Pink’s hot dogs, which, according to the LA Times Travel Blog, has been steaming up wieners to Hollywood’s finest for seven decades has now opened up a stand at LAX.

Passengers haven’t had this much access to encased meats ever since Larry “I’m not gay” Craig was busted in Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for his own toe tapping bathroom incident. Now footlongs will be in the hands of hungry travelers instead of delusional congressmen — T-shirts are still optional.

The stand opened Thursday with an official ribbon cutting, though owner Gloria Pink — she married into the Pink family hot dog empire — says she’s just estatic to spread the family’s wiener love around.

And that’s certainly the kind of love we can approve. Having another food option at LAX certainly can’t hurt.

Photo credits: LA Times Travel Blog and Pink’s

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Picture from my basement. Seriously, it's from Wikipedia.

Oakland – the highest city in California at sea level is aiming higher. Come November, you may want to think of Oakland as a vacation destination.

If you plan your vacations around where you can get high, you’re probably aware that California has an initiative on the ballot in November to legalize marijuana. Chances are highly likely this will pass and you’ll have yet another place to go get your buzz on.

California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana 13 years ago. After a rocky start, Oakland emerged as a winner with growing schools and distribution shops. However, little tax revenue is realized. For those on the brink of financial meltdown, it’s not enough.

courtesy localharvest.org

The Oakland City Counsel recently came to and learned that allowing major growers to and create pot farms with acreage of growing, rows of baking ovens and the equipment to grow, creation of jobs and tax dollars follows. In one case, the counsel is salivating over the idea of 371 jobs and $1.5 million in tax revenue. It seems a bit small, but with some grow lights, the yield could be bigger.

Amazingly, who are the opponents to this idea? The current collective of growers and distributors who participate in the medical marijuana industry. They’re worried collectives and small growers will be pushed out as someone larger and more efficient arrive, providing the product at a lower price.

It’s inevitable. The rally for California to become the first state to totally legalize marijuana is going to bring in big business and fill the coffers of the local cities and state strapped for cash. That is the sole reason for legalization. There is no other reason for the state to bring this to ballot if tax revenue is not a part of the picture and small co-ops do not bring in revenue (hence the name co-op).

This, though, is a stupid argument. Should people really be scared of Big Pot? And if they are, well, that’s just some bad weed. Who goes to Wal Mart to buy quality product?  Small growers will have the high quality weed that everyone wants and pays more for. This will actually benefit the small grower more than they know, they’ll just have a higher tax bill in the end, which does bite.

Regardless of the controversy, pack your bags, but pack light. California is just a state the the Feds don’t take kindly to anyone rubbing their nose in it. Eventually, the question of who has jurisdiction over the state’s legalization of marijuana will be resolved. Oakland will be the new Amsterdam, just without red lights, history and amazing architecture.

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Zip Lines continue to grow in popularity so it seems like a natural fit for Catalina Island open up a zip line.

It’s a first for the island, according to the LA Times, The Catalina Zip Line Eco Tour is probably the only way to see the island by burning up the least amount of CO2 (though getting to the island is another matter).

The zip line covers nearly 4,000 feet and costs $90 — though there are special packages that can cut that price in half.

If you’ve never tried the self-propelled cable ride, it’s certainly worth it, though tightening up the harness can be a touch uncomfortable. But, if you keep your body tightly together (instead of flailing your arms and legs) you can really build up some speed.

So put your Nike’s on and just do it.

Check out this video from the LA Times.

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Californians were not surprised by the quake, as they are well aware they live on a fault line that spans the length of the state. And if you ask them today about the quake, they’ll say, “well, it’s been due, we’ve had a lot of earthquake weather recently.”

For anyone traveling through the Golden State, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has put together a quick brochure to explain what to do during an earthquake. Californians, however, typically just stand around as their world is rocked and then complain if the power goes out.

Tips include:

If indoors

• DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
• Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
• Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.
• Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.
• Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
• Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.
• DO NOT use the elevators.

If outdoors

• Stay there.
• Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.
• Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits and alongside exterior walls. Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred when people ran outside of buildings only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects.

If in a moving vehicle

• Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires.
• Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.

If trapped under debris

• Do not light a match.
• Do not move about or kick up dust.
• Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.
• Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

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The cast of “Fly Girls”(from left to right): Tasha, Louise, Mandy, Nikole and Farrah

Friday night, Virgin America offered a 35,000-foot preview to the new reality TV show featuring five flight attendants and their crazy CW life.

The airline showed the first episode aboard a flight from Los Angeles to Vegas with the cast serving up the A-list guests. (Sadly, HTG remains on the Kathy Griffin D-List and didn’t get a chance to preview the show.)

But other much more important writers and members of the media did — and apparently got to attend a red carpet party at Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo in Las Vegas.

The California-based airline even matched up a slaes promotion to celebrate the series called the PrimeTime Fare Sale — meaning you don’t even have to watch “The Hills” of the skies to take advantage of the program.

“The idea behind Virgin America is to reinvent the experience of flying with beautifully designed mood-lit cabins, incredible guest service and a hip, sophisticated vibe that today’s travelers are looking for,” said Porter Gale, Vice President of Marketing at Virgin America, in a way only a marketing VP could say.  “We’re thrilled to work with The CW to show how our in-flight teammates are re-writing the script and bringing the style and fun back to flying.”

In-flight teammates (r to l) Farrah, Nikole, Tasha, Louise and Mandy, prior to the in-flight premiere of "Fly Girls."

Having hot flight attendants helps too.

According to the news release, party goers included 100 Virgin America staff sipped on Belvedere Vodka and Ambhar Tequila while listening to media tell them “you looked great” and “that was so cute when you thought so-and-so was mad at you and really, her mother had just died.”

“This show is about real women who happen to have landed on a very different career path.  It chronicles the places they go, the guests they meet and their lives together,” said Kristen Vadas, Senior Vice President, Alternative Programming, The CW, in a press release. “We’re thrilled to be working with Virgin America to give our viewers a unique peek into their whirlwind life at 35,000 feet.”

Virgin America flight teammates and cast members of 'Fly Girls', Farrah (left) and Louise serve cocktails to passengers after the in-flight premiere of "Fly Girls."

The show is produced by Bridezilla and The Exterminators mastermind Jeff Collins, as well as LarryBond and Porter Gale, the geniuses behind “The Hills” and “The City.”

The show debuts on CW at 9:30 p.m. March 24. Hopefully, it doesn’t end up on “The Soup” too soon.

Naturally, the show wouldn’t be complete without a promotional tie in: So try to Land the Look, which can land you some free clothes from the spring collection from Banana Republic. Passengers can also win Banana Republic aviator sunglasses as well as a few other rewards. Check out the details here.

All photos provided by Virgin America — as we told you, we weren’t on the flight.

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When the National Park Service tells you that all campsite reservations — made five months in advance, beginning on the 15th of the month — can go “in a matter of minutes,” trust me, THEY’RE NOT KIDDING.

Feb. 15 was D-Day for getting any campsites between June 15 and July 14, and I was ready with a plan: Log in, get my wife’s preferred site at the Lower Pines campground, book four days and dream of  a blissful trip with the family.

Here’s how it really went.

I logged in at 9:35 a.m., made sure I was signed up (I had booked NPS reservations in the past); if you’ve not reserved before, you’ll have to create a log in. Do this well before 10 a.m.

By 10 a.m., I had wended my way through the site to the point where I had selected the state (California), park (Yosemite), the dates and the length of stay. You then hit a ‘search’ button to see what’s available. Until they open the reservations, nothing comes up.

So I start hitting ‘search’ at 10. And again at 10:01, 10:02. Nothing. It’s not until about 10:07 that it opens up. Whoosh, the screen fills with options: Lower Pines, Upper Pines, Tuolumne Meadows. Lots of availability.

I quickly navigate to Lower Pines, find site No. 69 — unbelievable! — and click ‘book dates.’

And then…

Nothing. Screen goes blank, then an error screen appears. The government site has termintated my session and suggested I restart. So I do, logging in again, hit search and — everything at Lower Pines is gone. So long, No. 69. Upper Pines is booked, as is North Pines. Tuolumne Meadows is filling fast and, damn, now it’s full. We end up in Crane Flat, located outside of the valley. This all happened in well under 10 minutes.

So the dream will be deferred, or at least moved 30 minutes west. That’s OK, I hear it’s beautiful there too.

If you’re going this summer, the next big reservation date (for July 15 to August 14) is March 15. Like the Boy Scouts, be prepared. Have a backup plan and don’t have your heart set on one place; the entire park is spectacular, we’re told.

And you can bet I’ll be keeping a hard copy of my wife’s last email before I went into the reservation system:

‘ Good luck! It will be fine whatever we get.’

I sure hope so.

– Mike Wilkinson

Bear Watch: Check out these web cam shots from Yosemite:

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That’s the case for one Pomona College student who packed his Arabic flash cards in his carry on to study on the plane ride from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.

Nicolas George is getting ready to enter his last year at Pomona where he’s studying bomb making and infidel hating — oh wait, maybe that’s how the TSA flash cards translate physics and a love of languages.

According to the LA Times, George has been a good student who would like to serve in the US foreign service, likely the Middle East, where he has traveled extensively including at semester abroad.

However, when you have flash cards that include the word “terrorism” ()أ. إرهاب, ذعر ناشئ عن الإرهاب, حكم)and “bomb” (ف. قذف بالقنابل ) you’re obviously dangerous and need additional screening. Add to that, a book that doesn’t care for U.S. foreign policy and stamps from Jordan, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan — and obviously you’ve got Mr. Jihad walking through a security checkpoint manned by a minimum wage dolt. See, legally traveling to places outside of the U.S. is another reason to think a person is a terrorist, according to U.S. authorities.

Of course, the TSA needed government help to arrest George and hold him, so the FBI and Philadelphia police showed up to also talk to George about all of his hate for America.

George was eventually released and caught another flight to California — but now he’s suing the TSA, the FBI and the Philadelphia police for the hassle and headaches. Just wait, he’s bound to accidently appear on someone’s no fly list.

We George luck.

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However, the smell of mold, sink holes in front of the toilet and that general sense of filth is not much of an ad campaign, but it does pique people’s interest: TripAdvisor.com has just released its annual dirtiest hotels in America list and the reviews are far from flattering.

The winners are selected based on readers comments and evaluations. Miami landed two hotels and California grabbed three “dirties.”

This year’s dubious winners include:

1. Heritage Marina Hotel, San Francisco, California

Said one contributor: “This hotel is like in a horrible horror movie! I have never seen a hotel like this. We [sic] arriverd in the room and [sic] immidietly a urine smell was getting over us. We opened the window, but we could not close it anymore. Al people from the street could enter our room if they know that. The carpet was verry dirty and had strange spots on it.”

2. Days Inn Eureka/Six Flags, Eureka, Missouri

BoxingMatchMaker said: “The worst, nastiest hotel I have ever stayed in my life. Dirty towels, dirty room. Rude manager. Run from this place as fast as you can!”

3. Tropicana Resort Hotel, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Demilovatoified said: “We tried to open the door but the door handle just came out so maintenence ahd to come and kick the door in. We transferred to a different room and this room was a little bit better but didn’t smell as BAD as the other one!”
4. Super 8 Virginia Beach/At the Ocean, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Travelersouth disagreed with TripAdvisor: “just saw the news about the dirtiest hotels today, this motel was not as bad as made out. My wife and I stayed in December during the holidays and it was worth the price.”

5. Quality Inn, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

Lypglossqween said: “The woman who cheked us in was so nice, very friendly and helpful. Amazing! The rest of the hotel sucked. There was mold and a horrible musty smell all of the place, the pool was nasty, the hot tub looked disgusting; like homeless people bathed in it. Our room looked like something from a very bad horror movie.”

6. New York Inn, New York City, New York

Singoliverpool was not impressed, writing: “every morning our bathroom was soaked as the bathroom from the room above us leaked into ours. on one of the days of our trip my boyfriend was offered heroin while we entered the hotel!!!!!!! also we were awoken one night by sex orgy going on which probably involved the prositutes that line up outside the hotel (in front of the xxx rated porn shops located next to the hotel) if all this does not convince you to not stay here then maybe the fact that we had mice/rats in our room will help change your decision!!!!!”

7. Parisian Hotel & Suites, Miami Beach, Florida

Travelz2thesun was less than positive: “People doing drugs everywhere! All you can hear is banging on the walls and people screaming at each other! The room was GROSS, the bathroom was even worse!”
8. Capistrano Seaside Inn, Capistrano Beach, California

Tesstuto offered this advice: “This place was disgustingly gross. It is dirty inside and out!!! Someone needs to take a pressure washer to the entire place.”

9. Desert Lodge, Palm Springs, California

CPFan90 thought this: “Nasty, nasty nasty. If you like filthy, small, outdated rooms. This is the place for you.”

10. Continental Oceanfront Hotel South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida

Easbs said: “Worst of the worst.Very dirty.Staff very rude.Never again in this life time will i stay there.This place should be condemmed.”

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She was to become the Black Dahlia after her bisected, vivisected, mutilated and brutalized corpse was discovered in a vacant lot a few miles east of Downtown LA. Despite dozens, if not hundreds of suspects (including Orson Wells), her killer was never found and the case remains open to this day.

This day – January 9th, 2010 — also happens to be the 63rd anniversary of the last time anyone saw Elizabeth “Beth” Short alive. We were invited by Esotouric, a company specializing in “Bus Adventures into the secret heart of LA,” to come along for a ride exploring Beth Short’s life in Los Angeles.

Like Jack the Ripper is to London, the Black Dahlia case is to Los Angeles. Not only were poor Elizabeth Short’s guts ripped out, but the guts of the city, too. The shiny, Hollywood fueled facade so carefully built up around the City of Angels cracked, its dark center exposed. Pretty young women typically portrayed as budding starlets were in fact scraping by as taxi dancers, B-girls and prostitutes.

Psychologically shattered WWII vets wandered the streets searching for a way out of their loneliness and bad memories through drink, cheap sex and/or some form of violence. Organized crime, headed by celebrity like bosses such as Mickey Cohen, Jack Dragna and Bugsy Segal did what they liked and liked what they did.

Meanwhile, the LAPD was at the height of their pre-Rampart corruption and ineptitude, which no doubt played a role as to why the Black Dahlia case – as well as the cases of many other murdered women in 1947 – remains unsolved.

Recently, a lot of attention has been focused on Elizabeth Short’s murder, fueled by the publication of James Ellroy’s book called The Black Dahlia and Brian DePalma’s movie of the same name. But rather than concentrating on the “whodunit” aspect like the book and the movie, Esotouric smartly decides to  focus on who Beth Short was and what she was doing in Los Angeles, as well as what was going on in the city proper.

We say smartly because as even James Ellroy admits, the Black Dahlia case will never be solved. This frees the tour up to concentrate on Beth and her sad, typical though interesting, down and out postwar life.

As mentioned, the tour begins at the luxurious Biltmore Hotel (the presidential suite maintained a well stocked bar, especially during prohibition), the second to last place Elizabeth Short was seen alive. We then followed her footsteps south on Olive Street to a modern day strip club called the Galaxy Ball Room, that back in 1947 was known as the Crown Grille (and known to be a gay bar), the very last place Beth Short was seen alive.

The tour traces not only Elizabeth footsteps around Los Angeles, but also a tough female reporter named Aggie Underwood who became central to the Black Dahlia case.

The tour itself is a blast, as our guides pull no punches. One liners like “That’s where Beth Short got laid” and “Beth didn’t put out very often” are heard, but always balanced by a respectful, almost loving admiration of Elizabeth Short. For instance, Beth Short is often popularly portrayed as not only promiscuous, but often times as a prostitute. These notions are quickly dismissed by the hosts.

In what might have been the most interesting segment of the tour, one of the guides deconstructs Beth’s goth-like make up, contrasting it to the popular style of the time (“Ava Gardner in an apron”) and speculating on what her choice of a nearly white face with dark lips might have meant.

Finally we get to the body dump site in Leimert Park. Talk about the banality of evil. Beth Short’s corpse was found in what in 1947 was a vacant lot but today is a well manicured lawn in a solidly middle class neighborhood. A classic Rolls-Royce and a Delorean were parked across the street. There’s no marker, no sign, no plaque depicting the spot where the crime that in some ways came to define Los Angeles occurred. Just a lawn, like any other lawn.

One that you’ll likely never find, unless you get on the the Esotouric bus.

For more information, go to Esotoric’s website or call 323-223-2767. Tours cost about $60 (some are listed as $58 and others as $63).

Here’s Esotouric’s current schedule

Sat January 16 – Wild Wild West Side crime bus tour
Sat January 23 ­ Weird West Adams crime bus tour
Sat January 30 – East Side Babylon crime bus tour
Sun Feb 7 – Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: South LA
Sat Feb 13 – Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: Route 66
Thurs Feb 18 ­ Jeremy Kasten presents “Spider Baby” with director Jack Hill
Sat Feb 20 – Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: The New Chinatowns
Sun Feb 21 – Joan Renner lecture “How the ‘Bob’ Changed History” (tentative)
Sat Feb 27 – Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: The Lowdown on Downtown-The
Secret History of LA
Sat March 6 –  Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice crime bus tour
Sat March 13 – Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles
Sat March 20 – Maja’s Mysteries: Rapture & Release (debut)
Sat March 27 – Raymond Chandler’s Bay City
Sat April 3 ­ John Buntin’s L.A. Noir
Sat April 10 ­ Crawling Down Cahuenga: Tom Waits’ L.A.
Sat April 24 ­ Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski’s L.A.
Sat May 1 – Pasadena Confidential crime bus tour with Crimebo the Clown
Sat May 8 – Blood & Dumplings crime bus tour
Sat May 15 – The Real Black Dahlia crime bus tour
Sat May 22 – The Birth of Noir: James M. Cain’s So. Cal Nightmare

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The idea behind the tax, laced with good intentions, was that alcohol creates so many problems in the state that it should pay accordingly. (Also, the state is in desperate need of money from anywhere so why not charge “Big Alcohol” which apparently have deep pockets by making people pay more, according to douche bag supporters of the bill.)

But really, the proposal comes from the fun-hating sober bunch at ChargeforHarm.org. We also assume they disapprove of social gatherings, family reunions and dysfunctional holidays — where a good bottle of booze has helped keep families together and apart for generations. The group obviously hates babies too, as alcohol has probably been the most popular liquid love lubricant throughout the world and been the indirect cause of more babies than anyone would like to admit.

The organization has this proposal floating in as many states as it possibly can — quoting studies that young people sometimes drink and making up numbers about the real cost of alcohol. Cash strapped states, meanwhile, are considering it because they can look like they’re helping people while grabbing money from the very people they say they’re helping.

Look, we really don’t care if you drink or don’t drink. And we wish self righteous dolts like these people “cared” about us as little as we think about them.

We like to have a dram or three and we do so mostly responsibly. If alcohol is as bad as it this group says it is, then ban it, make it illegal and let the Speakeasys return to America — imagine beatnik hipsters returning to spew Jack Kerouac quotes.

When we are out drinking, we’re never worrying about all of those do gooders sitting at home watching Deal or No Deal or the 700 Club, so please, we ask, don’t worry about us — and leave alcohol alone.

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