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How to park for free at LAX and other life hacks from L.A. locals

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How to park for free at LAX and other life hacks from L.A. locals

Living in Los Angeles is a lot like folding a fitted sheet: It seems almost impossible to do well — until someone shares a tip or two that smooths things out and makes the whole process infinitely easier to navigate. I’ve been the beneficiary of many a Los Angeles life hack over the years. Some were passed along by longtime Angelenos with the solemnity of handing down a family heirloom. Others were on-the-job discoveries. All of them made it infinitely easier to fold the fitted sheet of living in the City of Angels.

That’s why I recently put out a call for readers to share their own L.A. life hacks: the coping mechanisms, shortcuts and workarounds that decrease the frustration and increase the enjoyment of everyday life in our city. You’ll find the best of them here — along with some others I’m proud to have discovered (or been told about) that I deploy on a regular basis.

Once you’ve had a chance to drink deeply from the trough of hive-mind wisdom given freely by your fellow Angelenos, consider sharing your L.A. life hack. You’ll find the form to do just that below.

“I haven’t done this yet,” wrote Christine Lubieniecki. “But the other weekend [at the Hollywood Bowl], we shared a box with four strangers who split a three-tiered Husky toolbox organizer charcuterie box. One of them had converted an unused, multi-tiered toolbox organizer into the most efficient, manageable, shareable, spill-proof picnic spread I’ve ever seen. They put it down on the table, popped open the latches and opened up to reveal the three staggered trays of various dips, seafood, cheeses, crackers, veggies and more … covered airtight with plastic wrap for the journey.

“This is the biggest picnic hack — especially for the Bowl, where table space is scarce — that I’ve ever seen in my life…. I do not know the woman’s name, but her ingenuity should be known to anyone planning a summer picnic at the Hollywood Bowl or elsewhere.”

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Beat Bowl traffic all kinds of ways

If there’s one thing scarcer than table space at the Hollywood Bowl, it’s a parking space. That’s one of the reasons getting to and from the storied venue has inspired all kinds of ire-taming work-arounds. Earlier this year, I discovered the new dedicated rideshare lot (which I highly recommend). For those who wish to kick the car to the curb altogether, my Times colleague Christopher Reynolds recently compiled a list of close-to-the-Bowl hotels (some of them a short walk, some of them slightly longer).

Then there’s the Bowl hack sent along by Jen Derwingson-Peacock. “The best, easiest [and] cheapest way to get to the Hollywood Bowl and avoid the traffic and parking nightmare is to take one of the park-and-ride shuttles. I live in Los Feliz, so it’s a short drive to the L.A. Zoo, where we park for free, and then take the shuttle, which drops passengers off right at the entrance gate.”

Shuttle off to the Observatory

Taking a shuttle bus is also the hack of choice suggested by Barbara Allen, though it’s to beat a different — but equally vexing — parking nightmare. “For the love of [G]od and all that is holy, stop driving all the way up to Griffith Observatory just to find out it’s $10 AN HOUR to park. Use the free Dash bus that circles Los Feliz and provides front-door drop-off service at the Observatory. Park your car in the park for free near the Greek Theatre, then hop on the shuttle on the east side of the road.

“Also, at no charge, the bus will drive you up the steep hill to the Observatory and let you off right in front of it. You can catch [the bus] back down or walk back to your car. (If there’s a concert or event at the Greek, park even further down [toward] sea level in the Los Feliz neighborhood and grab the Dash near Vermont and Franklin avenues).”

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Depart from arrivals at LAX

A couple of reader submissions offered pointers on how to hack the horseshoe from hell — the permanently gridlocked U-shaped route past all of the terminals at Los Angeles International Airport. “If you’re flying out of LAX during especially busy departure times and have a friend or loved one dropping you off, use the arrivals level,” suggests Marc Istook. “Often the busiest departure times coincide with a less busy arrivals time, and you can get to your terminal much more quickly [that way]. Same if you’re arriving at a busy time — head up to the destinations level and get picked up there if it’s less busy.”

If you’re trying to decide whether to head toward LAX on two wheels or four, Matthew Weitz’s hack might help you make up your mind. “[T]here is free motorcycle parking in the lots at the terminals (yes, in the lots inside the horseshoe). You can park in any area designated for motorcycles or [within] the white hash marks at the end caps of aisles. If you travel light (e.g. with a carry-on size backpack like the Osprey Farpoint 40, as I did once a week for work for eight years), it’s amazing.”

Deboard from the back at the Burbank Airport

Since I live about the same distance from the Hollywood Burbank Airport as I do from LAX, flying out of the former instead of the latter whenever feasible — because it’s always far less congested and much more manageable — has long been an arrow in my life-hack quiver. But I was recently reminded of a serious time saver for anyone flying into Burbank on Alaska, American, Avelo or Southwest airlines who doesn’t need ramp access: When you board your Burbank-bound flight, instead of jockeying for seat up front, try to grab one as far toward the back as possible. That’s because, when you land, those airlines give passengers the option of deboarding from the rear door of the plane as well as the front.

Think off-peak

Several readers sent along life hacks that keyed into a strategy familiar to anyone who has tried to game out avoiding rush-hour traffic: making your move when others aren’t making theirs. Reader Ben Cendejas probably summed it up best: “To enjoy any L.A. landmark, particularly the beach, the key is to arrive before 8:30 a.m.” Anytime after that, he writes, lots have filled up and ideal spots on the sand are few and far between. Plus, he says, then “You can leave [the beach] before the weekend rush-hour rush in the early afternoon. Also, some of the best, less-crowded beaches are toward the very south of L.A. County (just north of Palos Verdes) and the north edge of L.A. County, such as Malibu or Zuma.”

Plan on a 90-minute travel time … every time

Instead of constantly trying to play beat the clock getting from point A to point B, Cindy Clegg’s suggestion is to plan on a 90-minute drive no matter what. “Basically, virtually any time of day anywhere outside of my local area I go in L.A. (forget Orange County, which I do not understand), I allow an hour and a half. Going to LAX, going to the beach, going to LACMA, lunch in Venice — all the same. I usually arrive well ahead of time, with the reward of a neighborhood walk, a latte or a glass of wine depending on the time of day. Even if there is nasty traffic, I usually get there on time and sane. (Yes, I am an East-sider, and I do not trust Google distances and travel times.)”

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Mind the ‘Thru Traffic’ signs

Carmen Ortegas suggests shaving some time off a freeway drive by taking advantage of an often less-crowded lane. “I am sure most Angelenos know this: There is a stretch on the 10 Freeway going east where you can bypass the bumper-to-bumper traffic by heading toward the off ramp on La Brea or Arlington avenues, [where you see the “Thru Traffic OK” signs]. Keep on that road which runs alongside the freeway, then merge back on to the freeway at Hoover [Street]. You save yourself about 10 minutes.”

Ortegas’ hack works equally well on the same stretch of the Santa Monica Freeway headed west.

On the topic of taking the road less traveled, Angel Zobel-Rodriguez offers this hack for traveling to downtown L.A. from from the northeastern part of the San Fernando Valley in a timely manner. Instead of braving the I-5 or the Hollywood Freeway: “[Take] the 118 to the 210 to the 2 to get downtown. [My d]aughter went to school in downtown [L.A.]. Waze kept suggesting [this route], and now we just assume that’s the way to get to the Music Center, Grand Central Market or South L.A…. It’s faster in both directions.”

illustration of yellow 'loading only' sign

Look for the ‘Loading Only’ zones

Sometimes, though, the signage doesn’t tell the whole story. That’s the case with my all-time favorite L.A. life hack, which has to do with those squarish, yellow “loading only” signs and the yellow-painted stretch of curb they accompany. What the sign doesn’t tell you is that the space is “loading only” between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The rest of the time (unless there’s a posted sign to the contrary), it’s not enforced. So the yellow sign is your golden ticket, and you can legally park there — free of charge.

Enjoy museums gratis

Not all of the helpful hints were traffic-related. “Recognizing that L.A. is beautifully diverse and wacky is my best advice,” offered Connie Najah. “I’m formerly from the East Coast, and there is definitely a culture difference. There is a lot I still don’t like (traffic, friend flakiness, the huge amount of suffering of more and more homeless individuals without a solution), [but] I’ve been lucky enough to be able to go to art museums, protest marches, volunteer opportunities, concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and the Greek Theatre and [I] marvel at the massive diversity of humanity and the myriad gatherings Los Angeles has to offer. It keeps me going.”

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Speaking of museums, Nancy Broderick suggests doing a little web-searching in advance of your gallery browsing. “Certain days of the week offer free museum days, [so] take advantage of [them]. Type in ‘free museum days’ on a search engine, and all the different places pop up. [It’s] really a fantastic and inexpensive way to see L.A. in an artistic setting.”

Lobby for the view

“[For the] best view of all of Los Angeles, take the elevator up to the top floor of the hotel lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel,” advises Will Mathew Morgan, who adds, “And for the fellows, be sure to use the urinal in the men’s restroom. [It’s] a great way to relieve yourself with all of Los Angeles to see! You have to ‘pee it to believe it!’ ”

Lean on the Los Angeles Public Library

Tommy Bui’s suggestion is probably my favorite of all the ones that came my way. And that’s because it’s essentially a meta-hack, the L.A. life-hack equivalent of using a last wish to ask the lamp genie for three more wishes.

“The Los Angeles Public Library. The go-to tabernacle of literacy and lifesaving life hacks. A passport to wonder and whimsy and then some,” Bui says. “With your library card, you can get free museum passes, free digital newspaper and magazines and even state park passes. Not to mention access to free streaming services and books galore. And did you know you can print, scan and photocopy for free at the library? But perhaps the most resuscitating life hack I rely on the most? The friendly and helpful reference librarians at the desk. [They’re] always ready and able and armed with an unsinkable smile.”

Now, if one of those reference librarians can just help me figure out how to fold that fitted sheet, I’ll have an unsinkable smile too.

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Lifestyle

No turf wars, no sexism: Meet the queer Gen Z women giving billiards a rebrand in L.A.

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No turf wars, no sexism: Meet the queer Gen Z women giving billiards a rebrand in L.A.

In the summer of 2023, Alix Max, new to town with a cigarette in their mouth, was shooting pool on the patio of 4100 Bar in Silver Lake. They were pretty good, too — good enough to catch the eye of two regulars, Andrea Lorell and Julianne Fox, who recruited them to join their practice group. Their proposal was simple: “We have this group chat, and we play together and get better. The goal is to beat men at pool.”

It’s a plotline that could be lifted from the classic billiards film “The Hustler: an up-and-coming pool prodigy, James Dean-cool, comes to town and gets seduced by the green-felted world of dive bar pool — an aspiring pool shark meet-cute over an ashtray. A cherished motto Max introduced to the group: “Pool is blue-collar golf.”

The pool night was born after Andrea Lorell, pictured, and other players kept experiencing hostility around the sport at other bars.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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The pool-playing group, which started as a group chat titled “Women in STEM,” was composed of pool amateurs, usually young women Julianne “drunkenly met” at 4100 Bar who had a burgeoning interest in pool. Soon, the group chat mutated into a tournament series and community titled “Please Be Nice.” If billiards has the reputation of being a pastime for gamblers, hustlers and hanger-oners, the female-centric biweekly pool tournament at 4100 Bar offers a friendly, supportive alternative. “I don’t know if the goal necessarily was to build community, but it was a natural byproduct,” says Fox. The tournament is both a party and competition where women practice pool, trade tips and compete in an encouraging environment. It was created as an antidote to the prickly, male-dominated world of dive bar pool — all the exhilaration without the bickering turf wars with bar regulars.

 Julianne Fox tallies the score for the "Please Be Nice to Me,"

Julianne Fox tallies the score.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The founders, Lorell and Fox, began shooting pool at 4100 Bar in April 2023 and were bonded by their mutual hunger for the game. Growing up as an only child, Lorell spent hours playing on her aunt’s pool table. As an adult, she traveled across the country for work, always seeking out pool halls to “find a good hang.” She’s since joined a league and even played in a tournament in Las Vegas, where her team won the Sportsmanship Award. The team that knocked her out was disqualified in the next round. On the patio, she details the melodrama so amusingly that her love for the game is infectious — almost romantic.

The infamous Silverlake Gen-Z TikTok bar 4100 hosts a queer, female-forward pool tournament on Tuesday nights

“It’s a community cheering for each other and seeing each other get good,” says co-founder Andrea Lorell.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Until recently, Lorell lived in a cluttered studio apartment with a pool table beside her bed. She jokes being a pool shark is her dream job. “I give myself a little pep talk before important matches: ‘You’re the greatest pool player in the world,’” she says, laughing with a cigarette in hand. For her, the intention of “Please Be Nice” is to make pool accessible to young women: “It’s a community cheering for each other and seeing each other get good. It expedites people’s learning.”

Julianne Fox, a co-founder, says the tournament also operates as a workshop: “If you’ve never shot a pool ball before, come through. We’ll metaphorically or literally hold your hand.” It’s not about showing up the boys, even if that still happens. “I think it’s even more fun to learn the game to play with your girls,” says Fox. “I want to win, but I also want my opponent to have fun,” she adds, emphasizing the competition’s good-natured energy.

Pool tables in Los Angeles can be hostile places. “I’ll walk into a random bar in Koreatown, and there’s a pool table, and a bunch of older men are playing. You walk in, and they assume you’ll be bad at it,” says Max.

Adds Lorell, “They’re either giving you tips or checking you out, so it’s uncomfortable.”

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trhe infamous Silverlake Gen-Z TikTok bar 4100 hosts a queer, female-forward pool tournament on Tuesday nights

Players say there’s a good-natured energy at “Please Be Nice” tournaments.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Molly Sievert, another “Please Be Nice” player, has also experienced sexism while playing pool. She explains that people assume her interest in pool stems from wanting to impress a father or boyfriend. She began shooting pool at 21 in bars across cities and is still baffled by men’s casual condescension toward female pool players. ”Men have never complimented me on my defensive shots because they think it’s an accident,” she says. When they inevitably lose to Sievert, they toss it up to a bad beat rather than their opponent’s skillset. She won her first tournament at “Please Be Nice” and has been a frequent competitor ever since. She’s a proud critic of 4100 Bar regulars — she says people keep walking into her cue stick, throwing off her shots, and not apologizing. “I always have that little part of me that is like, would you do that to a man?”

Sievert explains a personal theory that women take naturally to pool. Above all, it’s a game of brokering one’s circumstances, calling one’s shot, and making one’s own luck. It’s the type of hazards and presentiment that feel inherent to womanhood. Bravado, Molly argues, doesn’t serve the game. “Men will say, ‘I can make shots. I’m a shot maker.’ Many women are like, ‘I like the side pockets and weird angles. I don’t like the long table shots. I don’t like hitting it real. I like to think about the interaction of all the balls.”

April Clark, a comedian and pool player, chalks up antagonism at pool tables in L.A. to a scarcity issue. “When I first got sucked into playing pool, I was living in New York City; there were so many bars with pool tables.” For Clark, the game’s appeal is the spontaneous encounters with strangers that pool invites. The fewer the tables, the worse the ecosystem, the worse the vibe, Clark argues.

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 Jaden Levinson, left and Taylor Garcia watch the action in the Please Be Nice to Me pool tournament

Jaden Levinson, left, and Taylor Garcia watch the action.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

It is often remarked that pool halls look like morgues; the dimly lit blue-felted table inside 4100 Bar is no exception. The competitors are in a trancelike state, building a stratagem. The pool tournaments often run till the bar closes at 2 a.m. The players take breaks to socialize, buy drinks and watch each other play.

Part of the success of “Please Be Nice” is tied to the recent renaissance of 4100 Bar, which transformed from a neighborhood dive into a Silver Lake nightlife institution thanks to TikTok. Mouse, a bartender at 4100 Bar for eight years, explains the bar’s rise began in 2020 when it became a popular spot for outdoor drinking during COVID restrictions.

The infamous Silverlake Gen-Z TikTok bar 4100 hosts a queer, female-forward pool tournament

Participants of all levels are welcome — even those who’ve never shot a pool ball before.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Now, it’s not unusual to have a run-in with a celebrity at 4100 Bar on a weekend with its new reputation as a charmingly sleazy playground for the internet-famous. Due to TikTok, the bar gained a cult following in Europe and Japan, with tourists flocking to the bar to be photographed in front of the avocado-green wall, Mouse explains. “Foreigners come here just to take photos with the 4100 sign and won’t even order,” he says. “People come and spend 100 bucks on the photo booth and not even get a drink.” The wall, he notes, closely resembled the now-infamous shade of neon green from Charli XCX’s “Brat” album.

For Lorell, the dive bar exists as a third space. “If you spend four out of seven days seeing the same people, you’re not just bar friends on that point; you’re chosen family.”

Diana Brennan sizes up the playing field while participating in the "Please Be Nice to Me" pool tournament at bar 4100.

Diana Brennan sizes up the playing field.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Rumors swirl that 4100 Bar might close in the coming year with the expansion of Erewhon. “Over my dead body,” Fox exclaims.

For the future of “Please Be Nice,” Lorell and Fox hope the pool-loving community develops even further. “We would love to solidify a beginner-centric event since that’s where this all started, learning pool with women and nonbinary people who were too scared to try it at a normal bar,” says Fox. “We hope to continue to train up the troops and run every single table in L.A.,” she adds with a smirk.

There’s a beloved pool adage from “The Hustler,” spoken by the protagonist, Fast Eddie Felson: “Even if you beat me, I’m still the best.” Fox thinks the quote doesn’t align with her attitude toward pool. “There’s something Andrea says all the time when someone beats her, she says: ‘I don’t lose to losers. So you better win the whole thing.’”

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Is “The Godfather: Part II,” the perfect sequel? : Consider This from NPR

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Is “The Godfather: Part II,” the perfect sequel? : Consider This from NPR

The “Kiss of Death” in “The Godfather: Part II”, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel ‘The Godfather’ by Mario Puzo. Seen here from left, John Cazale (back to camera) as Fredo Corleone and Al Pacino as Don Michael Corleone.

Photo by CBS via Getty Images


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Photo by CBS via Getty Images


The “Kiss of Death” in “The Godfather: Part II”, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel ‘The Godfather’ by Mario Puzo. Seen here from left, John Cazale (back to camera) as Fredo Corleone and Al Pacino as Don Michael Corleone.

Photo by CBS via Getty Images

Given the fact that it seems like Hollywood churns out nothing but sequels, you would think the industry would have perfected the genre by now.

Some sequels are pretty darn good, but many believe the perfect movie sequel came out 50 years ago this month.

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Of course, we’re talking about Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather: Part II. It’s not only considered the greatest sequel of all time, it’s also considered one of the greatest movies of all time.

So why does Godfather II work, and where so many other sequels fall short?

NPR producer Marc Rivers weighs in.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

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This episode was produced by Brianna Scott and Marc Rivers. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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JoJo Siwa Selling Tarzana Mansion For $4 Million

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JoJo Siwa Selling Tarzana Mansion For  Million

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