Hood #7: Melrose for Shopping & a Very Famous Dog Stand

Pinks—a legendary hot dog stand on La Brea Ave. at Melrose (since 1939!) that always has a line, day or night—is one of those LA "must do" attractions.  As much as it's a "must do," however, I've never done it (because I'm not kidding about that line).  Today—as I set out with my friend Shelly to check Melrose off my 'Hood Challenge List—the plan was to have a dog,  and then shop Melrose Avenue.

(My original plan, for the record, had me heading to points north for a hike, but a wildfire in Glendora has made air quality throughout Los Angeles such that we should avoid breathing if at all possible.)

Melrose (see map, R) is better known as a street than as a neighborhood, but it's there—nestled between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.

Without traffic (oh, how rare it is to say that), we got to Pinks in about a half hour.  After parking in the free valet lot (where we left our keys somewhat worringly with a guy who provided no receipt but a promise he'd remember our faces), we headed to the line, which at 4 p.m. on a Saturday was about 50 people long.  I assumed it would move quickly... uh... wrong.  About 45 minutes later, we made our way to the front, where I ordered a turkey dog (I don't eat beef or pork) and onion rings.

I could have had a Rosie O'Donnel Dog (mustard, onions, chili and sauerkraut) or a Huell Howser Dog (two dogs, one bun), but I decided to go with the basics.

My friend's "real" hot dog looked amazing.  The turkey dog?  It was okay...I was happy they at least had an option for me.  It was more the fun of hanging in line, watching the crowd and being part of an institution that's been around so long that made it worth the wait and the $6.95.

And as for shopping in the area (on Melrose Ave. between La Brea and Fairfax), if you're in the market for cheap, trashy clothes appropriate for a 20-something, this is your place!  We did stumble across a fabulous store that looked like Lady Gaga's closet exploded—a truly awesome, oddball jumble of (not cheap) couture. I can't remember the name of it, but it was tucked back into a little courtyard and would be an excellent place to shop if you find yourself in need of something really outrageous to wear and have hundreds of dollars burning a hole in your pocket.