Rhythm & Notes

Don’t go to Rhythm & Notes if you’re looking to buy a Fender Squier Kit. Do go if you have a soft spot for amplifiers that look strangely similar to your great-uncle’s suitcase. Don’t go if you have a fear of disorganization. Do go if you’re tired of the stuck-up guitar jocks at those ‘boutiques’ on Sunset Blvd. Don’t go if you’re looking for a new Line 6 pedal. Do go if you love digging through piles of odds and ends to uncover that ancient, anonymous box that could only house some kind of amazing brass instrument. Don’t go if you’re looking for immediate repairs. Do go if you’re trying to find that a case for your awkwardly-shaped, 3/4-size banjo. Do go if you appreciate debates on ‘tube’ vs. ‘solid state.’ And do be forewarned: this place is kind of like hearing an album for the first time and not getting it until the third, fourth, maybe even twelfth time around. It’s that amazing, but difficult to appreciate at first.

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Shopping • Redondo Beach

Coffee Cartel

Coffee Cartel is one of the few places where you can still find goths. I thought I saw the last of them die out when I was in high school, but to my surprise they’re alive and well, hanging out at Coffee Cartel. Finally, I can count on something to remain the same! Actually, I think I can rely on this entire place to remain unchanging forever. The décor is an olio of knick-knacks so old that their age can be determined by the thickness of dust. Antique guns, horseshoes, Reagan posters, and weekly exhibits of local art deck the walls, while mossy aquariums, a suit of armor, and an ‘honor system’ library keep a caffeinated mind busy for hours. It’s just one of those coffee shops that doesn’t front. You don’t go to see and be seen because most customers are in their pajamas. You go because it has worn couches with crumbs between the cushions, because of the Wednesday night poetry readings, because it’s only two blocks from the beach, and because of the gothic regulars who make life that much more predictable.

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Coffee • Redondo Beach

The Green Temple

I like The Green Temple because they put cauliflower and two kinds of cabbage in a soy cheese quesadilla and actually make it taste better than something that’s been dragged out of a compost pile. Plus, every time I eat there I can hang around the meditation pond, recline on their pillowed furniture, sip purified water, spy on other eaters through arabesque screens…and in less than forty-five minutes the menu and good vibes can almost convince me to go organic-green-vegan-naked for life. Decide between a sprouty sandwich, soup with honey-sweetened bread, a mean veggie bowl, or a gourmet baked potato, all made vegan upon request. The best entrees come drenched in a creamy tofu sauce or made with the most tolerable fake cheese I’ve ever tasted. And for you more conservative folk who don’t like to overeat–all of their meals come in both regular and junior portions, leaving just enough room for a bowl of collard greens, a homemade cookie, or a glass of Jamaica made with real maple syrup.

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Restaurants • Redondo Beach