Do It. Pee Wee's Playhouse.

He's baaaaaack! The man (?), the myth, the legend, raring to go in his trademark light grey suit and bright red bow-tie: Pee Wee Herman is taking to the Club Nokia stage to bring his loved Playhouse to live audiences.

What to expect: all the old characters--from Mailman Mike to Chairry; Pee Wee at his finest--he hopes to use this limited run to finance another movie.

What to hope for: Cyndi Lauper guest-appearance for the theme song?; Pee Wee keeping that Super Pee Wee in his dreams...


I know you are, but what am I?

Pee Wee's Playhouse begins tomorrow at Club Nokia and plays until Feb. 7.

-- Chau Tu

Eat & Drink It. Dean & Deluca.

Nothing screams coffee like a Monday morning ...

I first noticed Dean & Deluca in high school while watching my favorite TV show, Felicity. Prime-time's favorite curly-haired NYU student Felicity Porter (Keri Russell) worked there, and while I thought their simple black and white style was cool, I knew nothing of their expansive selection of gourmet goodies. The self-described "purveyors of fine food, wine & kitchenware" are on my mind a lot these days, and it's a damn shame L.A. doesn't have one (California has one, in St. Helena). Thank goodness for the world wide web.

As a Christmas gift, I received a bag of the Manhattan Blend coffee with a set of the super cute diner-style white Dean & Deluca mugs. I'm getting used to the additional step of grinding the whole beans (I'd been a pre-ground kinda gal), but it's all worth it in the end. Next I'm going to give their French Roast a try, as the online description includes the words "dark chocolate, nutmeg and caramel." Yum.

Other D&D favorites--tinned candy, chicken pot pie, and awesome red spatulas.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: www.seriesaddict.fr

Do It. East Village farmer's market.

Between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. today fresh, locally grown/made fruit, veggies, and hummus are available in Long Beach's East Village.

One of my favorite things about Long Beach is how easy it is to find fresh produce. Thursdays have the Bixby Knolls farmer's market. Fridays it's the Downtown Long Beach market. Saturdays it's the East Village farmers market. Sundays it's the one at Alamitos Bay Marina.

Really, there's no day you can't go out, forage, and find amazingly fresh food (the foraging, of course, is done by someone else).

I like the East Village one because it's the only one that's probably "walkable," but even that's a stretch. The Marina one is supposed to be the largest of the four.

So go out, soak up some sun (because, really, is it ever not sunny here?), and get some fresh food!

-- Lauren Williams

Photo credit: Everythinglongbeach.com

Check It. Fruit Bats.

When you see Youth in Revolt, you'll undoubtedly notice the song "When U Love Somebody". Let me save you the trouble of googling the lyrics to figure out who it's by (or staying till the end of the credits and squinting at the song titles) -- Fruit Bats. The song is from their 2003 album, Mouthfuls.

Cut to: 2010. With a new album, The Ruminant Band, released in August of 2009, they're on tour. Check them out on January 28 at EchoPlex.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: band's MySpace

Do It. First Fridays at the Natural History Museum.

First Fridays is back! I first discovered this awesome event while in college across the street from the Natural History Museum, and in looking for an easy, cheap concert to go to, I came across what has become one of my favorite things to do in L.A

For the first Friday of every month in the spring, NHM stays open late for a science-plus-music party, all meant to bring out the inner geek in us. The lectures can be hit or miss (and you can always bypass that part by museum-exploring) but the bands are usually pretty cool, ranging from the super local to some bigger names (Wolfmother, A-Trak). And it's all for the regular price of admission (although important tip: there are presale tickets available here, and they're probably worth buying because the performance space is limited). Plus, there's food and drink (yes, beer and wine) and other cool things like screenprinting and live DJ sets.

This time around, it looks like there's going to be some talk about spiders--including real, live ones!--followed by music by Atlas Sound, a not-to-miss live act. Oh, and don't forget those wild animals there--they're always ready to party.

First Fridays begins tonight at 5:30pm at NHM at 900 Exposition Blvd.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Natural History Museum

Check It. Latino 101.

Last night Lauren and I attended the premiere party for our friend (and ex fellow LAT Editorial Assistant) Joshua Sandoval's new TV show, "Latino 101". "The class you never took" is in the same commentary-style vein as VH1 hits like "I Love the 80's" and "Best Week Ever". The brand new show features comedian/actors Alex Reymundo, Joey Medina and Godfrey (who you may know as the 7 Up guy), among others.

Check it out--Josh is a very funny guy and it's sure to come across in his latest creative venture.

Latino 101 premieres January 8 at 9:00 p.m. on SiTV

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: www.sitv.com

Eat Out. Library Bar [Thirsty Thursdays!].

Most of my good friends know that I spent much of my wonderful time in college at the library...and no, that's not as nerdy as it sounds. No, no, I was just your regular work-study student working behind that big library desk, sitting pretty and people-watching while you stressed out about your research paper and got mad at us for giving you late fees. Best job in the world? Maybe.

So it goes without saying that libraries will always hold a special place in my heart, and although I no longer work at one, I figure I can still (still? shhh) drink at one. The Library Bar is the perfect substitute. Situated right in the heart of downtown near (duh) the L.A. Public Library on 6th St., the below-ground bar is low-key with a not-too-dark atmosphere and yes, books on the shelves. (But don't even think about trying to, er, check them out. I once witnessed a guy who dared to throw a book jokingly at a friend get consequently thrown out by the awesome bouncer literally before the book hit the ground.)

The drinks are pretty decently priced for downtown, with well drinks going for about $7, and happy hour (until 8pm) margaritas and cosmos at about $4. The bar also apparently has amazing food, which I have yet to try, but have definitely drooled over as I sucked on the blueberries of my whiskey sour (yes, blueberries in a whiskey sour!). Parking can be a hassle, with it being downtown and all, but according to their website, the bar now provides $5 validated parking after 6pm. So, just like with those late fees, no excuses.

The Library Bar is located at 630 West 6th St. in downtown.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Yelp

Do It. San Pedro's Arcade Building turns 85.

Tonight the historic Arcade Building in San Pedro turns the big 8-5, and to commemorate the occasion, there will be a giant cake being cut for the building's birthday at 5:30 p.m. After will be a lecture, titled "Learn How to Be a Twit" about using social media, like Twitter.

You have to pay to attend the lecture, but coinciding with the event is the San Pedro Art Walk which is held the 1st Thursday of every month, where groups of art lovers gather in Downtown San Pedro and tour the city's nearly 45 art studios and galleries (who knew the little port town had so many galleries?).

In previous years, the very cool, Long Beach-based female art collaborative the Fallopian Artopians have performed at 1st Thursdays in Pedro. Gathering three canvases and rotating every couple minutes, these women are an amazing sight.

Below is the group with its original members talking at a 1st Thursday a few years ago.

-- Lauren Williams

Make It. Decorating with wrapping paper.

I really would like my apartment to be well-designed and covered in unique art pieces, but even framing $35 prints that take up about thismuch wall space is simply not in my budget. At Kelly Green the other day though (check it out in person, the website is terrible), I found a solution. Above the cash register they had displayed some beautiful wrapping paper in a frame. Brilliant! So I bought some for myself and 3 dollars--plus a cheap-o ikea frame--later, I had a wintry birch tree scene decorating nearly 2.5 feet of bare wall. Look at this Peacock I found on Amazon:

It just goes to show how relative price is. Designer gift wrap is super expensive if you're using it only to pretty-up presents. But if you're wrapping your home with it? Well, then it's a steal. Look for high quality papers with non-repeating patterns and come in manageable sheet sizes (you don't want to measure and cut off a roll). Check out some examples I found at the Paper Studio below.

-- Heather Robertson

Photo credits: Amazon and The Paper Studio

Eat Out. Doughboys.

Could it finally be true? Doughboys Bakery--the eatery famous for its huge portions and Oprah-approved red velvet cake, and maybe even more notorious for its sudden closing two years ago due to permit problems--is back?

Believe it. Doughboys is returning to its roots on 3rd St., having a soft open starting today until Friday, and get this: serving FREE meals from 11am-2pm and 5pm-8pm. Free. Doughboys.

We couldn't ask for more (except for maybe a restroom inside, better service and the return of the After School Special, please). Happy eating!

Doughboys is located at 8136 West 3rd Street.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: theexactly.net