The Seven Locations of Jon & Sarah

Summary

The Book Lisp with Jon Ryan & Sarah Colonna: Episode Summary – "The Seven Locations of Jon & Sarah"

Release Date: January 6, 2025

In the inaugural episode of January’s edition of The Book Lisp, hosts Jon Ryan and Sarah Colonna dive into the captivating world of "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This episode, titled "The Seven Locations of Jon & Sarah," not only explores the intricacies of the book but also intertwines the hosts' personal experiences with iconic Los Angeles landmarks referenced in the narrative.

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Introduction and Podcast Setup

The episode opens with Sarah and Jon addressing their listeners amidst a slight technical hiccup, as they are recording from different rooms in their shared home. Sarah jokes about the new setup, saying, "We don't, we're not sitting next to each other. But we're in the same house." (00:19). Jon reassures their dedicated audience with, "We'll figure it out. We always do." (00:45), setting a lighthearted tone for the episode.

Book Selection and Initial Impressions

This week’s book pick, "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," is one of Jon’s selections from his extensive romance library. Jon notes its enduring popularity, stating, "it was a very popular book, oh, I don't know, seven years ago, but it's one of her best books." (01:00). Sarah shares her anticipation, admitting, "I ended up really liking it," despite initially gravitating towards murder novels (01:19). Both hosts acknowledge the book's broad appeal and are excited to delve deeper into its themes over the course of the month.

Exploring Los Angeles Through Evelyn Hugo's Lens

A significant portion of the episode focuses on the various Los Angeles locations mentioned in the book, which resonate deeply with Sarah’s personal history. Sarah recounts her time bartending at the Formosa Cafe, a historic Hollywood establishment, saying, "there is so many places that she would mentioned that we've been to." (08:37). She nostalgically shares stories about iconic patrons like Matthew Perry and a legendary waitress named Cassie, who fought to preserve the cafe as a historical landmark (09:50).

Jon adds his admiration for the Formosa’s legacy, describing it as "probably the, the most iconic Hollywood bar it's been around for." (09:58). Their shared memories create a rich tapestry of LA's cultural hotspots, enhancing the discussion with anecdotes that bring the book’s settings to life.

Personal Anecdotes and Memorable Moments

The hosts delve into numerous personal stories tied to the book's locations. Sarah narrates a humorous incident involving her attempt to watch the Oscars from her apartment, only to be thwarted by street closures, leading her to "sit there in my fancy dress and I ate all the cheese dip by myself." (37:38). Jon relates his own experiences with performance venues like the Hollywood Bowl, praising its unique outdoor setting and versatility (43:27).

One of the standout moments is Sarah’s recollection of her interaction with Bono, who frequented the Formosa Cafe with his date during his Oscar nominations. "He brought Cassie as his date to the Oscars," she shares, highlighting the blend of celebrity culture and everyday life in Hollywood (17:37).

Podcast Promotions and Upcoming Content

Throughout the episode, Jon and Sarah promote their Patreon, offering exclusive content such as bonus episodes and special segments like "John and Sarah Hit Record." Sarah mentions their upcoming Patreon-exclusive reading of Frida McFadden’s short story, "the Gift," enhancing listener engagement beyond the weekly podcast (02:13).

Looking ahead, they announce February’s book selection, "The New Wife" by Sue Watson, aligning with Sarah’s preference for psychological thrillers (03:57). They encourage listeners to join their Book List Spinners on Facebook for community discussions and updates.

Reflection on Los Angeles’ Changing Landscape

As the conversation winds down, Jon and Sarah reflect on the evolution of Los Angeles’ social scenes. They express a bittersweet sentiment about the disappearance of long-standing establishments, lamenting how efforts to modernize often erase beloved local traditions. "You can't recreate a dive bar or like an old Italian restaurant," Jon muses, emphasizing the irreplaceable charm of historical venues (29:28).

Sarah concurs, sharing her frustrations with urban developments disrupting established communities and cultural landmarks. This reflection underscores the episode’s broader theme of memory and change, both in their personal lives and the city they love.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In wrapping up, Sarah emphasizes the importance of exploring and cherishing meaningful places, inspired by the book’s vivid descriptions. Jon and Sarah reiterate their commitment to providing spoiler-free discussions until the final week, ensuring that both longtime fans and new listeners can enjoy their insights.

Sarah concludes with an invitation to her upcoming comedy shows, blending her professional life with the podcast’s community spirit (38:16). The episode ends on a warm note, with both hosts expressing gratitude to their listeners and excitement for future discussions.

“Thank you guys for listening to the Book Lisp. We will see you next month next Monday with, you know, more of this.” (46:00).

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Notable Quotes:

• "We don't, we're not sitting next to each other. But we're in the same house." – Sarah Colonna (00:19)
• "We'll figure it out. We always do." – Jon Ryan (00:45)
• "It was a very popular book, oh, I don't know, seven years ago, but it's one of her best books." – Jon Ryan (01:00)
• "I ended up really liking it." – Sarah Colonna (01:19)
• "Probably the, the most iconic Hollywood bar it's been around for." – Jon Ryan (09:58)
• "He brought Cassie as his date to the Oscars." – Sarah Colonna (17:37)
• "You can't recreate a dive bar or like an old Italian restaurant." – Jon Ryan (29:28)
• "Thank you guys for listening to the Book Lisp. We will see you next month next Monday with, you know, more of this." – Sarah Colonna (46:00)

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Final Thoughts

"The Seven Locations of Jon & Sarah" serves as both a deep dive into a beloved novel and a nostalgic journey through Los Angeles' storied venues. Through engaging storytelling and heartfelt reminiscences, Jon Ryan and Sarah Colonna create a rich, immersive experience that not only highlights the essence of "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" but also celebrates the enduring spirit of Hollywood’s historic locales. Whether you’re a longtime listener or new to The Book Lisp, this episode offers a delightful blend of literary analysis and personal anecdotes that resonate with anyone who cherishes stories and the places that inspire them.

Transcript

[Sarah Colonna]

Hi, I'm Sarah Colonna.

[John Ryan]

And I'm John Ryan.

[Sarah Colonna]

And you're listening to the Book List. The Book List.

[John Ryan]

The Book Lisp.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, that's right. You're listening to the Book List. Oh, hello. Welcome to the Book Lisp. Hi, Joan Ryan.

[John Ryan]

How you doing?

[Sarah Colonna]

Hi. It's great to see you over there in our kitchen. And I'm in the office. Looks a little different than our first couple months, but this is. We're doing it ourselves right now. So this is how we have to do it because we'll figure it out. But still, whatever. We don't, we're not sitting next to each other. It's. But we're in the same house.

[John Ryan]

We'll figure it out. We always do.

[Sarah Colonna]

This is week one of the January Book Lisp. And it's pretty exciting because we're back to one of John's picks. So all the pressure is now on you, John. Welcome.

[John Ryan]

Yes. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I know that we've had a lot of feedback that people, a lot of people have already read it. It was a very popular book, oh, I don't know, seven years ago, but it's one of her best books. So I think a lot of people will like this one.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, I think sometimes it's interesting when it's a book that a lot of people have already read because they're going to either relive it or just by listening to us or some people I know are rereading it. I had never read it. I had never even heard of it because I tend to look for the, for the murder novels. And I, I'm going. I feel like I'm going to have an unpopular opinion because I really like the book. I ended up really liking it, but all these people were messaging, oh, God, I love that book, or that's a great read, blah, blah, blah. Excited about it being a pick. And it took me a while to get into it.

[John Ryan]

I think, I think the first time I read it, I'm rereading it now again and now having the advantage of knowing what's going to happen. It's. I don't know if it's better or worse, but the first time I read it, I did find it a little slow and it took me a little bit to get into.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, it's interesting because then when I got into it, I really, really liked it. And I like the, the twist that she's. Where she, where it goes. We're not going to give you any spoilers. This is the first week, if you're new here. The first, the fourth week is when we always do the review slash recap of the book. We don't give any spoilers, we'll just talk about things based off of maybe the topic of the book or nothing to spoil up until week four when we do the review. So that's how this works if you're new here. And also we have a Patreon where you can watch the full video or you can. Also there's Bonus content. It's $5 a month. We do a couple. We have a new segment called John and Sarah Hit Record where we sometimes just have a little wine and hit record. And it may not be about a book, but, but, and then we also are doing. This month we're going to be doing a bonus Patreon episode of Frida McFadden's short story called the Gift. It's 47 pages, so we find little. We did that with one of. What was it called? The sixth. The sixth wedding. Yeah. Yeah. So after we did 28 summers, we did a bonus Patreon episode called the sixth wedding because that was the short postscript to that. So we do things like that on Patreon too. And it's super fun. So. And, and don't forget to join the book list spinners on Facebook. And that's where we. So the next book for February, just to keep you updated, in case you haven't heard or seen it, is the New Wife by Sue Watson. Is that correct?

[John Ryan]

Yeah, yeah, I believe so. I already downloaded it. I have not started reading it yet, but I have downloaded it on my new Kindle that you got me for Christmas.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, yeah.

[John Ryan]

Thank you, girl.

[Sarah Colonna]

I did. I got John a brand new Kindle. I feel like it was probably. It's a write off at this point, right?

[John Ryan]

Yep, I guess so. I, I mean, I need a new accountant, so we'll see.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. Wait, tell, tell everybody about your new Kindle. What's the difference? Because now, now I kind of want a new one for myself.

[John Ryan]

The biggest difference is the screen's a little bit bigger, so just a little bit easier to read. You don't have to flip the page as much and you can still keep the font bigger. I just like new things, so I'm just happy about that. I had my old Kindle since COVID so I had a lot of miles on it and I just, I like the new one.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, it's the latest version. It's funny because his old Kindle, when John ordered that in 2020 or whatever it was. They accidentally sent him two.

[John Ryan]

Got you, Bezos.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, I think he's gonna be okay.

[John Ryan]

Taking it to the man.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. So we. I mean, what are you gonna do? They just sent us two. So we. I kept it. Should I say that we kept it? I'm sorry. Should we have returned it? Amazon. It's not like.

[John Ryan]

If it was a local store, we would have returned it. Yeah, if it was a local mom and pop place, we would return it. But freaking Scott Bezos on his billion dollar yacht. I think he's okay.

[Sarah Colonna]

Is it Jeff Bezos or Scott Bezos?

[John Ryan]

I don't know. I always screw up everyone's name. What's the guy from, like Charles in Charge?

[Sarah Colonna]

Scott Bayo.

[John Ryan]

Scott Baio. Maybe that's who I was thinking about. Scott B.

[Sarah Colonna]

An interesting twist. If Scott B. Owned Amazon, it really would.

[John Ryan]

Remember Scott Bale, Remember, Scott Baio is single in 45.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes.

[John Ryan]

And then Scott Bezos. No, it all up.

[Sarah Colonna]

Scott Baio is 45 and single. It was a TV show that I thoroughly enjoyed. And he's married someone off of that. That's who he's married to now, I think, is that.

[John Ryan]

Yeah. Because I know the next season was Scott Bale is 46 and pregnant.

[Sarah Colonna]

Right. Or. Yeah, that was a show that.

[John Ryan]

It's very funny because nobody in the world watched that show and we weren't together yet and we were first got the other. We're talking like, did you watch that? Like, we both watched that show. We're the only two people in the world.

[Sarah Colonna]

Besides, we're the two people that got it a second season. Yeah. Anyway, I think Jeff.

[John Ryan]

Jeff Bezos also watched it. He was a big fan of it, I heard.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes, yes, that's. That's true. And then he. Now he can no longer afford television because of that second Kindle that we got for free. So. So that's how that goes. So the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Yeah. Took me a minute, but I. I did end up enjoying it. And one thing that. Well, first of all, I don't judge anyone that's been married a bunch of times because my father, may he rest in peace, was married four times and the fourth one stuck. And my. To my stepmom, who I love dearly. And we're very close, and they were married for 20 plus years up until his passing last year. So I, you know, I could relate to someone discussing all their. All their marriages.

[John Ryan]

Yeah, it was very funny. We were hanging out with your dad one time and you're like, dad, like what? Something you tell you what the hell you. What would you know? You've been engaged like six times or something. He's like, oh, it's actually seven. Like, you just didn't tell me about one of your engagements.

[Sarah Colonna]

Just didn't tell me. Just fully. My stepmom goes, you didn't tell her? He goes, well, we didn't end up getting married. He. She's like, but you were engaged to a person and your daughter never even met her or even knew about it. And he's like, ah, she, you know, he liked proposing to people.

[John Ryan]

Yeah. When you have an engagement guy, engagement ring guy on speed dial, it's a problem. Oh, here he comes. Here comes Jim Colona again. Another payday for me.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, somebody there, some jeweler made a, made a killing off of my father. But anyway, it is interesting because this book is, is, is set in Los Angeles and. Or well, she's in New York right at the end, that's where. Yeah, yeah.

[John Ryan]

But when she's in Hollywood, she's a big Hollywood actress. So she was in la.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes. The, the subject of the book, Evelyn was a big Hollywood actress. And so reading this book was so entertaining for me because there is so many places that she would mentioned that we've been to. And, and so I made a little list of them because I thought that would be fun to talk about. First of all, she. The main one that she. That stands out. The first place that she mentioned was the Formosa and she was supposed to be finishing high school in the book. I'm not going to give big spoilers, but she would go to the Formosa for lunch and she'd stay through happy hour because it was right next to a movie studio. And Formosa Cafe is a place that I bartended for several years up until that was the last job I had before I got hired full time on Chelsea lately as a writer. So I was very excited to see the Formosa mentioned. I don't know why, it's just kind. I mean, you've been there, I've brought you there.

[John Ryan]

Yeah. It's probably the, the most iconic Hollywood bar it's been around for. I think it's a protected landmark at this point.

[Sarah Colonna]

It is. Well, because they wanted, they wanted to. It's a historical landmark. They wanted to take it down. And I, if I'm, if I remember correctly, Cassie, who was a waitress there for years and years and years, she. And also she, she passed away a while ago, but she actually, I think was the one that fought to make it a historical landmark. So that it wouldn't get taken down and. And so she could keep her job.

[John Ryan]

Yeah. If you look. If you look at the area now, it's across from like a huge target. Like. Like everything's moving in around it and it's not. It's not like an impressive building to look at, but it has so much history to it that it's just kind of nice that it's protected.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, it is. It's been re. It was kind of like when I started working there, it was still pretty popular. Matthew Perry used to come in a lot.

[John Ryan]

Matthew Perry wrote in his book. He said he wanted to make it to Hollywood and make money. So you go to the Foremost every night. And you know, literally what he said in his book. And he did, huh?

[Sarah Colonna]

And he sure did. Yeah, I remember because obvious. I mean, Friends is a huge, iconic TV show. So having people like that come in. So when I. He would come in still when I was working there, and I mean, tons of people came in. I mean, I can't. Of course, now I'm not even able to think of anyone but Brad Pitt. I mean, George Clooney, everyone came in there. Now, the movie studio that used to be there, I believe it was a Paramount, but I can't remember. But it now is just. It's still a lot and there's still. I know I've been to. I've gone to an audition there. There's. There's different things happening there, but it's not, I don't think, like, primarily a movie studio anymore. But yeah, there was. When I was working there, there was a big target that built. Was built right next to it. And I. It's. It's. The back of the restaurant was a train car, an old train car, and we called it the train car. And it took me a while to figure out that's because it actually was a train car from, like, the days that Los Angeles had this, like, trolley. But my. The owner, when I worked there, it was the. The owner's son, basically, that. That inherited it and, and kept it going for all these years. And then it did close down for a little bit and then it's been kind of revamped, I think, and now I think they do pretty well. Again, I haven't been in forever, but. Because I can't go, because I'm one of those people that I'd go in and I'd be like, hey, you know, I used to work here and they fucking. I don't care.

[John Ryan]

But yet you have some crazy stories. Even if they're secondhand stories, they have some crazy stories about that place.

[Sarah Colonna]

Well, one story that. That Vince, though, the owner, when I worked there, used to love to tell, which is crazy, is that way back in the day, John Wayne used to go there. So it's been there for a very long time. John Wayne used to go there, and apparently one night he got locked in, passed out, probably back in the train car or something, Fell asleep in a booth, woke up at the Formosa, and when the kitchen staff got there the next morning, he was in there making himself eggs.

[John Ryan]

Just walking in on John Wayne. Can you imagine how much everything was back then before cell phones?

[Sarah Colonna]

I know. Oh, yeah.

[John Ryan]

If that would happen today, first of all, John Wayne wouldn't go out and get drunk in public anymore. I mean, an equivalent star to him these days, you know, because it'd just be a disaster. Phones all over him. Secondly, if you got locked in, he'd just call him. Like, two seconds later, someone let him out. Now he's just like. He was just stuck in there for the night. He was like, I'm. I'm hunkering down here.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. Because what's. I guess they probably had a phone. He probably could have called out, but to who, right? I mean, you can't. What are you going to call? John Wayne's going to call the police and be like, get me out the Formosa. He probably figured what not. There's worse places to sleep. But that was definitely one of his legendary stories. And. But everyone used to go in there. And I. Cassie, who I mentioned, she was one of the waitresses that worked there. So she had been there for years. Years, Years, years. And she. To the point where sometimes you're like, all right, wrap it up. Because she would, like. If you. If you had to stand behind her when she was, like, putting something in the computer, it might took her a little bit longer after a while, but you're like. She was still working there when she was in her 80s because she loved work, she loved it, and she was the sweetest lady. And at the end of her shift, she would always have me make her an apple martini. And she would put it in a to go box, and then she would put it in her trunk because she didn't want it to spill and she didn't want. I didn't put it in a martini glass, obviously. Um, I think I put it in, like, a plastic cup, and then she would put it inside this. We had the ch. They serve Chinese food, so she would put it in, like, one of those Chinese food containers. Put it up, put it in her trunk because she wasn't drinking it and driving, obviously. And she didn't want to have an open container in her car. And then she would get home and she would drink her apple martini and then she would tell me how delicious it was the next day.

[John Ryan]

Very nice. Very, very, very safe. She's driving home with like a thousand drunk drivers all around her and she won't. Very, very safe. This isn't the same thing, but yesterday we met a couple of your friends just on accident and you bartended, worked them at Maribel, which was another famous LA restaurant. And you guys had crazy stories about that. I know you don't want to talk about it, but you guys were telling me crazy stories and it was fun to like hear you guys reminisce about these crazy old school LA stories.

[Sarah Colonna]

I was wondering if that's. Is that fun for John or is it annoying to listen? Yeah, yeah, I feel like that's usually happens because a good friend of mine works, owns this place in near our house called the Local Peasant and the daughter of the owner of Mirabel, who was always around when I was working there, this was before I worked at Formosa, she comes into the Local Peasant. She lives in the neighborhood. I run into her from time to time. And so she came in and then we started telling John some crazy stories. It was just like people. She probably got talk about someone that could probably tell stories because I mean, her father owned that play, owned a place on the Sunset Strip for years and years and years. So she could. She could really. I told her she should write a book.

[John Ryan]

Yeah, it sounded more like a. Like a book was. Sounded like a Netflix documentary because it was so good. She told one story about a regular who's trying to like shelter his basically his inheritance to his son. And he offered the. What's the. The person that comes in, the first person.

[Sarah Colonna]

Hostess.

[John Ryan]

The hostess offered the hostess a million dollars to help them shelter the money. And that hostess happened to be Meghan Markle. Yeah, I mean there was like crazy, crazy stories like that. That is very entertaining.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, that's right. I did tell her that too. I was like, we should do a Netflix documentary about Mirabelle.

[John Ryan]

Chris Franjola, has he worked with you as well there?

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, he was there even longer than I was.

[John Ryan]

He always had crazy stories about that. He always said it should be a book too.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, he worked with Megan Marco. I did not. But anyway, I wish that. Yeah, we should do a Netflix documentary or something. Maybe I Can make some money. So anyway, Cassie, though, the work at the Formosa. Did I ever tell you that Bono story with her?

[John Ryan]

Yeah, I want to hear it again, though. It's a good one.

[Sarah Colonna]

So he came in. Bono used to come in from YouTube. You might as might have heard of him. And when he was. I guess he was nom. They were nominated for an Oscar, right? For a song. I forget what movie it was, but he brought Cassie as his date to the Oscars.

[John Ryan]

That's hilarious.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. Yeah, it was. She. She, like. She was like, what? So, because he loved her, people that worked there, you know, people that went there for a long time, for years and years and years, they loved Cassie. She was basically a staple of that place. So that's another reason that we kind of didn't matter if she was slowing down or whatnot. We just. You just pick up the slack and.

[John Ryan]

Well, it's nice to hear a story of like, a career server or bartender who's happy at the end. Because, you know, there's so many, especially in la, there's so many, like, career bartenders and servers who are just bitter, you know, like, they're just like, yeah, take your drink. Shut up. You get what you get.

[Sarah Colonna]

I was one of them.

[John Ryan]

So it's nice to hear of a. Someone who's done it that long and still enjoyed it.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, she loved it. She didn't. Because she wasn't trying to do something else. Like, she just want. She liked working there and she wanted to keep working there. I. Towards the end, while I was working there, I was not wanting to be a career bartender or waitress, and I was getting tired of having to do it. And I was a real asshole. But your bartender, when your bartender's an. It's fine, right?

[John Ryan]

Whoever cares. The liquor holds the power. You can't. A server has to be polite. A bartender can be an. It doesn't matter.

[Sarah Colonna]

I know, because. So there was one point, I think I've told you this before, but I haven't told the listeners. But there was one point when I was working there and I was still waiting tables and bartending. I was doing both. And Vince came up to me after a shift and he goes, I think we're just going to keep you behind the bar from now on. And I was like, why? He's like, I just don't think that waitressing is. I don't think you really like it. And I thought, oh, God, somebody complains. Somebody was like that one. Because I. Because I'm like the I behind the bar. I Was great because I ain't. Wouldn't put up with any nonsense. I was very fast. I was like. I was there to make money. So I don't. There's none of this. I'm not muddling cement. I'm not wearing suspenders and crafting your cocktails. I would never make it in today's bartending world. But I was, like, pouring your drinks as fast as possible. We didn't have a blender. None of the bullshit. Right. So I would make myself and the bar a lot of money. So I was a very good bartender. But I also. If you flagged me down and then you didn't know what you wanted and I was busy, then you got walked away from, and I went over to the next person and took an order. Stuff like that. You can't really do that when you're waitressing. You can't just, like, look at someone and be like, what the fuck do you want?

[John Ryan]

I think I bartended for a short period of time, but I felt like when you find the bar, you're like. You're in your own little world. You can just kind of. All you have to do is like, listen and pour.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah.

[John Ryan]

You know, you don't have to be like a server who has to be kind.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, God. And, boy, did you have to listen. I had a lot of. A lot of listening. There was. God, there were so many people that came in there, though. But one person, he's. He's passed away by now, but I still don't think I want to say who it was, just because I don't. He was a nice man, but he was a. He was a big guy. And he. He used to be an actor, and he was. It was not John. He's a super nice. He was pretty much not really working that much anymore. And he was. I think he was kind of depressed. And there was one day when I was. We were kind of commiserating. We would commiserate, right. I really liked him. And I would say. I was like, oh, God, this isn't getting so. Sick of this shit, basically. Sick of you, sick of this bar, sick of every. But I basically said, you know, I'm working, but I'm not working enough for me to quit working here as far as acting and whatnot. And I said, it's just. Yeah, it's getting kind of old. And he was talking about how he's frustrated that he's not getting the roles he used to get. And basically he offered me to move in with him. And he said that he could take care of me. And he said that if I was. And listen, he was probably like 15 sapphire and tonics in at this point, so I'll give him the grace of that. It. But he said, I. I basically, I could. You would live with me and all the things that come with that, which was kind of letting me know that.

[John Ryan]

I would be physical for servicing.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes, that he said. But he goes, I wouldn't really be able to support you enough for you to stop working here, but you could take less shifts. And I was like, this is the worst offer I've ever had. Not only are you. You're not even offering to let me be a kept woman. You're saying I got to move in with you and then I still got to come to work at this place. And now everyone knows I live with you.

[John Ryan]

No one's putting that on their sugar daddy profile. I just want to work one less shift a week. What do you got for me?

[Sarah Colonna]

First of all, I would never take an offer like that, regardless, Even if he said I could completely get you. I mean, who knows? Maybe if I was still working there 20 years later or something. But I guess never say never. But I was like, I couldn't. And I couldn't really tell anybody at work what he had said because I didn't want to embarrass him because I know that he was just like, I don't think he meant it as awful as it came out, but I. I couldn't even tell anyone because I didn't want to embarrass him, but I had to tell. I don't know. I forget. I just told a couple friends the next day. I'm like, this talk about a. A offer. I still have to. I still have to clock in it Formosa. And they all know, B, I'm banging the regular who is probably an alcoholic. Anyway, so that was my fun Formosa story. I brushed with Evelyn Hugo, got offered a movie, basically right when she walked into the Formosa. You'll. That's kind of early on in the book. It's not a big spoiler that she was a movie star. So. And I got offered, you know, to. To. To bang a regular, just to cut back one shift or two, do you think?

[John Ryan]

I don't think there is. But do you think there's a bar like that in LA anymore? Like a bar that's like, everyone go. I think things like pop up here and there that are mastros or, you know, whatever. Just different restaurants that are like the hot spots. But I don't feel there's like one place that everyone goes for like 20 straight years.

[Sarah Colonna]

I think you're right. I don't think so.

[John Ryan]

Maybe the Rainbow Room, but that's a different crowd.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, my God.

[John Ryan]

That's more like a. The Rainbow Room is kind of like the equivalent of what Formosa was, but for like rock stars.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes. The Rainbow.

[John Ryan]

Is that the equivalent?

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, very much so. It was right by the. It is. It's still there. If you guys are ever in Los Angeles, you have to go to the Rainbow and have pizza. And the greatest people watching place in.

[John Ryan]

The history of the world.

[Sarah Colonna]

In the history of the world. It's a time. It's a time. It's a time warp. It's a time machine. It's like you go in and I think people that know that it used to be sort of this 80s and 90s, like, musician hangout. People will go to the. It was right by the. It's right by the Viper Room. So it would be. All kinds of people would go in there. But yeah, you would see like Motley Crue. You would see. And then sometimes people that go in there, they dress like they're looking to find people from the 80s. And it's really entertaining.

[John Ryan]

Let me. Let me just sit at the bar and play. It wasn't like a slot machine, but it was like one of those game machines.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, right.

[John Ryan]

He just sit there for like, I guess, like. Like every day.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, my God.

[John Ryan]

And actually on his deathbed, they took him that machine to play, like, on his deathbed.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, that's so funny. That's like. I mean, that could easily have easily have been me at the Formosa, but with. But less cool of a story. Now there's other places that she talks about in Evelyn Hugo. Seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo that you've been to as well. Dantana's. She went to dinner at Dantana's, which is another place. Great people watching, right? It's got.

[John Ryan]

I love. I love an old school restaurant.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes, it's very. It's an old school Italian restaurant. It's right next to the Troubadour. So some. We don't really get over there that often, but anytime we go see a show at the Troubadour, we would go to Dantian, as you know. Joanna. Joanna Ross, my friend loves. She. She would be like spearheading everyone to get to the. To Dante's.

[John Ryan]

I love like an old red cracked booth. You know the ones I'm talking about. It's like not leather, but it's like the old vinyl cracks and it's. You can tell it has some stories to it.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. Oh, so good. That place. Definitely. If you're ever here, you got to go to. There was also. She talks about the Vine Street Derby is a place that she talks about. And I didn't realize. So I remember, like, I'm like, God, I know that I've been to a place called the Derby. And I think when I first moved to Los Angeles, it was. It was more like. I mean, it was the late 90s, so it was still kind of one of those things where it's not as places where old school places were. Were still pretty trendy. Right. Like, I think the Derby was featured in. Oh, Swingers. That's right. It was in the movie Swingers. And that. That movie was like 96 or something. So it was. I didn't realize it was a chain of places because she says Vine Street Derby. So I googled it because I was like, I know I went to a place called the Brown Derby or the. Just the Derby, something like that. And so it says, in 1960, it was purchased by a man named Michael St. Angel. And then it became Michaels of Los Feliz. And then in 92, it was transformed by new owners into a nightclub known as the Derby. And then that's when. And they had swing dancing. And I went there and I went. Swing dancing.

[John Ryan]

It's fun.

[Sarah Colonna]

Was it.

[John Ryan]

I can't imagine it being fun at all. No.

[Sarah Colonna]

It was just one of those cool places. It's also because. What's the place that's near it? I'm trying to remember. Remember the place I told you about where Marty and Elaine used to sing? And it was this couple that would. I'm going to Google it while we're talking. So forgive me, but it was this couple that would sing. They had a piano. Oh, the Dresden, which I think was also in Swingers, if I remember correctly. But they were. They would like, sit there and I think he. He passed away. I think she's still alive. But they were basically a jazz duo. And they would sit there at Dresden and you would just. It was like, packed to go to see them just do this lounge act. It was so fun. She doesn't talk about that in the book, but she talks about the Derby. And it made me think of that because they're kind of in the same neighborhood.

[John Ryan]

What's sad with all these places is once they're gone, they're not coming back. You can't recreate a dive bar or like an old Italian restaurant. So that's what. That's my love hate with Jon Taffer, babe. Because I love the show so much. But when he goes into these old bars and he just, like, tears the solo to them and like, tries to make them, like, new and trendy, it sucks.

[Sarah Colonna]

I know, I know.

[John Ryan]

I love a dive bar.

[Sarah Colonna]

I know. We love our. We love our bar rescue. But sometimes he. He does it just completely. I'm like, no take back. Because there was this place on Highland called the Powerhouse, and I. It was the best dive, the most fun dive. And they try. They've like, they've done that thing where they try to make it, like, cool again. It just like, never catches on. But no, you got to leave a place with the. With the dirty old soul that it has.

[John Ryan]

I agree with that.

[Sarah Colonna]

They also. She talks about in the book, this is another place you've been John have taken you to that they go celebrate when she wraps the movie Little Women at Musso and Frank.

[John Ryan]

Oh, yeah, Frank.

[Sarah Colonna]

You love Musso and Frank. It's super fun. Yeah, yeah, it's a cool spot. It's. It's definitely one of those places that you don't really need to eat the food. It's not great, but you want to get a. You want to get a martini there. And then maybe because we did, we went to go see a show, remember, and at. At the Pantages or somewhere around there, which she also mentions in this. And we. We decided. I said, oh, we should eat at Musso and Frank. That'll be so fun. And then I remember, we ate, and I was like, maybe this is just a place to get a martini.

[John Ryan]

But we went to a place like that last night. The Valley Inn.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes.

[John Ryan]

In our neighborhood. Great. Like, very old school, as I said, like black vinyl booths. We were the youngest people in the restaurant by a good 30 years. Our waitress, our waiter had probably been there for 40 years. I'm guessing he loved it. So much food. It's okay.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, you're not great. I recommend. I was the one that wanted to go there, and the food wasn't bad.

[John Ryan]

It was just a typical old school steakhouse.

[Sarah Colonna]

I made a mistake. I. I made a mistake in my ordering. Now just get your filet. We all know I like a filet. You know you like a filet. Kind of hard to mess up a filet. And we don't eat beef very often, so I. I gotta go with what I know. But instead I was like, ooh, chopped steak, peppers and onions. I thought it was gonna be. I Don't know what I thought. I thought it was gonna be kind of like a. Did you ever go to that place, Western Sizzling? Was that a place here?

[John Ryan]

Probably not in Canada.

[Sarah Colonna]

I don't think so either. It was a Southern. I think it was more Southern, but similar to a Sizzler, but you would go through the line anyway. They used to have. It was like, cut up filet peppers and onions. I loved it. Just my. Just my. Just my Southern soul sang when I would eat that. And so I guess I thought I was going to get that, but basically it was just like a hamburger patty.

[John Ryan]

Yeah, it was like a hamburger. It looked like it was like, in the shape of a steak almost. They tried to really fool it.

[Sarah Colonna]

It was like. It was. Yeah, it was not good, is what we're.

[John Ryan]

You were more excited about the baked potato anyways, I think.

[Sarah Colonna]

God, I love a baked potato. Yeah. And even that was a little bit of a disappointment. But it's okay.

[John Ryan]

The bar looks fun.

[Sarah Colonna]

The bar is very fun there. Yeah, we got to go back. It was a little too crowded in there for us last night, but.

[John Ryan]

Yeah.

[Sarah Colonna]

Now another place they talk about when they go to see the premiere of Little Women. Little Women is Groman's Chinese Theater, which is.

[John Ryan]

Oh, God.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah.

[John Ryan]

And he used to live right behind the theaters.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes. So I think they just. Mostly people just call it Man's Chinese Theater. So you probably. You guys have probably all heard of it at some point, but it's basically the famous. It's where the Walk of Fame. Either. I don't think it starts there. Yeah, I think it starts there because the Walk of Fame is. You could find my. My great uncle has a star on the Walk of Fame. But in it. But it's like, down a couple streets and around a corner because there's so many.

[John Ryan]

Jerry Colonna.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, Jerry Colonna. I remember when I first moved here, I was so excited to find his star. And it was, like, right across the street from this bar called Daddy's that my girlfriends and I used to go to. And I was so excited to find it. And then I found it, and then I was like, well, now what? Okay, there it is. I mean, what do you do? You just stare at it. But Man's is like the start of the Walk of Fame, basically. So most. I think that's where they always do the ceremony when they put someone on the Walk of Fame later in the day.

[John Ryan]

There's a lot of, like, dirty people dressed up as Bart Simpson and the Sesame street characters. Superman trying to make money getting pitches with dumb tourists.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yep, yep. And they do. I mean, I guess I used to live right behind it, as John mentioned, and I would see them, I would see them walking to work, I would.

[John Ryan]

See holding their head in their hand.

[Sarah Colonna]

Well, I think at one point I was. Because it, it, it look when you're watching these, you know, Spider man and, and all this stuff and taking the photos with the kids from a distance, you're like, oh, that, that looked good. They look good. When you see him walk by your apartment at 8:00 in the morning, you're like, ooh, Spider man needs a new costume. Like that thing's dirty. Like. And there was one point where I would see Spider man and Marilyn Monroe walking together to work and I thought maybe they were dating. I wasn't sure.

[John Ryan]

That's a power couple.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, really is. And I, and then I, she'd walked by and I was like, Marilyn's dress isn't so white. You know, I think it needs, I think it needs a steam clean. But living behind there, I, I was in, I was still working at Formosa. I had rent control. So I, for those of you that don't know what that is, it's basically they, the, they, they can't raise your rent more than like 2 or 3%. I think it's 3, I'm not sure. But so to have a rent controlled apartment in Hollywood when you're broke is, is a very important thing, a very.

[John Ryan]

Big deal in LA and New York.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. So I wasn't moving and I, but they built that man's Chinese Theater. Said then they built this like complex around it while I was living there. So now there's like stores and restaurants and it was just like, and they did hold the Oscars there. So I remember one year that. No, I know you've heard this story, John, but one year. So I, my street, I was right behind it basically, but I was on, I was faced Franklin Avenue, which is one of the busiest streets. And just when it was like rush hour, whatever time you couldn't get in, in or out of your driveway, it just, you just couldn't. But didn't matter because I worked odd hours as a bartender, so it was fine. Right. When I came home at 2 in the morning, there was no traffic. But one year I was like, oh, I'm gonna go to the os. I'm gonna watch the Oscars with my friend Jackie. And she lived, I don't know, a couple miles away. And I made this big huge thing of rotel Cheese dip. Cause I used to love to, like, I don't. I used to love to watch the Oscars. I don't know what it is now. I don't care anymore about award shows really. I just kind of blow through them. But it used to be, like, an event. I would get excited, and so I made this big thing of cheese dip. And then I put. I thought it would be funny to wear, like, a fancy dress. So I had, like, some dress that I'd had from an event in college or something that was, like, the fanciest thing I had. And then I went to get my car to drive to Jackie's, and I was like, oh, my God, I can't go anywhere. It's the Oscars. The street was basically closed down, and then everything was getting rerouted to. To my street. And, I mean, you couldn't. You couldn't go anywhere. So I turned around, I went back inside. I called Jackie. I said, I can't leave my apartment because the Oscars are by my apartment and everything shut down. She's like, I didn't think of that. So then I sat there in my fancy dress and I ate all the cheese dip by myself.

[John Ryan]

Yeah, when they have events like that, you just. Everyone's screwed.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, yeah. She even talks about that. She says something in the book about. About how they closed down the. The boulevard for her. And I want to be like, yeah. And then the rest of us get stuck with a whole B bunch of rotel and nowhere to go. When you guys have your Oscars.

[John Ryan]

We were in Vegas last month, and they were setting up for the F1 race.

[Sarah Colonna]

Oh, my God.

[John Ryan]

You basically just couldn't go anywhere. Like you. It was terrible.

[Sarah Colonna]

It was a nightmare. It was an absolute nightmare. I remember because I was there for a week, Right. Doing Brad Garrett's comedy club. By the way, if you're listening to this and you're in Austin January 9th, come see me at Cap City Comedy Club. January 18th. Moscow, Idaho. March 14th. Everett, Washington, March 15th. And I'm Claw, Washington. So come see me, Sarah. Colona.com has all the details. I. I was there for a week. And then you came for two days, right? Yeah, yeah. There's setting up f. I. I was so confused because I didn't realize they were doing Formula one there. And so I was walking around one day, and they were starting to close down all these roads. I mean, people that live there must just hate that they even do this.

[John Ryan]

Because they must just go nowhere near the Strip if they live there.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. Because what do you do, too? But it was killing businesses. All these people were telling me they're like, my business. This is right in front of, like, little mom and pop shops. Not just, I mean, building these huge risers. And I was so confused because I'm like, why are they building seats that face the street? I was literally like, are they putting them in backwards? What's happening? And then you told me what it was.

[John Ryan]

And then the race literally uses the public streets right down strip. But what people don't realize when you watch something that on Saturday night or whatever it was for three hours, you don't realize it takes them three months to set up and three months to take down. It was literally. They're literally building, like, temporary bridges, like, over top of businesses so people couldn't even get to them. And now these people are suing the city.

[Sarah Colonna]

They should have.

[John Ryan]

No. You have no business for half the year.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, they should. Because that's not right. You can't. I mean, if it's going to bring all this money to the city, they should either be giving. They need to be giving a piece of it to all the businesses that are affected.

[John Ryan]

Yeah. It's crazy. Way off topic, but yes. Back to the Pantages, which is one of my favorite theaters in town. I'm a big musical and play guy, and they have great shows there. We've been there many times.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yes. She talks about going there. She says the Oscars were held there, so maybe they used to hold them at the Pantages or something. But, yeah, you and I have seen quite a few shows there.

[John Ryan]

Yeah. One of my favorite story about there is Sarah found out they have a VIP room. So she calls, and if there's anything VIP or private, Sarah and I are freaking well getting in that room like, come hell or high water. We had tickets. I don't know what the tickets were. They're a hundred dollars or whatever. And she calls, we'd like take it to the VIP room. She's like, oh, I don't know if we really sell those. I think it's just like, you know, I don't know. And she's like, okay, I'll find it. Okay, we'll sell them for $75 each. Sarah's like, in. So we go to this VIP room, and it's basically a broom closet with a bartender and some, like, food. Like some Costco food set out. And we were happier than hell because we were in the VIP room. We loved it.

[Sarah Colonna]

It was the, I think, biggest waste of $150 oh, but we.

[John Ryan]

I don't think I thought that way. I thought that when. When they gave us a coffee mug with a vodka tonic or vodka soda in it, they let us walk to our seats. We're like, worth every penny.

[Sarah Colonna]

That's right. Because you're not supposed to have alcohol in there, but if you're in the VIP room, they'll give it to you in a coffee cup and then you go right back to your seat with it.

[John Ryan]

What a stupid rule.

[Sarah Colonna]

I know. But. Yeah, well, because that's the other place that, that we go to see shows a lot. The Ahmanson Theater. They have a VIP room and it looks legit. I know. I've never been able to crack it.

[John Ryan]

Well, I think Liz and Chris can get in there really, through her work.

[Sarah Colonna]

Franz. Oh, you're. No, I think because her parents have been seasoned ticket holders for a long time or they're. Or maybe they're donors or something. Her.

[John Ryan]

Her parents, they have season tickets to the theater, to the outdoor concert venue, the bowl, and to the Dodgers.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, they're real LA people.

[John Ryan]

They're real LA people.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah. I know things that we would all like season tickets for. But. Yeah, I think you're right. I think it's called like the Founders Room and you have to be maybe a donor. They won't. They're not letting you pay 75 bucks to crack in there. They. They're keeping the likes of us out. I know. It's the one place I haven't. Thanks for bringing it up. Yeah, it makes me angry. They. She also, speaking of places that we've seen things in the, in the book, she also mentions that she. When she goes to see Mick, one of her lovers, she sees him at the Hollywood Bowl.

[John Ryan]

I love the Hollywood Bowl.

[Sarah Colonna]

I love the Hollywood Bowl.

[John Ryan]

It's the coolest outdoor music venue I've ever been to. That's in the middle of a city. Like, I know, like, people talk about what they talk about the Red Rocks or the Gorge in Washington, which I haven't been to either. But they look amazing. But this is like right in the middle of the city. 18, 000 seat outdoor concert venue. When you go to like the, the events that they put on, you can bring all your own food, all your own alcohol, like picnic basket style. It just, it's really. Every time I go there, it's fun.

[Sarah Colonna]

It's really cool. If you are ever in Los Angeles and haven't been to the Hollywood Bowl, I definitely recommend trying to see something there, even if it's Just like one of their, they have a philharmonic, I think that plays there, a symphony. They do all kinds of stuff. But we've seen, we've seen a crazy amount of shows there.

[John Ryan]

They do like musical sing alongs. They have like a Grease sing along. They do like different movies, which I highly recommend not going to. But other than that, I think the other stuff is pretty fun.

[Sarah Colonna]

Listen, some people love their sing alongs and I am not going to judge you for loving a sing along. But nothing sounds worse to me. Nothing.

[John Ryan]

Yeah, no, it's not. It's not for me, dog.

[Sarah Colonna]

I know they do like a Sound of Music sing along. I mean, God, sounds awful. And then she also mentions the last place that I saw that she mentioned, I thought of is Cantor's Deli. And she mentions having a Reuben sandwich at Canter's Deli, which highly recommend. I don't think you've been there.

[John Ryan]

I haven't been there, but it came up the other day on a hair band show that we were watching. They're talking about Cantor's Deli on there.

[Sarah Colonna]

Yeah, it's a pretty legendary deli on Fairfax. And they also have the kibbutz room which is right next to it, which is just like a little dive bar. That is so much fun. So Cantor's Deli.

[John Ryan]

The problem, you never leave a four block radius like myself is that you don't really see a lot of the city. But if Mrs. Smith paints her fence, I'll freaking know about it and I'll tell you all about it. Okay. Old Kenny over two streets over gets a new Ford Bronco. I'll tell you about that too because I'll know. I'll know.

[Sarah Colonna]

Let's listen. You stick to what you know, what you enjoy.

[John Ryan]

I know it well.

[Sarah Colonna]

Well, this has been kind of fun talking about all these places that, that she brings up in the book. That gave me some memories and some places it's made me realize maybe we should get out of our house more and our alpha or street more. And I'll take you there.

[John Ryan]

We'll see.

[Sarah Colonna]

Thank you guys for listening to the book lisp. We will see you next money next Monday with, you know, more of this. Like I said, if you're new here, you won't hear spoilers about the book until week four. So you have plenty of time for February. The New Wife by Sue Watson is your, is your February read. That's my pick. So it's obviously one of the psychological thrillers and thank you guys for being here.

[John Ryan]

Thanks guys.

[Sarah Colonna]

The book list, the book Lisp the book list the book lisp the book lisp.