"ARE YOU A LUCKY LITTLE LADY IN THE CITY OF LIGHT?"
Jim Morrison warbled dangerously in "L.A. Woman," the Doors' dark valentine to Los Angeles. "Or just another lost angle ... city of night."
LOST ANGEL. CITY OF NIGHT. THE LIZARD KING WAS DEEP IN HIS OWN PERMANENT MIDNIGHT WHEN HE CROAKED THOSE COUPLETS, but they stand as a magnificent tribute to the dark heart of the city that inspired him. Even our relentlessly boosterish forefathers must have had an inkling that L.A. looks better in shadow--what other city names its principal, boulevard, its Champs-Elysees, after the setting sun?
Which brings us to this, a special look at our fair city dressed for a night on the town, where the chicken tikka is dished up under the sultry buzz of neon, amateur-driven dragsters and Ferraris fill a racetrack with the scent of burnt rubber and coeds puff giant hookahs in a brazen, surreal urban landscape. But even the mundane--a doughnut shop, a b-ball court, a forgotten fountain--turns mysterieuse after lights-out. And like that other city that never sleeps, everything from floral arrangements to emergency veterinary care is available 24/7--not just the daily special at Norms. Wait, there's more. Homebodied nighthawks can order in a folksinging Tupperware lady and even a set of billion-plus-candlepower Hollywood klieg lights to beckon guests.
In the end, peeling back L.A.'s stygian layers reveals the alter ego of the city's waking self. And like them or not. alter egos always have more fun.
The Pajama Game
TIRED OF THE DRESS CODES at clubs? Wear your jammies and you'll get to paint for free at Color Me Mine in Beverly Hills from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. Brush artists who sleep in the buff might want to stick to their waking wardrobe and hit the store's "'80s Night" on Wednesdays. 133 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-247-1226.
Fountain of You
ITS RAINBOW LIGHTS EARNED it the nickname the Kool-Aid Fountain after it was unveiled in 1940. In today's show-me culture it's simply called the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain, dedicated to the engineer and L.A. public works dynamo who once lived in a one-room shack on the site. Go there and make some memories of your own. Riverside Dr. and Los Feliz Blvd.
Everybody Comes to Norms
AFTER AN EVENING OF VIGOROUS dancing and velvet-rope paparazzi, where do the stars go for good conversation and a $3.49 bigger, better breakfast? Norms. The chain has 16 locations throughout the L.A. area, but three of the most frequented--Santa Monica, West L.A. and West Hollywood--have become a triumvirate of slumming, chumming celebs. But who goes to which? Movie and music types flock to the Santa Monica branch, which seems especially popular among celebs with young'uns, like Robert De Niro, Alec Baldwin, Melissa Etheridge and Rick Schroder. The West L.A. Norms boasts an after-hours clientele of pro wrestlers, exotic dancers and stars from the nearby Fox lot. "It's like, yeah, there's the Rock, there's Della Reese," says blase manager Genevieve Thompson. "But we keep on going because it's so busy." And everybody who's anybody heads to the 51-year-old West Hollywood Norms: Kevin Spacey, Geena Davis, Forest Whitaker--the list goes on. "We treat them like normal people, but in a good kind of way, and they appreciate it," says manager Lisa Allen, who recalls Robert Plant being asked by a bemused fellow customer why he picked Norms. Plant scooped up a forkful of eggs and said, "What's wrong with Norms?" Exactly. 1601 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, 310-450-0074; 11001 W. Pico Blvd., West L.A., 310-479-2978; 470 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, 323-655-0167.
Put This in Your Pipe
WALK BY Gypsy Cafe ON A FRIDAY or Saturday night and you're bound to do a double take: dozens of UCLA coeds crowded around outdoor tables smoking giant hookahs. Do the authorities know about this? Yes, don't worry, it's just fruit-flavored tobacco. All right, but does the surgeon general know about this? Apple is the runaway favorite, with cherry a close second. The cafe rents the hookahs ($10 each), which can be shared, but takes no responsibility for the mating rituals that ensue in the saccharin haze. 940 Broxton Ave., Westwood, 310-824-2119.
Cop Bar
IF ANYONE NEEDS A DRINK at the end of the day--or, say, at the end of a political convention--it's the police. On any given night, you'll find a good chunk of the LAPD's off-duty roster (in civvies, of course) at Little Pedro's on the eastern edge of Little Tokyo (Daryl Gates has been spotted), where robbery-homicide dicks trade stories with motorcycle jockeys over bottles of Corona. Thursday and Friday evenings, a deejay spins everything from salsa to hip-hop. Good thing most of the cops don't say late, since some of the action is totally indecent. 901 E. 1st St., downtown, 213-687-3766.
Night Clubbing
INTOLERABLY STUPID UNDER the hot sun, miniature golf is different at night (what isn't?). Lurid lighting sweetens the artifice, and nobody needs SPF 30. Most surreal of all is Golf 'N Stuff, a miracle of elfin landscaping complete with colored lights, burbling ponds and spinning waterwheels. The greens are set in sculpted hills and dales, defined by crazy topiary arches and bristling with landmarks like a Moroccan palace, a windmill, a fiberglass elephant that spouts water an Old West town and a working railroad. Bumper cars, boats and a thundering arcade offer less idyllic pastimes. $6.50 per game. 10555 E. Firestone Blvd., Norwalk, 562-868-9956.
Trivial Pursuits
WHAT DISEASE HAS KILLED more Europeans and Americans than any other? If you said tuberculosis, then you might want to get your brainy self to O'Brien's (the one on Main in Santa Monica) on Wednesday nights for the weekly pub quiz. Arrive at 7:30 to down a pint or two before the 30-question cutthroat competition (with ciggy break) begins. Winners receive a $75 gift certificate to the pub. 2941 Main St., Santa Monica, 310-396-4725. * At 9:30 every Thursday night for the past quarter century, the back patio of Brennan's Pub in Marina del Rey has been transformed into the racing venue Brennan's Downs, where fans can rent turtles ($2 each) and cheer as the reptiles scamper--yes, scamper--from the center of the turf to the white line around the edge. The first turtle to cross the line wins, of course, and if you backed the winner, you get a nifty prize like a bag of peas. You can cheer all you want, but no pointing; it scares the athletes. 4089 Lincoln Blvd., Marina del Rey, 310-821-6622.
Night Blooms
IT'S 3 A.M. YOU COULD SHOW your girl you love her with a nice handful of daisies from your neighbor's window box, but honest romantics head over to Century City Florist. The shop can put together a dead-of-night nosegay as easily as a plume of peonies come dawn. (The store accepts phone orders round the clock and can make deliveries--with a few hours' notice--while the competition sleeps.) 10570 Pico Blvd., West L.A., 310-277-7758.
Speed 3
SpeedZone IS THE ONLY ROADWAY in Southern California where you can do 0 to 70 in three seconds during rush hour. Unleash your inner Petty, Foyt or Fittipaldi behind the wheel of a custom-scale Formula-One racer, 300-horsepower dragster or Ferrari F-50s; then grab a brewski--in that order, please. And don't worry about veering out of control; the muscle cars are mounted on rails. With laps starting at $3 (or $12 for three circuits in the dragster), it's almost cheaper than filling up your tank. 17909 Castleton St., City of Industry, 626-913-9663 or www.speedzone.com.
Ride, Sally, Ride
Eat Well IS A NEW EDWARD HOPPER--chic diner, where dozens of classic, Kustom Kar and hot rod owners cruise in, chow down and compare rims from 6 to 10 p.m. every Tuesday night. Frank Barone regularly tools in behind the wheel of his low-slung '51 Ford "shoe box"; Grant Mueller is usually in the parking lot gunning the fanatically detailed six-cylinder of his hopped-up '50s-style Ford. You can show up, too; just keep your heap--sorry, your Lexus--away from the cherries. Oh, and the food's not bad. 1013 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale, 818-243-5928.
A Taste of Money
EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE Wine House, oenophiles can sample nine vintages from around the globe, consume gourmet solids and mingle with other snobs ($15 per person). Afterward, try to decide which of the store's 3,000 labels you wouldn't take home; presumably that list won't include the Latour Bordeaux ($1,749). For those who know their crus, and even for those who don't, the shop's evening classes include "The Dirt on Burgundy" ($100) and "Weird Wines of the World" ($33). All corking aside, we'd settle for a game of spin the bottle. 2311 Cotner Ave., West L.A., 310-479-3731 or www.winehouse.com.
Pet Rescue 911
Continued from page 1.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN Al the Cat starts performing his own stupid pet tricks--like threatening imminent death--during Letterman? Westsiders and other basin dwellers can rush the little one to VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital, where from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily the staff handles anything short of a personality transplant. Valleyites may prefer the Animal Emergency Center, open 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. Monday through Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday and 24 hours on holidays. VCA: 1818 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A., 310-477-6735. Animal Emergency Center: 11740 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, 818-760-3882.
Place Your Bets
THE COOLER-THAN-THOU crowd has discovered what generations of true L.A. nighthawks have always known: Real weekends start at the track. From April through August, Hollywood hipsters head to the City of Champions (that's Inglewood, dummy) to mix it up at Hollywood Park with hard-bitten old fogies and local oddballs. Friday nights are big draws, with beer and hot dogs going for a buck and blackjack junkies going for broke. Go, pony, go! Best enjoyed sans irony. Century Blvd. and Prairie Ave., Inglewood, 310-419-1500.
Paint by the Numbers
WHEN YOU NEED A LITTLE performance with your art, count on local artist Norton Wisdom and His All-Stars. About once a month, Wisdom enlists top new talents like violinist Lili Haydn, bassist Mike Watt and deejay George Sarahto to blaze out the chords while he makes wildly expressive use of brushes, hands and paint on a seven-foot-high Plexiglas light box. Often the audience can't make out the subject until Wisdom finishes. Then, oohhh, aahhh. He's found the perfect space at the Arcadia, a year-old venue that caters to forward-thinking artists who like to collaborate in fresh ways. Cover, $10. Santa Monica Pier, Ocean and Colorado Aves., Santa Monica, 310-260-4807.
Black-Light Bowling
GLOW-IN-THE-DARK STUFF is for kids--kids 21 and over, that is, when Jillian's Hi-Life Lanes hosts luminescent bowling after 9:30 p.m. The lanes, the pins and, of course, the nutty rainbow-striped balls all glow like a Goth under a black light. What's more, alley cats have a whole hour per game to sip drinks from the bar and lounge in the swanky leather-and-mahogany bowling stations. Venturing into the visual assault of CityWalk afterward is anticlimactic. $6 per person per game, $2 shoe rental. 1000 Universal CityWalk Dr., Universal City, 818-985-8234.
Radio, Radio
ORSON WELLES, WHOSE 1938 Philco shocker War of the Worlds can still be heard every Halloween on KNX (1070 AM), once called radio "the theater of the imagination." He was so right; after hours it's also a great companion for late-night driving (or parking) and the best way to hear quality music and talk as deejays are liberated from the daytime ratings push. * Two of the grooviest cats hold court on KCRW (89.9 FM). Jason Bentley's Metropolis (Mon. and Wed.-Fri., 8-10 p.m.) features two hours of new, smoothed-out electronica. Lush-voiced Garth Trinidad follows with Chocolate City (Mon. and Wed.-Fri., 10 p.m.--midnight), a soulful presentation of artists from Billie Holiday to Jurassic 5. * "Kinda suave, kinda dangerous" is how deejay Cyrano describes the Molotov Cocktail Hour (Tue., 11 p.m.--midnight), a humorous foray into lounge music and exotica by Cyrano and partner Senor Amor on KXLU (88.9 FM). Blues Hotel (Thur., midnight-3 a.m.), on the same station, has the motley trio of Papa John, Morris Beef and Ian jawing over a kettle of blues tracks new and old. * On KMZT (105.1 FM), opera fans from neophytes to savants enjoy the learned commentary and upbeat chemistry of L.A. Opera Notes, hosted by Rich Capparela and renowned mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzman (Sun., 7-8 p.m). * Cozy up with your baby for a minor miracle on Mega (92.3 FM): classic R&B and Motown deejayed by Smokey himself on Intimate with Smokey Robinson (Mon.-Thur., 8-10 p.m.). * We can credit KLON (88.1 FM) and deejay Jose Rizo not only for Jazz on the Latin Side (Fri., 7-11 p.m.) but also, arguably, the very concept of Latin jazz. * Long before we succumbed to Suvivor, Americans sat wide-eyed around curious wooden boxes to catch the latest audio-only, narrowband, nondigital broadcasts of programs like The Jack Benny Show and The Shadow. Nowadays we can thank Marconi for KNX and its Drama Hour, which re-airs classic shows nightly (9-10 p.m. and 2-3 a.m.).
Totally Fly
SURE, YOU CAN TAKE AN AERIAL tour of the city after dark, but how about a flight during which you're at the controls (sort of)? Call the venerable pilot training outfit American Flyers for an hour of ground school followed by another in a Cessna 172 with a fearless instructor by your side and the city lights beneath your wings ($99). When the tower spews over the radio "Maintain runway heading to the shore, squawk one two zero zero," just pretend you understand. Santa Monica Airport, 2501 Airport Ave., Santa Monica, 310-390-2099 or www.americanflyers.net.
Come Clean
ON LEAVING THE GALA, YOU realize the cranberry stain on your lapel needs immediate attention. Take the garment to Sterling Cleaners, open until 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. The prices aren't cheap, but neither is a new tux. 1600 Westwood Blvd., Westwood, 310-474-8525; 3405 Overland Ave., West L.A., 310-287-2431.
Saturday Night Fervor
YOU WANT TO BE RAD AS HELL, and you just can't take it anymore. But where to wear those threads that make you a living, breathing walk-on in a Miramax '70s-retro flick? Try this simple plan: E-vite at least 50 friends to an evening in cheese heaven. Everyone can score appropriately outrageous duds at a vintage store like Squaresville, where shirts go for about $8, pants for about $14. Then meet up for cocktails and photo ops at a big, hokey bar like H.M.S. Bounty (call five days ahead for a large group) and caravan to World on Wheels for hours of Tony Marino--style roller skating and drink breaks at the bar. ($350 down and $10 per person at the door; skates are included. Bring your own deejay.) If your salary hasn't risen since 1977, a friendly alternative venue is Moonlight Rollerway, where Disco Mondays are totally outta sight (admission and skates, $6.50). Back at your place, fire up the eight-track and pretend Bachman-Turner Overdrive never broke up. Squaresville: 1800 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz, 323-669-8464. H.M.S. Bounty: 3357 Wilshire Blvd., 213-385-7275. World on Wheels: 4645 1/2 Venice Blvd., 323-933-4347. Moonlight Rollerway: 5110 San Fernando Rd., Glendale, 818-241-3630.
Break Dancing Is Back!
NIPPING AT THE PLATFORM heels of the disco revival, break dancing is making a comeback, proving that bad trends really do follow 20-year cycles. At Club Elements, held at Hollywood's Gabah on Sunday nights, a new generation of b-boys (it's still a guy thing, apparently) thrills crowds with head spins and kung fu flips more reminiscent of Bruce Lee than the Art of Noise. So bring your suede Pumas and tracksuit and get ready to top-rock to the hip-hop sounds of Jurassic 5 mixed with the old-school flavor of Run-DMC. 4658 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, 323-664-8913.
Midnight Runners
RUNNING AT NIGHT IS ALWAYS safer in a pack--even a pack of ribald mongrels like the Hash House Harriers. The Southern California chapter of the infamous worldwide club hosts periodic night runs, including a monthly full-moon sortie organized by two members whose hasher nicknames are, as usual, unprintable. 562-HASHITT or www.socal.hash.org. * Avid cyclists looking for the company of many should check out Dockriders, a five-year-old group that begins each trek, ranging from breezy 22-mile Wednesday-evening jaunts to grueling 100-mile "centuries," at Dock 52 in Marina del Rey. Drinking and other club social events, however, can start just about anywhere. Dock 52, 13485 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, www.dockriders.com. * Bladers don't have to be left in the dark, either. Head to Santa Monica the first and third Friday of the month for the traffic-snarling L.A. Friday Night Skate. Call 310-57SKATE for locations and times.
Meet Your Kneads
YOU SLAVE AWAY FOR SOMEBODY else (probably) from nine to five, so silence your whining inner child after-hours with a shiatsu rubdown ($60-$120), a thermal seaweed wrap ($120) or other indulgence at the Burke Williams Day Spa, open until 10 p.m. every night. If a bath of herbs, seaweed, milk or mud ($25) won't wash away your toxins, one of the spa's pampering packages ($295-$525) might be an absolute necessity--or so you'll tell yourself. Yet the most exotic procedures happen in the wet room, where massage therapists lavish your attention-starved skin with exfoliating salt scrubs ($60) or moor mud masks ($130). 1460 4th St., Santa Monica, 310-587-3366; 8000 Sunset Blvd., 323-822-9007; 39 Mills Pl., Pasadena, 626-440-1222; 27741 Crown Valley Pkwy., Ste. 211, Mission Viejo, 949-367-9717.
Basketball Diaries
FROM THE COURT AT Clover Park you can watch planes take off from the Santa Monica Airport--but while you're doing that you'll get your reverse hook shot swatted toward Runway 21. That's because this neatly maintained (read: both rims have nets) public court attracts high-flying players for after-dark pickup games. Not to worry. For every Kobe manque from nearby Santa Monica College there are two Gheorghe Muresan types. 2600 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica.
ULTIMATE BARS THE NEXT TIME SOMEONE TELLS YOU TO GO HANG, WILL YOU KNOW WHERE to do it? If not, memorize the following. * Mid-Wilshire office buildings are not usually hip, but the one that houses the very multiculti Palm Tree L.A. just might be the coolest four-digit address in town. A former cruise-ship chef serves up kimchi and sweet coconut shrimp while young sharks loiter at the pool tables with bottles of imported beer; in back, boisterous scenesters flash each other with fluorescent yellow and green balls in the bowling alley. 3240 Wilshire Blvd., 4th fl., 213-381-3388. * Sometimes you'd rather skip the madding crowds, which is why God gave us Daddy's Lounge, an elegant wood-paneled room a half block from Hollywood and Vine. The lighting is dusky, the drinks are board-stiff, and bartender Paul O'Neill is one of the sweetest fellows ever to pour a tall one. Try his Hat Trick, a smooth mix of three vodkas and passion-fruit juice ($8). 1610 N. Vine St., Hollywood, 323-463-7777. * When Sang Yoon, the former chef at Michael's and a Food Network staple, bought Father's Office earlier this year, regulars feared their beloved kick-back neighborhood bar was doomed to nauseating chicdom. But Yoon simply added a few light fixtures, a kitchen (for great tapas, burgers and the like) and a handful of carefully selected wines. Thirty-plus draft microbrews, most priced at $4.50, make this the Westside's number one source for E.B.B. (everything but Budweiser). 1018 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, 310-393-2337. * If it's music--real, attitude-free music--you want, hit the Eastern-sexy Temple Bar's very genuine Rhythm Room on Sunday nights, when the ever-changing lineup ranges from soul to Latin to jazz and even includes the 30-piece hip-hop "orchestra" Dakah (cover, $7). 1026 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 310-393-6611. * Want to sit and drink? Scoot over to Relaxation, where hipsters and Juppies double-park just for a taste of the black pearl milk tea ($2.95). Also try the shaved ice topped with mung beans or pineapple Jell-O. 11301 Olympic Blvd., Ste. 103, West L.A., 310-473-3668. * The dimly lit java dive Bourgeois Pig, with its black lights and sofas and disco balls, is so night-friendly, it's surprising the spot is open before dusk. Check yourself out in one of the gaudy gold-framed mirrors, or plug in your laptop while you sip a slightly pricey mocha ($3.79) or chai ($3.25), 5931 Franklin Ave., Hollywood, 323-962-6366. * Last call? The one and only place to go is the Burgundy Room, a bar where the countertop has names carved into it, the beautiful people aren't quite so beautiful and nobody drinks from stemmed glasses. Enough said? 1621 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, 323-465-7530.
Seven Nights to Rock
monday GET THE WEEK OFF TO A RIGHTEOUS START AT THE VIPER ROOM'S Camaro, WHERE APOLLO STAR SPINS awesome '80s heavy-metal cheese and house go-go dancers obey Van Halen's each and every order co jump. 8852 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-358-1880. * Or try the weekly social at long-reigning Louis XIV, with groovy electronic stuff spun by the Bud Brothers. 606 La Brea Ave., Hollywood, 323-934-5102. * Meanwhile, over at Barfly's Sensei Lounge, house music and hip-hop go nicely with sushi and sake. 8730 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-360-9490. 8 For a lighter palette (and palate), the Greenway Court Theater's eclectic Veranda session welcomes all ages for coffee, Coltrane and Carmen. 544 N. Fairfax Ave., 213-486-4356. * But for the loudest Monday-night action this side of Dennis Miller's mouth, the Playroom's hard-rock revival fest Scream features deejay Coyote Shivers and local and touring bands. 836 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, 323-460-6630.
tuesday This is the night for salsa at St. Mark's, where lessons go from 8 to 9 p.m. and the real music--at scary full tempo, compliments of Johnny Polanco and his band--starts a half hour later. 23 Windward Ave., Venice, 310-452-2222. * Offering a little night-music intimacy. The Room pulses with deejay-driven reggae, R&B and soul. 1626 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, 323-462-7196. * Still need rhythm? Hit the Jazz Spot, where students from the Thelonious Monk Institute jam with pros. 2138 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz, 323-666-8666. * For a little more flash, MacAfrica's Industry Night at Good Bar features deejay Adam 12 spinning mellow hip-hop and jazzy. 9229 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-271-8355. * Ronnie Mack's Barn Dance at the Cat Club is where live bands tonky-honk country, western swing and the absolute best--bar none--psychobilly in town. 8911 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-657-0888.
wednesday Head over to Pretty Ugly Club at Dragonfly and your concept of hump day might earn a wonderful new meaning: The pickup-friendly club features garage rock, punk and lots of Stones and New York Dolls between lively live bands. 6510 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, 323-466-6111. * If you're just looking for some slide of hand, try Magic Wednesdays at the Ruby; the huge dance floor is packed with glamazons moving to techno and trance--and the lighting will put you in a state. 7070 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 323-467-7070. * For otherworldly enchantment a band at the Middle East Connection plays contemporary Arabic and Lebanese hits, while Sahlala dancers shake their midriffs. 916 W. Burbank Blvd., Burbank, 818-843-8339. * Still not ready to go home? The Booth sells coffee, tea and vinyl (as in LPs, geek), and the house deejay jams hip-hop, rap and funk until 6 a.m. 6683 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323-882-1969.
thursday Overdid it last night? Start off easy this time around with Milk at Cafe Fais Do-Do. Live bands serenade Ping-Pong players, while deejay Toni Smith cranks it. 5257 W. Adams Blvd., 213-954-8080. * All are invited--really--to Puss 'N' Boots at Jewel's Catch One for the female exotic dance show and the occasional lip-sync contest. 4067 W. Pico Blvd., 323-734-8849. * For an evening to die for, Perversion features three dance floors of Goths on the move. 7070 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323-462-7442. * If that leaves you in a total funk, Bossa Nova at Sugar has deejays turning electronica, world beat and other hot stuff. 814 Broadway, Santa Monica, 310-899-1989. * Those who take their cues from pool tables should head to The Muse for rock en espanol, salsa and a little R&B. Careful, eight-ballers: The expression "nice rack" is easily misunderstood. 54 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, 626-793-0608.
friday Bail from work early and avoid the long line at the Playroom at Cherry, a trendy, sleazy ball of fun where deejays whirl rock, trash and even a tittle Bowie and go-gos do their thang, 836 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. 323-460-6630. * Go west, young glam, and you'll find The Spot at LunaPark, with three bars and two rooms of music--house, funk and rare grooves--spun by Jason Henry and visiting deejays. 665 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-712-5708. * Twice a month it's Firecracker Night at Kwon Brothers Grand Star Restaurant in Chinatown, where clubbers wash down jungle, hip-hop and soul sounds with (natch) mai tais and Singapore slings. 943 N. Broadway, downtown, 626-454-7447. * Clubfooters can still learn the swing ropes by taking free dance lessons at The Derby at 8 p.m. and testing their moves with smokin' big bands. 4500 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Feliz, 323-663.8979.
|
