James Bartlett

Scott Michaels

Death Tour Owner Makes Sure Forgotten Actors Get a Headstone

James Bartlett
It's a chilly winter morning at the Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, and a dozen people arrive to attend a ceremony for someone they never met, who died more than 30 years ago. A small red flag marks where Thelma Pelish, a larger-than-life actress best known as......
Indiana Bones and her handler

Brains and Nose: The Coroner's Secret Weapon

James Bartlett
When a visitor enters the office, there's a warning bark and growl, so Karina Peck issues some sharp-sounding commands to the German shepherd who's no longer snoozing in the crate beside her. Indiana Bones, the only departmental human remains detection dog in L.A. County, immediately quiets down, ready for her......
The 1887 Kurtz Steamer

The Fires They Fought, Enshrined at LAFD Historical Society

James Bartlett
From the outside, No. 27 looks like a classic fire station: three sets of massive wooden doors and a memorial statue. Inside, a pressed-tin ceiling tops six poles. Located near Amoeba Records on Sunset Boulevard, the station was built in 1930 and still seems set to burst to siren-screaming life......
Inside El Carmen; Credit: Stone

The Ghost of El Carmen

James Bartlett
Eighty-five years ago, Encarnación Elias Gomez took a huge risk — opening the doors on her new taqueria, El Carmen, at La Brea and Third. Back in 1929, this was about as far as the trolley cars went, and for the widow Gomez to open up her own business? Well, that was......
A haunted restaurant is a thing of delight.; Credit: Photo by Jared Cowan

7 Spooky L.A. Spots for Dining with the Dead

James Bartlett
Forget mazes, rides, haunted hayrides and houses of horror with their hordes of mask-wearing actors providing cheap thrills. Instead, grab a drink at one of L.A.'s haunted restaurants — seven dining and drinking spots that all have real resident ghosts far spookier than most made-up macabre. Befitting their age, most......
Credit: Danny Liao

Best Bingo With Balls

James Bartlett
Uniquely combining pinball with bingo, Looff's Lite-a-Line has bounced silver balls since 1941, when it first opened at the Pike, the long-gone amusement park in Long Beach. Inside, you're immediately hit by buzzes, bells, plinking and clacking. Before you sit down, you'll notice it's a mini-museum as well — thanks......
A flat white; Credit: Bronzed Aussie

Australian Coffee Culture Is Hitting L.A.

James Bartlett
Forget beer, barbies and Bondi: It seems that Australians' homesick blues can only be taken away with a good "flat white."  The coffee, which is a double espresso with steamed milk but no foam — hence the "flat" — has been difficult to find in L.A., at least until recently......
Credit: ILLUSTRATION BY FRED NOLAND

At the L.A. Zoo, the Animals Have Their Own DJ

James Bartlett
Countless birds are squawking in the distance, as something scrabbles through the undergrowth. A small stream splashes by, the wind rustles the leaves, and an insect has just buzzed overhead. No wonder the excited kids ignore the bearish guy with the close-cut goatee and khaki shorts. He looks like just......
Try tri-tips at Huntington Meats; Credit: Farmers Market Los Angeles

Taste of the Farmers Market: Happy 80th Anniversary!

James Bartlett
It was 1934, and when Blanche Magee arrived at a patch of the Gilmore family’s land and served sandwiches to hungry fruit and veg growers at the new “Farmers Market,” she couldn’t have imagined it was going to turn into one of L.A.’s biggest attractions. Magee gambled on good food......