I didn't know that. I knew that Amoeba had been a big hit in LA. I was really freaked when I first saw a credit card commercial that was set in Hollywood Amoeba. I was like "Hey! Amoeba's my neighborhood store!" It was weird when I first found out it had expanded beyond the Bay Area. I guess it's a measure of how far the store's influence radius is that instead of building more and more stores in the Bay Area, they felt one in Berkeley and one in The Haight was sufficient and that it was time to conquer other cities.

Chocolate Clone-a-Willy:

The classic Clone-A-Willy allows you to make a copy of your Johnson, and with the optional motor you can even turn it into a vibrator. The latest version is the Chocolate Clone-A-Willy which lets you make a real milk chocolate copy that is 100% edible and, apparently, quite tasty.

I miss Duane Reade.

Cass, I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. Thanks for telling us about her; she sounds like an amazing woman.

I didn't know LA had an Amoeba! Excellent. Can anyone give me recommendations for other good record stores to check out while I'm there?

Is Amoeba the store that took over the Rasputin's spot on Telegraph near Cal? Assimilated?

God, I can't even remember what was there before Amoeba was there. When I first moved up here it was an Indian tchotchke import joint. But it had a couple other things there before it became Amoeba. I don't think Rasputin's was ever at that storefront. They've always been a couple blocks closer to the University. Amoeba is at Haste and Telegraph.

Kate, it's a small store, but one of my faves from the old days in Pasadena is Pooh-Bah's. Don't know if it's still there, though. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used to shop there. Which must have been a site because it was located in an old Craftsman bungalow. Low ceilings.

Poo-Bah's either moved or closed. There was a yarn store that took over the cool Craftsman location.

Huh, I didn't even know there was an actual Rhino Records store -- I just knew them by their collections, reprints and CD sets... which probably makes up the majority of my personal music collection.

Not only have I yoga'd, but I've also shopped for groceries, looked at clothing, and bought some books and presents. Also, there's a new Qdoba Grill in the Porter Square mini-mall, which means I could possibly get some passable tortilla soup on my commute home. So yay!

Bummer. Another memory gone.

Huh, I didn't even know there was an actual Rhino Records store -- I just knew them by their collections, reprints and CD sets... which probably makes up the majority of my personal music collection.

Okay, that's why I've heard of Rhino, but not the apparently more successful Amoeba.