My Favorite Weekend

Actor and magician Ricky Jay, featured in “Boogie Nights,” opening Friday.

The Unknown: I like to do research at the Huntington and Clark memorial libraries. They are two of the most wonderful rare-book libraries anywhere. I research things for this journal I publish called Jay’s Journal of Anomalies and for books I may be working on. And if you’re at the Huntington, you have the bonus of being able to walk through the cactus garden as well.

Nourishment: If I want a burger, I usually go to Mo Better Meatty Meat on Fairfax. The burgers are really fine but you have to watch out for the salt. I’m always telling them they use too much salt. I also like to go to Harold and Belle’s for vegetable jambalaya and bread pudding with whiskey sauce.

The Bizarre: The Museum of Jurassic Technology is one of my favorite L.A. places. It’s just wonderful. They recently had an exhibition of work by an Armenian miniature artist who does paintings on the eye of a needle, absolutely wonderful paintings.

Boogie-Free Nights: I’m not much of a club guy. For unusual food, Paul Thomas Anderson, the director of “Boogie Nights,” has been taking me to this place, Canard de Bombay on Ventura, for unusual Indian dishes and curries. At night I also might go out with someone and discuss sleight of hand, which is the other thing that I do.

Salad Days: I like to go to Book Soup on Sunset where I can satisfy both my eating and reading desires. I may stay to hear a reading and have a salad. I also frequent a lot of rare-book stores like Dailey Rare Books and Prints on Melrose.