This New Yorker finds his American scene

CARRYING around one of the heaviest names in pop music history is no easy gig, but in a decade as a solo artist, Sean Lennon has done so gracefully.

The son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono comes to the House of Blues Anaheim on Friday in support of his latest album, “Friendly Fire,” which includes a companion DVD featuring the 31-year-old singer-songwriter and friends such as Lindsay Lohan, Bijou Phillips and Carrie Fisher.

Embracing L.A.

As a New Yorker who has also lived in Los Angeles, I always look forward to coming back. Because of its size and how it’s spread out, you really have to explore L.A. to find the most interesting places, the places with character, and that makes it more fun. New York is more in-your-face. I really feel like I’m in America when I’m in L.A., the majesty of it with the mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

I spend a lot of time by the water, but there aren’t many restaurants along the coast that also have good food. One exception is Gladstone’s, where Sunset runs into Pacific Coast Highway. You can sit and have a crab salad as you watch the sun set, and it’s great. After that, I like seeing movies at the ArcLight because there’s so much there, but I prefer the big older theaters, because they’re almost all gone in New York. We had a premiere of our movie for the album at the Egyptian, and it was really fun.

Wonders of nature

On Saturday morning I might go for a hike at TreePeople. Very beautiful, but you do have to watch for rattlesnakes. After that I’d go to City Spa on Pico, which is sort of a Russian Turkish bath, and they also have the best restaurant in L.A. as far as I’m concerned. It’s an old place; the Rat Pack used to go there. You sit in this clay room called a shvitz that’s not as wet as a steam room but not as dry as a sauna. Then they take these soapy oak-leaf branches and beat you with them. It exfoliates your skin and stimulates your blood flow, which allows the toxins to get out of your system faster. Then I’d have lunch -- grilled sturgeon, a salad and beef borscht. And they have Russian beers that are really strong. And you can be in your bathrobe as you sit there enjoying the best meal of your life. Whatever health problems you have kind of dissolve.

On Saturday night I’m not really interested in the latest hotspot. What’s compelling about L.A. is old Hollywood and the places where the hippies hung out, like Laguna Beach and Topanga Canyon. My friends can drag me to a club like Hyde, because I do have to go out, I’m single and have to meet people. But I like places like Dan Tana’s too. That’s old Hollywood.

Wave runner

On Sunday I’d drive north of Malibu and go surfing. I’m not the greatest in the world at it, but I love sitting out there bobbing on the waves and looking back at the west edge of America, those red clay cliffs. Even if you kind of suck at surfing it’s still a transcendental experience. After that I’d probably go to John’s Garden for veggie sandwiches and lemonade. Bijou used to take me there when she was living in Malibu with her dad.

To finish the day, I’d go to Inn of the Seventh Ray. It has a hippie/health-food vibe, an inside-outside place with canopies. It’s elegant and surrounded by trees.

If you really want to enjoy yourself deeply, you won’t just flit about looking for the trendiest places all the time. Maybe everybody doesn’t want to be sweating in a Russian bath, but it makes me feel healthy, that I’m purging my body of all the poisons that come from living in a big city.

-- Mark Sachs