Love liquor and great literature? You're certainly not the first. There's something romantic about imagining a tortured genius of yesteryear crafting fantastical tales on a noisy old typewriter, a bottle of rye by his side. Of course, no one brings to mind this image more than Ernest Hemingway, who wiled away many of his days in dingy American dives and sophisticated Parisian boites. Appropriately, then, Hemingway's in Hollywood has shades of both. While it's a classy joint with an impressive cocktail menu, it's also one of the warmest, most relaxed spots in town, a notable contrast to the flashy clubs that surround it on Hollywood Boulevard. With plenty of comfy seating both inside and outside on the patio, it's a place to be creatively inspired early in the evening, and to let loose later, when DJs and live performances of jazz, funk and rock make for the kinds of nights you will want to write about. 6356 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd. (323) 469-0040, hemingwayslounge.com.

—Lina Lecaro

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