Sad but true... while individuals and families have been financially ruined over these last couple of years with a crumbling stock market and horrific housing market... members of congress trying to pass legislation to address issues with our economy have been privy to insider trading info. AND THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IT!
And we have now learned members of congress are EXEMPT from insider trading laws. Watch this clip...
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Sunday, November 13, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Crowd Boos Gay Soldier at GOP Event
So not cool in this day and age. What is foolish about what happened here is that none of the politicians took the opportunity to call out the few morons in the crowd who booed when the gay soldier asked his question. They simply moved on. Do not tolerate this behavior.
Check out the video clip - Click Here
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Check out the video clip - Click Here
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Friday, September 23, 2011
We're Looking For Bloggers
GayLA.com is looking for bloggers. Interested in contributing? Let us know.
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Monday, February 28, 2011
White Boy In Vietnam
A left hand turn in Saigon is still the scariest thing on earth. For anyone who has traveled to Vietnam, you know what I’m talking about!
HANOI
First two days and nights spent in Hanoi, a very gritty, rundown city with lots of hidden treasures and gracious people. Contrary to what most think, the locals (and really most all of the people of Vietnam) truly love to interact with westerners. The weather was overcast, chilly and drizzly. So the shorts and t-shirts never saw the daylight on this leg of our trip.
You can choose between high end or three star hotels (all relative - all very reasonable). You get a better feel for Hanoi staying in the old quarter of the city where you can truly enjoy the local cuisine. We stayed at Asian Ruby hotel. It cost $50 (US dollars) per night and was nice for an older hotel. Great staff, free wifi. Even if you don’t have a laptop or smart phone they have computers to use for free in the business center. Most hotels throughout Vietnam these days offer free Wifi and business center use – unless it’s a chain like Sheraton or another western run hotel – they charge you for everything. So stay at Vietnamese hotels and leave your dollars for that wonderful country - not the money-sucking, US chain hotels.
Great breakfast is included with your room fee at most Vietnamese hotels. And the food offered at these breakfasts is usually abundant and delicious Vietnamese cuisine. No donuts and bagels - we're talking noodles, Bao, Pho, eggs, etc. And staff can point you in the right direction for dining out, nightlife, etc.
I highly recommend taking setup tours to outer lying tourist destinations, like the pagodas of Ninh Binh and the must do overnight junk boat tours of Halong Bay –we did both. We didn't tour Hanoi that extensively, but simply driving in from the airport and coming and going on side trips gives you an idea of this city.
We used a travel agency to plan our excursions. It's so reasonable to have your own private driver and tour guide who know the lay of the land and all the ins and outs. It is not recommended to go it on your own.
Hanoi was interesting. We walked around a lot and took in some local sights. The streets are clogged with motor bikes mostly and cars – all beeping constantly. It’s a hectic city. One of the best meals of my life was dinner at Quan Ngon in Hanoi. An amazing selection. There are kiosks all around featuring a huge variety of appetizers and entrees. You just pick everything you want and the young waiters bring it all to you. Older folks couldn't work here as there is too much running around to gather diner’s choices. Six of us stuffed ourselves and drank Tiger and Hanoi beers and the total came to $50 including tip!
NINH BINH
Home to the largest Buddhist temples in southeast Asia. Touring these stunning temples with 40 foot tall gold leaf Buddha statues is breathtaking. Also, it is a must to take a boat trip up the river and through the small caves Tam Coc (three water caves). You get your own personal rower - yes they row for two hours! Just watch out when they rest on the shore and vendors try to sell you stuff. Just say no! Tip your guide $1.50 us dollar per person (that’s the norm – not being a cheapskate). They may even ask you to buy them a soda. Don't - they have no intention of drinking it. They will just sell it back to the vendor for half of what you paid. If they drank all the water or soda they get from suckers, they would spend half the trip pulling to shore for pee breaks. Again, tour guides are great for smart tips and helping you avoid getting ripped off.
HALONG BAY
We arrived at the spectacular Halong Bay under cloudy skies and drizzle, but it was still gorgeous. This infamous attraction is everything one has ever imagined of this very special place. An endless bay dotted with huge plant covered volcanic rock formations rising from the sea. The beautiful Junk boats are like floating mansions. Ours was from one of the best known, luxury lines - Indochina Sails. We were greeted by the staff and immediately sat for a sumptuous lunch in the upper dining room. Wood floors and walls of glass gives you a breathtaking view of Halong Bay, as the cruise begins. Don't skimp on your overnight cruise (two days after we left Halong Bay, one of the cheap tour boats sank and killed close to 10 tourists). Go with a company like Indochina Sails. You'll be very glad you did. Good food. Top notch service. And gorgeous cabins. My trip was $179 per person for our overnight package. That included round trip transport from Hanoi in our own private Mercedes van. And that alone is a 3-hour trip each way. Then your first lunch aboard the boat. A trip to ti top island where you climb to the top of a huge island and take in 360 degree views of Halong Bay.
Back to the boat for a sumptuous Valentine’s dinner in the elegant dining room, while cruising further along through the expansive bay.
Da Nang & Hue
We flew into Da Nang, a forgetful, busy city. Our main purpose here was to travel by tour bus to Hue anyway, so no biggy. The food in Da Nang was okay. We did have a fun 2nd night there where our tour guide hooked us up with a local restaurant that had good food and served sticky rice from clay pots by smashing them open with a hammer.
HUE
After a couple of days on our own, we met up with our travel companions again and stayed at a hotel for the remainder of the week. This was in the Ben Thanh Market area where most tourists stay. We still took trips with the boys on motor bikes to the "secret" spots. And they took us all out one night for the MOST amazing meal. It was at Chao Vit Goc, a huge indoor/outdoor BBQ restaurant. As you enter, there are a couple of guys roasting whole suckling pigs over hot coals in half barrel grills. You have NEVER tasted roasted pork with crunchy skin like this. Served with soft Bao that melts in your mouth with a dipping sauce that will curl your toes - in a good way. And the roasted fish with veggies and… fish sauce. To die for. Did I feel guilty about the little suckling pig suffering for this amazing meal? Um… no.
You can still go out to a nice restaurant with six people, eat a ton of food and drink a couple beers each and still only spend $40-$50 total. This is attractive to most tourists and probably won’t last. I am so glad we were able to take advantage of it.
All in all, you can do a 2-week trip to the lovely country of Vietnam from Los Angeles for as low as $1100 rountrip airfare per person. A couple of domestic flights making your way from the North to the South will run you about $60 per person per flight (you'll only need to fly twice, if you follow our path). Hotels on average ran $50-$60 per night on the medium scale. You can expect to pay $120 - $150 per night for five star hotels. And need I repeat myself? The food is INEXPENSIVE AS HELL! You can easily eat 3 meals a day with beers and all for as little as $30 per person.
I’ll have more to report – these were just notes from my smart phone. If you ever get the chance, go for it and visit Vietnam. Follow the road less traveled – you’ll be so happy you did. I am.
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Its been just over nine years, since I last visited the humble and gorgeous country of Vietnam. My first two trips were limited to the south - mostly Saigon with small trips out to Dalat and Vung Tao.
This trip would prove to be much more eventful and exciting, as my partner Phillip (who was born and grew up in Saigon) and I traveled to the north for the first time ever. We made this journey with four other friends from Los Angeles from February 11, 2011 to February 25th.
Two wonderful weeks! First stop - Hanoi.
HANOIFirst two days and nights spent in Hanoi, a very gritty, rundown city with lots of hidden treasures and gracious people. Contrary to what most think, the locals (and really most all of the people of Vietnam) truly love to interact with westerners. The weather was overcast, chilly and drizzly. So the shorts and t-shirts never saw the daylight on this leg of our trip.
You can choose between high end or three star hotels (all relative - all very reasonable). You get a better feel for Hanoi staying in the old quarter of the city where you can truly enjoy the local cuisine. We stayed at Asian Ruby hotel. It cost $50 (US dollars) per night and was nice for an older hotel. Great staff, free wifi. Even if you don’t have a laptop or smart phone they have computers to use for free in the business center. Most hotels throughout Vietnam these days offer free Wifi and business center use – unless it’s a chain like Sheraton or another western run hotel – they charge you for everything. So stay at Vietnamese hotels and leave your dollars for that wonderful country - not the money-sucking, US chain hotels.
Great breakfast is included with your room fee at most Vietnamese hotels. And the food offered at these breakfasts is usually abundant and delicious Vietnamese cuisine. No donuts and bagels - we're talking noodles, Bao, Pho, eggs, etc. And staff can point you in the right direction for dining out, nightlife, etc.
I highly recommend taking setup tours to outer lying tourist destinations, like the pagodas of Ninh Binh and the must do overnight junk boat tours of Halong Bay –we did both. We didn't tour Hanoi that extensively, but simply driving in from the airport and coming and going on side trips gives you an idea of this city.
We used a travel agency to plan our excursions. It's so reasonable to have your own private driver and tour guide who know the lay of the land and all the ins and outs. It is not recommended to go it on your own.
Hanoi was interesting. We walked around a lot and took in some local sights. The streets are clogged with motor bikes mostly and cars – all beeping constantly. It’s a hectic city. One of the best meals of my life was dinner at Quan Ngon in Hanoi. An amazing selection. There are kiosks all around featuring a huge variety of appetizers and entrees. You just pick everything you want and the young waiters bring it all to you. Older folks couldn't work here as there is too much running around to gather diner’s choices. Six of us stuffed ourselves and drank Tiger and Hanoi beers and the total came to $50 including tip!NINH BINH
HALONG BAY
We arrived at the spectacular Halong Bay under cloudy skies and drizzle, but it was still gorgeous. This infamous attraction is everything one has ever imagined of this very special place. An endless bay dotted with huge plant covered volcanic rock formations rising from the sea. The beautiful Junk boats are like floating mansions. Ours was from one of the best known, luxury lines - Indochina Sails. We were greeted by the staff and immediately sat for a sumptuous lunch in the upper dining room. Wood floors and walls of glass gives you a breathtaking view of Halong Bay, as the cruise begins. Don't skimp on your overnight cruise (two days after we left Halong Bay, one of the cheap tour boats sank and killed close to 10 tourists). Go with a company like Indochina Sails. You'll be very glad you did. Good food. Top notch service. And gorgeous cabins. My trip was $179 per person for our overnight package. That included round trip transport from Hanoi in our own private Mercedes van. And that alone is a 3-hour trip each way. Then your first lunch aboard the boat. A trip to ti top island where you climb to the top of a huge island and take in 360 degree views of Halong Bay.Later in the day, they once again transferred us from our big boat to a small launch that took us to the floating fishing village along the shores of Halong Bay, where the villagers actually live right in an inlet on floating huts. It’s amazing to see how these poor, hardworking people live. Just simple, floating huts with little or no power. It’s a tough life, but they make it look a little fun and relaxing.
The morning greeted us early. We took another excursion to the "surprising" caves, which are carved into the cliffsides high above where you disembark from your tender boat, which transports you from the big boat. Inside you find very cool walking paths through the caves lit by electric-powered lanterns. The caves are replete with stalagmites and stalagtites. Our journey to Halong Bay ended with another luscious meal - brunch on the upper deck, featuring the best Pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) I've ever tasted.
Halong Bay was definitely a highlight of our trip. It was then back to Hanoi for the next leg of the journey. We spent one more night in Hanoi with another great dinner. Next stop – Da Nange and Hue.We flew domestically on Vietnam Airlines. Some like to take the train to Da Nang, but that's an overnight trip and lots of people report bad experiences of getting ripped off, robbed and the trains are kind of nasty. Glad we flew - it was only about $60 per person.
Da Nang & Hue
We flew into Da Nang, a forgetful, busy city. Our main purpose here was to travel by tour bus to Hue anyway, so no biggy. The food in Da Nang was okay. We did have a fun 2nd night there where our tour guide hooked us up with a local restaurant that had good food and served sticky rice from clay pots by smashing them open with a hammer.
Hue was a 2 1/2 hour drive from Da Nang. Although I could have done without both places, Hue did have some interesting sites - like the Emperors Citadel, boat ride up the river and more Pagoda temples (but these temples were beginning to annoy me - see one big, great one (Ninh Binh) and pass on the rest. Boring. Da Nang is obviously a smaller city compared to Hanoi. It's cleaner and more modern, but no nightlife to speak of... Boring. Saigon here we come!!
SAIGON (HO Chi Minh City)
Arrived early afternoon to 94 degree heat and humidity. Finally some sun and heat. Out come the shorts. And nothing a little AC, dried squid and a cold Tiger beer won't cure! I just love this city! What a difference nearly a decade makes. This city truly has come a long way baby! The north doesn't compare to Saigon. Yes, they have Halong Bay and some gorgeous sites - but if you love cities and pulse that drives them, this is what you want in Vietnam.
Our first two nights here were spent at my partner Phillip’s childhood home, a simple two-story structure with the typical storefront that they rent out to a local business - storage for a bookstore down the block. A section of the city where everyone still stops and stares when they see a white guy. It's cute... sometimes. You don't see the tourists in this part of town, and that's what I like about it!
SAIGON (HO Chi Minh City)
Arrived early afternoon to 94 degree heat and humidity. Finally some sun and heat. Out come the shorts. And nothing a little AC, dried squid and a cold Tiger beer won't cure! I just love this city! What a difference nearly a decade makes. This city truly has come a long way baby! The north doesn't compare to Saigon. Yes, they have Halong Bay and some gorgeous sites - but if you love cities and pulse that drives them, this is what you want in Vietnam.
From the moment we arrived, the excitement of this rapidly growing cosmopolitan city never stopped. Two of Phillip’s childhood friends showed up on motor scooters and became our personal tour guides for the week, taking us to the most amazing restaurants, coffee shops and other fantastic sights. Funny thing is we spent most of our time in the part of the city where most tourists do not venture, but you can find restaurants that are clean and “safe” for westerners – meaning you can put ice in your drinks and eat vegetables without worrying about getting sick.
Everyday was a new dining experience. Steamed duck w/ cabbage and ginger fish sauce along with rice porridge was a huge hit. These guys took us to restaurants that specialized in certain dishes. Another night we ate crepes with shrimp and lettuce, mint leaves… and fish sauce. So damn good. And it was hot so the cold beer made every meal!
During the day, we’d visit with Phillip’s friends and families – eating meals in their homes. And lots of motor biking throughout the city. There's no other way to see Saigon than from the back of a motor bike. It's not for the squeamish. Crazy drivers, 3 people on motorbikes with their children standing. It's chaotic but a rush.
You can’t help but notice the money pouring into Saigon. At the same time, there is still tons of poverty and beggers. A real contradiction. But the locals are finding more work. The markets are bustling with locals and tons of tourists from all over – especially the US, Australia, Canada, and even bloody old England. The tourists tend to stick to the District 1 area of Saigon and the Ben Thanh marketplace – really a relatively small area of Saigon. We had the pleasure of knowing Phillip’s friends who took us out much deeper into the city to experience so much more. I predict that Saigon will grow in leaps in bounds over the next decade. It was recently reported that the most spending money in Southeast Asia is being spent in Vietnam in general. It’s such an amazing city.
Two week traveling from the north to the south was just right. You would need more time to take in all the sights. We did Hanoi, Halong Bay, Da Nang, Hue and Saigon. Our travel companions took an extra stop in to Nha Trang, which they raved about. It’s south of Da Nang and is a beach resort.
I’ll have more to report – these were just notes from my smart phone. If you ever get the chance, go for it and visit Vietnam. Follow the road less traveled – you’ll be so happy you did. I am.
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Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Major Bargains Throughout Greater Los Angeles - Check 'Em Out
Find Today's Daily Deal on the Best in Los Angeles!
$14 for One Ticket to a Magicopolis Magic Show in Santa Monica
$6 for $12 Worth of Sandwiches and More at Sando's Sub Shop in Manhattan Beach
$39 for a 60-Minute Spa Facial at Euphoria Health and Beauty Bar in Long Beach
$45 for Two Weekend Tickets to the PGA TOUR's Northern Trust Open in Pacific Palisades ($90 Value)
$59 for a Facial, Body Massage, and Aromatherapy Manicure at Krystal Salon & Day Spa in Studio City ($165 Value)
$15 for Three Dance Classes at The Dance Collaborative
$99 for a Delivery of Parisian Breakfast in Bed from Alchemist & Co ($240 Value)
Find Today's Daily Deal on the Best in Los Angeles!
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$14 for One Ticket to a Magicopolis Magic Show in Santa Monica
$6 for $12 Worth of Sandwiches and More at Sando's Sub Shop in Manhattan Beach
$39 for a 60-Minute Spa Facial at Euphoria Health and Beauty Bar in Long Beach
$45 for Two Weekend Tickets to the PGA TOUR's Northern Trust Open in Pacific Palisades ($90 Value)
$59 for a Facial, Body Massage, and Aromatherapy Manicure at Krystal Salon & Day Spa in Studio City ($165 Value)
$15 for Three Dance Classes at The Dance Collaborative
$99 for a Delivery of Parisian Breakfast in Bed from Alchemist & Co ($240 Value)
Find Today's Daily Deal on the Best in Los Angeles!
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Know of Any Jobs in Los Angeles?
Let us know, if you are hiring or know of anyone hiring for any type of job in Los Angeles. Over the next few weeks, we are going to try something new here at GayLA.com and post available jobs. Feel free to respond, too. And if you are looking for work, let us know. Let's see what happens.
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Monday, January 24, 2011
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