Los Feliz Village Street Fair

Don't really have a lot to report. I had a pretty mundane weekend -- errands, laundry, chores, etc.

This afternooon, I went to the Los Feliz Village Street Fair, which was just down the street from me. I didn't bring my camera but there aren't a lot of differences between Chicago neighborhood street fairs and the street fairs in L.A. -- or at least this one. It attracts the same hipper-than-thou patrons, is set in a neighborhood business district which houses several chic clothing boutiques, ethnic restaurants, an independent bookstore, while bars and coffee houses are interspersed throughout the three to four block area. (Think: Andersonville Midsommerfest, which should be occurring in a couple of weeks.) Stages are constructed at either end of the fair, usually showcasing a rock band with a local following. The choice of chow was the usual pizza, tacos, burritos and hot dogs sold by the local restaurants. This fair, being in L.A., had a roach coach selling vegan and raw food but no sausage vendor could be found. You might see a vegan vendor in Chicago but there it's not a street fair without brats, Polish or Italian sausages being sold. One sushi restaurant had a tent but I didn't bother what type of cuisine it was selling. I love sushi and eat it probably once a week but it just seems wrong to eat sushi at a street fair. I'm not even sure if they were selling sushi but I opted for the Mexican fare instead. (I swear on a weekly basis I eat (Americanized versions of) Mexican, Japanese, Indian and Thai food. Currently, Indian is my favorite -- all those spices, lentils and vegatables. Yum! Yum! Thanks to Trader Joe's for keeping me fed.)

Other things to note about the fair: lots of vendors selling baby clothing, a la Alternadad style. If you want to dress your kid in pink tie-dye and not in pink ruffles, this is the place to be. Also, beads have replaced silver as the medium of choice by the artisans who sell jewelry at these fairs. (If there are any jewelry artisans out there reading this (doubtful as it may be): offering rings in sizes smaller than 6 would increase your sales. Your smallest size fits my thumb.)

Before I left the fair, I stopped and watched this band, Until June (www.untiljune.com). They were okay. I thought their music was pretty undiscernable from other popular bands of the moment but I have an untrained ear. While listening to them, I looked three seats to my right and saw a graying-around-the temples Scott Bakula nodding his head to the beat of the music. He appeared to like the band. A celebrity sighting, d-list as it may be, is the ONE big difference between L.A. and Chicago street fairs.

Hope everyone has a good week.

R.