[mouse]

knock knock...where'd everyone go?
i just moved (back) to echo park. doing midnight ridazz bike ride tomorrow. there is a new dyke night at akbar on tuesdays for those interested. also, cinespia is doing cemetery screenings again at hollywood forever! they are super fun, you can bring a picnic and wine and lounge in the cemetery and watch old movies while sitting on their stars' graves.

[maryjo]

I have met practically all of the UK busties at one time or another and several of them are close friends I hang out with on a regular basis. Many of those people don't post at Bust any more, of course (and I don't as much as I used to either) - I stay in contact with them through livejournal. I have plans to meet up with many people fom LJ when I get to LA, but would be happy to meet some busties too. Zoya, definitely.

I have to say, I *like* hostels. And I've stayed in a few in the US and they felt no different to the ones in Europe - I think that backpacker hostels are a bit of a worldwide phenomenon. I suppose it depends what you want out of your travelling - if you need your privacy then sure, go for a hotel or motel, but I haven't particularly liked hotels on the few occasions I've stayed in them alone. At hostels you meet people, have interesting conversations, get to hang out with people in interesting situations. I suppose I'm still in the hostelling age bracket, being in my 20s and short of money - I feel more at home surrounded by people I know I have something in common with. Sure, you risk being kept awake by someone who snores, or meeting people you don't like, but it's worth it. And you also get access to a kitchen where you can cook your own food, which is what I have really missed when I have stayed in hotels.

This is where I stayed when I was last in LA - only for one night, as I was put up in a big soulless hotel by my university department for the other two (yes, I flew to LA from the UK for three nights) but I really liked it and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a clean, friendly, relaxed, cheap hostel in Hollywood. Single-sex rooms, which I must admit is something I tend to require in a hostel, and plenty of showers.

For sonik, that said, since she's staying two weeks and travelling with her sister, it might make a lot more sense to stay somewhere other than a hostel. I just couldn't stand by and watch my preferred mode of accommodation get written off as 'bunkbeds full of dirty hippies'. I will admit that I don't mind bunk beds on a short-term basis and I have nothing against dirty hippies. I am a bit of a (clean) hippie, I suppose; each to her own.