Do It. The Daily Planet.

This was an excellent find by Leslie. A very cute bookstore/vintage card shop/last minute gift store, The Daily Planet on Franklin has very cute little items for birthdays or just gifts for no reason at all.

I love stationary and sending people snail mail, and the other day I found the perfect birthday cards here for a few people as well as a series of blank cards from Edward Gorey -- not exactly something you can find at any card shop.

Their choice of magazines are also pretty impressive, and although I came here looking for one specific item, I ended up leaving with a full bag of goodies.

The Daily Planet is located 5931 1/2 Franklin Avenue.

-- Lauren Williams

Eat Out. Birds [Thirsty Thursdays!].

One of my favorite Eastside bars is Birds, where delicious bar food is de rigueur. Located on Franklin Avenue, near Los Feliz Village, Birds is a cute, small bar that always seems to be packed.

A picture of Alfred Hitchcock covered in crows from his 1963 classic, "The Birds," hangs on a wall. The decor is warm, with red checkered table clothes and brick walls. Toward the bathroom, there's an enormous cage, keeping with the bar's avian theme.

Birds occupies the same great little strip of Franklin as the Upright Citizen's Brigade, the Bourgeois Pig coffee shop and cafe, and The Daily Planet newsstand and gift shop, where some of the best cards in town are sold. Popular L.A. restaurants La Poubelle and Prizzi's Piazza are also on the block, as well as a large used bookstore for browsing the night away.

The selection of beer on tap is a bit lacking, I usually end up with their refreshing cider, and the appetizers are excellent (the mozzarella sticks are amazing).

Birds is located at 5925 Franklin Avenue in Los Angeles.

-- Lauren Williams

Photo credit: Birds website