New Luxury Hotel Coming to West Hollywood

by Jamie Rhein on

According to Virgo, my zodiac sign, (see post), the perfect vacation for me is a luxury resort. I’m not sure if I would have made that choice, but thinking I ought to look into the possibility, I sought one out. The thing is, luxury resorts make me feel like I’m playing pretend. I’m a more of a budget travel kind of gal. Whenever I’ve gone uptown, ending up in a room with those thick plush bathrobes, fancy shampoos and highly polished wood furniture with drawers that glide so smoothly that you barely hear them open and close, I feel as if I’ve won some grand prize, and in the morning will return to my regular person kind of life.

In my fantasyland, here’s one resort hotel that looks like it would be a swell place to play pretend. The London West Hollywood, formerly The Bel Age Hotel is slated to open January 2008. West Hollywood, California is where one of my best friends used to live. It was the perfect place for a stop when we either flew in or out of the United States when we lived in Asia. Many a time I worked off jet lag with a hike in nearby Runyon Canyon and picked up pastry at one of the neighborhood Russian bakeries. My friend has since moved to Butte, Montana leaving us to find other accommodations if we stay there.

So, if I had a different kind of life, staying at The London West Hollywood of Luxury Resorts would not be too shabby. Just sampling the bath items on the counter would thrill me. Just look at that soap. So oval like and smooth. The Q-tips and cotton balls so carefully placed. All that marble. So orderly. So Virgo like.

Staying Cool in Hot LA

by Neil Woodburn on

Los Angeles is hot in every definition of the word.

Sometimes when it is too hot, however, one must escape the heat by seeking refuge in the hottest place around – be it a club, bar or spa.

Avital Binshtock, writing for the LA Times, recently contemplated the Angeleno quest to cool off in hip venues and has come up with three suggestions for the rich people of the city, and three suggestions for the rest of us poor mopes.

Overheated rich people, for example, can seek refuge in various spas that offer “cold plunges” – a dip into a 50 degree pool that really invigorates the soul, if it doesn’t kill you first (Spa Montag in Laguna Beach or Rancho Valencia Spa at Rancho Santa Fe). Or, they can head on over to Nic’s in Beverly Hills where a walk in vodka freezer will both cool them down and warm them up at the same time.

Binshtock’s suggestions for the less affluent include a 6-mile hike to the Santa Paula Canyon Falls where cold swimming holes await the adventurous outdoorsman. Or, drop a few bucks and visit one of the city’s numerous ice rinks. A real treat, according to Binshtock is the Ice Castle located at Lake Arrowhead.

My favorite way to escape the heat is to go swimming. I can join the huddled masses and do this for free in the ocean, or I can check out one of LA’s swank hotels and indulge in whatever trendy poolside bar is all the rage now. The Standard in downtown LA is always a good bet.

Related: Los Angeles destination guide

Watch Bill Drive from San Francisco to LA

by Justin Glow on

This might not be up for long, but it’s worth a mention. Bill Snitzer, a tech guy over at BitGravity has a webcam hooked up to some sort of mobile Internet device and is live broadcasting his drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Below the video feed is a embedded Google Map that shows his exact location.

It might not be the most entertaining thing in the world to watch, but it’s an impressive display of what technology can do these days. “But how is this different than ‘Internet lifecaster’ Justin.tv?” you might be asking. Well, it’s not, I guess… but the Google Maps integration is what sets this apart from the rest. Very cool. [via]

Visiting the Legends of Rock and Roll in Legendary Laurel Canyon

by Neil Woodburn on

There is perhaps no rock and roll neighborhood more legendary than Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles.

This steep wooded canyon, just a short drive from the Sunset Strip, has been home to more rockers per square foot than anywhere on this planet. In it’s glory days, one may have come across Jim Morrison, Frank Zappa, Glenn Frey, David Crosby, Joni Mitchell, Mama Cass, Micky Dolenz, and countless other stoned rockers getting their morning paper with coffee mug in hand, or something like that.

“Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll’s Legendary Neighborhood,” is a fascinating book which explores this wild neighborhood. Its author, Michael Walker, recently spent some time with LA Times journalist August Brown discussing what remains of the iconic rock star homes and how one might go about finding them.

If you’re a classic rock fan and planning to visit LA any time soon, spare a moment to drive through this wild canyon with Walker’s book in hand; it’s the most famously anonymous part of Los Angeles that few tourists ever visit.

Free WiFi in Los Angeles

by Neil Woodburn on

Although internet cafes are quite popular in Europe, there really aren’t too many of them in the United States. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make things very easy for travelers wanting to jump online while visiting the USA.

If you happen to be in Los Angeles, however, there is a very convenient way to get online: visit one of the city’s public libraries.

The Los Angeles Public Library system offers free WiFi connection to anyone who walks in through their front door. And with 72 locations throughout Los Angeles, there’s a good chance there’s one near your hotel. Click here to find it.