UNDERRATED / OVERRATED

Well, another Memorial Day has come and gone and are we any wiser? Did you find any fun, new ways to spend time away from work (assuming you were lucky enough to get the day off)? Or were you disappointed by some old standards? Let us know. Send your own Underrated and Overrated ideas to theguide@latimes.com.

BRAND BOOKSHOP

For 22 years, this cozy, browser-friendly mom-and-pop bookshop in Glendale (231 N. Brand Blvd.) has stocked more than 100,000 used titles from more than 1,400 sections, not to mention records and CDs.

GAS PRICES

With a gallon hanging tough at over $4, you’ve got a built-in, easy excuse to blow off friends whom you’re too lazy to drive and see anyhow. Be doubly convincing with an accompanying hobo stick-and-satchel.

EL CAPITAN THEATRE

For a true moviegoing experience, this theater in the heart of Hollywood (6838 Hollywood Blvd.) can’t be beat: Disney tunes on the mighty Wurlitzer that sinks into the stage, a pre-show live performance and commemorative popcorn buckets all in a plush, gorgeous theater.

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JACK-FM’S NEW AD CAMPAIGN

Misquoting The Guide as an ad campaign (“L.A.’s most overrated radio station”)? We applaud the effort, guys, but we’ve also overrated K-Earth 101. All we know is we find ourselves drawn to the new kids on the block, The Sound (who are also “playing what they want,” at 100.3). Now if only you’d play more Talking Heads (like the Sound) and less 3 Doors Down, we’d be jacking up the volume instead of switching channels.

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Currently on its 31st anniversary tour, this venerable L.A. punk band has -- like the Stones -- shed its dignity in favor of a perpetual nostalgia act, with ticket prices that would make a true punk rocker shudder. They’re not desperate any longer, but they are way too serious nowadays.