Esotouric

Charles Bukowski bus Tour Summary

BookExpo attendees, show your badge when boarding to receive a free Bukbird beer coaster featuring Tony Millionaire's cartoon bluebird character, and a very special gift from City Lights Books, a pre-release copy of their Charles Bukowski anthology "Portions from a Wine-Stained Notebook: Uncollected Stories and Essays, 1944 - 1990." "Portions," to be published in September 2008, gathers many essential, uncollected pieces including his first and last short stories, and his first "Notes of a Dirty Old Man" column. Many of the writings have only appeared in 'zines, newspapers, chapbooks, and magazines. Never before has this material been collected and made so accessible. And Esotouric's BEA riders will see it first.

Also, BEA-attending passengers who buy their tickets by midnight on Wednesday May 28 will be invited to City Lights' Los Angeles Book Expo party on Thursday May 29, featuring City Lights authors David Ulin, Kamau Daáood, Sesshu Foster, Alan Rifkin, Terry Wolverton and many others, plus live music, drinks, food and no readings!

Instructions for passengers:

There are no paper tickets: your name will be on a list at the bus door. Check in is at 4.30pm for a 5.00pm sharp departure from Arnie Morton’s Steakhouse in downtown Los Angeles.

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Please note that we are checking riders in at the bar, which will be opening early for this event, so please do not be concerned that the restaurant’s official hours do not match up with our rendezvous time.

Arnie Morton’s is across the street from the Metro Red Line’s 7th Street Station. For BookExpo attendees, note that this is an easy subway or bus trip up Figueroa from the Convention Center.

Parking is in the 7+Fig structure, which is contiguous to Arnie Morton’s. Validations for parking will be handled at check-in and at the end of the tour. Cost for parking after validation is $8. This really is the best place to park if you are driving into downtown.

Tickets can be ordered online until 3pm on the afternoon of the tour. For last minute bookings, please feel free to call 310-995-4591 after 8am on tour day, and if there are seats available, you can reserve a spot and pay with cash at the bus.

Food and drink are permitted and suggested; no audio or video-taping without permission. We regret that there are no refunds for passengers who miss the bus.

Tour Summary

As of Friday morning, the tour is sold out. You may email if you wish to get on the cancellation list, or to be added to the Esotouric email list to be alerted about future tours. And please do join Erik Davis for brunch and conversation on Sunday 6/8 at 11am at Clifton's Cafeteria downtown.

Instructions for passengers:

There are no paper tickets: your name will be on a list at the bus door. Check in is at 10.15am for a 10.45am sharp departure from Skylight Books.

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There is a Public Parking Lot with meters (10 hour limit) just behind the bookstore. Please bring quarters!

Tickets can be ordered online until the morning of the tour. For last minute bookings, please feel free to call 310-995-4591 after 8am on tour day, and if there are seats available, you can reserve a spot and pay with cash at the bus.

Food and drink are permitted and suggested (note that a vegetarian lunch will be provided); no audio or video-taping without permission. We regret that there are no refunds for passengers who miss the bus.

Tour Summary

A special edition of our Birth of Noir: James M. Cain’s Southern California Nightmare, offered exclusively for friends of Pasadena's venerable Vroman's Bookstore .

ABOUT THE TOUR:Southern California 1931: Amongst the burgeoning urban sprawl built atop bulldozed orange groves and the bitter realization that you can’t eat the sunshine, recent emigre James M. Cain found a kernel of truth and his voice, which would eventually distill through his novels, ”The Postman Always Rings Twice,” “Mildred Pierce” and “Double Indemnity,”, and subsequent film adaptations into the unique American genre: Film Noir.

To reserve seats call Vromans Bookstore -- (626) 449-5320

Instructions for passengers:

There are no paper tickets: your name will be on a list. Check in is at 11:30am for a 12pm sharp departure from the Olive Street entrance to the Millenium Biltmore Hotel on Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles.

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The tour is approximately 4 hours, and will we return in time for riders to take high tea in the Rendezvous Court (the Olive Street Lobby where Beth Short spent some the last known hours of her life).

Tickets can be ordered online until the morning of the tour. For last minute bookings, please feel free to call 310-995-4591 after 8am on tour day, and if there are seats available, you can reserve a spot and pay with cash at the bus.

Food and drink are permitted and suggested; no audio or video-taping without permission. We regret that there are no refunds for passengers who miss the bus.

Tour summary

tour summary

preview guest Ruthann Friedman's 1960s memories

Instructions for passengers:

There are no paper tickets: your name will be on a list at the bus door. Check in is at 11:30am for a noon sharp departure from Amoeba Music in Hollywood. After the tour, there will be an in-store concert and CD signing by our guest star, Ruthann Friedman, composer of "Windy" (a hit for the Association) among other swell tunes.

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Ample public parking across the street from Amoeba on Ivar behind the Arclight Theatre.

Tickets can be ordered online until the morning of the tour. For last minute bookings, please feel free to call 310-995-4591 after 8am on tour day, and if there are seats available, you can reserve a spot and pay with cash at the bus.

Food and drink are permitted and suggested; no audio or video-taping without permission. We regret that there are no refunds for passengers who miss the bus.

tour summary