Nikki Kreuzer

Credit: Nikki Kreuzer

Best Veggie Soul Food in a Googie Coffee Shop

Nikki Kreuzer
Real Southern country cooking isn't necessarily celebrated for its low calorie content, and healthy soul food may seem like a contradiction in terms. But since 1984, Simply Wholesome has offered veggie and vegan preparations of scrumptious down-home delicacies, including vegan collard greens, mac 'n' cheese and Jamaican patties, right alongside......
Credit: Nikki Kreuzer

Best Tour of a Vintage Hot Rod Collection

Nikki Kreuzer
Car aficionados and lovers of the offbeat will go gaga for the outstanding and carefully curated automobile collection at Van Nuys' Galpin Auto Sports. Over the last 10 years, the museum's operators have amassed a showroom full of more than 100 very important vintage rides, including one-of-a-kind hot rods created......
Credit: Nikki Kreuzer

Best Factory Tour With Propellers

Nikki Kreuzer
Factory tours can give an insider perspective. The Robinson Helicopter Factory, founded in Torrance in 1973, gives incredible free tours of its larger-than-life facility, which each week builds 10 helicopters from the ground up. Spread throughout three massive hangers, Robinson employees more than 1,200 workers and is the world's leading......
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Best Floating Restaurant

Nikki Kreuzer
Want to make your next meal an adventure? The Chowder Barge, Los Angeles' only floating restaurant, is located over some train tracks, down a flight of stairs and alongside the Wilmington docks. You'd best figure out well in advance how to get here, because this gem of a spot is......
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Best Eclectic Gadgets and Novelties

Nikki Kreuzer
Seeking that perfect off-the-radar gift that will stand out from the pack? The Brat store in Santa Monica is the place to find eclectic treasures that will inspire both a tongue-in-cheek chuckle and a thankful grin from the person who seems to have everything. Proprietress Nancy Hunt, owner of the long gone but......
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Best Electronics Store Trip to Fairytale Land

Nikki Kreuzer
Shopping for a new computer, television or sound equipment doesn't have to feel like a chore. Find some inspiration in the magical and unexpected Alice in Wonderland–themed Fry's Electronics in Woodland Hills. After entering through a topsy-turvy rabbit hole and then walking under a giant deck of cards spread out across the......
Credit: Nikki Kreuzer

Best View Into the Valley's Past

Nikki Kreuzer
Overshadowed by its shiny sister, Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley has often found itself on the wrong end of the joke — and with its substantial history ignored. Determined to preserve remnants from his childhood, lifetime collector Tommy Gelinas opened the Valley Relics Museum in 2013. Located in a large,......
Clifford E. Clinton; Credit: Clifton's and Clifford Clinton: A Cafeteria and a Crusader by Edmond Clinton

Clifton's Cafeteria Founder Fought Corruption While Serving Up Meatloaf

Nikki Kreuzer
For four years, hipsters and history buffs were left wondering if the iconic Clifton's Cafeteria — a magical-forest-themed behemoth in downtown's Historic Core — would ever reopen. On Sept. 22, it finally will. Much has been written about this week's big reveal, following a $14 million remodeling job by filmmaker/developer......