Knowing the angles in the City of Angels - Los Angeles, California - includes travel information

Whenever I visit a city, whether for business or pleasure, I'm torn: Do I explore the city, or@@ do I take advantage of my few days in a hotel by relaxing? That nagging question is followed by one that is far more critical: What fabulous stories will I have for my friends when they ask what I did while away? That's my incentive to hop out of the bathtub, throw on some jeans, buy a map (maybe even a guidebook) and wander aimlessly around the city, searching for its pulse. Fun? In Los Angeles, the West Coast city that repeatedly seems to come up short when compared with San Francisco, the answer is yes. The traveler in search of the city's soulful character can find it easily; he or she just has to know where to look, Here's a little help.

RESTAURANTS

Roscoe's House of

Chicken 'n Waffles

1514 N. Gower

Hollywood

(213) 466-7453/9329

This homey restaurant chain, with four locations in the L.A. area, is where everybody goes to get a full meal - breakfast, lunch or dinner - for under $10. "People come here to be real," says one enthusiast. You'll find yourself among businesspeople, families, and possibly celebrities, if you visit the Hollywood and Pico locations. The service is gracious, and the food is hearty. Pan-fried chicken served with waffles and syrup is the specialty. The first Roscoe's opened in 1975, and the standard that accounts for its growing popularity hasn't changed: food served as it is at home. Reservations are not accepted, sometimes there's a wait, and I'm told that although exceptions to that rule were not made for Stevie Wonder, they were for former Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry when he was in town. Go figure! Look for a Roscoe's in Atlanta and Las Vegas soon.

Georgia

7250 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles

(213) 933-8420

If there's a chance you might leave L.A. without finding out what it is to feel glamorous, head over to Georgia restaurant (Denzel Washington is an investor, and Norm Nixon is part owner). It's situated in a chic spot, with neighboring boutiques bearing names like Atomic Garage, Beat Nonstop and Wasteland. Spike's joint West is right across the street. Already, you're feeling a part of the in crowd. The restaurant's setting is dramatic - you see that the minute you step up to its doors. Iron gates partially enclose a courtyard with tall plants flanked by two dining areas and bathed in warm lights. The place grows noisy and crowded as the hour gets late, reservations are necessary, and who knows what celebrity you might bump into on a given night? Jackie Collins, maybe. Denzel himself. The food can be characterized as elegant soul food, I guess. A bit pricey, but good, and the ambience, fortified with a vivacious crowd of all ages and colors, is most assuredly worth the visit.

MUSEUMS

California Afro-American

Museum

600 State Drive

Exposition Park

Los Angeles

(213) 744-7432

The art, history and culture of African Americans and the heritage of the diaspora in the New World enliven this large, modern museum. Retrospectives of black artists in the Americas and the Caribbean are explored through paintings, sculpture, photographs and artifacts.

Museum of African-American

Art

4005 Crenshaw Blvd.

Third floor of the

May Co.

Los Angeles

(213) 294-7071

Here is a museum that has become a significant cultural force in L.A. The Palmer Hayden Collection and Archives is its most notable feature and is complemented by paintings, sculptures, masks, carvings and ceremonial objects from Africa. It's best to make an appointment to visit this museum, which is located in a department store.

CLUBS

B.B. King's Blues Club

Universal CityWalk

Universal City

(818) 622-5464

Modeled after his original nightclub in Memphis, Tenn., is B.B. King's Blues Club at the popular Universal CityWalk, a huge outdoor mall with a Disney feel to it that releases the kid in you, no matter what your age (and if the kid is already out, even better). Once you start roaming around, you can't miss the 26-foot neon sign that draws you to B.B.'s. The atmosphere inside is just as electric, with a big stage; a great sound system, which management says rivals the best in L.A.; three floors with staircases at either end; and a bar on each floor. These features allow for easy listening while swaying to the music and watching the act from the balconies on the upper floors, as well as easy rambling, which you'll want to do, if only to view the artwork on the walls - black-and-white photos of Johnnie Taylor, Otis Redding, Furry Lewis and other musical greats, as well as paintings of Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, Memphis Minnie and so many more. The diverse crowd is generally uninhibited, there for a flat-out good time. The Southern cuisine is simple but delectable. (Have you ever had dill pickle chips?) Lunch and dinner are served both at B.b.'s and at Lucille's, next door.

5th Street Dick's

Coffee Co.

3347 1/2 W 43rd Place

Los Angeles

(213) 296-3970 The Crenshaw District and Leimert Park are keeping jazz alive, nurturing young musicians and attracting popular artists. (Don't limit yourself to Leimert Park's jazz. Also visit its museums, art galleries and fancy boutiques.) It's not unusual to find Richard Fulton outside his establishment. After all, "5th Street Dick" is the nickname he was given by his homeless buddies when he lived on the streets of L.A. in the 1970s. His coffeehouse offers jazz nightly till 1 a.m., jam sessions on Fridays and Saturdays into the wee hours of the morning, and blues on Saturday afternoons. The joint is small, which creates a pleasant, intimate setting, one in which fellow jazz lovers - those strangers seated next to you - seem like old friends. That explains why you end up in conversation, and why you come back.

World Stage

4344 Degnan Blvd.

Los Angeles

(213) 293-2451

Just around the corner from 5th Street Dick's is the World Stage, co-founded by drummer Billy Higgins and poet-activist Damau Daa-ood five years ago. Folks really serious about their jazz frequent this alternative space, which is more than a nightclub. Higgins' fame has lured other big names here, among them Max Roach, Pharoah Sanders, Roy Hargrove and Geri Allen. The quintet Black/Note, which made its recent debut on Columbia Records, got its start at the World Stage. The purpose of the space is to serve the community with performances and workshops, so during the week the storefront hosts instrumental and vocal workshops, a poetry workshop on Wednesdays, and a jam session every Thursday night.

BOOOKSTORE

Eso Won Books

900 N. La Brea Ave.

Inglewood

(310) 674-6566

Here's a bookstore that carries more than 10,000 books for black readers. You name it, and if they don't have it, they'll get it for you. Owners James Fugate and Thomas Hamilton left jobs in corporate America to fill what they saw as a growing need for more quality books by, for and about blacks. The attentiveness of the owners, who are constantly in search of books portraying "politically correct black images," is complemented by a knowledgeable staff who will gladly make recommendations. Look for book signings and talks by Wynton Marsalis and Susan Taylor in December and by Sista Souljah in February.

GETTING THERE

United Airlines, American Airlines and USAir provide service between Los Angeles and most major cities within the United States. United, (800) 241-6522, also offers shuttle service between L.A. and key California cities.

STAYING THERE

You'll feel right at home at the Hyatt Regency Los Angeles. The explanations are many, but what immediately impressed me may also impress you: "Without a doubt, this hotel has the largest populace in America of minority managers on staff," says the hotel's general manager, Jerry Simmons. "They're bright, they're intuitive, and they care. They make a difference in our hotel."

Maybe Simmons gets this question all the time, but how did a football-playing country boy from Bartow, Fla., end up managing a hotel in L.A.? "That's an amazing story," he says. When he left school in 1965 with degrees in elementary education and physical education, he was offered a teaching position in the Washington, D.C., area. However, the Chicago Bears and the Pittsburgh Steelers offered more money, so he signed with the Steelers. After two years as a wide receiver with them, he was traded. That abrupt move prompted his decision to build his life around something sustainable and substantial - definitely not football.

Pat Foley, then a resident manager at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, gave Simmons his start. For six years, until 1975, when he became a full-time employee of the Hyatt, Simmons worked at the hotel every January through July and then went to football training camp. In 1977 he was appointed general manager of the Hyatt in Anaheim, Calif. "People say that you should have a passion for what you do," he says. "I've found that in this industry."

What makes Simmons a good general manager? His faith in people. "I believe that all people want to be winners," he explains. "It is my responsibility to create an environment in which they can achieve excellence."

COPYRIGHT 1994 Heritage Information Holdings, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group