Coastal Observances

Although the Big Apple and the Big Orange try to blend — New York goes New Age; L.A. gets a subway — they really share only two things: Bret Easton Ellis and an all-consuming obsession with power. As for how they express that power, here’s a handy guide:

Hotel
N.Y.: The Mark
L.A.: The Peninsula, Shutters on the Beach (Santa Monica)

Power Breakfast
N.Y.: Random House’s literary breakfasts at mad.61, hosted by Harry Evans
L.A.:The Four Seasons Hotel

Bar
N.Y.: Babyland (junior players), The Cub Room
L.A.:Jones, House of Blues

Tearoom
N.Y.: T in Soho
L.A.: Chado in West Hollywood

Dog
N.Y.: Yorkshire terrier, bichon frise
L.A.: Jack Russell terrier (as seen on Frasier)

Dinner Guest
N.Y.: Kate Moss (she’ll bring Johnny Depp, and she won’t eat anything)
L.A.: Robert Shapiro (older set), Kato Kaelin (younger)

Book
N.Y.: Prozac Nation
L.A.: Listening to Prozac

Men’s Haircut
N.Y.: Hugh Grant’s foppish Four Weddings and a Funeral ‘do
L.A.: Keanu Reeves’ Speed buzz cut

Gossip
N.Y.: Michael Fleming’s Buzz column (Variety), Michael Musto (The Village Voice)
L.A.: Army Archerd (Daily Variety)

Women’s Manicure
N.Y.: Short and blood red
L.A.: French

Radio Deejay
N.Y.: Howard Stern of WXRK
L.A.: Chris Douridas of KCRW (Morning Becomes Eclectic)

Sunglasses
N.Y.: Silver Arnets
L.A.: Matsuda round wire-frames

Vacation
N.Y.: Home with the flu
L.A.: White-water rafting on the Colorado River

Wheels
N.Y.: Rollerblades
L.A.: Range Rover, black Porsche 911 convertible

Knapsack
N.Y.: Prada (uptown), stuffed animal (downtown)
L.A.: Prada

Subscription
N.Y.: The New Yorker
L.A.: Wired

Gathering
N.Y.:Friday-night X-Files parties
L.A.: Crack-of-dawn surfing at Zuma Beach (a Zen antidote to the biz)

Collectible
N.Y.: Pez dispensers
L.A.: California pottery

Boy’s Name
N.Y.: Jack Henry (Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins’ 5-year-old)
L.A.: John Henry (Michelle Pfeiffer and David Kelley’s 2-month-old)

Complaint
N.Y.: ”My acupuncturist charges overtime”
L.A.: Aftershocks (as in ”We got another damn aftershock, and I spilled my latte on the script”)