Gentle reader,

Face it, all this talk of financial panic has harshed your mellow, chafed your hide and other pithy phrases expressing general malaise. Let your pals at Esotouric drop a little spark of hope into the darkness with this, our weekly email, in which we are giving away ten (!!) seats on the RAYMOND CHANDLER'S BAY CITY tour, announcing the launch of a fabulous new blog from our secret weapon JOAN "RED" RENNER and reminding you that tomorrow night our free floating salon THE HIPPODROME rolls around the Downtown LA Art Walk with some incredible performers. So buck up, bucko, and read on for all the delights of the day.      

1) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9: Join us on the Hippodrome floating salon and free shuttle bus at the Downtown LA Art Walk. Featured performers include PROF. WES WEASELY offering interactive theremin instruction,  LUCAS GONZE with acoustic tunes trashpicked from the dustbin of American history, folk rock in the spirit of Nick Drake and Elliott Smith from Minneapolis singer-songwriter BRAD SENNE, tarot card readings by PAULA BROUSSARD and ZELLA GRANT, comic magic from ERIK TAIT, sweet and silly tunes from THE UKULADY, magic by RAUL and  MIKE THE POET rockin' poems about L.A. authors and the city's underground. Info at http://www.esotouric.com/hippodrome

2) SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11: Seats on the RAYMOND CHANDLER'S LOS ANGELES tour departing from Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena are now available direct from the store. Last time they hosted the tour honoring L.A.'s greatest detective novelist, it sold out, so call (626) 449-5320 to reserve your spot soon. This is the Hollywood/Downtown Chandler tour, and every passenger will receive a discount coupon to use on an upcoming bus adventure, including the second October Chandler tour, just below.

3) On SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, we offer the RAYMOND CHANDLER'S BAY CITY tour, exploring the writer's life and work on the west side. Want to win one of the ten free seats? Just email me your name, phone number and email address by Sunday October 19 and you might luck out when we randomly draw names on Monday morning. In this very special edition, Richard will present our new and never before published theory about the forgotten real-life corruption-fighting Los Angeles cop who we believe was the inspiration for Philip Marlowe. Chandler fiends, you won't wanna miss the big reveal! More info http://esotouric.com/chandlerpage or read all about it in the Palisadian-Post http://www.palisadespost.com/content/index.cfm?Story_ID=4318

4) SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25: Once a year, we let good taste go by the wayside when CRIMEBO THE CLOWN PRESENTS HALLOWEEN HORRORS, our only BYOBB (bring your own barf bag) tour where no kids are allowed. Get on the bus for a Hallowe'en-themed excursion into the darkest, weirdest and most unexpected crimes from our freaky files, and some truly special surprises, including a very creepy guest, filmmaker Jeremy Kasten ("The Wizard of Gore") sharing some of his favorite cinematic horror scenes.
http://esotouric.com/halloween-10-25-08

5) NOIR NOVEMBER: Enjoy a grim month's tours celebrating the shadows beneath the blazing SoCal sun with a special offer. Buy a Noir November sampler ticket and ride three of the five bus adventures for the discount price of just $135 (choose from The Real Black Dahlia, The Birth of Noir,  Wild Wild West Side,  Hotel Horrors/ Main Street Vice and on Thanksgiving weekend, Blood & Dumplings). We can also make pretty customized gift certificates for this series, or for any event, on request.
http://www.esotouric.com/noirnovembersampler

6) Here's what you missed on last Saturday's extraordinary Erik Davis-hosted tour of VISIONARY HOLLYWOOD, which spanned the city's mystic wonders and included a spin around the most beautiful bathroom in town, Sister Aimee Semple McPherson's.  
http://flickr.com/photos/richardschave/sets/72157607764818063/

7) Most of you who've gotten on the bus have "followed the redhead" into some astonishing local environment. Now our own Joan Renner is very pleased to announce the launch of her new blog, VINTAGE POWDER ROOM, a celebration of the social history behind her incredible collection of vintage cosmetic packages. Tune in to see gorgeous, seldom-seen commercial artifacts and Joan's intriguing musings on the their place in our world at http://vintagepowderroom.com/

yrs,
Kim
Esotouric
http://www.esotouric.com

Upcoming Esotouric bus tour schedule
Thurs Oct 9 - The Hippodrome (Downtown LA Art Walk Shuttle, free)
Sat Oct 11- Vroman's Bookstore - Raymond Chandler's LA
Sat Oct 18- Raymond Chandler's Bay City
Sat Oct 25 – Halloween Horrors with Crimebo the Clown
Sat Nov 1- Noir November: The Real Black Dahlia*
Sat Nov 8- Noir November: The Birth of Noir: James M. Cain's SoCal Nightmare*
Thurs Nov 13 –The Hippodrome (Downtown LA Art Walk Shuttle, free)
Sat Nov 15- Noir November: Wild Wild West Side*
Sat Nov 22- Noir November: Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice*
Sat Nov 29- Noir November: Blood & Dumplings*
Sat Dec 6- Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski's LA
Thurs Dec 11- The Hippodrome (Downtown LA Art Walk Shuttle, free)
Sat Dec 13- Pasadena Confidential

(*any 3 tours for $135)