Special request

Ignacio Ocamica · May 9, 2005

This Tuesday I'm going to LA with my girlfriend for a week. The usual question is: Where can I get Macross stuff?

This second request is a little bit off topic. Can anyone point me to a place where I can rent a car? A place with special rates, not the usual price I can find at the airport where they rip off turists.

Any pointers of the places I should visit for a LA first time visitor?

Thanx!!!!!

Yamato, where's the godamn YF 19 <_<

Sumdumgai · May 9, 2005

I dunno for shops that carry Macross stuff, or for car rentals.

Visit Japan Town, there's a Kinokuniya bookstore if you're interested in manga or artbooks. In that same plaza, almost next-door there is a restaurant called Curry House, best damned curry I've ever had! Japanese curry, and it's damned good!

Not far away there is an anime shop called Jungle Collector, they have cells, videos, dvds, and small toys. There's also a bunch of small Japanese shops in the area, and one or two other small anime/manga shops. One sells used Japanese school uniforms, those were fun to look at and try on the guy's jackets.

If you don't mind spending a buttload of money for a meal, get reservations for the New Otani Hotel restaurant:The Garden Grill. You can have Kobe Beef there, but it's like over $100 per person. A chef will cook your food on a teppanyaki, and it's not like Benihana's, it's much higher quality. Kobe Beef rocks.

Also in LA, but not in J-town area there is Laury's Restaurant. Like the salt, but it's a restaurant and they serve some really good meat. It's in something like the $30 range, per-person. Really good creamed corn.

Almost across the street from them there is a restaurant called The Stinking Rose, which is a garlic themed restaurant. Similar price to Laury's I think. Everything is garlic there, and if you love garlic then this place is awesome. I hurt myself when I went there because I had too much of this raw garlic spread.... Burned my guts out, but I was happy that night! :lol:

Hope that was some good info for you! Enjoy your stay!

Sumdumgai · May 9, 2005

I thought of more crap to do in LA:

The La Brea tar pits are interesting with a museum, and if you walk around in the grassy areas you can step in puddles of natural tar. That was a fun place for field-trips as a kid.

The LA zoo smells like animals, and there tends to be lots of bugs in the summer. You can kill time there if you have nothing better to do. But I think the Gene Autrey museum is right across from it. I think they have stuff about the old west, but I could be wrong. I haven't been there since elementary school...

At the Museum of Tolerance you can sit in a replica of a WWII Nazi gas chamber for gassing jews (we thought the teachers were gonna gas us when we went there on a field trip). They have the whole place dedicated to WWII and the Jews being put in concentration camps and stuff. Not exactly a "fun" place, but it's interesting.

There's Anime Gamers, I think it's on Pico blvd. They have little figures, and some anime goods. I've never found Macross stuff there though.

If I remember correctly, somewhere in LA Jay and Silent Bob's Hidden Stash opened up. I remember receiving a flier last year at San Diego Comic Con, but I was only back in the States on vacation for a little bit so I didn't go check it out.

Maybe someone else can suggest better things to do? The only things I went for in LA was stuff in Japan town...

Solscud007 · May 9, 2005

Man tuesday is not the day to go to LA. gotta go on wednesday for Frank and Sons!!!!!

azrael · May 9, 2005

http://www.janet.org/janet_little_tokyo/ja_little_tokyo.html

Most places were mentioned but there are also lots of little shops and resturants in the Little Tokyo/Japantown area. There are also a few dozen indoor shops which you can browse. They don't have many hobby/toy shops in the area (or I wasn't looking) but there are lots of bookstores and media (audio/video) shops for your anime needs.

This second request is a little bit off topic. Can anyone point me to a place where I can rent a car? A place with special rates, not the usual price I can find at the airport where they rip off turists.

I'd suggest getting it online then go to the car rental agencies out of the airport. Sometimes, you can get a cheaper price online than right there.

Otaku-Smeghead · May 9, 2005

Man tuesday is not the day to go to LA. gotta go on wednesday for Frank and Sons!!!!!

scud the man said he would be there for a week. :lol:

BoBe-Patt · May 9, 2005

since your gonna be here for a week, you should head out and meet up with some of us at Frank and Sons. That's the best place to find macross stuff now. Everywhere else is either sold out or selling at triple the amount. Here's the website with directions:

Frank & Sons Collectibles show

Jolly Rogers · May 9, 2005

Not far away there is an anime shop called Jungle Collector, they have cells, videos, dvds, and small toys. There's also a bunch of small Japanese shops in the area, and one or two other small anime/manga shops. One sells used Japanese school uniforms, those were fun to look at and try on the guy's jackets.
Also in LA, but not in J-town area there is Laury's Restaurant. Like the salt, but it's a restaurant and they serve some really good meat. It's in something like the $30 range, per-person. Really good creamed corn.

Almost across the street from them there is a restaurant called The Stinking Rose, which is a garlic themed restaurant. Similar price to Laury's I think. Everything is garlic there, and if you love garlic then this place is awesome. I hurt myself when I went there because I had too much of this raw garlic spread.... Burned my guts out, but I was happy that night!

Assuming you mean the prime ribs place, it's Lawry's in Beverly Hills, not Laury's.

You can get even better steak at Ruth's Chris, but it'll cost over $50 per person. If Robert Duvall eats there, you can't go wrong. B))

But these are chain restraurants you can find in most major cities. For unique L.A. restaurants, I recommend Minori Sushi, also in the Beverly Hills area and listed in the L.A. City Guide. It doesn't look fancy on the outside, but the food and chefs are incredible.

You can always do the typical tourist thing and go to Universal Studios and Disneyland. Sunset strip is also worth checking out.

Macross stuff - I don't think Anime Jungle has that much Macross stuff, but you'll find some posters and possibly some kits. For the Yamato and Bandai toys, you'll probably get a better deal at the Frank & Sons Collectibles Show every Wednesday evening and Saturday at City of Industry (about 20 miles east of L.A.). You can also find some Hase and Bandai Macross kits at Best 1 Hobby.

Or you can just go and raid Xstoys' house. :lol:

Solscud007 · May 9, 2005

No way man there is this great BBQ place close by to Exo. "Lucilles". Excellent BBQ

bhop · May 10, 2005

Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Do yourself a favor and go there. Get a #13 "Succelent breast and Waffle" and you're set.

EXO · May 10, 2005

No way man there is this great BBQ place close by to Exo. "Lucilles". Excellent BBQ

There's a Lucilles by F&S... we went there for Mindy's bday...

You might want to check out the Getty Museum and the museum with all the mummified bodies on display. Just duck when you see people waving guns in the freeway...

Pat Payne · May 10, 2005

Just duck when you see people waving guns in the freeway...

Oh, come on, Exo, we're not that bad...we've only got the third largest number of homicides in the country...

Ignacio...for question one, definelty go to Kinokuniya on Onizuka St. Also, there's nearby the Japan Village Plaza, and they have a number of stores where you can score anime/Macross stuff. One store I recommend (even if they're a bit pricy) is Anime Jungle. Also, check out gaming stores in the area> I remember one in Torrance (sadly no longer there) where I found a copy of Perfect Memory and a CF 1/60 VF-1.

As for other things to do, I don't think anyone's mentioned the Disney Hall, or LACMA. Also Hollywood's not terribly far (if you're driving), and neither is Santa Monica. (Santa Monica used to have a Mandarake -- that originally was in Torrance's Yaohan -- but it shrivelled up and died. *sigh*)

Anyway, Velcome to Cahleefoania, as our Governor would say

Edited May 10, 2005 by Pat Payne

Commander McBride · May 10, 2005

Forget Curry House, and head up to the next floor, to a place called Orochon. (Or is it Orochan?) Best damn ramen in town, and make sure to get the Cha-shu in it, as it's simply awesome.

Also, if you've got money to burn, go to Sushi Nozawa in Studio City. Nozawa is commonly regarded, and not without reason, as the best sushi you can get outside of Japan, bar none. Dinner there for two is about 100 bucks, not too horrible, but not cheap by any means.

Edited May 10, 2005 by Commander McBride

Eternal_D · May 10, 2005

mcbride, where do they talk about Nozawa? I'd like to read about it and maybe check it out. if they are good, I can take my dad and his clients there to check it out.

if you come to LA and don't go to the beach...you're losing out...on these beautiful days as they've been lately...def worth checkin out, if not the beach then the beach bunnies. Just avoid venice...damn that place is a mess.

anime king in HB is pretty cool, not too much macross stuff since I bought it all up, but they have quite a variety of things there and reasonably priced.

there's a little place called Wasabi in Tustin which is all the rave with my friends. From what I hear, the guy only has seats enough for like 15 people, everybody pays the same thing, and he'll feed you the freshest fish he bought earlier that day. And this guy's hardcore, he'll give you the stink eye if you soak your shashimi in soy sauce. :lol:

jwinges · May 10, 2005

A couple of years ago they had a little macross and a lot of mospeada at Meltdown comics (I think that was the name of the store) on the stip. Big comic book store...don't know what they would have now.

ewilen · May 10, 2005

Two attractions that haven't been mentioned...

The Queen Mary in Long Beach. There's also a Soviet submarine docked alongside. Well worth a trip.

The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City is one of the weirdest places I've ever seen. Kind of an in-joke, it seems to be a combination of a parody of what a museum is all about, a repository of crackpot science/pseudoscience, and just generally interesting stuff, like art on the tip of a needle.

Bob_Coffee · May 10, 2005

Im not an LA native(i live down in SD), but i do venture up there on occasions, aside from the resturants mentioned there, i recomend brotha's which is located in gardina somewhare(forget the exsact location a friend me showed there) the meat there is mmm good to say the least,and the prices are good. also in Little saigon, there's lee's sandwiches, which makes for good filler food when your out and about. $1.99 sandwhiches, you cant go wrong.

As for macross stuff little tokyo look you must not. for manga/anime in LT kinokuniya(overpriced like a mofo, cause they set there yen to $ rate once per yr), anime jungle are your two best bets. however even better for manga is book-off in torrence., which is a japanese used book store, which carries a ton of manga, very good if you can read teh nihongo. Also located in the torrence mitsuwa, is Asahiya book store which is good for japanese magazines and manga(again a little bit overpriced, since they set there exchange rates once a yr).

for valks, your best bet aside from frank and sons is china town(located sort of to the east of little tokyo), theres a store in one of the mall buildings there called neo happy land, which in the past ive seen carry 1/48th's and 1/60's, there are a few more toy stores in the same mall that ive seen carry 1/60's as well. I dont remember the prices offhand, but its worth a shot.

Commander McBride · May 10, 2005

mcbride, where do they talk about Nozawa? I'd like to read about it and maybe check it out. if they are good, I can take my dad and his clients there to check it out.
if you come to LA and don't go to the beach...you're losing out...on these beautiful days as they've been lately...def worth checkin out, if not the beach then the beach bunnies. Just avoid venice...damn that place is a mess.

anime king in HB is pretty cool, not too much macross stuff since I bought it all up, but they have quite a variety of things there and reasonably priced.

there's a little place called Wasabi in Tustin which is all the rave with my friends. From what I hear, the guy only has seats enough for like 15 people, everybody pays the same thing, and he'll feed you the freshest fish he bought earlier that day. And this guy's hardcore, he'll give you the stink eye if you soak your shashimi in soy sauce.

Not as hardcore as Nozawa. Sit at the bar, and he'll almost never let you order. He personally goes to the market every morning, and makes what's good.

If you're at a table, or at the bar, don't think of trying to order a California Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, or anything like that, as you'll be booted before you know what happenned.

areaseven · May 10, 2005

If you want excellent Japanese food in L.A., go to Gyu-Kaku. I went to the one in Beverly Hills (a few blocks away from Lawry's) this past February for my b-day, and I must say that the food was beyond delicious and the friendly staff was like no other.

Another restaurant I recommend is the Bear Pit. It's located on Sepulveda Blvd. off the 118 freeway in Mission Hills. If you crave American BBQ, look no further. I highly recommend their Kodiak meal. It's a hefty meal that's actually light on the wallet.

Commander McBride · May 10, 2005

Hmm, there's a Gyu-Kaku in LT, I'll have to try it next time I'm down there...

In terms of Nozawa...

Citysearch

InsiderPages

Thread with some discussion

Nozawa's restaurant also made the front page of the NY Times at one point.

One thing to note, though, this place is VERY traditional. The people who don't think his restaurant isn't as good as it really is haven't learned what truly makes good sushi. The fish is nothing but the best, the rice is perfect (one guy complained about it being warm and not as sticky as he wanted, that's the true sign that it's fresh, and very well made), and when his sushi has any kind of sauce, it's to die for. You'll find no imitation crab, avocado, or cream cheese anywhere in his sushi, and, while a lot of people seem to prefer such blasphemy, Nozawa sticks to the simple formulae, and excels because of it. It's arguable that some of what you find at a "fusion" restaurant like Matsuhisa can, at times, be better, but it's not as simple, traditional, and pure as Nozawa's.

Some reviews mention Katsu-Ya, which is also a very good restaurant, but the sushi pales compared to Nozawa's. They do have the advantage of serving food other than Sushi, though.

Edited May 10, 2005 by Commander McBride

Sumdumgai · May 10, 2005

Assuming you mean the prime ribs place, it's Lawry's in Beverly Hills, not Laury's.

You can get even better steak at Ruth's Chris, but it'll cost over $50 per person. If Robert Duvall eats there, you can't go wrong.

I never manage to spell it right! *lol* Lawry's Lawry's Lawry's! :lol:

Hey I gotta try some of these places when I come back to California.

Boof-off in Torrance is a used-bookstore though, which is why everything is dirt cheap. But you can find some great stuff there as long as you don't mind them being used. You can find some rare cds and stuff there sometimes. (If you're ever in Paris, France avoid going to the Book-off there. It's the same chain of stores, but they're overpriced and they sell used bootleg cds at the price of new cds <_< )

If Mandarake were still around I'd suggest going there, they were great. They went out of business though... *sigh*

Jolly Rogers · May 10, 2005

Assuming you mean the prime ribs place, it's Lawry's in Beverly Hills, not Laury's.

You can get even better steak at Ruth's Chris, but it'll cost over $50 per person. If Robert Duvall eats there, you can't go wrong.

I never manage to spell it right! *lol* Lawry's Lawry's Lawry's!

Just wanted to make sure he doesn't go to a restaurant that actually has the misspelled name and go "WTF? This is awful!" :lol:

Book Off is kind of hit-and-miss these days. As of a year or two ago they started to jack the price up for items they know are popular, sometimes the used ones sell for the same price as the MSRP (actually more after you factor in the exchange rate) while you can get brand new ones from Yahoo Japan auctions for far less.

Edited May 10, 2005 by Jolly Rogers

Pat Payne · May 10, 2005

mcbride, where do they talk about Nozawa? I'd like to read about it and maybe check it out. if they are good, I can take my dad and his clients there to check it out.
if you come to LA and don't go to the beach...you're losing out...on these beautiful days as they've been lately...def worth checkin out, if not the beach then the beach bunnies. Just avoid venice...damn that place is a mess.

anime king in HB is pretty cool, not too much macross stuff since I bought it all up, but they have quite a variety of things there and reasonably priced.

there's a little place called Wasabi in Tustin which is all the rave with my friends. From what I hear, the guy only has seats enough for like 15 people, everybody pays the same thing, and he'll feed you the freshest fish he bought earlier that day. And this guy's hardcore, he'll give you the stink eye if you soak your shashimi in soy sauce.

Not as hardcore as Nozawa. Sit at the bar, and he'll almost never let you order. He personally goes to the market every morning, and makes what's good.

If you're at a table, or at the bar, don't think of trying to order a California Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, or anything like that, as you'll be booted before you know what happenned.

Wonderful -- it's the Sushi Nazi! "No Sushi for you!"

Pat Payne · May 11, 2005

Assuming you mean the prime ribs place, it's Lawry's in Beverly Hills, not Laury's.

You can get even better steak at Ruth's Chris, but it'll cost over $50 per person. If Robert Duvall eats there, you can't go wrong.

I never manage to spell it right! *lol* Lawry's Lawry's Lawry's!

Just wanted to make sure he doesn't go to a restaurant that actually has the misspelled name and go "WTF? This is awful!"

Book Off is kind of hit-and-miss these days. As of a year or two ago they started to jack the price up for items they know are popular, sometimes the used ones sell for the same price as the MSRP (actually more after you factor in the exchange rate) while you can get brand new ones from Yahoo Japan auctions for far less.

I just came back from Book-Off in Gardena today, and I don't quite see what you're talking about. Most of the manga I found were a dollar (Patlabor and a Megazone 23 film comic from '85), and even the Lupin III Y wideban was running about two dollars (give or take a dollar depending on exchange rate) under the MSRP on the jacket.

Ignacio Ocamica · May 11, 2005

Thanks for all the responses and info given!!!

Had no internet access, that's why the late reply. Right now I rented a car with my girlfriend, and we are looking for a place to stay <_<

I'll let you know about this trip!!

So far no shooting at the streets!!!!

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