by Haywood Brackemyre on I'd been wanting to see the new California Academy of Sciences since it opened in 2008 but huge crowds, high ticket prices and weekend inertia kept me away. I took my birthday week off from work and made a list of the things I needed to do, and -- what a concept -- I put the things I wanted to do on it, which meant that I was going to give as much priority to the California Academy as to ironing clothes. Furthering my resolve was the news that I could get tix for about half the price and miss out on the crowds by going to Nightlife on Thursday. The cocktails and DJs sounded great to me, but when we got there both became inconsequential in comparison to the exhibits, especially the much-touted rainforest. Tropical birds, giant jewel-blue butterflies wafting through the room, cool epiphytes perched on every branch and growing on thin air. I could have stayed in this spiraling 'open' rainforest all night. Luckily for Andrew they are only open from 6 to 8 p.m. With two hours left for everything else, we then wandered through the aquarium and then to the planetarium. The planetarium has you exit out to the cool eco roof. Too dark to see, but perfect for viewing the stars which you can now identify. I haven't been to an aquarium since Monterey and that was ten years ago, but if memory serves, then this is very comparable. If you get there reasonably close to the 6 p.m. opening you'll find parking inside Golden Gate Park and close to the Academy. If later, you could always use their pricey parking lot. I had heard this was a singles thing, but I saw plenty of couples, and many people just enjoying the exhibits. Yes, there were a few cruising sharks but - hey - when in an aquarium...
by Holly S. on Boulevard3 gets 3 stars....and unfortunately that's about it. I was super excited when we finally made it out to a real club in LA, and though others said we might not get in, we had no problem whatsoever! There wasn't much of a line and the door guys didn't seem to be that selective on who they were or weren't letting in. Once inside I was enthralled with the decor. The outside patio at the entry is beautiful and inside the place is so big you could get lost! And I think I did at one point. There are a ridiculous amount of stairs and slopes, and even some uneven flooring that could be hazardous after just one cranberry & vodka. Overall the place was nice, great music, great outdoor space and clean bathrooms - if you can find them. I think I would have given this place more stars if any of the following would have been available: 1. Seating - There is literally nowhere to set a drink, much less rest your dogs. The only option is to buy a table in order to have a seat. Outside there was some seating around the pond, but if you didn't make it there first you were SOL. 2. Less stairs - You all know how I hate to traverse stairs while in heels and tipsy, so this is a no brainer. 3. Cool people - Despite the amazing company with me that evening, there were literally no people that were willing to break from their cliques to socialize. I realize it's LA and there are a lot of pretentious people, but seriously??? (Admitted...I cannot blame this on the club, but it's the truth.) If Boulevard can do something about at least #1 & 2, the next time I come back to LA I can hopefully give it 5 stars...but it will probably be a while before I go back and this club will be long gone by then.
by Tristan Vital on So we went here on Friday night for my friend's birthday. There were a ton of us there but I went with 5 of my closest girlfriends. It was raining and I was feeling a bit sick on Friday but hopefully my review won't be clouded by my stuffy nose. I'd been to the new Fado's before, but never when it was this crowded. Mostly people in their 20's, college kids, etc. pack this place... and a lot of them look like typical frat boys. The music was a not-so-cool medley of typical bar songs with a bit of 90's hip-hop mixed in... not sure why frat boys love it so much. Some guys would scream at the top of their lungs to these songs while playing air guitar.... Thank God for the company I had or else I probably would have left early with that music pounding in my already-sore ear. Since I had never been upstairs my friend and I decided to take a little walk. The upstairs was okay, but I noticed a bit of an older crowd up there. I have a really strong dislike for really drunk guys who come wayyy to close to me, and for some reason that kept happening at Fado's. One guy, who HAD to be at least 200 lbs, even sat on my lap. I mean c'mon, is this necessary?!? But whatever, moving on. Since I was sick that night I didn't get any drinks, but I'm sure the beer there is just fine. Last time I was there I had a vodka and cranberry which was fine also. I hear their food is okay, but have never tried it for myself. This isn't exactly my scene but I can deal with it if I have the right company. It wouldn't hurt to play songs from this decade either...
