Don’t miss this chance to vote for the overall best city in the U.S. — Los Angeles! America’s Favorite Cities, the annual survey from travelandleisure.com, is an interactive game that pits 25 cities against each other in a head-to-head battle to the finish. Visitors to the site vote for their favorites; then each week, the losers of these competitions will be eliminated, while the winners will advance to a new round of voting. Come back on Oct. 15, when they announce America’s #1 city.

Send in your best Los Angeles tale that involves alcohol and Los Angeles Nomad will select the winning story, publish it and send you a bottle of VeeV.

Though I wouldn’t call myself an alcohol connoisseur, I would have to say the story of VeeV is extremely appealing and the taste is supposedly intoxicating.

Started by two brothers, VeeV is the world’s first acai spirit (which only grows in the Amazon and has 57% more antioxidants than pomegranate). Having visited South America a few years ago with my brother, I can tell you Acai is just one of the amazing “ingredients” you can find in the Amazon.

According to VeeV officials, VeeV has a taste similar to a dark berry with a hint of chocolate.

Veev is Green:

The company donates $1 for every bottle sold, which goes back to the rainforest where the acai berries used in their product are grown.

Everyone in the company either drives a hybrid, or is carbon-neutral, and VeeV’s distillery is the only one in the U.S. that gets at least 25% of their power through wind generation.

*You can buy VeeV at bevmo.com or sample it at one of many bars, lounges or restaurants in LA, including Katsuya, Green Door, Goa, Beso, Hotel Bel-Air, Bella, Social Hollywood, Redwood Bar and Grill, Sushi Roku, X Bar at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Stone Rose Lounge at the Sofitel Hotel, Seven Grand, Parc, Palihouse, Opera, One Sunset, among many more.

*Age verification is required. You must be 21 to participate.

www.veevlife.com

Are your fingers and toes in need of a little TLC? Take a drive to l.a. vie l’orange . This spa retreat for your hands and feet is located on Robertson between Melrose and Santa Monica. But make sure you don’t blink because you just might drive past it. Tucked away in a courtyard and hidden from paparazzi—step foot into l.a. vie l’orange and the stress of your daily life will be a memory…well, for at least an hour. The atmosphere is calm and relaxing, almost zen-like. So don’t expect oversized and loud massage spa chairs here because wicker pod chairs line the walls for each manicure/pedicure station. The chairs feel private from your neighbor so sit back, relax and enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne while you read the latest celebrity gossip from their selection of magazines. But wait! Is that the smell of fresh baked cookies? A tray of warm chocolate chip cookies is passed around to temp your sweet tooth.

l.a. vie l’orange also sells it’s own line of products of lotions and candles. And is also an authorized retailer of Havaianas, the must have flip-flop for everyday wear. They are open 6 days a week, closed on Mondays. Visit the website www.lavielorange for daily specials. Experience it for yourself and give your hands and feet the treatment they deserve.

Every Sunday in Hollywood there’s a farmer looking to sell off his best produce. Are you going to be the lucky recipient of a well-groomed crop, or is it going to be Mrs. Spice? Chances are it’s going to be you. Then again, Victoria Beckham appears to be keen on plant inspection. Posh was seen at the Hollywood Farmers Market last Sunday investigating a handful of lavender, and the London publication seen above mentioned our little old market outdates theirs — in a bit of a snobbish tone I might add. For the record, our city’s trendiness does not depend on Posh Spice!

Hollywood Farmers Market
1600 Ivar Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 463-3171
http://www.farmernet.com/events/one-cfm?venue_id=587

Those days of paying full price for perfume at a high-end Department Store are history. Today, you can venture Downtown to Santee Alley and find designer perfumes for $20-$30 less than what you would pay retail. I purchased a bottle of Vera Wang’s Truly Pink for $59 and it retails in Sephora and Macy’s for $87. There are lots of immatation stores out there in the Alley, so be sure you visit Parfumeria France, Inc. at 1147 Santee St. The staff is helpful, the product is real and the price is right, but be sure you’ve done your research. When you check out the price tag, you will see retail and sale price but make sure you to tell the friendly sales rep that a friend told you about the “price” on the back of the tag. Once the representative flips over the tag, you will see the wholesale price—you’ll feel like you hit the jackpot!

I’ve been getting a lot of great e-mails about my post yesterday with the map of Abbot Kinney. One comment specifically led me to a Web site titled: www.abbotkinneyonline.com.

I highly recommend visiting for a more in-depth look at this great community.

According to the Web site designer:

“Abbot Kinney Online provides visitors with an opportunity to see information for shops and restaurants on Abbot Kinney. The visitor then is easily able get to phone numbers and addresses, then click on the shop/restaurant website if they have a site. We have just about every store and restaurant on Abbot Kinney listed.”

In the early 1900s it was the posh summer playground for LA’s wealthy. By the 1960s it was mecca for the hippie movement. Today, Venice, CA wears its history proud and meshes well with today’s current trends. Beyond its famed Oceanfront Walk, where Muscle Beach meets tarot card readers and henna tattoos converge with distinctive artists of all backgrounds, there is a part of Venice that visitors will feel lucky to discover… Abbot Kinney Boulevard.

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