Secret Lanes, The Perfect Bloody Mary, and Underwear Piñatas

Bloody Mary at Cole's

WELL, I SEE WHERE YOUNG HOLLYWOOD GOES to ring in the wee hours of the weekend, which, like everywhere, now begins on Thursday. They're at the Roosevelt Hotel, which has about as many bars as it does rooms, including one secretive spot called the Spare Room, named for its two bowling lanes. Managed to talk my way in with the warning to make reservations next time. A tall chalkboard listing dozens of cocktails was on the wall and adorable ladies were tending bar. It was too crowded to compromise my cocktail in favor of taking out my camera, so I stood with Bunny and a neighbor friend -- rather, we danced in close quarters to a live band playing Amy Winehouse covers -- before we realized we should start looking for a hot tub. Unfortunately that plan didn't pan out.

SATURDAY I VISITED COLE'S IN DOWNTOWN L.A. I ordered a small pork french dip which, in a word, was scrumptious. Couldn't pass up ordering a bloody mary, on special for $7. I won't hesitate to say it's the best I've ever had. Better than the one I had at New York's St. Regis hotel, which reputedly invented the thing. Cole's is a wall of bloody mary held up with a beam of celery (and one of their signature Atomic Pickles). But what made me want to keep gulping was their combination of peppery spices around the rim and at the bottom of the large glass. There wasn't a hint of the mixture being diluted, either. What came to mind, oddly, was that of drinking a steak. That's how savory the bloody is at Cole's.

JUST AROUND THE CORNER from Cole's is a hugely fun part of downtown, reminiscent of the hodge-podge of shops that can be found, say, in Jackson Heights (forgive yet another NY reference). There is everything from underwear to piñatas (I've suddenly just had a great idea there...), blankets, purses, beauty supplies, clothes, and best of all, street food.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT MADE ME MORE TIPSY, Cole's bloody mary or the fresh sliced pineapple covered with salt, cayenne pepper, and lime juice that I ate out of a plastic bag for only $3 from a lady on the corner.

Delish.

Fresh pineapple with spices.