Its yellow-and-green cover is familiar to people who haunt the Los Angeles sections of various bookstores around town. Its authors gained fame for their ability to ferret out the odd, the unique, the lovely and the not-so-lovely aspects of our fair city. And our own copy of "LA Bizarro," which we purchased around the time it debuted in 1997, is curly and sun-bleached from years of sitting on the car floor. Did we mention there are mystery soda stains? Sadly.
That's because we use this book during our out-and-abouts around town. A lot. In fact, we love this book and we love that this book loves LA in all its LA-ity. And word on the street -- "the street" here being author Matt Maranian -- is that "LA Bizarro" is due back this summer with an updated edition. Count on more stiff drinks recommendations, more rare steak joints, more loopy goodness, more "where in the h is that?" sights.
We're jazzed to the max, and we know we're not alone. There's a committed cult following for "LA Bizarro"; in fact, it remains a staple of the local shelf more than a decade after its release. Impressive. And whether authors Anthony R. Lovett and Mr. Maranian are taking on nude beaches, tiki bars, giant roadside stands shaped like edible objects, neon signs or places now gone forever, they're doing it with voice, verve, and cheek.
We're not jealous of them. Okay, maybe a little, because we know there are two princes in the "people so obsessed with LA they know all of its strange secrets" kingdom, and we are merely courtiers. There's no competition. These guys know their weird wonders, and they've turned out one fine, pull-out-all-the-stops paean to our amazing city. That's now getting an update. Sweet.
