LA's Comedy Scene, As Loved By George Carlin And Wife

Sally Wade, a comedy writer and performer, is the author of The George Carlin Letters: The Permanent Courtship of Sally Wade, a comedic glimpse into her day-to-day life with her late husband. Inseparable for the last 10 years of Carlin's life, Wade says the couple felt as if they existed in a parallel reality called Jupiter as a way of dealing with how they felt so alienated from, as L.A Weekly puts it, "the planet of Squares known as Earth." The book also serves as a goofy, romantic guide on how to have a relationship "in a secret code so the FBI can't crack it." Below are picks Wade shared about some of her and Carlin's favorite clubs where the pair checked out local talent. Find out more at The George Carlin Letters page on Facebook or simonandschuster.com.

The Hermosa Comedy & Magic Club

1018 Hermosa Avenue
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254-3716
(310) 372-1193
Reviews, directions and details

My favorite place for comedy in L.A. is The Hermosa Beach Comedy & Magic Club. George used to stay in practice here when he was in town for long stretches of time or had an HBO show coming up. Lots of memorabilia from classic comedy TV series lines the walls, from Seinfeld's trademark puffy shirt to Roseanne's waitress uniform. The menu includes everything from mac 'n cheese to filet mignon, although when I'd watch George, I'd have the Ben & Jerry's vanilla-bean ice cream as a main course instead. (Too bad it's not Cherry Garcia – hint, hint!) And by the way, you can catch Jay Leno here almost every Sunday trying out new material for his show.

The Comedy Store

8433 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90069-1993
(323) 650-6268
Reviews, directions and details

I remember sitting in the green room, listening to his voice over the monitors in the room, thinking George sounded like my dog Spot when he was ranting. I was nervous because it was the first time I'd been with him in public since we'd started dating. I was worried that he'd forget his lines because I was there – it would be a distraction – but he didn't! What I came to learn was, even me pacing backstage with him before he went on – and giving him a kiss before he went out – was something that seemed to lessen the anxiety (not his, mine!) Head here for old Hollywood glamour on the Sunset Strip mixed with the best new comedy talent. The photo shown here is from that night.