yesterday, in san francisco, i got off the bart train a station too early so i had to walk down market from civic center to the union square area. this stretch of market is packed with homeless people sleeping, peeing in alleys, and asking me for change. why are the homeless in san francisco so much grosser looking than in la? maybe it has to do with them not getting as much sun or something.
Filed under: 3rd street, celebrities, fashion, los angeles, mid-city west, my neighborhood, people, shopping, the grove
chatted with solange knowles while in line at the gap in the grove. she was with her son and they had just seen bee movie. she is very pretty in person and seemed sweet and unpretentious. her son was very well behaved. i opened up a spider-man toy that his mom had just bought him while she was paying and she made sure that he said please and thank you. she bought a cashmere cardigan and horizontal striped scarf. i had no idea who she was until a friend told me after she left. can’t believe she is only 21, she must have had her son fairly young, i would have guessed that she was at least 26.
Filed under: being poor, crime, drama, ethical dilemmas, kindness, los angeles, people
so, i got a call from the police at 2 in the morning, they had my car, and had arrested the two people who were driving it on crenshaw. the girl in the driver’s seat was 16 and apparently a repeat offender. getting the car back took forever, at first they wouldn’t let me have it because they insisted that it was still stolen, even though you could see it in the impound lot. i know there are some very intelligent police officers out there, but i didn’t meet any yesterday.
the car is ok i think, although they smashed one of the side mirrors, broke one of the tail lights, the check engine light is on, the gps is gone, and someone wrote their initals on the glove compartment-door. unfortunately, everything that i had in the car (cds, chargers, gym clothes, owner’s manual and registration documents) are all gone.
the weirdest thing was that all of this girl’s stuff was in the car and it seemed like she had been living in it, sad. The police told me she was a “problem child” and that they were trying to put her in some kind of prison-school. i took all of her things (clothes, make-up, instant oatmeal, maxi-pads) and put them in a bag. my first thought was to take them to the police station and my second thought was screw that, that little bitch stole all my shit. her clothes are in the dryer now, i’m going to give them to out of the closet, they will probably give her a uniform at her new school. I feel kind of guilty, like i’m enforcing some petty lex talionis, but i do know, from personal experiance, that the worse the consequences, the better you learn your lesson… or would she be better inspired by a wronged stranger’s kindness? idk.
Filed under: 3rd street, architecture, being poor, celebrities, fashion, food, los angeles, mid-city west, my neighborhood, people, restaurants, shopping
this morning i received a (1 1/2 year late) welcome to the neighborhood from norm’s diner on la cienega along with a $10 gift certificate, cool. went there for lunch, interesting 1950’s modernist architecture, slow service, but a good tuna melt– not as good as canter’s or johnny rocket’s but better than swinger’s. I owed them 52 cents plus $2 tip. Appreciated the free lunch but probably won’t go back, canter’s, j.r.’s and swingers are all alot closer.
on the way back stopped at polkadots and moonbeams and ravishing resale on 3rd street. the woman who own’s ravishing resale was cool, funny and used to be a buyer for filene’s. admired an alligator skin gianfranco ferre motorcycle jacket she has. the girl at the resale p & m store was very sweet/funny, but the girls in the boutique p & m store didn’t even say hello to me, even though i was the only person in the store. when you are a boy and you go into a woman’s only boutique, one of two things happen– either they think that you are stylist or something and are super nice, or they think you have no clue where the hell you are and ignore you. i wish more resale places had men’s things… btw, if anyone needs a knee-length mohair cape, there is one on sale at polkadots and moonbeams for $40.
also, saw a decent pack of paparazzi outside of the vegan-organic place on la cienega. almost stopped to see who was inside, but i was hungry, and vegan food tastes like shit.
Filed under: 3rd street, celebrities, los angeles, mid-city west, my neighborhood, people, shopping, television, the grove
almost forgot, saw rachel miner (the s&m bisexual assistant / new agent on californication) today while shopping at the grove. i usually don’t get that excited about celebrity sightings, but californication is one of two shows that i’m obsessed with (the other being weeds). she looked great, the same in person as on the show. was walking with a handsome, skinny guy with long curly hair in tight jeans. also, just happened to be watching a rerun of sex and the city, “twenty-something girls vs. thirty-something women”, and recognized her as “laurel” the girl saving herself for marriage who was obsessed with carrie. hopefully they continue her charachter in season 2, i liked her.
http://imdb.com/name/nm0001540/
Filed under: beverly center, budget luxury, fashion, food, friends, los angeles, mid-city west, my neighborhood, people, shopping
today i met my friend sophia at the beverly center to do some shopping for a merchandising project and have some dinner. sophia is from gothenburg, which is the second largest city in sweden, but before los angeles, she lived in london, so she has a really beautiful, interesting accent. we went to h&m, where i bought these beautiful floral scarves, j. lindberg (also a swedish store), and the new guess where they had free hors d’oeuvre and drinks and a funky tribal dj, then for coffee at the coffee bean at robertson and beverly. i put one of the scarves behind my neck, under the arms, and tied it in the back, almost like a policeman’s shoulder holster so that it was just visable around my neck and along the edge of my blazer’s lapels. i thought it had an elegant effect.
i love having friends from other countries. it makes me feel cosmopolitan and sophisticated.
Filed under: 3rd street, buddhism, kindness, los angeles, mid-city west, my neighborhood, people
today, as i was walking along 3rd street to meet my friend sophia at the beverly center, i saw a guy dressed in saffron-colored buddhist monk’s robes riding a skateboard and feeding the meters as he passed. i wish i had my camera on me, it was pretty cool.
Filed under: 3rd street, beverly center, books, budget luxury, food, friends, los angeles, mid-city west, my neighborhood, people, shopping, the grove
- slept in ’till 10,
- got a surprise im from sunny in togo and talked for about an hour,
- picked up fresh apples, bananas, squash, and mint at the farmer’s market and a baguette from monsieur marcel,
- found an ettiquette book i had to have at anthropologie and (i hope) the perfect gift for sunny at borders.
- watched people decorate the enourmous christmas tree at the grove,
- met sophia on robertson for some more shopping and coffee.
this is a picture i took last summer of the stand i buy my fruit and veggies from at the farmer’s market.
Filed under: being poor, beverly center, budget luxury, fashion, food, los angeles, mid-city west, my neighborhood, plans, shopping, sunglasses
holy shit. i walked into solctice at the beverly center today and fell in love with these ($420) sunglasses- but with brown leather. the saleswoman asked if i wanted to try them on and i resisted for .01 seconds. i swear they must have dipped these shades in crack. i finally managed to get them off when i realized the chick was reaching for the security button.
- related note: if you are in the west hollywood/beverly hills/mid-wilshire area, in the mood for taking your lunch with a spectacular view, and only have 5 bucks to spend, hit the food court on the 7th floor of the beverly center. enjoy everything from sbarro to panda (okay just the typical shitty food court stuff) but you’re really there for the atmosphere. the inside feels like just another mall anywhere, but walk around the corner to the outdoor patio and your table for one (or two if you’re a really poor/resourceful date) awaits you. $5 panda special + $1,000,000 view = a bit of luxury on a buget. (bonus! it’s always empty on the weekdays). to me, there is nothing more luxurious than privacy.
anyway, getting back to business, i loved these freakin’ specs so much i looked them up online where they were going for $281! that’s $140 off retail! fortunately, as i was typing in my visa #, i realized that if i can’t afford $420 sunglasses i can’t afford $280 sunglasses either. (but i would accept a gift).
and so i wait, for the perfect pair of $20 sunglasses.
