What are the hot new bars in Los Angeles, where I can rub shoulders with a celebrity or two?
J.K., Brighton
You'd be hard- pressed not to spot at least one A-lister during a bar crawl in la-la land. To guarantee a prime sighting , don't look to guide books, but to the tabloids and celebrity blogs instead.
Lately everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Jimmy Kimmel has been spotted at the new and improved Teddy's at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (7000 Hollywood Blvd., 323-466-7000 , hollywoodroosevelt.com ), a dark, intimate lounge with a storied history every bit as risqué as its current incarnation.
Another Lohan favorite, along with Paris Hilton and the like, is the über-chic Hyde Lounge (8029 West Sunset Blvd., 323-656-4933), complete with its own red carpet spilling over the sidewalk on Sunset Boulevard. Boost your chances of getting in by making an early weeknight reservation for table service; its tiny setting (maximum occupancy is only 100) makes it difficult for mere mortals to get in after 10 p.m. without star credentials.
Sam Nazarian and Brent Bolthouse, the two masterminds behind Hyde, are also responsible for Privilege (8117 West Sunset Blvd., 323-654-0030), another West Hollywood hot spot that has served Leonardo DiCaprio, Heidi Klum, and Cameron Diaz.
And while it's not ready for its debut yet, those in-the-know will be sure to flock to the '70s-inspired Sunset Bar (9641 Sunset Blvd., 310-276-2251) set to open at the famed Beverly Hills Hotel in February, just in time for the Oscars .
Got a travel-related question? Send it to Hillary Geronemus, travel editor at Body + Soul magazine, at hillarygeronemus@yahoo.com. 
