Sixteen years ago, I moved to Hollywood in the hopes of having a long (and hopefully successful) career in the entertainment business. At the time, my friend Rachel was living in a one-bedroom apartment at the corner of Tamarind Ave. and Franklin Ave. – across from the Scientology Center. She knew of another open unit in her building and suggested I take it. I rented the apartment sight unseen, planted my roots in Hollywood, and began “living the dream.”

Down the street was restaurant/bar called, “Birds.” It was a funky place with a locals-only kind of atmosphere. The staff was friendly, the beer was cold, and the chicken was tasty. The first time I ever stepped into this restaurant, I was greeted by the picture you see below. It made me laugh.

I’ve been going to this restaurant for 16 years and every time I see this picture – I still laugh. However, until I ate there last night….I didn’t know that there was a story behind the picture!

This is what I discovered after reading the menu for the first time……

“Credit goes to our friend Sandy Simpson, photographer and father of the postcard girls. The photo entitled, “Sophie Flips the Bird” was taken by Sandy in 1994 and presented to us as a “housewarming” gift upon the grand opening of Birds. The photo has since been “borrowed” (or should we say pirated?) many times over and spotted as far away as Denmark, Russia, and Thailand. The ‘one-gun salute’ is not representative of our approach to customer service!”

Next time you’re in Hollywood, stop by Birds and get a free “Sophie Flips the Bird” postcard while grabbing some chicken and a beer. (And ask for the artichoke dipping sauce! Yum.)

(On a side note, the entire neighborhood had the same cable provider during the ‘90s. So, we all had the same cable boxes. There were more than a few occasions when I would walk down to the bar for a drink with my television remote in my pocket. When the bartender wasn’t watching, I’d quickly change the channel and then watch them scramble to try and figure out what was happening. Sorry Birds. I was young, dumb, and a little drunk.)