From Worcester to the City of Angels

Some Suggestions in Case You’re Heading West

By Joe Smith

Hey kids ~ your Uncle Joey here, a Worcester native who’s been living in Los Angeles for about seven years.  The good folks at Pulse have asked me for some sage advice for 508-ers visiting my sunny new city.

Now, I won’t spend much time on the touristy stuff.  It’s certainly worth seeing Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Griffith Park, The Sunset Strip, or Venice Beach, but you’d find those on your own.  And I wouldn’t recommend trying to recreate the Boston experience out here by targeting places like Sonny McLean’s in Santa Monica, an Irish pub devoted to all Boston sports.  Why go 3000 miles to try and recreate the experience of being back home?

So… a few humble, subjective recommendations from one Worcester native to a few others, stuff the guidebooks may not have…

Mexican food.   The real stuff.  When I was growing up. a taco was a hard shell, ground beef, a sprinkle of lettuce, and grated cheese.  Out here (as in Mexico), it’s something like two soft corn tortillas, diced beef or pork, onions, fresh cilantro, and a bit of salsa fresca.  Try the “al pastor” variety, tasty pork marinated in pineapple.

Live sketch shows.  Stand-up is great, but I dig the alt-comedy sketch shows out here ~ a late-night adult puppet show, or one where they bring up an audience member and create an improvised sketch based on his or her Facebook profile.  These shows are usually free or cheap ($5), and often feature stars of TV and film who are performing on their free night for a small, rowdy audience of 50…just because it’s fun.  Check out the Comedy Central Stage (at the Hudson Theatre), The Steve Allen Theatre, or Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) Theatre, all in/around Hollywood.

Thai Elvis.  Yup, a Thai guy who dresses like the King, swaggers like the King, and dammit, sings like the King five nights a week at a fantastic restaurant called Palms Thai.  Tip him well and maybe he’ll dedicate Love Me Tender to your sweetie while you gorge on chicken “Jungle Curry” and spicy papaya salad.

A novelty bar.    MA has dive bars.  It also has classy, upscale ones.  But LA has Stinkers, a trucker-themed joint with skunks that spew fake stink-spray out their keisters at regular intervals.  We have the pirate-themed R-Bar, where you need the special phrase to get in (currently “Brave Sir Robin,” but find their Myspace page for updates).  There’s the log-cabin-esque Bigfoot Lodge, clown-themed Jumbo’s with scantily-clad dancing girls (the décor is clown-themed, not the dancers), Beauty Bar where you can get a manicure or henna tattoo to go with your martini, or The Edison, a gorgeously designed underground converted power plant, currently featuring Soup Kitchen Fridays with 35-cent cocktails and free tomato soup.  The novelty of these bars can be a little precious and wear thin at times, but they’re certainly worth checking out.

That’s a start anyway.  If you visit, step out of your comfort zone and try something you might not otherwise experience, or even have a chance to.  Look me up and I’ll buy you a taco.  Asada with a roasted jalapeno.