These Just In

 

BEST BITCHEN NEW HIP THING THAT’S DEF AND RAD AND PHAT Trueroots Streetwear.This new store represents one of the first positive cultural happenings in this tough neighborhood. For the past five years, designer Anthony Cruz Gonzalez has created hip-hop/club/raver gear while spreading the word of Latino pride. He saved every penny to open this store, which also features weekend entertainment — The Aztec Dancers, rap and Latin-jazz artists and DJs. Big V-neck jerseys in brown, orange, blue and white are popular, as are baggy jeans, cords and khaki pants. Also dig the line of "Cultural Pride" T-shirts Gonzalez proudly displays in his cozy storefront suite, as well as a gallery of indigenous Aztec and Mayan art. Other items of note are the all-hemp beanies. Orale! 11541-G Laurel Canyon Blvd., San Fernando; (800) 971-8797. (Paul Saucido)

 

BEST PLACE TO EXCHANGE NEW-SCHOOL CRAP FOR VINTAGE PUNK CRAP Destroy All Music. If you are one of those people who got caught up in the post–Nirvana wave of nouveau punk only to find you’ve developed a deep loathing for same and have a boatload of recently purchased undesirables at home, then Destroy All Music is for you. The best spot in town for ’70s and ’80s noise, with a wallful of attendant paraphernalia (every band worth a damn has a T-shirt), is also a good receptacle for ’90s pop-punk and ska discs you may no longer want. Me, I’ve procured rarities from Teenage Head, the Pagans and Pere Ubu in the last few weeks while cleaning out stacks of CDs (full disclosure: I get mine free) by baseball-capped, goateed, short-pants-wearing nonentities bleating out tired screeds over done-to-death three-chord ramalama. But if you actually like that shit, go there and buy my throwaways; that is, if some 14-year-old skinhead from Encino hasn’t beaten you to it. 3818 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake; (213) 663-9300 (Johnny Angel)

 

BEST NEW FAST FOOD ON SUNSET La Playita Siete Mares. Fans of seafood tacos will be happy to note the addition of La Playita to the fast-fish family in the heart of Silver Lake. This adjunct to the Siete Mares Restaurant next door, located in what was an old feed store, shovels out the tacos, tostadas and shrimp cocktails all day long and most of the night. The aforementioned cocktails also come with crab, octopus, oysters and clams, abalone and "mixed." Seafood plates come with rice, fries and tortillas. If Sunset traffic isn’t your ideal ambiance, take out for private devourage at home. 3143 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake; (213) 664-4604. (Suzy Beal)

 

NEW FELT CUE SCENE Hollywood Billiards.Now that the Hollywood Athletic Club has more or less become a disco, pool players are heading back to the newly renovated Hollywood Billiards (the original location, in the old Hayes Code building on Hollywood and Western, shut down after the Northridge earthquake). The completely remodeled interior holds 40 tables — 20 upstairs, 20 downstairs — along with two bars, an arcade, two private rooms, two patios (one on the roof) and chef Stefano Lucio Mazzi’s fine Northern Italian restaurant, Issima. The brick walls, hardwood floors and high ceiling create an atmosphere unlike the dark, dank, pool hall of old. Tables go for $3 to $10 per hour, depending on the day and time. 5750 Hollywood Blvd.; (213) 465-0115.(Karen Cusolito)

 

BEST NEW QUAINT, CHARMING AND/OR LOVELY YET GAPLESS AND BORDERSLESS THING Hermosa Streetscape.While not as bustling as its more famous cousin in Santa Monica, Hermosa’s new promenade has spiced up the quaint little beach town considerably. Once thoroughly congested, the Hermosa Streetscape now provides residents and visitors with a newly paved, wide-open space to stroll, bike or skate. Just steps from the sand are thrift and surf shops, a youth hostel and a great bookstore (and no Gap or Borders). Things stay rockin’ on into the night with a dozen bars and restaurants, plus luaus, parties and plenty of skateboarding events planned throughout the year. Lower Pier & Hermosa aves., Hermosa Beach.(Sandy Cohen)

 

BEST FINE NEW ART MUSEUM Museum of Latin American Art.This fledgling museum is more charming gallery than stuffy museum. A former roller rink dating back to the ’20s, the building has the original wood floors which, even polished, still show scratches and scuffs from a thousand pairs of skates. The brick walls are brightly painted, and Latin American music plays over a speaker system. Since its opening last November, it has shown the works of Diego Rivera and Oaxacan artist Rodolfo Morales, along with documentary films, lectures and other special events. Right now, the museum has only one exhibit hall, but plans call for the opening of a performance space in time for Day of the Dead on November 2. Admission is only $3; memberships are also available. The gift store has jewelry from Taxco, toys and a great selection of books on Latin American artists and writers. 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach; (562) 437-1689.(Karen Cusolito)

 

HEY BAYBUH, DIDN’T WE MEET IN SCHOOL? UCLA Ocean Discovery Center. More of a teaching aquarium than just a place to watch colorful fish, the UCLA Ocean Discovery Center opened its doors in September 1996 for the explicit purpose of educating the public about human impact on (a.k.a. pollution in) Santa Monica Bay. The center features four main display tanks, a tactile wet-lab for hands-on examination of sea life, self-guided interactive exhibits illustrating marine-life concepts and a multimedia auditorium. All of the displays are educational, but you can also simply watch fish procreate in the 3,000-gallon Pier Tank, the largest display, which contains over two dozen species of local fish and a variety of crustaceans and invertebrates. 1600 Ocean Front Walk (beach level, below the carousel), Santa Monica; (310) 393-6149. (Sandra Ross)