Sam Ribakoff

Bridgetown DIY; Credit: Daniel Torres

Best All-Ages Music Venue

Sam Ribakoff
Located in a nondescript strip mall behind a zumba studio in La Puente, Bridgetown DIY is an all-ages, alcohol- and drug-free venue that fosters a scene of local punk, metal, experimental, noise and electronic acts. The venue specializes in booking SGV bands but also brings in up-and-coming touring acts, including......
Credit: Suze Randall

Best Horse Ranch for At-Risk Kids

Sam Ribakoff
When you think of horses in Los Angeles, you're likely to conjure images of towns at the far reaches of the San Fernando Valley or stables attached to multimillion-dollar homes overlooking the ocean at Rancho Palos Verdes. But you'll also find these majestic animals just off the Metro Blue Line......
Credit: John Linden

Best Place to See New Movies for Free

Sam Ribakoff
With wages stagnating and the price of movie tickets forever increasing — not to mention the endless amount of movie and TV options available online (legally or otherwise) — Angelenos can be forgiven for not going out to the movies more often. Still, there's something to be said for the......
Credit: Shira Ribakoff

Best Beach for a Bonfire

Sam Ribakoff
Every beach in L.A. has its own culture, its own vibe, its own rules, from the baby boomer thugs who try to keep outsiders away from the beautiful beaches of Rancho Palos Verdes, to the always surprising mass of weirdos and eccentrics populating Venice Beach. Chances are, there's a beach......
Credit: Wikipedia

Best Uncrowded Park

Sam Ribakoff
Angelenos should be proud that one of the first images that comes up when you Google search "Los Angeles" isn't a picture of the Hollywood Sign (although those show up, too) but a majestic, wide-angle shot of downtown's skyscrapers in the foreground, with the majestic, snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains in......
Credit: COURTESY LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY

Best Place to Do More Than Read a Book

Sam Ribakoff
The Los Angeles Central Library is and has always been a great place to scour the shelves for exactly the right book, find exactly the right nook and read to your heart's content. Located on Fifth Street in DTLA, the art deco edifice — designed by New York architect Bertram......
Dam Funk; Credit: Dam Funk

Best Unpretentious Club Night

Sam Ribakoff
Usually when you see someone in an L.A. club wearing a fedora, you know you're in the wrong club. But on Thursday nights at the Virgil, when Funkmosphere is in full swing, the only fedoras in attendance will be plush red ones worn by older gentlemen holding court at the......