James Bartlett

Pre-flight: the new Farmers Market at T5

Meet You at 5 and LAX: Farmers Market Now Open at Terminal 5

James Bartlett
After a soft opening a few weeks ago, they're already struggling to keep up with the demand for potted Magee's nuts at the Farmers Market at LAX Terminal 5, which held its official ribbon-cutting ceremony June 12 as part of the continuing development of L.A.'s love-it-or-hate-it airport. A microcosm of the......
Josh Spencer; Credit: Photo by Ryan Orange

Josh Spencer: The Last Bookstore Owner

James Bartlett
One of the fascinating Angelenos featured in L.A. Weekly's People 2014 issue. Check out our entire People 2014 issue. When Josh Spencer first moved into the neighborhood, he saw quite a few unexpected things: "Dead bodies in the street, people shooting up outside my door. I saw so many blowjobs on......
Peeps; Credit: Flickr/Teresa Boardman

Peeps vs. Cadbury Eggs: Our War With Britain Rages Again at Easter

James Bartlett
Easter means that the stores are full of chocolate and candies, but for L.A.'s 200,000 plus Brits it's a time of agonizing choices and wistful remembrances. Whether it is too much or too little sugar/milk/high fructose corn syrup or just because it wasn't made in a mock-Tudor English countryside factory......
Left to right: Malan Lai (son)

The Only U.S. Zipper Company in the West Is Here in Vernon

James Bartlett
Vats, drums, dyes, acids, formulas, paints, powders, bobbins, ovens, molds and boilers - not things you'd normally expect to see in Southern California, even on a factory tour. And while zippers were invented by an American, it's easy to assume they stopped being "made in the USA" decades ago. But......
Del Howison

Dark Delicacies, America's Only Horror Bookstore

James Bartlett
Del and Sue Howison made the decision 20 years ago this December: They were going into business together. They'd met at the Burbank bar that Del always visited while his clothes were spinning. "It was one beer for the wash, two for the dry," he recalls, "and then one day......
JD Healy and Cathee Shultz with their pet iguana; Credit: Photo by Ryan Orange

Behind the Scenes at the Museum of Death

James Bartlett
The madness of Halloween is here, and across L.A. mazes and haunted houses are screaming for your dollar. For JD Healy and Cathee Shultz, though, it's just another day at the office. The couple's Museum of Death, located just off the main tourist drag at Hollywood and Gower, regularly has......
Special Dishes for Hispanic Heritage Month; Credit: Xiomara Ardolina

Hispanic Heritage Month at Xiomara on Melrose

James Bartlett
October is National Hispanic Heritage Month, and though finding great Spanish-influenced food is as easy as stepping onto an L.A. street corner, you could seek out Cuban-influenced California cuisine at Xiomara, a restaurant that's been at the Hancock Park end of Melrose Ave. for a decade. A Freedom Flights refugee......
When there's this many DeLoreans in town

Why Do SoCal Drivers Love the DeLorean? Let Them Count the Ways

James Bartlett
Hollywood loves a comeback, and few cars were ever more in need of one than the DeLorean DMC-12. The production line went dark all too soon, the manufacturer filed for bankruptcy, and its disgraced mastermind, John Z. DeLorean, was arrested for drug trafficking.Then came Back to the Future, the 1985......
Lucky Baldwin's; Credit: A. Scattergood

5 Best L.A. Bars to Eat, Drink and Watch UK Soccer

James Bartlett
For a small but vocal minority in L.A., the new UK soccer season starting in early August means waxing the elbow and gearing up for some very early morning starts -- and that's if you can even find a place to see the match live on the big screen. You......