
Good morning: it’s Friday, May 15. Expect warm, cloudy days and humid nights all weekend. Sunday afternoon looks like nice beach weather, but maybe don’t go in the water — there’s a rip current warning in effect.
L.A. restaurants are loud. But how loud? And why?

A screaming martini order at a packed Los Feliz hotspot sent writer and humorist Dave Schilling down a surprisingly revealing rabbit hole: Why are Los Angeles bars and restaurants so unbearably loud?
Through conversations with chefs and restaurateurs, actual decibel readings taken in some of the city's buzziest watering holes, and an onerous number of drinks sampled around town, Schilling explores why "silence is death" in hospitality — and whether the quest for immaculate vibes comes at the expense of conversation, comfort and hearing health.
To learn why restaurants and bars turn up the sound, and where you can actually have a vibe-y meal and still hear yourself think, check out Schilling’s illuminating bar crawl.
READING MATERIAL
HMS COUNT-Y: LAist reports that Hollywood 4WRD, a coalition of businesses and nonprofit organizations, plans on conducting its own count of the homeless population in the neighborhood because of a lack of confidence in L.A. County’s official annual Homeless Count results.
ORSA & WINDSTORM: The odds that an El Niño will affect Southern California this winter have risen to 96%, according to the National Weather Service — though it’s still not clear exactly how powerful the weather pattern will be. For more clarification on what El Niño actually is, climate scientist Daniel Swain has a 60-second version.
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