Traveling Hobbyist
I Travel For Records
Record Shop Reviews
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Boo Boo Records – San Luis Obispo, CA
It was fitting that on this long, long road trip, our last stop was Boo Boo Records, the store that popped my cherry. Boo Boo Records was the first record store I ever went to and, as far as I was concerned, was the only record store in the world until I graduated from high…
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Paradise Records and Trading Post – Orcutt, California
I must confess, I wasn’t always this cool. There was a time in my life when my taste in music was far inferior to what it is today. A time when I thought that Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown was the pinnacle of rock music. A time in which I wore either an AFI or…
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Amoeba Music – Hollywood, California
Few record stores have the name recognition that Amoeba Music has. With 3 stores across California, this store has reached a near Mecca-like status for record collectors. But is it worthy of such high esteem? Well, yes. It’s widely recognized as one of the largest record stores in North America and possibly the largest independent…
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Nivessa Vinyl Records – Los Angeles, California (Hollywood)
So you’ve finally made it to Hollywood. Congrats! As a native Californian, allow me to say: Sorry! We know it’s gross! And no The Wax Museum is not worth the price. So you got your Walk of Fame picture, and now you’re wondering, is there anything else I should do before leaving this tinsel-town hellscape?…
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FeeLIT Records- San Diego, CA
The final stop on our sun-kissed road trip took us to the streets of downtown San Diego to check out the small but mighty FeeLIT Records. While many of the record stores we checked out had the feel of surf shops that happened to sell records, FeeLIT has a feel all its own What to…
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Lou’s Records – San Diego, CA
My romanticized version of Southern California was shaped almost exclusively by my love of the 2005 film, Lords of Dogtown. It made the streets of Venice Beach out to be a sort of grungy wild west for incredibly cool and underprivileged teenagers. Which, more than anything, was what I wanted to be: cool. This culture,…
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Record City – San Diego, CA
The humble strip-mall record store is rarely a shop that gets the recognition it deserves. Often nestled between a Chinese take-out restaurant and an AutoZone, these shops are the real hidden gems. Devoid of foot traffic, the strip-mall record store must offer something unique, something worth the dangerous journey to the suburbs. Record City does…
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M-Theory Music (San Diego, CA)
Like many tourists, when I’m traveling, I tend to try to seek out the very best. The biggest, grandest, most famous a city has to offer. If you’re in Denver and you are seeking out a record store, you will probably see countless recommendations for Twist and Shout. A truly gargantuan record store worthy of…
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Vinyl Junkies Record Shack – San Diego, CA
If I were in Nashville, I would want to go to a record store filled with country music and operated by a guy wearing jeans, boots, and a Stetson. If I were in New Orleans, I would want to go to a record store filled with jazz, operated by a guy who knows how to…
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COW Records – San Diego, CA
When you close your eyes and imagine a record store in San Diego, COW Records is exactly what you imagine. A small shop mere yards away from the beach, its glass windows displaying all manner of colored pressings. Records, CDs, and posters covering every wall and even the ceiling. Punk music is playing over the…