THE ENABLER

Springtime means renewal for most of the world, but in Los Angeles it’s more of a punch in the eye. The weather turns from a sagging dampness to murderous, insipid heat in a matter of hours; our beloved expanses of freeway become human-scale George Foreman grills for sitting and roasting; and Angelenos deal by promptly staying indoors and setting the A/C to “pulverize.”

Fortunately, pool-less plebeians like the Enabler still have access to a faint glimmer of relief. For the cost of a (mildly overpriced) cocktail, one can bask by the rooftop pool at the Standard hotel downtown. An added bonus is watching the pretty young things in bikini bloom, which are to L.A. what bluebirds and daffodils are to the rest of springtime America.

The Standard is many things to many people: a scene-queen vice den, an art gallery hive and a place to put Mom up when she comes for the weekend. Come balmy weather, its monochrome modernist rooftop lounge (otherwise known as downtown’s Public Pool for Fashion Casualties) approaches something of a democracy of the obnoxious: USC fratties mingle with hip-hop kids in neon hoodies and jaded trust-funders with constant nosebleeds. It’s a spectacle to rival the downtown views, and a magic-hour mojito there almost feels populist.

550 S. Flower St. (213) 892-8080

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-- theguide@latimes.com