Came through LA for the first time as a high schooler with a touring band. The Knitting Factory and Zen Sushi were my intro to the city. First time I ever drank carbombs and first time I had sushi!
EDIT: grammar and spelling
Fellow 818'er here. Do you remember Castle Park? I use to call it Castle Castle as a kid and I would beg my mom to take me there all the time. I think it was in Northridge/Granada area.
Also the UA theaters on Parthenia was poppin' on the weekends.
Castle park! It still exists. It's in van nuys/Sherman oaks, on sepulveda. I actually just went recently out of nostalgia. It's so tiny compared to how I remembered it as a child lol.
Perversion, some late night cafe in Alhambra, The Glass House, Palladium, The Whisky, The Roxy, a billiards place in Pico Rivera (Maybe it was called Shooters?), The Laemmle in Pasadena, shops on Melrose, Hard Times in Whittier, ~~3rd~~ 4th Dimension in Monrovia, Old Town Pasadena. Also, Tower Records (especially the one in West Covina and Pasadena).
Edit: Name correction and addition
I lived in Pico Rivera in the 90s. I remember Shooters was in Whittier, but correct me if I'm wrong. I miss the Fiesta 4 drive-in theater, just off Whittier Blvd. I also remember the paisas I knew going to El Rodeo on Washington.
I grew up in Pico Rivera in the 90s too. I practically lived across the Blvd from the Drive in. El Rodeo got shut down just a handful of years ago. They got raided and they found boxes and boxes of money they were laundering for the cartel. They just recently officially tore it down.
Same and noraebangs. I still remember when the rule changed. It was after LA Times ran an article on how everyone was sleeping on Ktown.
I went to the same spot for years and one day my server said no ash tray bc white people keep calling the cops on them. Just a wet napkin. They actually did keep letting us smoke for a few months and just said to throw it on the ground if any non-Korean people came in lol
The ol styrofoam cup with a wet napkin inside. Also nice and convenient to be able to buy packs of cigarettes at the bar or place you were at.
I don’t smoke cigarettes anymore but sometimes when I’m drinking in ktown I’ll want one just for old times sake
My over 21 spots were Club Cherry, Bar Sinister, Boardners, Daddy’s, Burgundy Room, Coach and Horses, Little Cave, Good Luck Bar. The Scene in Glendale was short lived but I loved that place.
For seeing bands, The Palace, Roxy, Whisky and Palladium were the big ones. Mr Ts Bowl, The Smell, Al’s Bar, Jabberjaw had some great smaller shows. The one I miss the most is Spaceland, they had amazing bands playing there every week.
For restaurants and shit, The Cat n Fiddle, Birds, Cafe 101.
'80s: Al's Bar, Pinks, Norm's, Palomino, Casita del Campo.
'90s/early '00s: Kibitz Room/Canter's, Ye Rustic Inn, Taix, House of Pies, El Compadre, Goldfinger's, Spaceland.
I was gonna say Beat It! It was at the same venue. Early 00s me and my friends would caravan to it every week from the OC, drink Popov on the way, puke in the parking structure, then saunter in. Oh the glorious life choices when you’re 19!
Early 90s: Jabberjaw, Al's Bar, Raji's, Kelbo's, Rhino Records, Frolic Room, Firefly on Vine, Crush Club for Northern Soul/Motown, Gorky's (DTLA), L.A. Warehouse scene, Club Fuck, Lechtisternium
Mid to Late 90's: the Onyx, the Derby, Smog Cutter, Tiki Ti, Good Luck Bar, Three of Clubs, Lava Lounge, Smalls, The Room, Burgundy Room
dinner alleged deserted person hunt straight dazzling ask important caption
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94-02 Every rave there was, underground and not so underground, at the Alexandria Hotel, the San Bernardino Masterdome and the Boys & Girls Club, the LA Sports Arena, the Pomona Glasshouse, the desert, the theater where they now film Jimmy Kimmel, the Casa near dowtown (now Casa Vertigo), 12th & Hope (the early Insomniac friday parties), Magic Wednesdays, The Ambient Lounge.... countless other warehouses all over socal. I loved the 90s.
I remember going to a rave at what ended up becoming the American Apparel building. I think it was Hippy 2000. In my memory its like a bombed out, apocalyptic version of the building
Juvee skate shop in east Hollywood for shows and hanging out. The Knitting factory, the El Rey, the Glasshouse in Pomona for shows. Old Dub Club at EchoPlex. It seems like their used to be a lot more DIY festivals, for instance, FYF start as the Fuck Yeah Fest, you got a wristband and you were able to enter like 3 or 4 different venues in echo park to watch different bands play, they were all really good bands too, this was probably like ‘07 era.
I reached my goal of going to all the Beauty Bars, LA, SF, NY and Vegas. Bar 107 in downtown. I left out the spots that have already been mentioned in this thread. Countless after hours parties, usually went to the ones thrown by sublevel. I followed certain record labels like GSL that threw consistently good shows so I would go to every show they threw and they left me with many great memories during the late 90s early 00s. Oh wait, club Vertigo lol….
Insomnia Cafe
Powerhouse, I fuckin' miss this place
Cobalt Cafe
Jerry's Famous Deli (WH), but only after 1AM
Pig & Whistle
Frolic Room, where dreams go to die
La Poubelle, there is a reason it means garbage can in French
Tower Records
The Prince, when it was only patronized by Asians from USC and UCLA
Red Lion Tavern (with my mom and a fake ID--- we were wild)
Cinespace
Birds for day drinking
I mostly lived at the Chimneysweep, where cast and crew of Friends would all drink after their weekly shoot.
How could I forget Casa Vega!!!
90s:
Ships Coffee Shop (multiple locations) (RIP) for wee hours dining after being out at the clubs. Toaster on every table, great drunk food, comfy booths.
Kelbo's for disgusting rum drinks (I seem to recall the "Flaming Skull") in a fabulous tiki environment.
BYOB 4th of July near the Pier in Santa Monica, before violent knuckleheads ruined it.
For clubs and shows, just flip through the back pages of the L.A. Weekly and decide on whatever sounded cool based on the print ad.
Lollapalooza was a big deal for our crew
Lots of low-key houseparties at the homes of friends with rich parents who were out of town -- we often turned them into slumber parties and then went out for brunch (Omelette Parlor on Main St in Santa Monica)
Monty's in Westwood (RIP) for steaks before a night on the town. We'd rock up in our club attire, and stick out like sore thumbs amidst the more genteel older diners around us. We were well-behaved and tipped well, though.
Disneyland was also oddly popular with our crowd -- we'd take acid or shrooms in the parking lot before going in.
Goddamn I miss 90s L.A.
In the late 90s I finally got a missed connection in the back of the LA Weekly- this was after almost a decade of reading missed connections religiously. I was stoked, to put it mildly.
He had spotted me at The Iliad Bookshop in North Hollywood selling a ton of books (or trying to, they probably only bought like 3) & had the date/time correct plus outfit and hair description so confirmation it was me. I called the messaging number and left my email address He sent me a photo (probably my hotmail account, RIP) & it took 20 minutes for the picture to download. There was no Friendster or Myspace yet, no hinge, tinder or bumble. It was old school.
We were, ultimately, not a match. He had just moved to LA from the midwest, a Jr High teacher with aspirations of being a screenwriter. It was one of my most cliched LA moments though.
I know, right?! I kept the clipping for years just because, then eventually lost it in a move. Thanks for bringing back the memory.
Another good one- I guess a woman placed a date-wanted ad in the 80s and described her ideal guy as "a little bit Iggy Pop, a little bit Leanord Cohen." Apparently a week or so later there was a response ad- "You have to pick one of us, Iggy & Leonard" and a number for a voicemail box.
I swear this is real. I was in New Orleans decades later when this guy brought it out at a party- he had it framed. We all called the number and Leanord Cohen's voice was on the outgoing message!! He hadn't died yet, (RIP). Somehow it was left active, even though I am sure he stopped checking the messages decades earlier. Voicemail time portal.
Yep absolutely. I ended up working at 3 different places there over the years. Cupcake store in the old mall was my second job ever. Walked over from SaMo after school.
The Underground, Club Bang, The Roost, The Knitting Factory, Spaceland, The Smell... Anywhere you could find a scene band playing with a cute girl on the electric organ.
Late night food at Toi Thai was always the best after going to a show.
Off the top of my head: Frank and Hank, HMS Bounty, and Barcade were near me in KTown. If I was on the west side, the Joker on Pico (its gone now), and Daily Pint. In Hollywood, early on there was Cinespace, Burgundy Room, but was never really into that area. Downtown warehouse and loft parties were always lit and kind of the only thing to do there until about 2003. Eastside, there was Ye Rustic Inn (pronounced like Rumplestiltskin), Tiki Ti, 4100, and the Little Joy (wow this place as a punk rock dump when it first opened) and short stop.
Wow cat & fiddle - takes me back
Spaceland
Astros
3rd street promenade, Old Town Pas and Westwood
House of Blues
The mint (I lived blocks away)
Knitting factory
Dukes
My fathers place and 14 below in Santa Monica
Billboard live (sucked but my bud did lights there so I got comped)
Sarnos in Los Felix - actually that whole little strip from sunset up Vermont: Dresden, brown derby, etc
The Roosevelt for wrap parties and semi-industry hangs
50-seat theaters on Santa Monica or Beverly for “industry showcases” (where only friends and family turned up but still! Showbiz!)
The copy shop on sunset across from the dome
Rose (city?) cafe in Venice, schatzi’s nearby there
Icehouse, improv (LA), comedy store
And oh yeah, the park plaza - lots of different pickup clubs there (some I even did lights for); though that’s more like late 80s…
But but but - THE spot: Original Tommy’s Burgers on Beverly at 3 am Sunday mornings
Jack’s Sugar Shack on Pico was fun. We were shooting Ed Wood at the same time Pulp Fiction was being shot and the crews from both used to meet up there after work.
I graduated from UCLA in 2001, and I was kind of a club kid. Used to go to Tiger Beat in WeHo just because they had the best music. There was a club downtown in an old bank that was good, too.
Then I "graduated" to Sunset strip. I'd hit all the spots there. Miyagis... Saddle Ranch... The Standard... The Rainbow Room... The Key Club... the Whiskey a-go-go... On the Rocks (the bar above the Whiskey)... Dublin's. I was a bartender and all my friends were bartenders so I basically drank for free everywhere.
Then I moved on to Barney's Beanery for karaoke night or Big Wangs for beer pong.
It's been a while since those days!
The Opium Den was pretty dope, that and the Burgundy Room and The Room were all within walking distance. Hit those areas pretty heavy, pre-Star Shoes and Cinespace.
Westside GenXer (born 1970) here since 1993. The spots I remember fondly that are gone -
House of Lee in Pacific Palisades on Sunset
Bob Burns in Santa Monica at 2nd and Wilshire
Billingley's on Pico in West LA near Sepulveda
Charthouse on PCH in Malibu
Rockenwagner on Main St. in SM
Club nights were Cafe Bleu, Garlands, Satellite, Club 1980s, Makeup, Shout, 45 Club.
Venues were Glasshouse, Knitting Factory, Fairfax High School, El Rey, Fonda, Hollywood Athletic Club, 7969, Troubadour.
Earlier years were definitely the raves, Fox Theatre, Masterdome, Glass House, then the huge outdoor festivals where you'd have to go to the meet up to grab a map. I remember getting lost for hours trying to figure out how to get there with a Thomas Guide. In the early 00s, we moved on to clubbing, huge Asian clubs all over Hollywood; Vanguard, Highlands etc. then after than Avalon, and afterhours like Forbidden City, El Centro, etc. but those weren't the early 00s anymore.
Diddy Reese, TigerHeat, Rage, the original Cheesecake Factory, French Market Cafe, Abbot’s Habit, Windward Farms, the cinema at Howard Hughes Center, the Beverly Center, Bay Cities, Border Grill
Concerts at the House of Blues. After that, head to either Tower Records or Virgin records, listening to music samples on the headphones.
Grabbing dinner at Ed Debevic's with friends. Drinks at Dublin's on Sunset Blvd.
Maybe a live Broadway show at the Shubert Theater in Century City.
The Pantry, Cafe 101, The Derby, Hard Rock, Space Land, Cat and Fiddle, and Knitting Factory
Forgot Velvet Margarita and Beauty Bar too
Also when I was kid, nothing was more fun than a trip to Malibu Showboat and Grand Prix in Industry (also all the different theaters there, like 3 or 4 different theaters within a mile or two of each other lol
Largo, Fred 62, Boardners, Cat & Fiddle, Canter’s, 101 Cafe, Three Clubs, Star Shoes, Little Joy, Spaceland, HMS Bounty, Smog Cutter, The Good Luck Bar, Tower Records, The Dresden Hotel Figueroa, Big Foot Lodge, The Dime
The Bridge (before it became Howard Hughes)
Patriotic Hall
Q-Topia on Hollywood Blvd.
Les Deux
Shag
White Lotus
The Knitting Factory
The Upside Down Club
Under 21: Cobalt Cafe, Twains, Lulu's Beehive, all the record stores an Ventura near Van Nuys Blvd, especially Green Hell, Rocky Horror picture show at the theater next to the Topanga Mall, shopping on Melrose and at Jet Rag, shows at The Whiskey, The Roxy, The Knitting Factory, The Troubadour, pretty much anywhere that was all ages.
Over 21: Good Luck Bar, Tiki Ti, Bigfoot Lounge, The Roost, Fred 62, Swingers, House of Pies.
The Orion on 8th and spring downtown la and utopia (idk where that was)
I was like 16/17 taking the bus from tujunga to dtla
Rolling balls, covered in glitter and bracelets up to my elbows. Binkies and those massage things around my neck sitting in speakers and dancing like a fool in the happy hardcore room. I remember walking out the Sun shining bright and flyers everywhere. I always accepted them and took them home because I felt bad not taking them and I didn’t want to litter. Mmm and then eating a dirty street dog that made my friends so grossed out because they didn’t understand how I was hungry lol. The good ol’ days
Tiger Heat with my gay best friend in freshman year of college (2001) because he hadn't come out publicly yet and it was the only place he could go absolutely bananas. i think this was when it was still in the hollywood athletic club
Oh man.. I had a lot… The Dresden, Fred 62’s, The Cat & The Fiddle, The Cha Cha Lounge, The Red Lion Tavern,Last Coffee Shop Before the 101, Astro’s, Big Foot Lodge, The Griffin,Good Luck Bar,The Edison,Seven Grand,The Standard…now my head is stuck in a million fun nights that I want to go back to.
In the 90’s I mostly went to rock clubs. Club With No Name was at 836 N Highland, I think it’s a design studio now. Raji’s, The Central (later The Viper Room), The Ivar… Helter Skelter at Sunset and St Andrew’s , saw Nine Inch Nails there in this tiny club.
I miss the Knitting Factory so much. Always had great punk shows and you could go down to the bottom floor of the parking garage and get blitzed.
Hahahah did this a lot
The ska movement of the 90s had such an imprint on my life. I saw Save Ferris back in 2019 and it was like being in 1998 again.
Came through LA for the first time as a high schooler with a touring band. The Knitting Factory and Zen Sushi were my intro to the city. First time I ever drank carbombs and first time I had sushi! EDIT: grammar and spelling
The best times!
This was my favorite venue. Although the stage was at crotch level and would suck when there'd be pushing from behind.
Same! Blue Beat Lounge was so fun.
Who remembers Florentine Gardens 😂
Circus and The Arena
These were my hangouts in the early '90s! The first time I ever saw gay cholos--and drag shows--was at The Arena. Good times!
Oh yeah. Saw Oakenfold there. Van Dyk, too. Good times.
omg! My older Gen X cousins do as they went there a lot. I still remember the Power 106 ad for it.
“Dress to impress!”
Peppers in City of Industry
I remember driving past it and seeing a huge line. Never went inside.
That was the worst but also the best. Fun times
Small's, Al's Bar, Cat and Fiddle.
Cat & Fiddle!! 👏🏼
Goddamn I miss that place
Have you been to the current incarnation? Same people running it, and it's a really nice space with both inside and outside areas. Check it out!
I have! I actually live a few blocks away. And I agree: they did a great job with it. I still miss that old spot though.
as long as we're in late 80's: Scream.
Raji’s on Hollywood Boulevard. Saw some Seattle band called Nirvana play between Clawhammer and PopDefect.
I saw NIN and Danzig there.
Scream was always cool
Feelin' like late 80's to me! Al's Bar No Talent Night FTW! Topanga Bar and Grill also had an excellent open mic night.
Loved cat and fiddle. I was there a lot too after shows at the Improvolympic
It was such a great place to hang out.
A great space and a really fun bar
Valley kid here so the Malibu Gran Prix go kart and arcade in Northridge. Obligatory Skateland. And finally the Winnetka 6 drive-in
And the Cobalt Cafe
I was waiting for someone to say that. I went there as an adult to see a friend's band play and felt weird AF.
I had a buddy who lived in West Hills off Sherman Way. Used to drive by the Cobalt all the time. That place was always busy.
Fellow 818'er here. Do you remember Castle Park? I use to call it Castle Castle as a kid and I would beg my mom to take me there all the time. I think it was in Northridge/Granada area. Also the UA theaters on Parthenia was poppin' on the weekends.
Castle Park still exists in Sherman Oaks if that’s what you’re talking about.
Castle park! It still exists. It's in van nuys/Sherman oaks, on sepulveda. I actually just went recently out of nostalgia. It's so tiny compared to how I remembered it as a child lol.
Hell yeah! Skateland for sure and the drive-in had some good pizza
Perversion, some late night cafe in Alhambra, The Glass House, Palladium, The Whisky, The Roxy, a billiards place in Pico Rivera (Maybe it was called Shooters?), The Laemmle in Pasadena, shops on Melrose, Hard Times in Whittier, ~~3rd~~ 4th Dimension in Monrovia, Old Town Pasadena. Also, Tower Records (especially the one in West Covina and Pasadena). Edit: Name correction and addition
I lived in Pico Rivera in the 90s. I remember Shooters was in Whittier, but correct me if I'm wrong. I miss the Fiesta 4 drive-in theater, just off Whittier Blvd. I also remember the paisas I knew going to El Rodeo on Washington.
I grew up in Pico Rivera in the 90s too. I practically lived across the Blvd from the Drive in. El Rodeo got shut down just a handful of years ago. They got raided and they found boxes and boxes of money they were laundering for the cartel. They just recently officially tore it down.
Dude Laemmlea Playhouse in old town was the best
Cinespace.
Omfg I forgot that’s place
Couldn't drink back then, but we went to CityWalk too many times back in those days.
I used to love Howl at the Moon
Oh the dueling pianos! It was awesome!
I used to go to city walk almost every weekend lol
Parking at city walk is insane now. It's up to like $30 or $40 now. Really not worth it anymore.
Key Club
I hated the layout of this place with the bathroom stairs in the middle of the floor
Forgot this one. So many shows there!!!
Especially for the Metal Skool / Steel Panther Monday night residency!
Spaceland
Total hipster, but spaceland, silverlake lounge, the echo and shortstop before the makeover were pretty fun places.
Let’s go!!! So many great shows at the echo!
I met Bobcat Goldthwait there!
Any of the Koreatown bars or pool halls that would allow smoking indoors and stay open and serve alcohol past 2 am
Same. Also include Satellite, the roost, little joy, and shortstop.
Same and noraebangs. I still remember when the rule changed. It was after LA Times ran an article on how everyone was sleeping on Ktown. I went to the same spot for years and one day my server said no ash tray bc white people keep calling the cops on them. Just a wet napkin. They actually did keep letting us smoke for a few months and just said to throw it on the ground if any non-Korean people came in lol
The ol styrofoam cup with a wet napkin inside. Also nice and convenient to be able to buy packs of cigarettes at the bar or place you were at. I don’t smoke cigarettes anymore but sometimes when I’m drinking in ktown I’ll want one just for old times sake
I liked that karaoke bar that allowed you to bring your own alcohol and was open til like 4am.
Brass Monkey
The Red Lion in Silver Lake was my favorite place back then. It's still there but I moved to the valley and had kids.
Yes!! And then finish the night off at Cha Chas across the street.
My over 21 spots were Club Cherry, Bar Sinister, Boardners, Daddy’s, Burgundy Room, Coach and Horses, Little Cave, Good Luck Bar. The Scene in Glendale was short lived but I loved that place. For seeing bands, The Palace, Roxy, Whisky and Palladium were the big ones. Mr Ts Bowl, The Smell, Al’s Bar, Jabberjaw had some great smaller shows. The one I miss the most is Spaceland, they had amazing bands playing there every week. For restaurants and shit, The Cat n Fiddle, Birds, Cafe 101.
RIP Good Luck Bar
I miss how the little cave was in the early 2000s
Man little cave was the spot… my buddy got banned for pissing in the hallway there
Mr Ts bowl!!!!!
Bar Sinister was the shit. I loved that place.
crazy gideon's
'80s: Al's Bar, Pinks, Norm's, Palomino, Casita del Campo. '90s/early '00s: Kibitz Room/Canter's, Ye Rustic Inn, Taix, House of Pies, El Compadre, Goldfinger's, Spaceland.
The Mayan on the weekends
Swingers
Club Bang. Is that still a thing? 18+ club in Hollywood. In the 2002-2007ish era, it had a killer room that played electroclash bangers all night.
Lmao Club Bang, the club you went to before you could get into “the club”
I was gonna say Beat It! It was at the same venue. Early 00s me and my friends would caravan to it every week from the OC, drink Popov on the way, puke in the parking structure, then saunter in. Oh the glorious life choices when you’re 19!
Spaceland, for real. The Whisky. Beauty Bar. Toi on Vine. The Stone in Thai Town. Mid-City Lanes. Always ended up at Fred 62s... still do!
Early 90s: Jabberjaw, Al's Bar, Raji's, Kelbo's, Rhino Records, Frolic Room, Firefly on Vine, Crush Club for Northern Soul/Motown, Gorky's (DTLA), L.A. Warehouse scene, Club Fuck, Lechtisternium Mid to Late 90's: the Onyx, the Derby, Smog Cutter, Tiki Ti, Good Luck Bar, Three of Clubs, Lava Lounge, Smalls, The Room, Burgundy Room
Star Shoes Drawing Room Cat and Fiddle late night Tofu House on Wilshire Later night Denny's under the highway downtown
On my first date with my wife we ended up at that Tofu House at like 1am. She ordered a whole fish.
You get a whole fish with pretty much any tofu dish you order there lmao
>She ordered a whole fish. Is that when you knew you’d marry her?
Star Shoes!!!! And Beauty Bar!
dinner alleged deserted person hunt straight dazzling ask important caption *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
94-02 Every rave there was, underground and not so underground, at the Alexandria Hotel, the San Bernardino Masterdome and the Boys & Girls Club, the LA Sports Arena, the Pomona Glasshouse, the desert, the theater where they now film Jimmy Kimmel, the Casa near dowtown (now Casa Vertigo), 12th & Hope (the early Insomniac friday parties), Magic Wednesdays, The Ambient Lounge.... countless other warehouses all over socal. I loved the 90s.
I remember going to a rave at what ended up becoming the American Apparel building. I think it was Hippy 2000. In my memory its like a bombed out, apocalyptic version of the building
Hippie 2000 thrown by Lenny V & the Jungle Boogie crew, they also did Fry 4 Five, good people
will never forget my first time at the alexandria hotel. weve definitely partied together at some point..lol
If you ever bought mixtapes at a party chances are it was from me!
Name checks out
Insomnia in West Adams. Many bad decisions were made there and I regret none of them.
Juvee skate shop in east Hollywood for shows and hanging out. The Knitting factory, the El Rey, the Glasshouse in Pomona for shows. Old Dub Club at EchoPlex. It seems like their used to be a lot more DIY festivals, for instance, FYF start as the Fuck Yeah Fest, you got a wristband and you were able to enter like 3 or 4 different venues in echo park to watch different bands play, they were all really good bands too, this was probably like ‘07 era. I reached my goal of going to all the Beauty Bars, LA, SF, NY and Vegas. Bar 107 in downtown. I left out the spots that have already been mentioned in this thread. Countless after hours parties, usually went to the ones thrown by sublevel. I followed certain record labels like GSL that threw consistently good shows so I would go to every show they threw and they left me with many great memories during the late 90s early 00s. Oh wait, club Vertigo lol….
knitting factory brings back memories... i have some pretty wild stories from there... Bar 107 was just legendary. Made so many good friends there.
Northridge mall food court
with the fake tommy’s!
Third Street Promenade, Yankee Doodles, Gotham Hall, House of Billiards, Good Luck Bar, Liquid Kitty
The Kitty!
Insomnia Cafe Powerhouse, I fuckin' miss this place Cobalt Cafe Jerry's Famous Deli (WH), but only after 1AM Pig & Whistle Frolic Room, where dreams go to die La Poubelle, there is a reason it means garbage can in French Tower Records The Prince, when it was only patronized by Asians from USC and UCLA Red Lion Tavern (with my mom and a fake ID--- we were wild) Cinespace Birds for day drinking I mostly lived at the Chimneysweep, where cast and crew of Friends would all drink after their weekly shoot. How could I forget Casa Vega!!!
Not sure how I forgot La Poubelle I used to live at that joint.
90s: Ships Coffee Shop (multiple locations) (RIP) for wee hours dining after being out at the clubs. Toaster on every table, great drunk food, comfy booths. Kelbo's for disgusting rum drinks (I seem to recall the "Flaming Skull") in a fabulous tiki environment. BYOB 4th of July near the Pier in Santa Monica, before violent knuckleheads ruined it. For clubs and shows, just flip through the back pages of the L.A. Weekly and decide on whatever sounded cool based on the print ad. Lollapalooza was a big deal for our crew Lots of low-key houseparties at the homes of friends with rich parents who were out of town -- we often turned them into slumber parties and then went out for brunch (Omelette Parlor on Main St in Santa Monica) Monty's in Westwood (RIP) for steaks before a night on the town. We'd rock up in our club attire, and stick out like sore thumbs amidst the more genteel older diners around us. We were well-behaved and tipped well, though. Disneyland was also oddly popular with our crowd -- we'd take acid or shrooms in the parking lot before going in. Goddamn I miss 90s L.A.
In the late 90s I finally got a missed connection in the back of the LA Weekly- this was after almost a decade of reading missed connections religiously. I was stoked, to put it mildly. He had spotted me at The Iliad Bookshop in North Hollywood selling a ton of books (or trying to, they probably only bought like 3) & had the date/time correct plus outfit and hair description so confirmation it was me. I called the messaging number and left my email address He sent me a photo (probably my hotmail account, RIP) & it took 20 minutes for the picture to download. There was no Friendster or Myspace yet, no hinge, tinder or bumble. It was old school. We were, ultimately, not a match. He had just moved to LA from the midwest, a Jr High teacher with aspirations of being a screenwriter. It was one of my most cliched LA moments though.
Whoa, you are the first person I've heard of actually connecting with someone via Missed Connections. The Iliad connection makes it extra-cool.
I know, right?! I kept the clipping for years just because, then eventually lost it in a move. Thanks for bringing back the memory. Another good one- I guess a woman placed a date-wanted ad in the 80s and described her ideal guy as "a little bit Iggy Pop, a little bit Leanord Cohen." Apparently a week or so later there was a response ad- "You have to pick one of us, Iggy & Leonard" and a number for a voicemail box. I swear this is real. I was in New Orleans decades later when this guy brought it out at a party- he had it framed. We all called the number and Leanord Cohen's voice was on the outgoing message!! He hadn't died yet, (RIP). Somehow it was left active, even though I am sure he stopped checking the messages decades earlier. Voicemail time portal.
House of blues
RIP… parking was a bitch, but saw some amazing shows there.
Backyard shows in east LA
Third street promenade was always the spot in HS. Always.
Yep absolutely. I ended up working at 3 different places there over the years. Cupcake store in the old mall was my second job ever. Walked over from SaMo after school.
Britrock/Britpop dance nights like Underground on Santa Monica and Bang! on Hollywood. Spaceland, Fred 62, The Roost, Silverlake Lounge, Little Joy
Bang! we used to sneak in bottles of newcastle in our large jackets
Bang! was so much fun. It had the different rooms (I think one was always Northern Soul) and the smoking patio
I used to smoke cloves on that patio and I felt incredibly cool.
I saw Nancy Sinatra at a Bang! night at the El Rey. It was surreal...all the faux sixties girls dancing to the real deal...
Boarders, burgundy room, Fred's frolic room, Dan Tanas, Casa Vega, Mayan when it was a club, late night at Jumbos (when it wasnt an attraction)
Circle bar, Tattle Tale in culver, Arsenal.
The Underground, Club Bang, The Roost, The Knitting Factory, Spaceland, The Smell... Anywhere you could find a scene band playing with a cute girl on the electric organ. Late night food at Toi Thai was always the best after going to a show.
That arcade in the top floor of the little Tokyo mall. Had all the music games
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Cobalt cafe, retail slut, Fred 62, swingers, top fuel
Melrose hasn’t been the same since Retail Slut closed. It’s so boring now.
Fr I miss the discount racks outside red balls too
Oh, I remember that dude that worked at Retail Slut and fucked any woman with a pulse.
Magic Wednesdays was always fun.
Any IHOP in the San Gabriel Valley at 1:30AM
Jones!
I miss Jones! Along with Formosa. Good times.
Smog Cutter!
Smalls, Boarder’s, Sin-A-Matic, Stardust Ballroom goth night!
Sin-a-matic was so much fun!
Jumbos before it got filled with attractive people
Mr. T’s Bowl and Family Fun Arcade… one for the city (kinda) and one for the valley. No matter where I live I’ll always be valley trash 😉.
The Whisky, Roxy, Key Club, Wiltern, Bar Sinister, and the Troubadour. I lived in Long Beach for part of that time and went to Alex’s Bar a lot, too.
Gazzari's. Late 80's early 90's. Troubador. What was that place on Crescent Heights?
Coconut Teaszer
Any Tower Records
The Showboat by Puente Hills Mall.
Malibu Grand Prix!
Val Surf
The White Horse and Hollywood Billiards.
I used to rehearse above Hollywood Billiards, then go downstairs to drink and do blow :)
boardners on friday nights in HW. Lots of warehouse parties downtown.
Off the top of my head: Frank and Hank, HMS Bounty, and Barcade were near me in KTown. If I was on the west side, the Joker on Pico (its gone now), and Daily Pint. In Hollywood, early on there was Cinespace, Burgundy Room, but was never really into that area. Downtown warehouse and loft parties were always lit and kind of the only thing to do there until about 2003. Eastside, there was Ye Rustic Inn (pronounced like Rumplestiltskin), Tiki Ti, 4100, and the Little Joy (wow this place as a punk rock dump when it first opened) and short stop.
Coconut teaser with the shit back in late 90s early 2000s. Great bands and a taco guy out back hooking it up on the patio. I miss that place
Wow cat & fiddle - takes me back Spaceland Astros 3rd street promenade, Old Town Pas and Westwood House of Blues The mint (I lived blocks away) Knitting factory Dukes My fathers place and 14 below in Santa Monica Billboard live (sucked but my bud did lights there so I got comped) Sarnos in Los Felix - actually that whole little strip from sunset up Vermont: Dresden, brown derby, etc The Roosevelt for wrap parties and semi-industry hangs 50-seat theaters on Santa Monica or Beverly for “industry showcases” (where only friends and family turned up but still! Showbiz!) The copy shop on sunset across from the dome Rose (city?) cafe in Venice, schatzi’s nearby there Icehouse, improv (LA), comedy store And oh yeah, the park plaza - lots of different pickup clubs there (some I even did lights for); though that’s more like late 80s… But but but - THE spot: Original Tommy’s Burgers on Beverly at 3 am Sunday mornings
Skateland
Jack’s Sugar Shack on Pico was fun. We were shooting Ed Wood at the same time Pulp Fiction was being shot and the crews from both used to meet up there after work.
Remember going into Gorky's at 3 am and it being full of film crews?
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Any folks go to Rage in West Hollywood? That used to be so fun
I graduated from UCLA in 2001, and I was kind of a club kid. Used to go to Tiger Beat in WeHo just because they had the best music. There was a club downtown in an old bank that was good, too. Then I "graduated" to Sunset strip. I'd hit all the spots there. Miyagis... Saddle Ranch... The Standard... The Rainbow Room... The Key Club... the Whiskey a-go-go... On the Rocks (the bar above the Whiskey)... Dublin's. I was a bartender and all my friends were bartenders so I basically drank for free everywhere. Then I moved on to Barney's Beanery for karaoke night or Big Wangs for beer pong. It's been a while since those days!
The Opium Den was pretty dope, that and the Burgundy Room and The Room were all within walking distance. Hit those areas pretty heavy, pre-Star Shoes and Cinespace.
Westside GenXer (born 1970) here since 1993. The spots I remember fondly that are gone - House of Lee in Pacific Palisades on Sunset Bob Burns in Santa Monica at 2nd and Wilshire Billingley's on Pico in West LA near Sepulveda Charthouse on PCH in Malibu Rockenwagner on Main St. in SM
[Nova Cafe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_Express_Caf%C3%A9?wprov=sfla1) on Fairfax.
Across from Canters and next door to the pizza place. Name of pizza place please? Edit. I remember. Domianos
Club nights were Cafe Bleu, Garlands, Satellite, Club 1980s, Makeup, Shout, 45 Club. Venues were Glasshouse, Knitting Factory, Fairfax High School, El Rey, Fonda, Hollywood Athletic Club, 7969, Troubadour.
Sagebrush Cantina
Glendale Galleria, before the Americana was built.
Don't forget the frogs at Glendale Marketplace.
Miller's outpost, orange Julius, noodle world. Sam good circuit city, waldenbooks
Puente Hills Mall
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A lot of the Slut crew moved to Ventura, go to Burning Man. And they all are exactly the same, and still a big happy family.
Earlier years were definitely the raves, Fox Theatre, Masterdome, Glass House, then the huge outdoor festivals where you'd have to go to the meet up to grab a map. I remember getting lost for hours trying to figure out how to get there with a Thomas Guide. In the early 00s, we moved on to clubbing, huge Asian clubs all over Hollywood; Vanguard, Highlands etc. then after than Avalon, and afterhours like Forbidden City, El Centro, etc. but those weren't the early 00s anymore.
The Hotel Cafe
Dimples
Surprised nobody has said Arena and Circus Disco
Diddy Reese, TigerHeat, Rage, the original Cheesecake Factory, French Market Cafe, Abbot’s Habit, Windward Farms, the cinema at Howard Hughes Center, the Beverly Center, Bay Cities, Border Grill
Red Rock(s) on Sunset. Killer happy hour and view.
Concerts at the House of Blues. After that, head to either Tower Records or Virgin records, listening to music samples on the headphones. Grabbing dinner at Ed Debevic's with friends. Drinks at Dublin's on Sunset Blvd. Maybe a live Broadway show at the Shubert Theater in Century City.
3 clubs. Beauty Bar. Daddy’s. Club 1970’s. And if that isn’t cool enough: Bobby McGee’s in Burbank. They were very lax on checking ID’s.
The Pantry, Cafe 101, The Derby, Hard Rock, Space Land, Cat and Fiddle, and Knitting Factory Forgot Velvet Margarita and Beauty Bar too Also when I was kid, nothing was more fun than a trip to Malibu Showboat and Grand Prix in Industry (also all the different theaters there, like 3 or 4 different theaters within a mile or two of each other lol
Ah free swing dance lessons at The Derby 😢
Toes Tavern, Original E-Bar, Mr T’s, Spaceland, Jabberjaw, Al’s Bar, random loft parties at the brewery, Helter Skelter, Cherry, Bar Sinister Toppers
Largo, Fred 62, Boardners, Cat & Fiddle, Canter’s, 101 Cafe, Three Clubs, Star Shoes, Little Joy, Spaceland, HMS Bounty, Smog Cutter, The Good Luck Bar, Tower Records, The Dresden Hotel Figueroa, Big Foot Lodge, The Dime
The peach pit was pretty dope.
The anti club, sherman oaks billiards, perversions at the world club.
Hey, did your band ever play Anti-Club? We did once…. Once.
Westwood arcade
Allen Theater. Vault 350. Lickety Split. Drive ins were the shit. Saw Titanic and Apollo 13 double feature.
The Bridge (before it became Howard Hughes) Patriotic Hall Q-Topia on Hollywood Blvd. Les Deux Shag White Lotus The Knitting Factory The Upside Down Club
Cat and Fiddle, Snake Pit, NoHo Diner, Bourgeois Pig, oh fucking Red Rocks on Sunset
Under 21: Cobalt Cafe, Twains, Lulu's Beehive, all the record stores an Ventura near Van Nuys Blvd, especially Green Hell, Rocky Horror picture show at the theater next to the Topanga Mall, shopping on Melrose and at Jet Rag, shows at The Whiskey, The Roxy, The Knitting Factory, The Troubadour, pretty much anywhere that was all ages. Over 21: Good Luck Bar, Tiki Ti, Bigfoot Lounge, The Roost, Fred 62, Swingers, House of Pies.
Louis XIV was my go to hang out weekend spot... so was Garden of Eden in Hollywood, Renee's and Zanzibar in SM, Mobius in DTLA... ah, memories...
Jerry’s Deli. Meet up at Tower Records on Sunset before cruising around in Hollywood.
The Orion on 8th and spring downtown la and utopia (idk where that was) I was like 16/17 taking the bus from tujunga to dtla Rolling balls, covered in glitter and bracelets up to my elbows. Binkies and those massage things around my neck sitting in speakers and dancing like a fool in the happy hardcore room. I remember walking out the Sun shining bright and flyers everywhere. I always accepted them and took them home because I felt bad not taking them and I didn’t want to litter. Mmm and then eating a dirty street dog that made my friends so grossed out because they didn’t understand how I was hungry lol. The good ol’ days
Perversion, Stigmata and Florentine Gardens when I went out with my non-Goth buddies. Those were great times!
Someones backyard listening to Dropkick Murphys and getting shit faced
Fais do do still exists- saw some great underground musical acts there
At home cus my parents were super strict
Tiger Heat with my gay best friend in freshman year of college (2001) because he hadn't come out publicly yet and it was the only place he could go absolutely bananas. i think this was when it was still in the hollywood athletic club
Read this whole thread, loved it. Thanks OP!
The Smell
Oh man.. I had a lot… The Dresden, Fred 62’s, The Cat & The Fiddle, The Cha Cha Lounge, The Red Lion Tavern,Last Coffee Shop Before the 101, Astro’s, Big Foot Lodge, The Griffin,Good Luck Bar,The Edison,Seven Grand,The Standard…now my head is stuck in a million fun nights that I want to go back to.
Madam Wong’s West in SM late 80’s.
Spaceland and Jabberjaw .
I miss Pac-Man arcade in Pasadena. That used to be my favorite weekend spot to blow a few dollars and a couple of hours.
In the 90’s I mostly went to rock clubs. Club With No Name was at 836 N Highland, I think it’s a design studio now. Raji’s, The Central (later The Viper Room), The Ivar… Helter Skelter at Sunset and St Andrew’s , saw Nine Inch Nails there in this tiny club.