Clubs

Robin Van Persie had a number in mind when he jumped from Arsenal to Manchester United last summer. And it wasn't the $70 million his new four-year contract was worth. After wearing uniform No. 9 with the Dutch national team and 10 and 11 during his nine years with Arsenal, Van Persie put some thought into his uniform choice before deciding to take his talents to Old Trafford, home of the 19-time English Premier League champions. "I took the No. 20 shirt," he said at his introductory news conference in August, "because I'm here to win a 20th title with United.

By the time you read this post it will likely be too late, but the Rolling Stones have scheduled a last-minute club gig in Los Angeles on Saturday night in preparation for the continuation of the band's "50 and Counting" anniversary tour. Tickets to the show, which appears to be scheduled for the Echoplex in Echo Park, are $20, cash only, and could be purchased starting at 1 p.m. at the El Rey. The ability to purchase tickets was to be assigned via a lottery and there is a one-ticket limit.

In Las Vegas, bigger is always better. That's why this week's opening of MGM Grand's new mega-club Hakkasan has all of Sin City and those who love it watching. There is no Vegas night-life venue quite as large as this five-story, 80,000-square-foot space. It's a glitzy, all-inclusive playground featuring a Michelin-starred modern Cantonese restaurant, a massive nightclub with elaborate cocktail lounges and an Oriental Pavilion with a two-story waterfall. And it's not just for show - Hakkasan has lined up an A-list roster of resident DJs including Tiesto, Calvin Harris and Steve Aoki.

As former President George W. Bush, joined by President Obama and three living former presidents, dedicates his library this week in Dallas, it's important to remember that presidential libraries are relatively new. In 1941, while he was still in office, Franklin D. Roosevelt established the first such archive in Hyde Park, N.Y., to preserve personal papers and mementos from his time in office. His successor, Harry Truman, signed the Presidential Libraries Act into law, authorizing the National Archives to help set up and operate these treasure troves of American politics and policy.

Now that the days are longer and the weather is warmer, there will be more bicyclists on the streets, the Automobile Club of Southern California says. So it's suggesting steps that could prevent accidents. Some of the Auto Club rules of the road for motorists: --When parked on streets, look for bicyclists approaching before opening your car door. --When passing a bicyclist, slow down and try to give them at least three feet of room. --Drivers should always signal before lane changes and turns, especially right turns, when cars will cross into the bike lane.

Compton High School has two tennis courts, a coach and now, all the gear it can use, including rackets, balls and even shoes. What's lacking is a team. But that's beginning to change. The school started signing up prospective tennis players last week as a donation of equipment and regulation nets was being unloaded. Curious students approached the tennis court to ask what the commotion was about and left as team members with racket bags filled with gear. "Guess we play tennis now," Tatiarria Hayes, 16, joked with her best friend, Robin Butler, 15, both holding black and green bags.

My daughter is a junior in high school, so I've spent part of this spring making that upper-middle-class pilgrimage known as "the college tour. " But as we were led across sweeping lawns by tour guides walking backward, I found myself thinking less about my daughter's looming college experience and more about how different her life will be after she graduates. I've also been thinking about "Girls," the television series about four young women trying to make ends meet in New York.

Brian Cashman , the New York Yankees' general manager, said this in spring training: "The story that we're too old gets written so much that at some point they'll be right. " This appears to be that point. The Yankees learned last week that Derek Jeter's left ankle had fractured once again, and he'll be 39 when he returns after the All-Star break. Then again, the Yankees thought he might be ready for opening day. Mariano Rivera is 43, and he says this season is his last.

Make no mistake: the Dodgers will one day make the San Diego Padres pay for what Carlos Quentin did to Zack Greinke. This is baseball. It will happen. Manager Don Mattingly hinted as much a couple of days ago. But if only for an evening, the Dodgers weren't thinking about revenge. Not on Monday, not with Jackie Robinson Day being celebrated at Dodger Stadium and news of devastation flooding in from Boston. Against this solemn backdrop, the Dodgers and Padres set aside their books of unwritten rules and played an uneventful game that the visitors from San Diego won, 6-3. "There's more to life than retaliating for something that, when you look at it and the things that Jackie did for us and what he had to go through, really isn't that big of a deal," Kemp said.

While the main body of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival lies on the Empire Polo Field, a connected, but far-flung grouping of parties act as a titillating extension of the main event. In order to get your party on in the most organized and extensive way possible this weekend, here's a rundown of some of the best shindigs in the desert. If all goes well your dance card will be packed four days straight. Note: Locations are often kept secret until you RSVP, and getting an invite often depends on who you know - just like back home.