LOS ANGELES — A 13th floor roof in downtown L.A. with couches, a bar and a pool is just about as Hollywood as it gets, and it’s the perfect place to party.

Such was the case Sunday night at The Standard downtown hotel. After a long flight, a long ride to my hotel, and a ton of typing and prep work for E3, I needed a stiff drink and beautiful people around me just to remind myself I was still human.

Still not convinced about the human part, but I ventured to The Standard on the recommendation of Danny the bartender at The 901.

It’s tough going to these things by yourself. Blast can’t afford to send a team to these conventions, so my checking account bears the burden of flight and hotel to get the coverage we need to stay on top. But it can be lonely.

Luckily, the Australian division of Electronic Arts arrived right after I did. If you’re ever looking to have a good time, find yourself some Aussies. They know how to party and they are the nicest people I’ve come across. The drinks flowed. The waitress was smoking hot. It was a party.

The views are also amazing. You’re literally surrounded by these tall skyscrapers — 13 stories is low by comparison — so you feel like you’re right in the middle of the world of Los Angeles.

Did not go in the pool.

I did try the food at their all night restaurant. I had a fresh mozzarella and tomato salad, which was very fresh and flavorful. Portion was a little small, but I suppose that’s one of the many reasons why the beautiful people here in Hollywood are also the skinny people.

LOS ANGELES — I did not feel like a burrito today.

And if you’ve spent time on the University of Southern California campus, where my hotel is, you know damn well that your eating choices can seem limited.

In the middle of it all, I found 901 Bar and Grill. It hit the proverbial spot.

Locals call it the “Nine-0.” Daytime summertime crowds were very light, but the place gets busy on peak.

Three things about 901 sold me: it’s cheap, the menu is huge and the staff is hip, young and attentive.

I had the corn flake crusted chicken fingers ($8.95) and a small house salad ($3.95) and was full. They also have burgers, sandwiches, pasta, and decent looking pizza, which would be saying a lot in California.

This is a college bar, with several beers on draft. They also have a seven cheese mac-n-cheese ($7.95), which will please the munchie crowd.

This is exactly what I was looking for when I got to LA — a simple bar, with a few games on the television, and fresh food.

I’m still not eating french fries for the whole year, but the waitress was eating a heaping pile of waffle fries. They looked good.

LOS ANGELES — Landing! Off goes the computer.

THE AIR OVER EASTERN CALIFORNIA — As we begin to descend into Los Angeles, I want to put a plea out there to any locals or readers who know the area.

I’m tasked with finding a unique nightlife angle/story/venue/happening for a print travel story. Any ideas or leads would be appreciated.

I’m looking for something off the beaten path. Maybe a local hangout or eclectic bar. Something fun that I can turn into a good read.

THE AIR OVER LOS VEGAS — I’m headed back to Los Angeles to cover the E3 video game expo for Blast, the Globe, and others.

I’m flying Virgin America for the first time. You can’t beat the price. Round trip was under $200. The only catch is that everything costs extra. It was $15 to check one bag. Another $20ish for the Internet — though that’s well-worth it.

Television selection isn’t as good as Jet Blue, the airline I usually fly for long distance journeys because of low price and its 30+ channels. Virgin has 24 channels and a bunch of movies for an extra $8.

I did make one huge mistake booking the flight. I’m in FRONT of an exit row, and because of that my seat doesn’t recline. It’s been a cramped flight, especially after the woman in front of me leaned the seat all the way back.

Good flight so far with a little chop as we crossed the border to California. Now a little choppier. Not airsick yet, but up and down we go.

Covering the governor’s town hall forum last night represented my 500th published news story.

I’ve been looking over my progression and writing style lately. I’ve come a long way, but I still have a ton to learn about enterprise reporting and making the most out of long-term stories. Spot news — breaking news that’s usually dramatic and makes me work on a deadline of minutes instead of days — has come naturally to me, though.

Today’s props go to Tom Chambers, who released a plugin for WordPress that puts dates and times into Associated Press style.

Kudos! Blast Magazine is using it now!

Although it’s obviously not anywhere near the actually reported story, Law and Order SVU aired an episode Saturday that talked about a pregnancy pact among teen girls in Little Italy. Death and adventure ensue.

Update: By far one of the best SVU episodes I’ve seen in a long, long time.

New BEST COMMENT EVER on the anti-Twilight story:

kirsten on November 19th, 2008 4:37 pm

why dont you goddamn feminists go shave your legs.

if you dont like the idea of women needing help, then DONT read the books or go out into the real world, because women should just stay in the kitchen and clean. Im a girl, and i think women usually do need a man to help them with things, and thats why we arent all lesbians.

its a good book, and a good love story. most love stories girls are helpless to a man anyway.
seriously, no man wants a girl whos all about womens right, so shut up and be happy you can vote.

… it was a new episode.

Everyone got mad at Homer for doing something obviously stupid and wrong. It involved alcohol and money. One family member tried to cut him off. Then he did something amazing and made everyone love him again. All along, there were pithy remarks about the economy.

hrm … that’s basically a summation of the past two seasons.