I've always been partial to the westside of losangeles, but I think it stems from the fact that it's more familiar to me. plenty of stories from my mom who grew up in ocean park in the 1930s + lots of memories of wandering there in the early-mid 80s. I think I still have old brass santamonicabus tokens from '83 or so. on the eastside, away from the hip enclaves of silverlake + losfeliz {although, I think the next big thing is highland park}, there's a zone where armenia meets thailand. a friend of mine frequents a bar/restaurant there--a tiny place with a eyebrow-raising B rating from the health department {although I do know that those ratings are based on all sorts of variables}. there's a tiny lot + you park as if you're lining up in a ferry. a guy in a nautica cap manages the chaos. ::it's usually dark + there's always a mix of thais from the neighborhood + hipsters. the waitstaff knows my friend + we always manage to get a good table + attentive service. my friend orders in thai, although the waitstaff occassionally gives him puzzled looks. he's not always sure if it's his thai or theirs, since some of them hail from the rural provinces, but he accepts their corrections cheerfully. we mix it up a bit, but we tend towards som tam + a rich panang red curry. I'm told by my friend I can just say, "sing," rather than "singha." after 10pm, the singing starts, so conversations tend to stop. a steady stable of talent belt out thai songs that a few audience members sing along with, along with perfect phonetic renditions of songs by the eagles, billy joel, celine dion, and...billy ray cyrus' "achy-breaky heart." that, somehow, made my evening.
