Friday, February 5, 2010

#14 The Arclight

#30 Hollywood Walk of Fame
#29 Yamashiro
#28 Hollywood Billiards
#27 Genghis Cohen
#26 Piano Bar
#25 Shmutzville
# 24 Loteria
# 23 The Griddle
# 22 Proximity
# 21 Hollywood Freeway
#20 Kitchen 24
# 19 The People
# 18 Sushi Eyaki
#17 Raymond Chandler
# 16 Jumbo's Clown Room
#15 Skooby's

#14 The Arclight

I know. I know. Movies shouldn't cost fourteen bucks. I get it. But to me, the Arclight is worth every penny. The Arclight is plain and simple the best movie-going experience you can have that doesn't involve Tommy Wiseau. Some people can't stand the Arclight and I think it's perfect. Allow me to slowly extol some of its finer points and then we can get onto the arguments.

For one, it is the best sound I've ever heard at a movie. I don't really like watching movies but if I have to watch a movie, I usually prefer to do so in my living room. However, the sound quality at the Arclight is so phenomenal, that it makes seeing movies at the theatre a totally new experience. Movies like No Country for Old Men and The Dark Knight were fucking sick thanks to the awesome sound quality of the theatre.

Secondly, and this is the big one for me, the pre-buy your assigned seats thing is great, but its even better thanks to the nice bar/restaurant in the lobby. To know you don't need to get to your seat until the opening credits and still have a great seat is a great luxury, but to be able to show up forty-five minutes early and have a cocktail and some calamari is even besser. The food is surprisingly pote, and the bar is always dotted with celebrities seeing their own movies.

Lastly, I'd be remised if I didn't mention the parking. I have a thing about parking lots in LA. I have them ranked based on several factors, but the Arclight is really good. Considering the location, the amount of people that park there every day, and the price, it is one of the best in LA. I never feel anxiety about parking when going to the Arclight and that's more than I can say about a lot of places in LA. [cough] Katy's office [cough]

But there's more to the Arclight then just the experience. There's the huge and historic Cinerama dome that sits right on Sunset and is visible from all sorts of elevations. There's the strangely-engrossing gift shop, the high-end snack bar, and of course the best smoothies on earth right out side at Body Factory (which by the way you can bring in). I also love seeing celebrities at a movie theatre. It's strange. Seeing a TV-star at a movie is like seeing Josh Cribbs at a Cavs game. Seeing celebrities at Gelson's or at my job is kind of normal, but at a movie theatre? You mean you have to pay to see these? I love it.

The Arclight is simply one of the nicest movie theatres in the country. It's in a bunch of movies, it is a famous LA landmark, and again, the parking is just lovely. Having the Arclight has just been a pleasure in the back of my head whenever the idea of seeing a movie comes up. My new neighborhood has a brand new, state of the art Regal within walking distance, so I will have that to fall back on, but I'll miss the Arclight. Even for 14 bucks a pop.

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