Angelenos might have a leg up on the world-renowned LA traffic situation with a new app available for the iPhone, Android and Blackberry, just released today.

Waze, an app that uses real-time traffic data generated by GPS-enabled phones, gives drivers up-to-the-minute data on road hazards like accidents, police checkpoints, construction and slowpokes in beat-up vans. With live traffic intel coming from what Waze calls a “social GS network” (tech jargon dictionary: updated), drivers get self-adapting, turn-by-turn directions that steer them clear of, say, the 405. Or the 101. Or Fairfax south of Beverly. Or all of downtown. Drivers also see icons pop up on their screens telling them where the trouble spots are, and can even take a pic of that wrecked Beamer to share with other commuters. Sort of like a Google Maps that tries a little harder.

The app is still in its early phases, so its data isn’t all there yet, but Waze is hoping that by users simply using it, they will create a live traffic grid that will rescue you from your blind, routine-entrenched commute. The app can be found at Waze.com, where a guided tour can fill you in on the details.

Los Angeles loves to date. We’ve almost made an institution out of coming up with clever new date ideas, because when there’s so much to do and see, dinner and a movie is about the least interesting date idea one can imagine.

An LA date can be simple or elaborate, quick or involved. It can be a daytime outing or a nighttime romp, an intimate one-on-one encounter or a group affair. If you’re a Los Angeleno looking for your next date idea, here are a few simple places to start.

1. The bar date. A simple night of LA bar hopping can translate to a fun, low-risk date, especially considering the huge variety in LA’s bar scene. Casually jump from bar to bar along any of the city’s walkable circuits, such as the Los Feliz-Silverlake bar scene, or spend the whole night frolicking in a more engaging establishment, maybe one with food and something to do. Poseur-free dancing? Try the posh Libertine on Sunset. Playfully competitive pool and air hockey? Go to the frat-like Barney’s Beanery. Edgy live music? Try the hipster-festooned Spaceland. The possibilities are endless. Just don’t do anything your mom wouldn’t approve of.

2. The museum date. For the artistically and educationally inspired, Los Angeles is a world-class museum playground. Bringing your dame or beau on an art date at any of the city’s well-stocked galleries is a sure-fire way to impress them with your suave, urbane sophistication. The Getty Center can easily fill an entire day with unique exhibits and beautiful scenery (especially if you take advantage of the uber-romantic central garden), and the big-league art collections at LACMA and MOCA provide a nice infusion of class into an afternoon date. The Natural History Museum offers a huge array of prehistoric creatures, human artifacts, rare gemstones and extremely ugly fish skeletons, and astronomy buffs can spend a few hours stargazing at Griffith Observatory (which is mostly free, by the way). Or if you’re into the more ironic museum experience, the oddball, nonsensical Museum of Jurassic Technology will definitely give you that.

3. The unique dinner date. Ok, we had to include some kind of meal-date, since dinner is still the perfect experience to share with the object of your wooing. But if you must resort to the dinner date, at least the city has plenty of creative restaurants to make your date more than just a waiter, a menu and all your usual jokes. For example, Benihana is a teppanyaki-style Japanese restaurant, where the chef prepares your meal on a grill right at your table, performing little parlor tricks with the food. Then there is Opaque, the dining-in-the-dark experience that forces you to actually taste the food — and actually listen to your date, whom you may discover a thing or two about. From exquisite views to unusual menus or a multi-talented wait staff, many LA restaurants have that something extra you need to make a dinner date a memorable event. So don’t just head for your usual sushi joint. (But if you do, we have suggestions for that, too.)

4. The unique movie date. Just as dinner is an irresistible option for a date, so is the typical, cut-and-dried movie. At least Los Angeles offers a few alternatives to make things more interesting. For example, there’s the much-heralded cemetery movie screenings held in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which Angelenos flock to on summer nights. The creepy vibe of this date is perfect for that gothic crush you’ve been eyeing, or almost anyone else, for that matter. There’s also the Cinefamily silent movie theater near Fairfax and Melrose, where you and your date can enjoy films the way Grandpa did. Several theaters host midnight movie showings, including the Nuart in West LA, the New Beverly Cinema, and the Arclight, where you can catch cult favorites, or crappy ‘80s flicks no one would appreciate in any other setting. The Landmark Theater in West LA hosts 21+ showings, where viewers can bring alcohol and, uh, really enjoy the movie. And if you’re willing to drive to Riverside there’s an actual drive-in theater, where you can try to get frisky with your date and recreate that scene from The Outsiders.

5. The nature date. For those with healthier attention spans, LA offers many green, leafy spots where romantic couples can stroll along shady, fern-lined paths while birds chirp and butterflies flutter. Griffith Park contains a myriad of hiking trails of varying difficulty, for adventurous types who don’t mind knee scrapes, as well as walking paths and even driving paths for those who like staying on the pavement. (A more detailed guide to some of them can be found at LATrails.com.) For the more exercise-oriented, Runyon Canyon offers breathtaking city views, with a strong dose of incline to get your blood pumping, as well as morning yoga in the park every day. Or for more domestic outdoor tastes, small, fairly well-manicured parks pepper the city, many of which can be found at the LA City Parks website. Feed the ducks at your own risk.

You might also like…

The Best Walking-Distance Bars in Los Angeles

Where to Get the Best Tours of Los Angeles

Top 5 Los Angeles Breakfast Restaurants

Cluing in to Los Angeles’ raging love affair with food trucks, TruxMap — a Web service that uses Google Maps to pinpoint the real-time locations of food trucks in New York and San Francisco — has launched a map for Los Angeles, LAist reported Wednesday.

Hungry Angelenos who need a quick food truck fix can now give the map a glance to see what trucks are open near them, where their favorite truck is at the moment, and where it’s going to be in the near future. Obsessed foodies, you are stoked.

Bookmark this link, and remember to get extra napkins.

http://la.truxmap.com

Fans of Hollywood indie outfit Red Arrow Messenger have something else to look forward to besides the band’s melodic folk-pop, tight three-part harmonies and awe-inspiring stage presence. Every Monday in February the band is hosting a free variety show-style concert featuring favorite local bands, comedians, magic, food, and even a much-anticipated laser light show.

The February 1 show featured a magician escaping from a straight jacket (and mystically conjuring a pair of chickens), a stand-up comedy act, a self-photography setup, and the musical stylings of Last American Buffalo along with the dark, velvety croon of All Wrong and the Plans Change. With tribal-tronic two-piece Rumspringa and oldies-inspired Jenny O on the bill for this Monday, it’s pretty much guaranteed to meet or exceed the mark, whatever else the band has up its sleeve. (I hear it’s barbecue.)

The audio-visual (and nutritional) smorgasbord takes place at the Bootleg Theater in Echo Park on Monday February 8, starting at 8 pm. Everyone gets in the door free, and beer and wine is relatively cheap.

Update: The Feb. 8 show was even more awesome than the last one. It featured two hilarious stand-up comedians (taking on religion and alternative porn), the timeline-spanning music of Jenny O, the two-piece jungle-jamming of Rumspringa, and (finally!) the much-hyped laser light show — which consisted of fog, darkness, mirrored surfaces and a bunch of tiny laser pointers distributed to the crowd. Speaking of low-budget ingenuity.

The band was giving away their EP, fans were slurping up Jell-o shots in the back, and I got some video that will find its way online soon.

Next Monday: The February 15 show will feature He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister and Maxim Ludwig, plus whatever else the band has planned. (This time, barbecue for sure.)

Bootleg Theater:
2220 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(213) 389-3856

Sometime in the 1930s, a time warp snuck up on a wandering trove of gamblers, thieves and misfits, swiped them up off the streets of New Orleans and dropped them, with their whiskey flasks and stolen wardrobe, into 21st century Los Angeles. Being the charming, ornery folk they were, they found a stash of instruments, started a gigantic brass band, and now they menace the unwitting masses through the roughhewn outfit known as Vaud and the Villains. Hands on your valuables, ladies and gentlemen.

Lead by the exceptionally imposing Vaud, the Villains taunt and toy with their quarry by means of arse-grabbing jive rhythm, huge, soulful harmonies, and rapacious acts of suggestive female gyration. They pry open the floorboards to the timeless era of prohibition, scoop up handfuls of the most gleaming jewels old New Orleans has to offer, and spill them generously into the room for the pleasure of the crowd. You’ll never see them coming, but you’ll miss them once they leave.

Carrying the slogan “Every Saint Has a Past … Every Sinner Has a Future,” Vaud and the Villains makes a life for itself stalking the venues of Los Angeles. They’re especially partial to Fais Do-Do, a 1930s-style speakeasy where the Villains blend in so masterfully you’d think the place was built for them. The charismatic and towering Vaud steps in front of the band from time to time, recounting the deeds of his most notorious henchmen as they each take center spotlight throughout the night. Long-legged dancers tempt and tease the room while the swift-fingered horn players, guitarists and rhythm players whip up a storm of old New Orleans Dixie, soul, blues and gospel, keeping the crowd firmly on its toes. The lineup varies, but there are typically around 20 band members onstage, every soul exhibiting talent worth their own weight in gold fillings.

This slice of the old glory days can be caught certain Saturday nights at Fais Do-Do, from around 9:30 until the bars close. A calendar is available on the band’s Web site, and their Myspace page contains recordings of their performances – though no recording can stand up to the live presence of this inspired group. If you’ve got some vinegar in you, take it on yourself to meet Vaud and his gang. They’ll show you the ways of villainy.

Los Angeles nightlife has many upsides, from the varieties of bars, clubs and lounges lining its streets to the wealth of live entertainment every night of the week.

But there’s a hurdle planted smack in the middle of Los Angeles nightlife: You almost can’t go anywhere without driving. That means forcing a friend into being the designated driver, scouring the streets for parking (or paying a valet), and spending your precious weekend nights in the car. The only other option is the city’s sparse supply of cabs, unless you happen to live within the limited range of the Metro.

Thankfully, there are rare zones of Los Angeles where driving is only necessary in the daytime. For local residents of these areas (and their visiting friends), a virtual hive of activity is only steps away.

This is the first installment of the best walking-distance bars in Los Angeles. Go forth, be merry, and leave your keys behind.

Part 1: the Los Feliz-Silverlake Circuit

1. Ye Rustic Inn
1831 Hillhurst Avenue (map)

The Rustic, on Hillhurst just south of Franklin, is probably the divest dive bar since 1800. The place is graced with a dimly lit, dark wood interior, antler chandeliers, and the smell of dirty jeans, greasy hair and spilled booze. The jukebox blares a mix of ‘70s and ‘80s dive-bar hits mixed with the standard Los Feliz indie rock fare. The bartenders are fun, social and generous with the booze, and the vibe is loud, cheerful and drunk. In fact, starting here might very well be the end of your night – but if you can hang, this is the place to take the first round of shots.

2. The Drawing Room
1800 Hillhurst Avenue (map)

If the Rustic is the dive bar from 1891, the Drawing Room across the street is the dive bar from 1981. The red vinyl booths look like they could be reserved for Italian mobsters, the dingy red dragon swirling across the back wall is more “porn set” than cultural, and the dart board and jukebox have the kind of character it takes years to accumulate. But in keeping with dive bar tradition, the drinks here are cheap, with a capital CHEAP. Get a quick round here before moving to your next destination.

3. The Dresden
1760 North Vermont (map)

A few blocks west on Vermont, the Dresden is in an entirely different universe. The place (made famous by the movie “Swingers”) is a 1940s-era jazz bar, complete with Marty & Elayne, the veteran jazz duo who keep the place swept up in classy, classy tunes. It gets packed, so hanging around for long can be tiring, but it’s worth a drink and a tip of the ol’ fedora.

4. Good Luck Bar
1514 Hillhurst Avenue (map)

Back on Hillhurst, this decorative Asian-themed bar was once a secret, but is beginning to become well-known among visitors to the Silverlake area. Drinks are moderately priced, bartenders are quick and friendly, and the red walls, latticed woodwork and cushioned lounge area in the back create the illusion of a Chinese palace. Try to make it before midnight, when the seating starts getting scarce.

5. Akbar
4356 West Sunset (map)

This alternative-lifestyle (alright, gay) rock bar on the corner of Sunset and Fountain is dark, down-to-earth and open to everyone, regardless of which team you’re on. There’s almost always a crowd of happy drunks outside, and the jukebox blasts continually. Contrary to some gay bar scenes, elitism is nowhere to be found among the patrons, and lines are nonexistent. Though there may occasionally be a guy in a see-through jersey top, he’s cool, too. Drop in for a beer and some anti-republican conversation.

6. Malo Cantina
4326 West Sunset (map)

A few doors down, this bar is easily spotted because it’s right next to the huge mural featured on the cover of Elliott Smith’s Figure 8. It was supposedly a hang out of his, and five years ago you would believe it because it had, in our opinion, absolutely the best jukebox in Los Angeles. The jukebox has since been replaced by a digital download center, but even with that charm removed it still carries its weight as a sparsely populated, old-fashioned Mexican bar, with good imported beers, great tequilas, and an amazing jar of sangria. Take a shot, have a beer, and read hand-scrawled notes on the Elliott Smith wall on your way out.

7. El Cid
4212 West Sunset (map)

A few paces from Malo, this Mexican bar and restaurant is hidden below street level, looking like a vacant doorway in a stucco wall. The stage features flamenco dancers weeknights, and local bands regularly, plus other musical events certain nights of the week. Come in for Sharpo! Murder Mystery Dinner Theater on Fridays.

8. 4100
1087 Manzanita Street (map)

The last bar in this stretch is 4100, the large, brick building just west of Santa Monica and Sunset. With its eastern-themed interior and a crowd varying from loose-tied professionals to film-student types and drunk hipsters, this is a good last stop to have an imported beer or a vodka tonic before scouring the crowd for a late-night love interest. You might encounter a line if you’re getting there late, but the wait isn’t long.

12/22/09, 2:25 p.m. It’s the holiday season, and everyone is in a giving mood — especially Web-savvy companies looking to give away swag to Internet users. Here is a short list of holiday gift contests you can enter right now to win gift cards and other fun stuff, just by subscribing to a blog, retweeting a message on Twitter, or filling out a quick survey. Enter everything that sounds good, and see what you can win!

P.S.: More contests coming when I have time to add them to the list…

P.P.S.: If you can’t wait til then, do a Twitter search to find dozens of contests, all running right now.

Here’s what I found so far:

Who: Fusebox marketing company
What can I win? $200 Amazon gift card
What I gotta do? Complete a short Twitter usage survey
Contest ends: December 25 or 10,000 responses
Tell me more: Visit the survey page

Who: Style Guidance NEW
What can I win? ASUS Netbook or Apple MacBook
What I gotta do? Hit up the company on Facebook, Twitter, Stumble, Delicious or their own site
Contest ends: December 25
Tell me more: Visit Style Guidance – 12 Days of Style

Who: A Wrestling Addicted Mommy blog
What can I win? $30 Wal-Mart gift card
What I gotta do? Leave a comment, subscribe to AWAM, or retweet the contest
Contest ends: December 28
Tell me more: Visit A Wrestling Addicted Mommy

Who: Love to Shop Mom – Eden Fantasies Giveaway
What can I win? $25 gift card to Eden fantasies (must be 18)
What I gotta do? Subscribe to LTSM and EF, leave comments and tweet
Contest ends: December 30
Tell me more: Visit Love to Shop Mom (scroll to bottom of post)

Who: Ron Jon Surf Shop
What can I win? $25 gift card or $1,000 gift card
What I gotta do? Follow Ron Jon Surf Shop on Twitter and tweet their hashtag
Contest ends: Dec 31
Tell me more: Read Contest Rules (PDF), and visit Ron Jon on Twitter

Who: Kodak and TweetPhoto NEW
What can I win? Some Kodak digital cameras and digital frames
What I gotta do? Become a fan on Facebook, then tweet on Twitter
Contest ends: December 31
Tell me more: Visit TweetPhoto’s contest page

Who: Guitar Player – 8×8 Giveaway
What can I win? A bunch of gear, 8 winners over 8 weeks
What I gotta do? Subscribe to an awesome (free) music mag
Contest ends: January 31
Tell me more: Visit Guitar Player

Who: Franklin Avenue
What can I win? $25 eBay gift card
What I gotta do? Tell them about your favorite L.A. holiday tradition
Contest ends: Good question.
Tell me more: Visit Franklin Avenue

Who: Vibe Magazine NEW
What can I win? Chris Brown and Drake CDs, Old Spice stuff
What I gotta do? Send in a photo of yourself holding 2 magazine covers
Contest ends: First 10 to do it.
Tell me more: Visit Vibe’s info page

More contests coming, stay tuned…

If you’re visiting for the holidays and looking for a tour of Los Angeles, Hollywood or any of the surrounding areas, these guided tour companies can show you the sights you want to see, with your schedule and budget in mind — and maybe with a little extra entertainment on the side.

Open-topped van tours circle around the Hollywood area throughout the day, and the colorful vans can be seen every day of the week from central Hollywood to Beverly Hills and beyond. Traditional shuttle-bus tours may venture further away, to areas like Long Beach or Orange County, and small-group walking tours are available for those who want to stay around the sightseer-friendly downtown or Hollywood Boulevard.

There are other types of tour available as well, so scan the options below and see what grabs your interest. Happy sightseeing!

Starline Tours
1-800-959-3131
www.starlinetours.com

The tour company whose open-top vans can be spotted everywhere, Starline Tours specializes in the greater Los Angeles area, including 2-hour driving tours of the stars’ homes starting at $39 for adults, as well as longer tours throughout Los Angeles and the state. They do hotel pickups / drop-offs, and meet every half hour in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Ask for Little Larry.

L.A. City Tours
1-888-800-7878
www.lacitytours.com

This company tours the Los Angeles and Hollywood area as well as Las Vegas. The main fare is the 2, 3, and 5 ½ – hour driving tours of the city and stars’ homes, starting at $36. Customers can choose from the large-windowed minibus or the open-top van. Tours meet in front of the Hollywood and Highland Metro station.

American Riviera Tours
1-800-761-1775
www.latraveltours.com

Besides the traditional Los Angeles and Hollywood area sightseeing tours ($69 per person for 5 hours, or $59 for 4 hours), American Riviera also offers a unique shopping tour, where guests are taken to three of LA’s biggest shopping areas — The Grove, Melrose and Third Street Promenade — for a day of allowance spending and shopping-bag slinging. ART has the option of picking up passengers from the San Pedro and Long Beach cruise ship terminals, and even goes so far as to offer a 9-hour Santa Barbara County wine-tasting tour. This is definitely how the pros do it.

Guideline Tours
1-800-604-8433
www.guidelinetours.com

Guideline Tours offers an array of options including sightseeing tours of downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and Beverly Hills, plus no-waiting entry to Universal Studios or Disneyland. Tours start at $49 for adults, and pickup is available at several area hotels. Tourists can book online at the company Web site.

All Star Showbiz Tours
1-888-908-3311
www.allstarshowbiztours.com

Showbiz, guided by singer-actress Shellee-Ann Kellee, offers entertaining tours of Hollywood, Los Angeles and the west side. Her calling card is a “touch of class and pizzazz,” potentially throwing in a song or two on the way back to the drop-off location. This red-bus tour takes guests on 2 ½, 5, 8 and 9-hour tours, meeting across from Grauman’s Chinese Theater near the Rooseveldt Hotel.

Architecture Tours LA
323-464-7868
www.architecturetoursla.com

This tour company is operated by a well-educated art and architecture buff who knows Los Angeles like the back of her hand. Tour groups are taken on an informative driving tour of the neighborhoods of Los Angeles, where seemingly commonplace buildings are transformed into fascinating works of architecture. One specialty is the Frank Gehry tour, which showcases the local work of the well-known architect, and others.

Red Line Tours
323-462-7400
www.redlinetours.com

This unique tour company offers walking tours of Hollywood, focusing on the film and acting history of the city. The $24.95 (adult) Behind-the-Scenes walking tour goes onto the Hollywood filming locations of several well known movies, venturing into places normally closed off to the public, and the On-Location tour showcases the many filming locations hidden throughout downtown Los Angeles.

Just observed an extremely bright rainbow over Hollywood, touching down near the Hollywood sign. Think there’s a gold Hummer at the end of it? (Click for full size)

You’re 2 hours from a Thanksgiving deadline on the day of, your friends (or worse, relatives) are already on their way over, and you still don’t have everything done. Sound like you?

No worries. You can still save face, and dish washing time, by utilizing Los Angeles’s last-resort Thanksgiving supply depot. KooKooRoo is your savior.

To cut to the chase (since you’re probably getting pretty frantic about now), this normally laid-back, down-home chicken bistro is humming with activity on Thanksgiving as the kitchen staff slams out turkey portions, from entire meals to sides, gravy and other odds and ends.

A price list, according to their Web site, says an entire Thanksgiving dinner, including the bird, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and a pumpkin, apple or pecan pie is $149.99 for a large meal (16-20 people), while the smaller version (10-12 people) is $99.

In addition, they hand out individual birds for a paltry $99.99 (large) and $69.99 (small), with pies available for a meager $10. And if you’re just lazy, you can grab sides such as mashed potatoes, stuffing or yams in pint or half-pint containers for $4.15 or $2.25.

This last-minute Thanksgiving Mecca has locations in West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Miracle Mile and North Hollywood, as well as many other locations throughout the Los Angeles area. You may have to deal with long lines on the big day, but at least you’ll come out looking like a world-class Thanksgiving pro. Even if you’re, um, not.