Guidebook for Los Angeles

Courtney
Guidebook for Los Angeles

Drinks & Nightlife

Micky's is your classic West Hollywood gay bar, with DJs and go-go dancers in skimpy outfits. And Monday night is drag race night. A bunch of local girls like Raven host and perform, and girls who come in from out of town will do a special appearance here. When RuPaul’s Drag Race is on TV, Micky’s has a viewing party at 9, then the live show. Show up early to get a seat by the catwalk. It’s customary to tip, so bring lots of singles—or twenties, or hundreds. But tipping five ones is more effective than tipping one five, because when you’re up there with the lights in your eyes you can't tell whether it's a one or a hundred.
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Micky's
8857 Santa Monica Blvd
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Micky's is your classic West Hollywood gay bar, with DJs and go-go dancers in skimpy outfits. And Monday night is drag race night. A bunch of local girls like Raven host and perform, and girls who come in from out of town will do a special appearance here. When RuPaul’s Drag Race is on TV, Micky’s has a viewing party at 9, then the live show. Show up early to get a seat by the catwalk. It’s customary to tip, so bring lots of singles—or twenties, or hundreds. But tipping five ones is more effective than tipping one five, because when you’re up there with the lights in your eyes you can't tell whether it's a one or a hundred.
Monday is a great night for drag in LA. People first go to Micky's nearby, then come here for the 10:30 show, called Lip Service Mondays. There’s a local, party crowd. The girls perform on stage and on the dance floor, and everybody gathers around to tip them. If you really want to feel the fantasy and have a VIP experience, The Abbey is one gay bar where you can order bottle service to get a table by the dance floor and just people-watch with your friends.
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The Abbey
692 N Robertson Blvd
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Monday is a great night for drag in LA. People first go to Micky's nearby, then come here for the 10:30 show, called Lip Service Mondays. There’s a local, party crowd. The girls perform on stage and on the dance floor, and everybody gathers around to tip them. If you really want to feel the fantasy and have a VIP experience, The Abbey is one gay bar where you can order bottle service to get a table by the dance floor and just people-watch with your friends.
A bunch of gay bars are opening downtown, and Queen Kong, Fridays at Precinct, is the biggest gay party in DTLA right now. It’s definitely worth a look, because every week the Boulet Brothers do something interesting, something you wouldn’t see anywhere else. Their shows tend to be a bit freaky and off the wall, but fabulous. Whenever I've been, there’s a giant line down the block. I’d get there early or, better yet, go with a drag queen so you can go to the front of the line and walk right in.
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Precinct DTLA
357 S Broadway
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A bunch of gay bars are opening downtown, and Queen Kong, Fridays at Precinct, is the biggest gay party in DTLA right now. It’s definitely worth a look, because every week the Boulet Brothers do something interesting, something you wouldn’t see anywhere else. Their shows tend to be a bit freaky and off the wall, but fabulous. Whenever I've been, there’s a giant line down the block. I’d get there early or, better yet, go with a drag queen so you can go to the front of the line and walk right in.

Food Scene

Cher impersonator Chad Michaels hosts a long-running revue called Dreamgirls on Tuesday nights at this spot. You'll always see amazing drag talents, but my favorite is Dolly Levi. She's probably in her 60s, and she is amazing. She flips; she does the splits; she does these high-energy, old-school musical theater numbers, and she's always a highlight. If you come on a Wednesday instead, Hamburger Mary’s has drag bingo. Willam hosts when she's in town, and, believe me, anytime you get to see Willam, it's a lot of fun.
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Hamburger Mary's
8288 Santa Monica Blvd
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Cher impersonator Chad Michaels hosts a long-running revue called Dreamgirls on Tuesday nights at this spot. You'll always see amazing drag talents, but my favorite is Dolly Levi. She's probably in her 60s, and she is amazing. She flips; she does the splits; she does these high-energy, old-school musical theater numbers, and she's always a highlight. If you come on a Wednesday instead, Hamburger Mary’s has drag bingo. Willam hosts when she's in town, and, believe me, anytime you get to see Willam, it's a lot of fun.
This huge, really fun candy store has a section that’s a permanent pop-up dedicated to RuPaul. Mannequins wear gowns worn on RuPaul’s Drag Race, which fans will recognize, and you can buy RuPaul T-shirts, dolls, and records. The RuPaul chocolate bars are actually really good. I got one as a Christmas present, and I broke my vegan diet late one night to eat it because, well, no one was looking.
Sweet! Hollywood
6801 Hollywood Blvd
This huge, really fun candy store has a section that’s a permanent pop-up dedicated to RuPaul. Mannequins wear gowns worn on RuPaul’s Drag Race, which fans will recognize, and you can buy RuPaul T-shirts, dolls, and records. The RuPaul chocolate bars are actually really good. I got one as a Christmas present, and I broke my vegan diet late one night to eat it because, well, no one was looking.

Shopping

Marco Marco is known for making costumes for celebs—JLo, Britney Spears, Katy Perry—and he loves dressing drag queens. His men’s underwear store may seem an odd choice for drag, but girls hang around because his store manager is Rhea Litre, an LA drag queen. Plus World of Wonder, which produces RuPaul’s Drag Race, is right there. So it’s a bit of a hub. This block is the kind of place where you’ll stumble upon something interesting, because there are always people coming and going. The other day I saw Bianca Del Rio filming on the sidewalk here. And I recently saw some of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence out in front of World of Wonder.
Marco Marco Underwear
Marco Marco is known for making costumes for celebs—JLo, Britney Spears, Katy Perry—and he loves dressing drag queens. His men’s underwear store may seem an odd choice for drag, but girls hang around because his store manager is Rhea Litre, an LA drag queen. Plus World of Wonder, which produces RuPaul’s Drag Race, is right there. So it’s a bit of a hub. This block is the kind of place where you’ll stumble upon something interesting, because there are always people coming and going. The other day I saw Bianca Del Rio filming on the sidewalk here. And I recently saw some of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence out in front of World of Wonder.
Where I come from in Australia, there’s nothing like this. This place has lots of wigs, hats, accessories—one-stop shopping from head to toe. You can get basic, tacky stuff, but also things that are really cool and different. If you're visiting West Hollywood, it's an opportunity, a chance to express something that maybe you can't express back home. I once bought these fake wads of money here—they look like bundles of $10,000. People come to my place and I have to tell them that, no, I don’t have $40,000 sitting on my dresser.
Hollywood Toys & Costumes
6600 Hollywood Blvd
Where I come from in Australia, there’s nothing like this. This place has lots of wigs, hats, accessories—one-stop shopping from head to toe. You can get basic, tacky stuff, but also things that are really cool and different. If you're visiting West Hollywood, it's an opportunity, a chance to express something that maybe you can't express back home. I once bought these fake wads of money here—they look like bundles of $10,000. People come to my place and I have to tell them that, no, I don’t have $40,000 sitting on my dresser.
Maya has amazing stripper shoes and drag shoes, which are often the same thing, in men’s sizes. You can find heels with rainbow fringe, Swarovski-encrusted platforms, glittery thigh-highs. Or you can get something more subtle. Everyone says, “Go see Maya.” If she believes you’re serious about buying a pair of shoes, she’ll be really, really helpful.
Maya Shoes of Hollywood
6564 Hollywood Blvd
Maya has amazing stripper shoes and drag shoes, which are often the same thing, in men’s sizes. You can find heels with rainbow fringe, Swarovski-encrusted platforms, glittery thigh-highs. Or you can get something more subtle. Everyone says, “Go see Maya.” If she believes you’re serious about buying a pair of shoes, she’ll be really, really helpful.
This whole strip has great shops for drag, and Hollywood Wigs is a must. It has a lot of big, fabulous hairstyles for drag queens—more than 1,000 wigs. All the drag queens come here to buy wigs and to get their wigs styled. Ask for the owner, Miss Ellen. She’s an institution. She doesn’t know who we are, but we all know who she is.
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Hollywood Wigs
6530 Hollywood Boulevard
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This whole strip has great shops for drag, and Hollywood Wigs is a must. It has a lot of big, fabulous hairstyles for drag queens—more than 1,000 wigs. All the drag queens come here to buy wigs and to get their wigs styled. Ask for the owner, Miss Ellen. She’s an institution. She doesn’t know who we are, but we all know who she is.