thuglife

venice beach, ca.

late night at lucky devils.

i find it's always a little bit of a struggle to find good late night food options in los angeles; they definitely exist, and there's an interesting variety available--tofu house for korean on wilshire, the original pantry downtown, daikokuya in little tokyo, to name a few--but i am such a night owl that i feel like i run through my options with alarming speed.

that's why i was happy find a new late night joint: lucky devils. i had just heard about it for the first time on my flight over, on a podcast of "good food", during a segment about great burgers in los angeles (okay, just a quick aside--i really didn't expect jonathan gold's voice to sound like it does). mr. gold recommended lucky devils' kobe beef burger and described it as being in the vein of the much-hyped father's office burger--quality beef, bleu cheese, applewood smoked bacon, onion confit, and arugula on a french roll. mr. gold also amusingly noted that the restaurant is owned by lucky vanous, one of those multi-hyphenated people running about hollywood (actor-model-restauranteur), who is best known as being the hott construction guy in a diet coke advert; vanous, gold said wryly (and still not in the voice i expected), has apparently created a menu that ensures that no one's body will ever look as good as his does.

and that he has. i felt it was only being charitable to check out the burger for burgerhounds reid and pieman's sake, so having found myself meandering through the streets of hollywood late one night, i was rather pleased to find that lucky devils is open until midnight on weekdays (3am on fridays and saturdays; note: the website says it's only open until 10 weekdays, but i'm pretty sure i came in around 11).



the space is modest and modern--concrete and chrome, red walls, and random plasma screens showing random extreme sports images. there's maybe 20 tables indoors, a few outside on the slightly dubious stretch of hollywood boulevard it's on, a refrigerated case filled with various desserts (mostly cupcakes), and what looks to be a dozen microbrewery beer/ale (and one root beer) taps behind a counter. a large blackboard above lists various specials, but the wordy one-page menu throws a few recommendations up on the very top. the menu is solid american fare--salads, burgers, sandwiches, mac and cheese, shakes, beers. shakes with beer (no really--there's a black and tan made with frozen custard and a porter ale that sounds delicious).



one of my companions ordered the chili dog (chili cheese dogs also available), a hefty foot-long beef frankfurter slathered with a slow-cooked non-bean, ground beef based chili, and served with a choice of french fries or green mesclun mix. i was told that the hot dog itself had a good snap and was juicy, but the chili was the star--only very mildly spiced and mildly tomatoey, solidly beefy and hearty.



someone else had the veggie burger, which quite curiously resembled a rare meat burger as it was made from rice, beets, roasted peppers and paprika, then grilled. the result is a rather mildly spicy patty with an almost rare-cooked burger texture. it was served with several slices of avocado and a mild white (cheddar?) cheese, on a butter grilled brioche bun. while the diner enjoyed the unique burger, it was a carb monster, especially when paired with the rather excellent french fries, which were nicely crispy on the outside and fluffy tender within.

i hate to say it, but my photos of the kobe burger didn't turn out. if i return i'll definitely take a photo, but in the meantime, check out kiwichicky's rather excellent review and photos. i wimped out on the bacon cheeseburger, and just got a straightforward burger, which was brought to me somewhere in between medium rare and medium, grilled but not charred, on a bed of a mesclun mix and topped with a nice caramelized onion confit (i think it's described as a chutney on the menu), all on the same butter grilled brioche roll as the veggie burger. i don't eat many burgers, but i rather liked the mild flavour and texture of the kobe beef; in fact, the whole burger, whilst being quite a double-fisted handful, had such a nice balance of sweet onion, peppery greens, butter and beef flavour that i almost inhaled that thing down. i really would have, had i not remembered to stop a bit to really savour the flavour. a very good burger.



we decided to split one of the milkshakes available--sadly, not the black and tan. we ordered the toasted pecan frozen custard shake, which was not so much a shake as a giant blender cup filled with frozen custard and topped with a more than generous amount of choped toasted pecans and whipped cream. it's acknowledged it's not a shake as it came with long metal spoons and not straws. the frozen custard is like a soft-serve ice cream, but with a silky, impossibly light texture that feels like velvet on the tongue and melts almost immediately; that combined with the almost smoky pecans was a simple but truly decadent way to end the meal.

the service was a bit slow, but there was only one waitress with 6 tables to cover, and she was quite efficient (although she seemed more enthusiastic about the beers available than the food). she didn't ask me how i'd like my burger to be cooked, so i assumed it would be medium rare, and was satisfied; the patrons at the table next to me were not, and sent back their meals to be re-cooked. i was rather perplexed by the television screens and the random bits of extreme sports shown, as they seemed completely without a context (maybe vanous is a x-sports enthusiast?) and not particularly conducive towards anything. also, the meal was so enjoyable i think i over-ate, and definitely felt full until mid-afternoon the next day. otherwise, lucky devils was a pleasant surprise in every way. i look forward to another feeding frenzy, although perhaps after a few more laps around the track.


lucky devils
6613 hollywood blvd
hollywood, 90028
323.465.8259.

tallulah tonight!

i'll be back with señor amor and cyrano on the molotov cocktail hour tonight (tuesday) from 11pm to midnight, PST. join us for a unique blend of exotica at KXLU 88.9FM on your los angeles radio dial, or via the web on KXLU online.

a quick revisit to the 101.

not me.

i have a predilection towards the 101 coffee shop, so it's only appropriate that the first restaurant i hit in la would be it (although admittedly not by choice--damn you, hungry cat, for not having a table until 11pm!).

quick recap: a faux been-here-forever feel. i should say, it may be manufactured, but it certainly is genuine. oh, quintessential los angelesness! although you are fake, you are very real to me. i certainly feel like i have been coming here forever, and the menu has a very classic diner theme: burgers, shakes, meatloaf, mac and cheese. for the most part everything is just solidly executed and satisfying, not earthshakingly noteworthy, although such consistency in performance is remarkable in itself.



ordered a tuna melt. just tuna and mayonnaise with cheddar on some sort of white country bread, but the right amount of butter was brushed on and the bread was grilled enough not to be charred, but to keep it crisp until the very last bite--that little give to a tender shatter, into a creamy not-too-molten blend of just-the-right-amount of cheese and tuna mayonnaise. here in la, it seems like everyone gives you the salad instead of fries option, which i heartily appreciate; i appreciate it even more as everyone seems to forgo romaine as the new iceberg, and all salads seem to be a nice, peppery mesclun mix.



the indulgence: the purple haze, a seasonal milkshake of fresh blueberries, honey and vanilla ice cream all whirled into a lavender emulsion whose colour mimics the explosion of lilac blossoms around the city. intensely berry-flavoured and filling.



the sign above, it reads "it's time to stay." *sigh*. perhaps it is.

the 101 coffee shop
6145 franklin ave
los angeles ca 90028
323.467.1175

minutes away.

to get to los angeles from guambat isle, i left on saturday morning, hopped on an aeroplane that took me to honolulu--seven hour flight, plus a three hour layover in one of the coolest airports evah--then i sat through another four and a half hour flight to los angeles in the evening, which put me into LAX at um, five am, but the day before, which means i arrived one hour before i left.

trippy.

and so appropriate for the city of lost angels, the land of la, lala land; it's all good. it's as shallow as everyone says it is, yet it runs deeper than the san andreas' fault. no matter how far, how fast you go forward, you always somehow manage to go backwards, although if you are lucky, maybe you just go back--back into time, whether it's the city's or your own. back when you felt safe, or when los angeles felt safe. but of course, if you do, are you really? and was it ever? people come here to pursue a dream, as the dream exists as reality here. you just have to find it.

so here i am, not exactly pursuing a dream, but rather, happily skipping through one. it's not exactly meant to go anywhere, but hopefully takes me to someplace different, even though it's always somewhat familiar. what's nice about los angeles is the dream:reality distance is not particularly far.

case in point: franklin canyon, a mere ten minute journey from the heart of eurotrashy champagne wishes and caviar dreams, rodeo drive. high above the stink of bijan, paris hilton-wannabees (and paris hilton-unfortunatelyis), and the blinding bling-bling, lies 605 acres of woodland and chapparels in the geographic center of los angeles between beverly hills and the san fernando valley. not a palm tree nor celebutante in sight. after a rawther hollywood morning of egg white-only omelettes with vegan cheese and turkey bacon (somehow in los angeles, if you are a vegetarian, bacon doesn't count as meat) consumed poolside (okay, koi-pondside) in the hollywood hills, and feeling rather glamoo, i thought i would commune with nature and head into the canyon.



gorgeous, and so not like what you'd imagine la to look like (but it does, sometimes, some places). sycamores and oaks tower over the dense grasslands and sprawl of wildflowers, wood and mandarin ducks swim contentedly on the reservoir and splash along in the delightfully named heavenly pond. i can't be sure, but the ponds look like they are filled with suspiciously asian-origined fish, steely grey skinks scuttle past, and please ignore the fact that it is rattlesnake season (just avoid the tall, dry grass). holla, owl! there are trails that lead up the mountains to the summit of breathtaking views of beverly hills, century city and beyond; you can walk down through the brush to the banks of reservoir, which nature has happily reclaimed.

even though it is the epitome of rustic idyll, the canyon's history (and particularly the reservoir) is tied to the intrigue of the california water wars and the surrounding controversy upon which the city is built, both literally and figuratively (see "chinatown". no really, it's great.). in 1914, william mulholland, water engineer and undoubtedly an architect of City As Is (hear frank black. no really, he's great.) and the DWP (department of water and power) constructed two reservoirs in the canyon as a part of a vast water delivery system to bring water in from over the valley into the city of los angeles, which was (is) basically a desert by the sea. later, the works progress administration (WPA) built a flood control dam along with a series of culverts and walls in the upper reservoir to help prevent erosion and surface contamination. however, by the seventies, the two reservoirs were deemed unsafe, and restructured into one larger containment system in the lower portion that remained in operation until the eighties, when it was--with the help of many private individuals and environmental organizations--deemed a conservation center and public park, and effectively 'turned back' to nature.



oh hoo ha, listen to me, like i really know what was going on. this site has the best history of the reservoir/lake i've read so far if you want the full story. i do know that the title sequence of "the andy griffith show" was filmed there, along with episodes of the original "star trek", "bonanza", and claudette colbert's hitchhiking scene in "it happened one night".



so here i am, making my way to the water's edge. c'mon along.


franklin canyon
2600 franklin canyon drive,
beverly hills.
310.858.7272.

omigod.

my neighbours just ululated!

radio on.

my lurvely friend dave newton, (ex- of mighty lemon drops and fonda), will be guest dj'ing tonight, wednesday the 5th (4-5-06!), on little radio, from 6pm - 8pm. don't know what to expect, but he says he'll try to "make it 'a night to remember' like Shalimar once said!" dj dave in da house, y'all.

4 things: the LA edition

i've been tagged by the lovely maria from franklin avenue for the 4 LA things meme, a variation on the '4 things' meme which i secretly wanted to be tagged but haven't; anyway, this is better!



Four Jobs I’ve Had In My Life in LA:

• clerk at texas records in santa monica
• deejay at KXLU (listen to the molotov cocktail hour, it's still on!)
• door person/bitch with the VIP guestlist at neely o'hara's (a '70s-inspired club in the mid-'80s--seriously waaaaaay before its time)
• intern at enigma records in (gaaah) el segundo

Four Movies About LA I Could Watch Over And Over:

• swingers
• clueless
• the big tease
• anywhere but here

Four Places I’ve Lived All Over L.A. (With Food Memories From Each):

• mckay residence hall at loyola marymount university in westchester (that's near the airport); i managed to get out of buying the mandatory meal card, but i still ended up eating a lot of burritos at the lair, in the student union. and burritos from campo's. mmmm, that chile relleno burrito was freaking awesome.
• random apartment building behind the travelodge/denny's on century blvd, LAX. basically an off-campus dorm, everyone was from LMU. my roommate, tricia, introduced me to the wonder that is trader joe's. our weekly shopping list was pretty much the same: applesauce, granola, cheap cheese, tortillas, juice, peanut butter filled pretzels. college life! at that time, tj still was a clearing house for test products and one-off production runs; the best thing that came out those odd products was definitely the dark chocolate covered strawberry ice cream dove bar. deeeeelish.
• condo on 8th street, behind the mutual benefit life building, mid-wilshire. i have no idea what that building is called now, but it was where the offices of dirt, boy version of sassy! magazine, were. food was fantastic then, that whole '80s emergence of great california chefs: mary sue and susan at border grill on melrose, then the late, great city restaurant (chicken mousse stuffed canneloni, fried sage), evan kleinman at angeli (the best panzanellain the world,tonno verde-like an italian niçoise ), michel richard, wolfgang puck, joachim splichal....can't think of the rest, but that's a pretty good list. loved mandarette on beverly (lion's head soup, tofu with century egg), but also ate at the beverly center a lot: mon kee west, kisho-an (sesame chicken karaage), irvine ranch market (forerunner to bristol farms, surely), viktor benes bakery....hey it was the '80s! conspicuous consumption!
• current flat, kabbalah heights, beverly hills adjacent. everything farmer's market: soft shell crab po'boy at the gumbo pot, early morning cappuccinos, pecan and butter slathered belgian waffles at that waffle place that used to be in the middle, kitty doughnuts at bob's. oh, great thai food at thai house on pico and of course, cuban food from versailles.

Four LA-Themed Shows I Love(d) To Watch:

• gidget
• robbery homicide division-the most realistic looking la show, imo.
• mv3-okay, it wasn't so much la-themed but la-based--it was one of the first video shows on, with crazy pogo'ing la teenagers. heavy emphasis on british new wave. i swear, it's one of the reasons i moved to la. sad.
• it's like, you know...-i loved everything about this, especially that they shared their fascination with high-speed chases with me.

i'm starting to get into the closer more and more....and i'm probably the only person who's looking forward to watching heist. which means it will get cancelled after four episodes.



Four Places I Would Vacation At In LA:

• winter weekend in downtown la: i'd stay at the biltmore, have the buckwheat pancakes and cheese omelette at the original pantry, take a stroll down olvera street, spend a few hours at MOCA or the library, then lunch at grand central market. back to the downtown standard rooftop bar for sunset drinks, dinner at ciudad, ice skating at that downtown on ice (no, it has nothing to do with meth!), and maybe back to the standard for a late night movie projected on one of the neighbouring buildings. end the night with a bowl of ramen at daikokuya. sunday i'd go the mass at the cathedral of angels, then dimsum brunch in chinatown, and spend the rest of the afternoon taking photographs of the old theatres, the fantastic mexican accordian shops, the bustle over at santee alley. i'd end the day by buying a couple of french dip sandwiches at philippe's, some tapioca pudding, and hopping on a train out of union station :)
• spring in hollywood: i'd stay at chateau marmont, in bungalow #1. i'd had breakfast at the 101 coffee shop, then go to the hollywood farmer's market and pick up stuff for a picnic later at griffith park, above the observatory, at dante's view, or if i'm totally out of shape, just at the berlin forest. or ferndell. i'd then go to a movie at the arclight, go to grauman's and look at all the footprints in the cement and hang with the tourists who are just discovering how grimy hollywood boulevard really is, maybe have a fast game at lucky strike. i'd then have the garlic clam pizza at miceli's, head to mashti malone's for some persian ice cream for dessert, buy a couple dozen cds from virgin or tower to play while i indulge in some moonlight swimming back at the chateau.
• summer in santa monica: i'd stay at the casa del mar, just because i've been curious about that building for forever. i used to walk by it almost everyday and just imagine what it must have been like when it was a beach club in the 1930s. i'd walk to figtree's café on the venice boardwalk, where my favourite waiter in the entire world works--he's casual but professional, he's helpful but doesn't hover, and best of all, he totally coordinates my coffee cup to my outfit. they have a great tofu reuben, too. i'd do some window shopping on abbott kinney, then walk down the boardwalk back to samo, to the pier, where i'd spend most of the day just taking photos and people watching. i'd have dinner at ocean avenue seafood, or maybe the lobster. the next day i'd go to the getty, and take a long drive up the coast to ventura.
• autumn in the south bay: oh what the heck. why not. i've never been to catalina, it's been a long time since i've been to belmont shores in long beach, disneyland, or the aquarium at san pedro. and when was the last time you shopped at south coast plaza?

Four LA-Based Websites I Visit Daily:

• defamer
• franklin avenue
• los anjealous
• curbed la

Four Of My Favorite Foods Found In LA:

• lamb french dip at philippe's
• apple sushi at hirozen gourmet
• tamales at gallego's
• the chocolate chip danish at J & T bread bin in the farmer's market. honestly, i don't know how they do it--everything tastes a little stale even though it's fresh out of the oven. call me crazy, but i love the stuff from here, from the raspberry hamentaschen to the lurid green pistachio bundt cake.

Four Places In LA I Would Rather Be Right Now:

• hanging out mid-city with cyrano
• hanging out in burbank with bekki and dave
• hanging out in the hills with my cousin, normal
• hanging out in my flat that i haven't been in in over a year!!!!

sniff. i miss la.

Tagged:

• tokyoastrogirl
• yoony
• bramble
• any and all la food bloggers!

thanks maria, that was fun!

fish and chips at ye olde king's head.

i have to admit that during my college days, i was more of a king george habitué, but if my roommate and i were going to do a pub crawl, we'd technically have to go to another one; the only other pub in santa monica was king's head. king george is long gone, but the king's head seems to be going strong.

as far as pubs go, this has probably got to be one of the best located ones in the world, one block away from the pacific ocean and the santa monica pier. however, once you walk in you can almost forget that you are in sunny california, and are back in ole blighty, with its lack of light, dark floral carpet, and dark heavy furniture that give it a batty aunt milly's parlour feel, but in a familiar and comfy sort of way.

...'ole blighty'? i have never used that phrase before in my life.

anyway, after a brisk walk down the pier and a lot of dawdling, we were hungry, and thought that fish and chips would be a great way to warm up from the chill in the air; we headed to the adjacent restaurant, which for some reason reminds me of a ex-pat sort of place (which is exactly was it is)--lots of anglocentric photos and memorabilia against beige stucco walls, hiding the mexican/spanish bones of the space. i can imagine king's head or king's head clones in lanzarote, marbella, costa verde--a hangout for homesick brits the world over.

to be honest, i don't think i've ever ordered anything else on the menu; there is typical brit stodge--shepherd's pie, bangers and mash, scotch eggs, steak and kidney pie--but because it really is in california, there's a decent selection of salads, sandwiches, and a couple of half-hearted vegetarian entrées as well. the f&c comes in two sizes--king and queen--but i find the smaller size to be more than adequate. the fish is icelandic cod, and for me, an island girl, it's just bland, bland, bland. however, the fried outer crust is pretty outstanding--light, crisp, and almost 'spun' around the fishplank. the chips are thick cut--not steak cut, and probably frozen--and perfect for sopping up lashings of malt vinegar.

the next time i come here, i'll probably end up ordering the fish and chips again, despite the bland taste. maybe i'll add a side of mushy peas to liven things up.



ye olde king's head
116 santa monica blvd
santa harmonica 90401.
tel. 310.451.1402

bryan harvey, member of eighties indie band, house of freaks, was found murdered with his wife, kathryn, and two young daughters, stella and ruby. the details are too gruesome to detail. police have arrested two suspects in connection to the slayings.

bryan and johnny were our neighbours at the record label in venice back in the eighties. i would see them on their front steps, playing guitars and talking, always laughing and smiling. bryan would stop by often to chat, and the band played in a big acoustic show we had that turned out to be nothing short of magical for all who were fortunate to be there. admittedly, i hadn't thought of him since those days, but from what i'd read in the news and from what i knew of him, this is a tragedy that should never had befallen him, nor his young family.

rest in peace. the angels are with you.

the dragon at the end of the pier.

have you seen the dragon and boat at the end of the santa monica pier? do you know its secret? shhhhhhhh. let others discover for themselves.

santa harmonica pier.

these photos are for reid, because i promised him i'd put some up for him. it only took me a year after i took them :)



i used to spend a lot of time on this pier, because i worked just up on broadway, next to all the old nana's, at texas hotel records (anyone remember that place?). i think it's now a merrill lynch office block. but back in the days when the third street outdoor mall was dying, the santa monica place (pink mall) was new, and like, you didn't want to be walking around there at night, i used to spend all my time down there. there was something magical about the light, the breeze, the fog...and sleepiness. beautiful and decrepit all at the same time.



now of course, it's all cleaned up and gentrified. there's still a large homeless population, but for the most part, the streets are clean, and the place is thriving. however, i'm glad to see that there's still a bit of the loucheness and everyman on the pier. people fishing (!), playing hooky, acting a bit surly, shady, and hungover.





my friend, caroline, recently had her bag stolen while she was playing air hockey. from between her legs. the nerve! secretly, i think the guy was just looking up her skirt, and saw a more profitable opportunity. really, the little amusement park and arcade on the pier could be in the middle of hollywood, it's so suspect.





but the carousel is as charming as ever, and on a bright breezy day, there's nothing like the sun sparkling off the water, and watching the children play in the sand.



i once saw a barefooted miss get a jaywalking ticket in front of the store. i think the police thought she was homeless, so they asked us to vouch for her, so we did. i think of a song that girl that she was once wrote when i look back on these photos:

I draw a jackal-headed woman in the sand,
sing of a lover's fate sealed by jealous hate
then wash my hand in the sea....

Holidays must end as you know.
All is memory taken home with me:
the opera, the stolen tea, the sand drawing, the verging sea,
all years ago.

one year ago today....

click to enlarge

i took these photos of the cavalia tents a year ago today, in santa monica.

chinatown is in the details.

more chinatown photos.

nobody somebody walks in la

lisa left her house in echo park on sunday and doesn't intend to return until she's walked throughout all of la--and she wants you to join her!

walk la with me

pasadena, old town, somewhere with train tracks.

virgin mary, la style

robert graham's statue of the virgin mary at the entrance of the cathedral of our lady of the angels, downtown los angeles.

low end theory's restaurant guide

i haven't gone through the whole list, but check out low end theory's restaurant guide to la. 776 restaurants? 200 in his first year alone?! i gotta gallon of pepto i can sell ya cheap!

suehiro café, little tokyo

whenever i find myself downtown, late at night, and hungry, i'm most likely going to end up at suehiro café in little tokyo. it's certainly not the best food in town, but it's open until 1 am on weekdays and 3am on weekends, the food is decent and inexpensive, and the atmosphere is that of a favourite, if somewhat worn, diner. there's only 49 seats--some at the counter, but most at formica'd tables that you might end up sharing if it gets busy. and it does, even in the middle of the night. the crowd is varied but mostly a loyal group--folks who live and work around little tokyo, artists from the loft districts nearby, museum visitors, even a group of elderly bruins fans the last time i was there.

the lighting is low, but warm, and when you first enter, you are greeted with one of those "please wait to be seated" signs i always see at family diners and chain restaurants. okay, i'll wait, but i've got a tableful of manga, magazines, and books to distract me, and i'll probably bring one to my seat if i'm alone, and not in the mood for people-watching. the menu is actually quite large--lots of combinations and sets, ramen with different toppings, and rice bowls to choose from, but everything is quite homey and home-cooked looking. comfort food. i usually end up with a katsu of some sort, or maybe a big bowl of noodles. despite the crowds, there is never the urge to hurry, to rush through the meal. perhaps this is one of the reasons i like coming here. time slows just a little, and no one expects anything of you, except that you have a full belly and a smile on your face when you leave.



suehiro
337 east first street
little tokyo
213.626.9132.

the ambassador hotel

the ambassador hotel, built in 1921. the home of the legendary cocoanut grove nightclub, and in its prime, the home away from home for celebrities, royalty, and presidents. it is where the oscar first debuted at the third academy awards held in the hotel in 1930, and where robert kennedy was gunned down in 1968. ishidoro.com has a list of movies filmed at the ambassador.

although the hotel had been closed since 1989, it has only been recently scheduled for demolition in the near future. you can read about it on franklin avenue and the latest in the effort to save the main building via los angeles conservancy.

the davids of hancock park

house on 6th street and ?? (i'll get back to ya) in hancock park. anybody have the story on this one? you gotta hand it to the owners, they are house proud.

farmers market secret no.1

i never thought this was a secret, but everyone seems surprised when i show it to them. so, just in case you didn't know....

if you've been the market, you know how difficult finding a table can be. or, if you find one, it's in a crowded, cramped area, with a zillion people looking at you and what you ate, or near the plate depository. not nice. anyway, there really are tons of tables but they're upstairs.

there are two separate eating areas upstairs in the market, both accessible by stairway. there's a small, odd space that used to house the Saddest Art Display In The World you can get to above the west patio, where the gumbo pot and tony's is, but i prefer the space above the east patio, which is bright and light, quiet, and perfect for people watching.



my favourite tables are the ones by the north-facing windows--settle yourself in one of these and you get a perfect view of the comings and goings in the parking lot, the clock tower, and the patio area around it. if it's a little chilly, you might find yourself lucky and the community room will be open and a fire roaring the fireplace. in the afternoon it's almost deserted, so you can bring up a book and a cuppa, and relax to the sound of the hubbub below and the birds singing in the trees above. ah. a moment of peace before you have to head out into the craze of conspicuous consumption and traffic again.