Santa Monica

Exploring places beyond one's designated comfort zone can be particularly daunting for Angelenos. For some people, it's a chronic case of AWOL (Always West of Lincoln); for others, leaving and entering the valley presents an emotional challenge. These self-imposed geographical limitations preventing us from cruising yonder aren't just based on the distance—they're because we wouldn't know where to go and which places we belonged at even once we got there. More»

For a recreational activity that almost everybody is utterly terrible at, surfing has truly captured California's imagination. In fact, I'd say the ratio of competent surfers to complete movies about surfing is no more than a healthy 3:1. And while that means we end up with a Blue Crush for every Point Break, it's also how we end up with things like the hilarious Haunted Heats Halloween Costume Surf Contest. Luckily, LA Weekly was there with a camera so we can all enjoy. More»

Go HERE for more photos by Ardy Ala and tag yourself and your friends!

Life's all about picking your spots. As in, if we're not going to sponsor a show every single weekend, why not save our dough (and credibility) for an up-and-coming band that really sounds different, a band that's been blowing up industry showcases in LA and NYC, a band that Time Magazine called one of the "10 Acts That Rocked SXSW 2011"? Well, that's what we did, and the result was Saturday night's Incan Abraham Record Release Party at Central Social Aid and Pleasure Club in Santa Monica. More»

GofG L.A. and Central S.A.P.C. are thrilled to present: the Incan Abraham record release show, this Saturday, October 8th, and you're invited! The night promises to be filled with indie rock, dance-worthy DJ sets and psychedelic pop, so come out and enjoy some excellent live music with us. You might just fall in love (with the girl at the rock show A.K.A. yours truly). More»

Following the wild Undie Party last month in Santa Monica, Desigual is back this Saturday. They're welcoming Angelenos to be a Desigual amig@ by attending its Friends & Family Night at its Third Street Promenade store. Come say Hola! to the Barcelona retailer—drinks, food, music and smiles! More»

Have you stocked up on bottled water and batteries? Updated your Last Will and Testament? Mel Gibson-proofed your house? If the answer to any of these questions is "no," you'd better get it together, because come Friday night, Carmageddon is upon us, and in the words* of County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, "it is totally going to f*#% your s*#$ up."

But don't reach for the suicide pills just yet (keep them close just in case), because we're here to help. Presenting: the Guest of a Guest LA Carmageddon Survival Guide! More»

We've already talked a bit about fireworks today, but not enough for my taste. I hate to say this, but there really aren't any other holidays where you're guaranteed a fireworks show. Halloween? Labor Day? Sure, you could go to a Friday night Dodger game, but at this point giving money to Frank McCourt is kind of like giving money to a crackhead—he's just going to spend it on crack and/or $10,000 haircuts. So let's take a look at the best moments from 4th of July fireworks shows in photos from around the city last night, and one very cool aerial view video taken from the window of an airplane. More»

So the FBI has finally caught one of their 10 Most Wanted fugitives, Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger, after a 17-year manhunt. You might remember Whitey from Jack Nicholson's character in The Departed, and the filmmakers openly admit to basing that story on the real life "Winter Hill Gang." And where has a remorseless elderly sociopathic killer been hiding for the last 17 years? Why, Santa Monica, of course! More»

Sophie Monet, a ridiculously talented jewelry designer (who just created a pyrite-and-wood necklace for Of a Kind), knows her way around L.A. She’s lived between Santa Monica and Venice her whole life, minus those years she spent in New York for college. And not only is she a local, but she’s also a tremendously cool girl who knows the best spots in town for a night out that don’t try too hard. More»

Where oh where could this photo have been taken? Let's see... we have bottle sparklers burning indoors (bravo, guy with one in his mouth) and bros in button-downs dancing, er, presiding over their territory surveying their targets like watchful falcons atop banquettes, so this is definitely a nightclub. But what's with those white shutters? What kind of L.A. club boasts a totally misguided attempt at a beachy, east coast-ish vibe? Oh, that's right, Colony! But this is not Colony. This isn't even in Hollywood. It's the west side. No, not West Hollywood. This is Gladstone's. Yes, that Gladstone's, the beach-side seafood restaurant on the border of Santa Monica and Malibu that's been there forever. It's been SBE-ified in case you're wondering why it looks like a Persian bar mitzvah. More»

In other somewhat related yet totally irrelevant news, in their up-to-the-minute coverage of Japan's earthquake and tsunami, L.A. NOW also posted this phenomenally absurd story about a dude they found meditating on the beach next to the waves in Santa Monica this morning while the entire west coast was on tsunami alert. But he's not crazy, he's just zenned himself into oblivion somewhere on Neptune. More»