#20: C.I.A. in LA

CIA (California Institute of Abnormal Arts) is a venue in North Hollywood that is jam-packed to the rafters with curios and oddities.

Floor tiles and walls bear skulls and wide, high-colored pinstripes, displays are formed from siamese twins and mer-men in jars, shrunken heads, abnormal brains, circus signage, fucked up doll-heads, man-eating monsters, and decaying body parts; while pirates, mad
scientists, and cut-throat clowns lurk around every corner.

There is a wild bar also covered in death imagery and freaky-ness, as well as a garden with screens showing warped clips of bad sci-fi and horror films and video projects that resemble the worst mescaline trips, dotted with occasional performances from Tom Jones and Gary Glitter mainlined into the mix for fun.


Among the greatest treasures are the skull of
of the smallest freemason, the preserved body of a‘fairie’ from England, and most impressively and creepily, the hermetically-sealed corpse of a failed U.S. clown leased by the owners, still in greasepaint and a shiner’s cap. Clearly, one of the best places to visit in LA especially around the month of October. For more info, check out: CIA