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LA by night at high speed.

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Pazzo Gelato, Los Angeles.

Pistachio milkshake at Pazzo Gelato = unbridled joy.

A heavenly amalgam of salted pistachios, milk, cream and sugar. So many are the scoops that go into the making of this milkshake that excitement and wonderment soon give rise to worry about calories and other mundane stuff – look away and let the good people of PG do their thing. As long as this is not a daily fix, you’re probably going to live. Worries set aside, the result will leave you smiling and speechless. If not, let us know, and we’ll treat you to a dairy beverage you find more compelling – if that’s possible.

The espresso, made with beans from Intelligentsia, is very good – the selection of flyers about neighborhood goings on, plenty interesting. Great are the seasonal sorbetti – created from whatever’s freshest and organic at the local farmers’ markets. 3 different plum sorbetti? Why not? Try them all. 

The milkshake in the picture is Madagascar Chocolate – wonderful, but pales in comparison to the pistachio.

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Paru’s Indian Vegetarian Restaurant, Los Angeles.

For some of us, the perfect weekend morning comprises a visit to Golden Bridge Yoga for a physically and mentally reconditioning kundalini yoga session followed by the carrot-almond shake at Paru’s – and a short detour to Amoeba Music in between. This wonderful shake is simply the precursor to a more elaborate and satisfying, all vegetarian meal that showcases the flavors of southern India.

Those accustomed to the canned blandness of what passes for Indian food at most establishments will find this meal a revelation – in much the same way that just walking into Paru’s is a revelation. Quite invisible from the street, Paru’s presents a most unmemorable face to the casual passer-by on Sunset Boulevard. Like many of LA’s most focused and memorable dining spots, it is another nondescript storefront which presents a shuttered and opaque face to the world.

None of this need be of concern. Be brave and walk up to Paru’s, ring the buzzer – you’re ushered into an open-to-sky dining space, with tables generously spaced ‘neath the canopies of many trees. First time visitors should try the combination plates – they are carefully laid out and nothing on them is an afterthought. Sip that shake, sit back and feel that warm sunlight on your face – enjoy the best of what LA has to offer.

Paru’s is open 4:00pm to 11:00pm for dinner, Monday through Friday, and 1:00pm to 10:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

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Kogi BBQ, Los Angeles.

Waiting in line to enter the parking garage at Amoeba Music, this author pondered the various dining options in the area – and there are many, ranging from the quite visible In’n'Out Burger to the virtually invisible Paru’s. Quite by chance and through rushing traffic, I caught a flicker of something quite common to LA parked right across the street – a food truck. And food trucks in LA [also in NYC] can be very good indeed. Follow LA food trucks here.

Yet this was not just any food truck, but the much vaunted and oft praised Kogi Barbeque truck – one that the very talented food critic, Jonathan Gold, waxed poetic about [photo gallery here] in the LA Weekly. For those interested in food and in reading about food [the production, the marketing, the taste], one of Gold’s very best pieces here.

Fully in keeping with the feel-good LA vibe, this choice had been made for me. The following series of images documents the fortuitous encounter.

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Amoeba Music, Los Angeles.

We tend not to gush very much or very often over here at thinkmore – superlatives do not come easily. But there’s no other way to put this : Amoeba Music, Los Angeles, is the best music source [music store] there is.

We’re quite familiar with music outlets in the US, Japan, Europe – there are many wonderful, carefully curated collections lovingly tended to by those that know their music. Some are specialists in a particular genre, some in a particular medium, some offer music related memorabilia and oddities – they pale in comparison to the sheer size and scope of the offering at Amoeba.

Statistics and details can only reveal so much – for anyone truly interested in music and sound recorded on physical media [CD and Vinyl], this is the place to be. It matters little how far you live from LA, or how unappealing LA seems from afar : this is a must. And after you’ve maxed out a card or two, head over to this place for a brilliant and calming yoga experience or sign up for a twitter feed from these guys to feed that body overworked from hefting those discs.

This sequence of images begins with the automotive descent into the Amoeba Music parking garage, and up into the store via a flight of stairs. While every attempt has been made to capture the breadth and scope of what’s on offer, images cannot capture the rush and the exuberance one feels while in the space. The experience is similar to being at a wonderful beach – the breadth and scope magnificent, the warm glow unforgettable, and every image captured on camera a cheap facsimile. So use this imagery just as a guide, and set sail.