La Carmina, from LaCarmina.com, is an alternative travel and pop culture TV host, journalist (Huffington Post, AOL, CNN), coolhunter, and author of 3 Jpop books — including Cute Yummy Time and Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo. Her popular blog  has been featured in major media (New Yorker, LA Times, Washington Post). She heads a TV production firm that provides consulting, casting, and TV hosting chiefly in Japan. Her TV presenting credits include: Food Network, The Today Show, Travel Channel, NHK, Discovery, National Geographic, Canal Plus France, and Pro Sieben Germany. She hosts and produces her own travel video series filmed worldwide, and published in Business Insider and HuffPost. It is such an honor to have the opportunity to interview La Carmina today on her favorite American city, Los Angeles.

To be honest, I don’t do much shopping in LA, as I usually spend in Japan and Hong Kong. However, I enjoy visiting my friends at Lip Service headquarters – they often have warehouse sales on dark, subculture clothing.

 

In a 90’s goth plaid dress with a leather jacket and Marc Jacobs polka dot sunglasses.

 

What would you consider to be LA’s best kept secret?

I recommend visiting Hyaena Gallery in Burbank. It hosts a deliciously dark collection of spooky art. There are serial killer drawings, skulls, B-movie horror art and other oddities.

 

Do you have any tips for first-time visitors?

Try to stay in West Hollywood or Hollywood so that you are close to the action. If hotels are too pricy, look into rental apartments as a way to save money while still staying in a good location and comfortable space. Rent a car, and try to avoid the high-traffic hours. And don’t forget to visit the beach!

 

 

Be sure to check out La Carmina’s Guide To Los Angeles and read her review of The Orlando, which is a boutique hotel in West Hollywood. If you’d like to follow La Carmina on her adventures, you can subscribe to her blog, follow her on Twitter (@lacarmina) or ‘like’ her Facebook page.