I'd be safe and warm if I was in LA (part II)...*

To be honest it's hard not to miss Los Angeles today, especially when it is freezing here in New York but I feel good to be at home during holiday season. I cannot wait to spend some quality time by myself and with friends in New York like every year in December. I am pretty excited to share drams, to have good food, to visit museums, to see art shows and to have simply good time before the new year starts. But first I better finish posting my "topten things to do in Los Angeles (winter 2010)" list.

So here is the part II:

Sugarfish: Best sushi I ever had... I was totally blown away how good it was. They left me totally speechless. Leaded by famous sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa Sugarfish serves sushi in a very traditional style at three locations in Los Angeles area encouraging the customers to leave the selection to the chef and not to rush your meal. Every piece we tasted was simple, fresh and tasted like heaven. Halibut and yellow fin sushis were phenomenal, house sake was amazing. Highly recommended...

Cole's French Dip: Cole's is one of the oldest establishments of Los Angeles. The place looks absolutely gorgeous. The old fashioned neon sign, shiny mahogany bar counter, very well preserved old floor tiles, glass lighting fixtures, everything is a part of a great downtown LA landmark restaurant. The restaurant is definitely a very chic meeting point for downtown's new hipsters stays open late at night serving the hungry bar hopping crowd. No doubt with the investment of it's new owners the restaurant looks much more fashionable than it's old time rival, my favorite Phillipe's. I am still not quite sure whose sandwiches are better though but I have to say that the bourbon pecan pie of Cole's was out of this world. It literally made us cry of joy... It still makes my mouth water when I think about it . Starting from this year I will have at least one slice of this pie whenever I visit Los Angeles.

Olvera Street: Right across the street of the famous Union Station Olvera Street is one of the oldest parts of downtown Los Angeles. Also known as La Placita Olvera the street is housing a lot of historic buildings and countless Mexican street vendors, fast food joints and shops. Covered with every possible color the area is a very touristic but also in a strange way very naive and mystical place. Spending hours in souvenir shops with thousands of little statues, candles, mirrors, prints and paintings is very moving. I cannot imagine how this place looks like during Cinco de Mayo.

The Record Collector: Located on Melrose Avenue this place is the mecca for vinyl collectors. They say they carry over 500,000 vinyls and almost all of them are classical and jazz records. For a music enthusiast it is impossible to keep your calm in this shop. There are vinyls everywhere, every possible wall space is covered with shelves from the ground to the ceiling. If you behave yourself, be nice to the owners and show your interest and excitement in a civil way you can start a pretty good conversation with them. Pick all the records you want and they will ship them to you or you can send them an email with your wish list. They ship worldwide and are also happy to seek albums for you if they don't have them. If you are not planning to visit LA sometime soon you should visit their website and get in contact with them. Their collection is absolutely unbelievable. Just name it, they will have it...  

Hank's Bar: Downtown LA has several dive bars and I have been in a lot of them but Hank's has been my favorite this time. Nothing can beat free popcorn, a good jukebox, football on TV, a bottle of cold Budweiser accompanied with a glass of Old Grand Dad Whiskey I guess. It is a great dive to hit at a weeknight with friends. Just make sure that you are not going to wake up early the next day.

*by The Mamas & The Papas from their song California Dreamin'