A solid recession package

Wondering how to still enjoy yourself thoroughly in this less than ideal market?  I know I am...so here is what I have discovered over the last few months to wile the time away in lovely LA.  

In no particular order...

1. Edison weekly Soup Kitchen Fridays.  Check this sweet spot downtown out from 5-7pm Friday nights and receive 1 drink ticket allowing you either a Gin Daisy or Bourbon Sour for the measly price of 35 cents!  Added bonus?  A mini grilled cheese and shot of tomato soup.  Tips reccomended, I mean I usually hand the bartender a dollar.  You can find me in the dark leather chairs in the back by the bathroom, sipping on my 30's era drink :)

108 W. 2nd St, La

2. The Fold at SilverLake Lounge, Residency Mondays.  This dive bar up on Sunset books great bands, and is free every Monday!  I love this spot because one local band has a month-long residency, showing up every Monday, accompanied by 3-4 other live acts, playing their sweet sounds to a varied crowd.  As of late, this is where I discovered the Local Natives (see post below).  I recommend checking out their website, www.foldsilverlake.com, to see which bands you want to see and what time you should get there!

2906 Sunset, Silverlake

3. Dresden Room, Marty and Elaine.  This classic bar/lounge/restaurant up in Los Feliz is fabulous because of this dynamic live act.  Remember them in Swingers?  There's no cover, and the drinks are strong and cheap.  I like the Martini (I like mine dirty with vodka and 2 olives).  Go on Wednesday nights for open mic and dare to share...maybe you'll pick up someone special for the weekend.

1760 N. Vermont, Los Feliz

4. Cheap movie tickets, Los Feliz 3.  The tickets are $6 before 6 pm, and they always show new and appealing films!  You can also hop on over to Fred 62 or Dresden for drinks and dinner afterwards...

1822 N. Vermont

5. The Used CD collection, Amoeba Records.  Pretty self-explanatory, ranging from 3-8 bucks a pop and mostly dependable and working, I can spend hours here.

6400 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood

6. Appreciating the splendor of LA from up above, Hiking Griffith Park.  You guessed it: Free!

4730 Crystal Springs Dr, La

7. Volunteer Beach Clean-ups, Heal the Bay.  Want to spend some time on the beautiful beaches of LA and feed your social and environmental conscious at the same time?  Yay, so do I!  

www.healthebay.org/volunteer

8.  Bike riding en masse, Critical Mass.  Want to assert your right to the road, on a bike, with a large group of awesome cyclists?  Check this out, it's once a month and happens in many large cities across the globe!

http://critical-mass.info

So, 8 is my lucky number, which means I'm stopping my sharing there.  More to come soon, but for now, I hope I have provided at least a few weeks worth of fun, cheap, musical, and environmentally friendly options for you recession busters out there!

P.S.  I am now adding my favorite song of the day (or maybe more appropriately of the post).

Today's is:  "You could write a book" by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (SSLYBY)

www.myspace.com/boris

and until next time, "you can tell the fruit tress that I'm alright" 

FUEL!

A quick side note-the award winning documentary film I have been helping with for the past 6 months, FUEL, is playing in theaters in Los Angeles, and soon in New York.  GO SEE THIS FILM, it is incredible and documents alternative energy in a way no other film has ever done before.  My boss, Josh Tickell, was featured on the Jay Leno Show last evening talking about it.  This is an empowering, insightful, educational, fun film....go to www.thefuelfilm.com to learn more about why I have learned to love going green :)

Like being on...

So for a long time now, I have been meaning to start publishing content online--my ideas, thoughts, perceptions, interpretations, free flow, etc.  Actually, Yelp kick-started this yearning of sorts.  If you don't know what Yelp is, google it now.   I swear it will change your life.

For me, it all began living in New York City this summer, working a desk job in which I wasn't very stimulated, and having the opportunity to plan each night for 3 friends and myself.  With the discovery of the genius that is Yelp, I began to write my own rants after my nightly explorations and adventures, fueled by the good and bad reviews on the rating website.  About a month into writing reviews, I began to get friend requests, positive feedback, and comments like "Write more!"  And with this, a light bulb fluttered on in my under-worked brain.  "Start a blog!" it said enthusiastically.  Cue other voice: "But what about?"  Light Bulb number 1: "Maybe you should wait and really consider drastic action like this..." Other voice: "Cool, procrastination is my speciality."

Now, 7 months later-yes, 7 months, the light bulb has arisen victorious.

Why Harmonies and Greenery you may ask?  Well, for starters, my 2 favorite things to do in life are listen to/play/participate in music, and advocate/learn about/work on the green movement, environmentalism, and sustainable living.  Until last night, Monday, February 16, 2009, after a long and wonderfully exhausting trip to Las Vegas and after attending a free concert on minimal amounts of sleep, I had thought that I could only blog about 1 theme.  This in retrospect was  a product of my academic training, and lack thereof of exposure to frameworks in creative writing.  See 4 words behind, frameworks, and you will understand the extent to which I have been using research and academic writing skills almost to the point of no return back to my own true voice (let's hope not!).  The show last night was at the Silverlake Lounge (www.foldsilverlake.com) in east Los Angeles.  It was their residency band of the month, Local Natives (www.myspace.com/localnatives) along with 3 other indie rock/folk type groups.  Whether it was the combination of variables (add 1 part lack of sleep to 2 parts ridiculous instrumental-ism and stage presence) or whether it was simply the Local Natives' sound, I was hypnotized.  It was like being on... drugs without the substance.

That's when it came to me.  Music and environmental awareness--or in this case, Harmonies and Greenery.  "Why not?" said Light Bulb number 1, and finally, the Other voice said "Yes, why not."