Superbad

Live in LA long enough and certain locations begin to take on a lore of their own. It goes beyond the corner of Pico and Sepulveda or Olympic and La Cienega.

Locales become know by the movie scene that made them famous.

When my wife and I dare to put up with the hourlong wait, we treat ourselves to Mexican food at Pacos Tacos, known to the rest of the world where Jerry McQuire (Tom Cruise) pitches woo to Renee Zelwegger.

The Culver Hotel is a stone's throw from my house. And this, as any visitor to Culver City will tell you, is where the munchkins stayed while filming The Wizard of Oz. I like to picture dozens of drunken midgets (can I say that?) or little people drinking bourbon and chasing statuesque women through the Victorian styled lobby.

Speaking of getting tanked, there's the little Quick E Mart at Overland and Braddock. From my rooftop, I could hit this place with a well struck fairway wood. This little strip mall convenience shop was made famous by Jonah Hill and Michael Cerra in the movie Superbad. It's here, the boys plan to buy enough booze to make them big men on the high school campus.

From the picture I snapped the other day (above) you can see why the location scouts picked this place. And I guarantee my standard iPhone 6S is not doing it any justice.

Two of the four load-bearing walls holding up the roof are lined with every brand of gin, rum, vodka, tequila and whiskey ever committed to a bottle.

Including many you've never heard of.

I did not know, for instance, that Peruvians loved their scotch whiskey, nor that they had found a way to distill it from old llama hooves.

I find myself at this Quick E Mart at least 3 times a week for various sundries and such: coffee filters, Tylenol, paper towels and Johnson & Johnson's Aloe Vera Baby Oil in the 16 ounce recyclable container. And though the clerk, a very outgoing man of indistinguishable Southern Asian descent is always chatting me up -- "How are you today, Boss?" -- I can't understand a word he says.

When I am there I constantly distracted by the visual and alcoholic assault from behind the counter.

There is enough liquor in this place to get through two armageddons.

Should things go squirrelly on November 9th, I know the first store I'll be looting.