybe 20 minutes and by the time we got back the line had doubled.  It took about 30 minuets to get through the line to order but it gave us time to decide what we wanted, which was extremely hard.  I must have changed my mind 3 or 4 times but finally settled on The Mullholland Drive Dog which has a 9" stretch dog with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, nacho cheese (I subbed the nacho cheese for american cheese), and bacon!


Grete got a Martha Stewart Dog which is mentioned above.  We ordered our dogs and as soon as we payed our dogs were ready.  They looked SPECTACULAR, and also like a heart attack on a plate, but oh what a way to go.  There was so much on both of the dogs that it was hard to eat.  Grete ended up using a fork which I thought was quite funny.  I was able to finish my dog without using utensils.  With all the stuff that was on it, I'm hesitant to call it a hot dog but it was probably the best one I've ever had! I ate it all!  It was soo good.












If I were you, I'd go out of my way to get to this place.  They have opened some places in Vegas and around LA like LAX and Knotts but it's not the same.  Go to the original and experience the real deal!  It will be hard to find something that you won't want to eat.  They even have veggie dogs.  They open at 9:30am everyday and close in the wee hours of the morning.  No Excuse!

Milk

Milk is an all around cafe.  They have food, a bake shop with yummy desserts, and they're an ice cream parlor.  The food menu includes hot pressed sandwiches, salads, and soups -- it all looked good but I was there for dessert. They have a slew of cookies and cakes, most notably the blue velvet cake.  Unfortunately I did not get a chance to try it this trip but instead opted for a selection from the ice cream parlor.  For a place named milk I had to try some of the homemade ice cream so I got a strawberry shortcake milkshake. It had vanilla ice cream, malted milk, strawberry sorbet and buttery crunch cookie crumble.

It took a few minutes to make the shake but when it came it looked like a lot of care had gone into it. It was creamy on the top, with delicious vanilla bean ice cream, whipped cream, and strawberry syrup.  Then, we I got to the bottom there was a nice surprise!  Strawberry Sorbet.  It was light and crisp compared to the comparably heaviness of the ice cream.  Of course, I could not finish it alone so Grete helped me!  We both loved it.  If we end up here next time we will get blue velvet cake.  I hear its to die for :)