Because It's There - Los Angeles Hotels .com

Los Angeles has its share of unique venues that just can't be compared to what you've got back home in Lincoln, Nebraska -- or Chicago or New York, or Paris or Berlin.

Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce (5574 Melrose Ave. in Hollywood), for example, offers old-school burlesque backed by live jazz in retro lounge booth decor, except when the strippers take a night off and the rock and hip-hop take over. Bowl and enjoy cocktails and comfort food at Lucky Strike Lanes (6801 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood), or just sip to rock and hip-hop DJs or make your own karaoke debut.

Dimples (3413 W. Olive Ave. in Burbank) is the karaoke big leagues. Take the microphone here, and not only will the lucky bar patrons get to listen to you nail that tune, but your performance gets broadcast throughout the bar, on local TV channels, on a theater screen atop the roof, and via the Dimples web site. You also get a free audiocassette or DVD of your moment in the spotlight.

The Smell (247 S. Main St.) is all ages -- as in, no booze -- and presents bands that promote its political activist and vegetarian agenda. Club Fais Do-Do (5257 W. Adams Blvd. in South Central LA) does serve booze (beer and wine), along with Cajun food, jazz and world music, and a jazz legacy going back to the 1960s: Coltrane played here in the day. ("Fais do-do" is French for "go to sleep.") The World Stage Performance Gallery (4344 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park in South Central), drummer Billy Higgins' project, is an all-ages jazz stage and workshop that presents both emerging and famous artists.

Other Because It's There Attractions:

• Mayan Theatre Night Club (1038 S. Hill St.)--Everything from salsa dancing to hip-hop to Mexican wrestling.
• Babe's & Ricky's Inn (4339 Leimert Blvd.)--Soul food, rockin' blues.
• Tropicana Bar at Roosevelt Hotel (7000 Hollywood Blvd.)--Outdoor retro glamour, booths, swimming pool.