In Los Angeles magazine for October

Writer-at-large Dave Gardetta hangs out with the lifeguards at Zuma, inside the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, why we love Helen Mirren, plus an analysis from our own Mark Lacter on the prospects of (and arguments for) bankruptcy by the city of Los Angeles. Also, to commemorate the magazine's 50th birthday, photographer Tim Street-Porter captures presents five houses that represent five decades of L.A. home design. As you can see from the cover, it's the nightlife issue.

Noted: The magazine's June, 2009 Failure cover about Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been nominated for Most Controversial Cover of the Year by the American Society of Magazine Editors.