The Underground Guide To Los Angeles, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

~ Pleasant Gehman (Editor) "Los Angeles, unfortunately, is not full of inexpensive, clean, safe places to stay..." (more)
Key Phrases: Los Angeles, Sunset Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Explore life beyond Sunset Blvd and Universal Studios. From Hollywood landmarks to biking and walking tours to hip hangouts, The Underground Guide to Los Angeles has something new in store. For visitors and residents who yearn to find the real -- and affordable -- L.A., The Underground Guide to Los Angeles is the book to own. With updated chapters like Iris Berry's "Black Dahlia Drank Here -- Old Hollywood Landmarks," Libby Molyneaux's biking and walking tour of Laurel Canyon and the Hollywood Hills, and Jayson Marston's "Fetish L.A.," the variety of topics is endless. Whether you're looking for punk L.A.; the best thrift stores; gay and lesbian hangouts; activities for kids; or cheap places to stay, eat, and shop, they're all listed here. Among the 23 contributing writers are drag queen Vaginal Davis, Rob Zabrecky (lead singer of Possum Dixon), and filmmaker Lauren Hoffman (Bar Girls). Practical information like driving shortcuts and emergency phone numbers make this the only guide you'll need for your next trip.

About the Author

Editor Pleasant Gehman has been writing about L.A. for more than 20 years. She has appeared on E!'s Wild On Tinseltown, MTV, VH-1, and CNN. The author of several books including Senorita Sin, Princess of Hollywood, and Escape From Houdini Mountain, her work has been widely anthologized.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Manic D Press, Inc.; 2nd edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916397815
• ISBN-13: 978-0916397814
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,698,786 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible for partying/surviving in LA!, April 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Underground Guide to Los Angeles (Paperback)

This book has chapters on music, restaurants, great places to buy clothes, see art, go to thriftstores, etc. I've lived in LA for four years and never even heard of some of these places! The chapters are all fun, too, not boring like regular guide-books. Some are like essays, most are hysterically funny, full of personality. The writers included in this collection are diverse. Some are well-known, some are poets, others, like Rob Zebrecky (of Possum Dixon) are musicians. This would be a good gift for a visitor, or even someone who lives in LA.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worthless, April 30, 2003

By	Diego Banducci (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Whether one loves or hates Los Angeles, most people agree that it's an interesting place. The remarkable achievement of this book is that it makes L.A. sound boring.

The book consists of chapters written by different authors, all of whom consider themselves to be knowledgeable insiders but who are generally clueless.

There are a lot of good insider guides available for L.A. This is not one of them.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lots of errors and omissions, January 19, 2006

By	Anthony Thompson (Big Lake, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A few unpleasant facts for Pleasant (the editor): Gathering together a bunch of your buddies and asking them to write a chapter for your book does not constitute good journalism and does not result in a good book. Omissions: I was looking for info. on the early punk clubs (The Masque, etc.) in this "underground " guide. Nothing. I also saw a listing for Jerry's Famous Deli in the book, but the writer failed to mention that Andy Kaufman had worked there as a waiter at the height of his Taxi fame. Errors: Too many to spell out, but one that made me slap my forehead was a writer's contention that Hawaii Five-O had been filmed at CBS Studio City with "ocean footage edited-in". In fact, that was probably the first television show to be shot entirely on-location, with interior scenes shot in their own studio in Hawaii.