Unless you've got a 6-11 year-old girl in your life, you've probably managed to avoid the notorious American Girl Place at the Grove (and you consider yourself lucky, indeed). Oh, you've heard tell of their ostentatious parties for little darlings and their little darling dollies (that's around $90 a pop to sip tiny cups of tea and get matching hairdos for each girl and her girl doll) but you've steered clear, right?* LAist Featured......

No, your eyes don't deceive you; that is a train locomotive dangling over a wall! LAist Featured Photos Pool contributor bcmacsac1 shared this vintage photo from early 1948 of this scary accident that almost took out a landmark restaurant. He explains:The only major accident for the Super Chief was recorded on January 25,1948 when the locomotive #19L, leading the Super Chief loses braking ability while preparing to depart* Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal Crashing......

Found on Hollywood Blvd. by LAist Featured Photos Contributor, Brian Bubonic, on Flickr. Kind of reminds us of this photo about the secret CIA underground military base that had connections to Christina Aguilera.......

LAist Featured Photos Flickr contributor PRIME IMAGERY >gianni submits this perfect California car backside. Does it get more Cali than this? Welcome to the ObamApplVo, as the photographer calls it.......

Few words overcame LAist Featured Photos contributor concheven when he posted this photo taken in Venice over the weekend: "I love LA." Yes indeed, so does LAist.......

Photo by AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes Even the animals in L.A. get top notch chefs cooking for them. Well, they do at least once a year in a preview for the Beastly Ball, an annual bash at the LA Zoo for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, a non-profit that supports the city's zoo. This year, the gala celebrates the California Condor Recovery Project and takes place on June 14 with tickets at $1000. Restaurants......

LAist Featured Photos contributor Marshall Astor titled this photo "Holy Fuck Part Deux! Thrifty Gas in San Pedro Goes for Broke." He continues to say "this gas station's prices have gone nuts, but every time I drive by, there's some moron at the pump getting gouged. "For reference, I paid $4.01 at a nearby station last week, and most other nearby stations are in the low $4.10-20 range. "I'm expecting this pump to hit $5.00......

LAist Featured Photos contributor Michael Zara, aka monkeytime, took this photo on Main Street in Santa Monica and makes an interesting observation: "The municipal code prohibits operation of vehicles over 6000 lbs. gross weight on almost all city streets. Escalades, Expeditions, Hummers, Navigators, Suburbans and the like are all well over 6,000 lbs. GW. The lightest Suburban is 7,200 lbs GW. The Hummer H2 is 8,600 lbs GW. "The code specifies certain primary and......

You may not know LAist Featured Photos Flickr contributor discarted's name or even what he looks like when he snaps a shot of you on Hollywood Blvd., but trust us, he's there, always documenting the people on the street, especially those who frequent it daily. Above, he captures a raw and silly moment with two of the many professional dress-up characters seen on the famous boulevard during some off-duty time. Also: discarted is leading......

Two LAist Featured Photos contributors happened to submit similar photos around the same time. A new trend in street photography? Probably not, but where else can you put a biker looking dude's head?......

Probably not the best marketing for public transit in Los Angeles, but it's quite a sight anyway. LAist Featured Photos contributor Fire Monkey Fish was riding a Metro bus last week in Hollywood when she saw this man. "I guess you can't look too happy riding the bus with your pet spider," she wrote below the photo. We can't imagine anyone else being too happy either! To join LAist Featured Photos, visit Flickr......

Cell phone photo by LAist News Editor Andy Sternberg Found yesterday morning on the 101 south on-ramp at Glendale Blvd. Sign #1: "Honk if you Drink" Sign #2: "'Will work for Beer" Thank you Caltrans, thank you.......

This last Tuesday at the crack of dawn, famous San Pedro local Mike Watt snapped this shot. "I'm paddling my kayak down in the harbor here in Pedro and I saw the Angels Gate Lighthouse being reflected down onto the water and took a shot of it as I was about to pass her and head out into the open sea. I flipped the picture 180 degrees to give it a trippy perspective. It......

LAist Featured Photos contributor corsakti took this photo over the weekend. "I think this should be added to the list of proofs," he said.......

Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist Not only was the lovely and feigned Johnny Depp buying makeup at the Hollywood & Highland MAC store, but he was also getting tips on how to best smudge black eyeliner and what kind of makeup remover to use. To pay, he lifted his treasure chest to the counter and opened it, handing her magical gold coins. To have your work featured on LAist, submit photos to the LAist Featured......

LAist Featured Photos Pool contributor LA Wad snapped us a shot of this unusual eatery that is an architectural and thematic curiosity in Koreatown. Our photog explains:Cafe Jack is a Korean coffeehouse and restaurant. No, that is not a real ship. The owners of the restaurant took a modular office building of a former used car lot and added elements to convert it to resemble a luxury liner. They are trying to go for......

"Yes, this was taken on Sunset Strip... Could have been 1985," LAist Featured Photos contributor davehodg said of his photo he took last night. Previously on Sunset - Glam Rock fiction on Sunset Blvd with Rock of Ages - In the 90s, the River Phoenix Wall......

Looks like Drew Barrymore is a Derby Dolls fan! Awriggggghhht, Drew... we are too! The actress was snapped by LAist Featured Photos Pool contributor rinkrat last night when the Fight Crew met the Tough Cookies--according to rinkrat, "Tough Cookies dominated the Fight Crew to remain undefeated." Nice! We were there for the season opener, when the same two teams met up...and the Tough Cookies toppled the Fight Crew. Are you in our Flickr pool?......

Photo used with permission The good folks at the New York City based blog, ANIMAL, have let us use this photo to share with you. Welcome to American Apparel owner Dov Charney's supposed front doorstep in Silver Lake (maybe Hollywood Hills actually). Now this is one way you can greet visitors to your home. "Whether this monument acts as the magical source of Dov's panty-dropping power or if it's just an insightful look into......

Photo submitted by benrodian to the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr He may be young and may not have billboards of himself around Hollywood like Angelyne, but the twenty-something Chad Luckette does have a van and trailer displaying his name, which seems to be found in Silver Lake Sunset Junction area more than often. Who is he? "[Chad is] an aspiring actor you can also find his resume and headshots as well as......

A few days ago we heard about the death of Bingo, the wiener dog that was a familiar face--of the four-legged variety--to Silver Lake-rs. Bingo was part of the family at Pull My Daisy, and one of their employees, Rhachel, wrote to let us know about the loss, saying: "If you are familiar with the Sunset Junction at all, you have seen this little guy. You have probably fed him bacon or maybe your......

On Saturday, LAist Featured Photos contributor Victoria Bernal found this mural in Echo Park on Morton Place. Unfortunately, it's graffitied. Bernal writes down the quote, adding "and Woman" at the end: "When we are really honest with ourselves, we must admit that our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines what kind of men we are...only by giving life do we find LIFE.......

Photo by highervision via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr As of right now, the weather forecast for the weekend is looking pretty good with temperatures in the high 60s and partly cloudly skies. And to boot, it's a three-day weekend for lucky bunch of local government workers -- Caesar Chavez Day is on Monday. Last week, an effort to make the holiday national launched. You too could get the day off in respect for......

Yesterday as I made my way from the Blessing of the Animals to the Great Pillowfight of Pershing Square, I was amazed to find that 4th street had been shut down for this commercial shoot. The image of a giant slip n' slide running across two city blocks in the heart of downtown was a joy to stumble upon.......

Palms is lousy with apartments, though I've never thought of them as particularly crappy. Both the buildings have recently had a bunch of work done, new paint, new fencing, and as a finishing touch, new signage. See the other building after the jump.......

Who looks and studies the sample ballot? We all know how to vote, right? Well, after Super Tuesday's "double bubble" controversy (which was thankfully solved for the most part), it might be good to brush up on those bubble filling skills. And LAist Featured Photos contributor coffeextv found this statement upon looking through the sample ballot: "Shall Los Angeles County be declared the sun and leisure capitol of the world?" The photo is titled......

Some of the most fun you can have downtown is at the Downtown Art Walk on the second Thursday of every month (also in the mix is the Downtown Comedy Walk). LAist Featured Photos contributor savemejebus submitted this photo from last Thursday at the new Museum of Neon Art space on 4th Street next to Rocket Pizza. MONA's official opening reception is next month on the 12th, but be sure to swing by on......

Photo by edenjet via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr After getting to know Los Angeles Space Invaders after yesterdays photo essay, LAist Featured Photos contributor edenjet submitted this shot taken last month. Rawk. Previous art found in the streets of LA -- There Will Be Graffiti -- You Rock My Life Marion -- Silver Lake Cares -- Hollywood Stars Hang Out At Liquor Stores...Just Like Us! -- Was This What She Was......

When you read something you like on LAist, we love it when you hit the "recommend" button, and we love it even more if you put your two cents' worth in the comments. Getting a dialog going with our readers and making sure we're giving you content you can use are top priorities for us. So here's this week's top posts, as endorsed by you via the recommend feature, or as indicated by the level......

$3.55 for unleaded. Check, albeit annoying. $3.79 for performance plus. Ugh, okay, check. $9.38 a gallon for high performance. Che-- wha???!?!?!!!? LAist Featured Photos photographer Movie Lover snapped this shot on the Westside. "While driving past a gas station in Brentwood, CA a while back, I noticed that the price had gone up. Way up." Yeah, no doubt. Let's see, April Fool's Day is next month. It's not a six upside down. This doesn't look......