Photos (clockwise from left): American Way, Photographed by Molly Cranna; Via California Market Center; The Great Wall of Los Angeles, Photographed by Molly Cranna

American Way Thrift Store
If you read us regularly, this Burbank shop may not be that off the beaten path since we've mentioned it a time or two. It's still a crazy treasure trove, though, with Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays as the critical days to go (1/2 off everything!). Oh, and if you've ever wanted to create a Jonathan Adler-esque shelf with the varying '60s multi-color glass vases and decanters, hit that North wall right when doors open at 9 a.m., ladies!
American Way Thrift Store, 3226 West Magnolia Boulevard (at North California Street); 818-841-6013.

Sample Sales At The California Market Center
The hundreds of showrooms in the Fashion District downtown may seem off-limits to everyone but big-time buyers, but many of them open up their doors with lots of home, clothing, and accessories goodies for wholesale grabs on Sample Sale Fridays. Check the site for specific dates, and plan on bringing cold hard cash!
The California Market Center, 110 East 9th Street (at South Main Street); 213-630-3600.

L.A. River Murals
If you've ever taken a California Art History class, your professor would be phoning it in if she or he didn't mention Judy Baca. The activist and founder of SPARC's life work is one of the world's largest and thought-provoking murals, for which she enlisted people of all education levels, colors, and ages — really, the entire community chipped in. What was once a hideous San Fernando Valley ditch now bares the emblems of Cali's past, and it's something every Angeleno should mandatorily see, whether they've lived here since birth or are fresh out of LAX. Baca describes it best: "It is a tattoo on the scar where the river once ran."
The Great Wall of Los Angeles, Coldwater Canyon Avenue (between Oxnard Street and Burbank Boulevard); no phone.

Other Notables:
Gold Bug, 22 East Union Street (at North Fair Oaks Avenue); 626-744-9963.
Caine's Arcade, 538 North Mission Road (near East Cesar E Chavez Avenue); 323-225-5997.
Solstice Canyon, Solstice Canyon Road (at Corral Canyon Road); 805-370-2300.