Palermo Ristorante

We followed a craving for pizza over to Palermo after a search for "best pizza Los Feliz". The reviews were mixed but we were pleased with a takeout PizzaRosa. The plan was to eat there but the place was so packed with people waiting 30 minutes for a table. The ristorante has an old world family feel to it which appeals so we'll be going back.
1858 N Vermont Ave.
http://www.palermorestaurant.net/

Author Services

While you're in town, call Author Services and arrange for a tour. The Tech Preservation tour will likely amaze you. So much work has gone into ensuring the Tech for future generations. You also get a look at the past with copies of issues handwritten by Ron.

It's just a few blocks west of the Hollywood/Highland Redline Metro stop and you'll get to walk past Grauman's Chinese Theatre on the way.
It's in the phone book. Ask for Linda.

Google Maps

Type in '4800 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA' on maps.google.com and you can see L Ron Hubbard Way on Google's new Street View feature. Click on "Street View", then on a blue lined street and an interactive webcam picture shows up.

Pretty Cool!

Flexcar

This car-sharing program looks like a good deal if you are going to be in LA for a while.

Aleksey Tsalolikhin says: "I've used FlexCar for over a year and it's been great. Exactly as advertised. For me it was a good way to cut costs and contribute on
the 5th dynamic. I didn't own a car, just used public transport or walked - but when I really needed a car, I used my cute little FlexCar. Yum!

I used the one in Hollywood on Bimini Place (near Hubbard College ofAdministration International)."


From the Flexcar FAQ:

You share access to hundreds of Flexcar vehicles, of various makes and models, with other Flexcar members. You reserve a car so it's there when you need it. You drive - to a meeting, a doctor's appointment, run errands, move into a new apartment, hit the lumber yard - as if it were your own car. Then, when you're done, you return it to its home parking space, lock it, and go.

and

How is car-sharing different from car rental?
Car-sharing vehicles are dispersed throughout the city rather than concentrated at one location. The system is self-service; as an approved member, you make your reservation, let yourself into the car and go. No lines, no paperwork, no extra charges, just a simple, all-inclusive hourly rate. Plus, with Flexcar you can drive as long as you're 21 (and in some cases 18), car rentals require you to be 25 or pay for extra insurance.

Membership is $35/yr (as of this posting) - 6 cars (mostly hybrids) are available in the Hollywood/West Hollywood area.

Buses

I found some useful bus routes:

#2 goes out Sunset (to the Pacific Coast Highway) but more importantly, stops near an In and Out Burger just past Highland. The Dash goes nearby that one, too but the #2 can be boarded near Sunset and Edgemont, near the Base and Serenity House.

#180-181 go out to Costco in Glendale, about 4 blocks north of Dr. Cindy Clayton's office. If you stay on it long enough, you can get to the Glendale Galleria Mall. Whole Foods is not far off the route (not to be confused with Whole Food for Life which is on the way) I pick it up at Hollywood and Edgemont.

#175 to Trader Joe's can be boarded on Sunset, just east of Vermont but it only runs during the week and not every hour during the day.

What do you Believe?

Katie has an interesting and cool art installation in the making:

"Pictures, words, doesn't matter. Communicate! What do you believe? I'll be covering a wall with them at a one-night group art show about the positive nature of religion, so if you want to say something AND draw something, send me two cards. And you don't have to be eloquent. The most important thing is I want to hear from everybody, so don't get caught up in spelling or significance or try to make a masterpiece. Kids are welcome too! Anybody who believes something true about Scientology is welcome. It's a grassroots movement on a simple scale that's bound to make a big effect on the individual who takes it all in. That's cool!"

Thai Food

After months of seeing the construction, we noticed that Thai Yai opened next to Rite Aid and tried it out. Food's great with big servings. Cash only, though.

Yai
1627 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles
323-644-1076

Some other favorites that have been recommended:

Leah says: My husband and I love Palms Thai Restaurant, especially when they feature Thai Elvis and Thai John Denver. And the food is delicious!
Palms Thai Restaurant
5900 Hollywood Blvd., Suite B
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tel: (323) 462-5073
http://www.palmsthai.com
Just to warn you...there can be quite a wait, especially on Saturday and Sunday nights. But...it's worth it!!!! ENJOY!!!!

Rose-Ann says: there's a really good Thai restaurant called Pimai that's actually about a block from CCI - There's a Mayfair market that's perpendicular to CC, and then right across the street, to the east of Mayfair is the restaurant - corner of Canyon and Franklin.

C says: Sanamluang! It is on Hollywood and Kingsley: the best.

And if you want a Thai massage, Alice says: go see Superpat for Thai massages on the NE corner of Hollywood and Gower, her cell phone is 818-636-0582

Getting Around - Experience LA

LA's Official Cultural Calendar & Trip Planner is a good tool for seeing cool places to visit near Metro stops. Click on 'getting around' then the neighborhood you're interested in and you'll get a map like this: