In this issue, we explore a new category of LA influencer—the “public transit girly”—and introduce the LA It Girl Index, a sociological series where I grill the coolest girls in Los Angeles about their favorite things and beauty routines. Some fun weekend events are at the bottom!
As always, email tips and feedback to nobbaddaysinla@proton.me.
What is going on with the Laurel Canyon Country Mart? The store’s owner Tommy Bina claims it was sold to new owners by his partners without his knowledge. “I have lawyers now. They are working to understand how this can happen. When the liquor license was changed, my ownership was taken with no notice to me and no notice to the community,” he said.
LA’s homelessness services personnel are at risk of being unhoused themselves, as layoffs at their agency loom. “Many of us are terrified with the fact that we are just one pay check away from ending up in the system that we now support. We don’t want to end up on the streets too.”
Cosette Wine Bar in Studio City is closing. Their last day of service is tomorrow.
How to have the best Sunday in LA, according to Tig Notaro. She’s vegan, so there are a lot of vegan recs in here.
LA’s most sought-after event planner sits down for an interview with her client Russell Westbrook. She says maximilism is IN.
Rae Huang talks to LAist about why she should be the next mayor of Los Angeles.
The MEKHO permits are helping LA home cooks start businesses. AFRO-LA talks to a few of those business owners.
WIRED went deep on the online communities who want singer D4vd convicted for the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. “‘We’re finna end up in a documentary,’ one user posted, around 2:15 am. By 7 am, the speculation in D4vd’s Discord server had become so rampant that moderators disabled new posts. Safiyya was scared, feeling as if she’d suddenly been thrust into a criminal investigation.”
GRWM for a day on LA public transit
Maybe it’s just my feed, but lately I’ve been seeing a lot of videos from would-be influencers documenting their rides on the LA Metro. Jasmine, who has “the LA metro it girl” in her bio, has 35.k followers on TikTok and makes videos documenting her bus and train commutes and offers tips to metro-curious Angelenos. Serena runs a party for girls and femmes called “Girlworld” but uses her TikTok, where she has 51K followers, to dispel fears about taking public transit in LA.
“When I tell people I take the bus and the train here, the first thing they ask is, isn’t it super unsafe?” she says in one video. “And honestly, that fear is valid. Public transit has been underfunded, neglected, and shaped by inqequality for decades. But when I tell you the city and metro are doing wonders to improve the system.”
These are not your typical LA transit nerds, who, in my experience, tend to be men on YouTube (my favorite is this guy). In one video, Serena links to a ShopMy account where she archives what she wears “as an LA transit girly.” She also makes music playlists for “girls on the go”.
“Taking the bus and the train has changed how I experience the city,” she says. “It slowed me down, and made me more connected to myself, other people, and to LA’s beauty in ways I hadn’t noticed before.”
Celine, who has 11K followers, makes videos of her full-day adventures on public transit. There are people with smaller accounts, like Emily, who takes coffee breaks during transfers on her commute, or Nicole, an NY transplant with 3K followers, who is navigating her own anxieties about taking transit in LA.
Sage, an influencer with 62K followers, has a video series called “Car-less in Los Angeles”. “la has good public transportation, you just don’t want to take it 💔” reads one video’s caption. In another video, with almost 70k views, she takes the train with her friend for three hours from LA to Glendora in LA Metro t-shirts to attend a TAP pop-up where they were giving out TAP card keychains.
“So a Metro ambassador stopped us and was like, ‘wow do you guys work for metro?’” she says, “We’re like, ‘no, why would you think that? We’re just really big fans’. And he was like, ‘oh… why’?”
The LA It Girl Index: Eyefi’s Mary Rachel
A couple of years ago, I purchased a pair of beautiful vintage deadstock Christian Roth frames from Mary Rachel of Eyefi Studios, who travels around the world to collect vintage deadstock eyewear from warehouses and long-lost archives. At least four other people I know asked me about the frames and reached out to Mary Rachel to purchase the exact same ones. Christian Roth is no longer designing eyewear, but Mary Rachel, who has a personal relationship with the designer, maintains a robust collection of his frames—as well as frames by Gucci, Giorgi Arman, Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, and more.
But she’s not just an expert in vintage deadstock eyewear—she’s an expert in faces. She can take a look at your face and fit you with frames that will make you move more confidently through the world. That’s why stylists for people like Playboi Carti and Katseye are frequent visitors to her by-appointment-only showroom in Mid-Wilshire.
This weekend, however, she’s opening up her showroom to everybody, for a weekend market that will include drinks by Jim & James, DJ sets, and live airbrushing by stuckinthepen.
Last product you emptied: Liquid gold propolis face cleanser by Face Haus/Rio Viera-Newton. It’s a balmy face cleanser that feels really nice in the morning. Buy this now if you use tretinoin. It pairs perfectly.
Where you get beauty products: Larchmont Beauty and Dermstore
Current perfume: Claudiae by Sigilli. I bought the last bottle at hb Roma when I was in Italy. You can’t get it in the U.S. and I can’t stop wearing it. It’s over for me when I run out.
Where you get your hair done: I go to Yuki at Shima on Robertson. I walked in because I liked the way their sign looked. Yuki moved here from Tokyo about a year ago to start the LA location of the salon. They have other locations all over Tokyo like Ginza, Harajuku etc. He’s a hair master!
Where you get your eyebrows done: I got really into plucking and waxing my own eyebrows in college. I wouldn’t recommend this hobby to anyone. They inevitably stopped growing so now I’m stuck with the shape I got.
Where you get your clothes/shoes repaired: I go to Cesar’s Tailor Shop on Pico for all my alterations. He’s an expert with denim and is also down to sew leather which is hard to come by. Go see him RIGHT NOW and give him business. He’s the best. For shoes I go to Pasquale Shoe Repair on San Vincente.
Your Erewhon haul: SOUP. The lemon chicken orzo is goated.
Favorite neighborhood: Mid-City, Mid-Wilshire, Hancock Park
Best birthday party venue: Upstairs at Rainbow Bar & Grill. I had my birthday here 2 years in a row and it was lit. It’s really dead in there so it ended up feeling like I rented the space out for a private party. It’s also haunted by the spirit of rock, not that I care that much. I don’t even listen to rock but I still think it’s a cool vibe. LA needs a Sunset Strip revival asap.
Your coffee shop and coffee order: Iced Americano with a splash of whole milk. I drink two a day and will literally just pull up wherever to get my fix. I usually end up at Roji Bakery, Jurassic Magic, or Dam Good Coffee.
Where you take out-of-towners: One of my favorite sushi spots like Sushi Gen or Hama or maybe Katsu-ya in Studio City. Most cities don’t have sushi on the same level as LA, so it feels like it’s a good thing to show off.
Where you take out-of-towners you hate: The Olympic and San Vicente intersection
Your drink order: Dirty vodka martini with olives or tequila soda with lemon and lime
Best place to eat at at 2 AM: Nothing can live up to Pacific Dining Car (RIP) so I usually just go home.
Cigs? I don’t smoke anymore but I loved cigs and I miss them sometimes.
Last text you sent: “BOOM”
THIS WEEKEND: Los Rodeos and Eyefi Studios host an open market where you can shop Mary Rachel’s archive. No RSVP required. Friday from 6-10 PM and Saturday from 10AM-5PM.
THIS WEEKEND: The Renegade Craft Fair is taking over the LA State Historic Park.
TONIGHT: A new monthly party debuts at the Bellwether from 9PM to 3AM, with DJ sets by Alima, Buckmonster, Harmony Tividad, and more. Tickets here.
TOMORROW: Human Resources concludes their exhibition on Mexican Cumbia and sonidero culture with live DJ sets and a vinyl market from 4PM to 9PM. (Here is a story in the LA Public Press about the exhibit.) Tickets here.
TOMORROW: Go to the Sudan Solidarity Fundraiser with LA poet Safia Elhillo at Black Lantern Books from 5PM to 7PM.
SUNDAY: Scribble in Highland Park has a full day of activities, starting with an LA Swap 4 Gaza that goes from 2-5PM and ending with a night of solidarity for Iran, with live music and a panel with historians Assal Rad and Pouya Alimagham at 7PM.
MONDAY: The Garibaldina Society’s Emily Kerr invites NBD readers to the book launch of Katie Parla’s Rome: A Culinary History, Cookbook, and Field Guide to the Flavors That Built a City. She’ll be in conversation with Eric Wareheim and there will be Rome-inspired Antipasti/Aperitivo bites from the members of the Garibaldina. Tickets here.
Wow, LA public transit influencers? As someone who walks and takes public transit in LA, I love to see it. I always thought the bad attitudes towards public transit in LA had to do with most people seeing it as a class issue - like, if you take a bus you are either a poor housekeeper or homeless - unlike NYC where everyone takes the train.
LA public transit girls stand up!!!!