One of our travel guides partners, Not For Tourists, has several unique
offerings on their website this week. Check out the following
highlights from their Los Angeles correspondents...

The Mall of My Country

Posted By:  Noah Albert

The Americana at Brand

So many (powerful) feelings poured through me as I strolled across Caruso's new consumer extravaganza in Glendale: The Americana. Nostalgia and comfort were there, based on how much this place resembles my old haunt, the Grove. Mystery(!) arose too, when I saw the cops talking to the suits near the Tiffany outlet (word is Tiffany's now hawks silver to the masses). Of course I was disappointed as well: no mosaics in the sidewalks? No terrazzo? Mostly, I was overcome by a quiet intimacy with capitalism, a deep submersion into consumerism. Here is a mediated public space to behold. Remember to behave--they can always kick you out if they want. Behave and preferably spend a lot too. There is always the perennial street car going nowhere to hop onto too.

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Anger and Grease

Posted By:  Kevan Peterson

Shelly Cafe

You don't go to this grease pit for the service. Food is slapped on platters, ketchup and mustard bottles are tossed about like abandoned lovers and when asked to have your order changed the waitress utilizes some four-letter words like an Olympic champion and then fails to change your order. However, despite these obvious flaws the price and the greasy grubbiness of the food here make for a tempting quick lunch. A sign inside says it's world famous and can be seen in the movie Million Dollar Baby, where it was cast as, (surprise, surprise) a greasy diner with unhappy waiters.

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The Dive Mind

Posted By:  Emerson Dameron

The Joker

Here's my big idea. It's a Breathalyzer. It plugs into your iPod. As you get steadily drunker, it adjusts your playlist accordingly, slanting toward more and more cheeseball "classics." By the time you're really pixilated, it resembles the jukebox at the Joker, a corner bar in Santa Monica that feels like a hardscrabble east-coast dive. Most of the regulars live in the neighborhood, but there's always a smattering of with-it young'uns. If you shoot Early Times without taking your eyes off the television, you're a regular. If you catch yourself bitching about the cash-only policy, you're slumming it. But you're safe. The bartenders are tougher than cops on Third Street Promenade, and even regulars get booted if they don't behave. The mixers are as cheap as they taste. I wouldn't eat the food.

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Meatless Miracles

Posted By:  Alison Kim

Real Food Daily

I tend to avoid restaurants that don't serve meat, due to the fact that vegetarians/hippies kind of scare me. Most of my aversion, however, comes from the fact that these gastronomical fascists just don't know how to cook good food. Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule, as Real Food Daily proves with its unbelievably delicious vegan fare. Jesus himself must be working in the kitchen, because no mere mortal could possibly make such realistic nut-based cheese. Same rationale goes for the brownie sundae: milk and eggs are replaced with the Messiah's magic. Considering that the food is so damn good, the fact that I've yet to see a hippie in this place is just icing on the dairy-free cake.

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Grimy Antics + Breakfast

Posted By:  Brian La Belle

Nickel Diner

My recent trip to the Nickel Diner provided me with the following entertainment before setting foot inside: one guy selling another prescription drugs, a toothless woman spitting on a car and a guy with a pirate hat double-fisting the finest canned ale available. Don't let the gentrifying neighborhood surrounding Nickel Diner discourage you from enjoying one of the few places downtown where you can have a great meal at a fair price. Like many of the cafes and diners in the area, Nickel offers breakfast all day long in addition to a lunch and dinner menu. Local artists, the new downtown hipster crowd and tourists fill the small but lively diner that once served as a shooting gallery. Check out the old school murals and signs on the wall; all original dating back to the 30s and 40s and only recently uncovered after the owners took down the wood paneling. If you have some room left over check out the wide array of fresh baked goods created in-house each morning.

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For more LA offerings, please see: http://notfortourists.com/LosAngeles.aspx

Check out their website - they have free downloadable guides, maps, gear, and of course, the travel guide books. Not to mention, they are pretty funny people. I am always laughing when I visit their site, or read their newsletter.

Not For Tourists has offered a coupon for Wandering Educators - please use the coupon code: WE for a 10% discount.

To visit Not for Tourists, please see:

https://www.notfortourists.com/