L.A.moment: Downtown

I need to go more places in L.A...(taken and sent via mobile phone).

L.A.resource: USGS/Cal-Tech earthquake meter

Non-SoCal natives don't believe me when I say that we pretty much have an earthquake everyday here in Southern California. So here's a site that can let us better understand this bit of trivia: Cal Tech has a seismic graph that shows the past earthquakes that happened during the past hour, the day before and the previous week. Go there to see if any happened in your neck of the woods. Don't go there if you'd rather not know...

L.A.event: Sunday, July 15th @ Lost Souls Cafe

O.k., shameful plug for the "Hear, Here" fund raiser for the non-profit and non-commercial L.A.-based internet radio station, killradio.org. Come for the bands and stay for the after party at Bar 107...remember, for some, it's all about the after party...



I co-DJ "Hear, Here" with DJ Jon Hershfield and we webcast on Mondays from 2pm - 4pm Pacific Time @ killradio.org...it's an all submissions show where bands from all over the country and the world send us their CDs and mp3s and we play it with no hesitation...

L.A.resource: UCLA digital photo archive

UCLA's digital photo library is addictive...visit at your own risk...

L.A.location: L.A. River

Continued walking home to Boyle Heights and the dismal nature of the L.A. River was more apparent than ever before...even the Cesar Chavez Bridge was a picture of decayed beauty, inherited by people who no longer appreciate it...

L.A.moment: Union Station

Homeward bound via the concourse at Union Station...(taken and sent via mobile phone)...

L.A.moment: Red Line to Union Station...

Here comes the train at Beverly/Vermont...(photo taken and sent via mobile phone).

L.A.moment: Union Station

Close up of the gates inside the Station...(taken and sent via mobile phone)

L.A.moment: Union Station

Passing through...(taken and sent via mobile phone)

L.A.past - Commercials from the 70's and 80's

After posting the Zody's commercial (see L.A.moment: killradio.org fund raiser @ Safari Sam's July 2nd), I got hawt and bothered for the local L.A. commercials from whence I was but a wee one:


CONTROL DATA INSTITUTE





THE FEDERATED SUPERSTORES





I can't find my favorite though, an anti-drinking and driving p.s.a. where I distinctly remember the wife chasing her drunk husband out of the house pleading, "Don't take the car, you'll kill yoursel--!"

L.A.moment: Sunday afternoon @ Lost Souls Cafe

It's Sunday afternoon, hot out...what better to incline oneself to drink iced coffee @ Lost Souls Cafe downtown...

L.A.event- RIDE-Arc July

First time I had ever taken part in SCI-Arc's RIDE-Arc. For July, this architectural and urban anthropological tour of downtown Los Angeles looked at Homelessness, Gentrification and Incarceration. From SCI-Arc's L.A. River adjacent location, about 200 of us biked south to an area between the 4th and 6th Street bridges where the homeless of L.A. were sweeped up by the LAPD, then we traveled further south to the Biscuit Company Lofts for a surprising dose of gentrification. (The whole downtown loft explosion is exciting but I wouldn't want to live so far from downtown, Metro Red Line, etc. while having a gazillion factory and manufacturing buildings as neighbors), next we traveled west into Skid Row. Although our numbers caused some attention and concern from the area's residents we had a great informational lecture in front of the Midnight Mission from the night manager and a current resident. Someone asked the resident how long he had been living there and after he yelled back that he'd been there since October, he got applause from everyone which I thought was touching and beautiful. We biked east to the Hart Hotel, an SRO upstairs that has a non-profit clean needle exchange program on the street level. Since the sweeps of homeless people downtown, these non-profit clean needle exchange groups have a harder time helping those people wishing to exchange old needles for new ones. Because of this, the clientèle has shifted to middle class people coming from the suburbs wishing to exchange old needles for new ones rather than from the homeless population.

We then continued west up 3rd Street to Hill Street where we drove past the backside of Grand Central Market, the hopefully someday will be resurrected Angels Flight and ended up in the South Park neighborhood at the soon to open Ralph's. Our numbers in front of this yet to open supermarket made both the store's security guards as well as the neighbors in the balconies across the street question everything.

From there we rode into the Civic Center all the while reclaiming streets from cars to end up across from the new jail opening next door to the LAPD's Parker Center. Finally we ended up at the Twin Towers Men's Jail adjacent to the MTA Building.

I have to share that this was a powerful experience to bike throughout my favorite neighborhood of downtown L.A. But also there was a sense of responsibility I felt I had to learn about what one might think are 3 separate issues that actually overlap considerably...

(photos to come...!)

L.A.moment: 4th of July in Boyle Heights

After a barbecue in Eagle Rock it was back home to the 4th of July war zone of Boyle Heights...it reminded me of being a kid when fireworks were (albeit oddly when you think about it) LEGAL.

L.A.moment: killradio.org fund raiser @ Safari Sam's

The relatively new Safari Sam's in the shopping center where the 99 Cents Only Store used to be a Zody's and the Safari Sam's used to be a strip club. Non-profit and non-commercial L.A. based internet radio station, killradio.org, with the help of Valerie of The Ghost Lullaby, raised a pretty pretty penny. Thanks to all the bands: Ready The Jet, Jessie Deluxe, Peach Fuzz, The Ghost Lullaby and The Dirges!

L.A.roadtrip: Lake Arrowhead

Quick getaway in the nearby mountain communities of San Bernardino to spend Mom's birthday with Mom (!) and family. From downtown L.A., I'm always surprised it's a mere hour and a 1/2 drive. Though, since I rented a Mini Cooper through Flexcar, I could've driven to Canada...Had dinner at Finn McCool's in Twin Peaks to see Wake The Bard...(where I had 3 Smithwicks and 3 Irish Coffees and couldn't barely get a buzz--must've been the altitude)...



visited nearby Crestline and had lunch with some family at Rocky's in Sky Forest.

L.A.moment: Looker @ El Cid

What a great way to spend a first date: dinner at Hollywood Thai in Thai Town followed by NYC-based Looker @ El Cid. Too bad their plane was delayed, meant they couldn't perform live on killradio.org's "Hear, Here"...but I'm glad that I was able to see them as well as get to better "know" my date (sorry, no photos of that) at this "authentic replica of a 16th Century tavern."

L.A.services - Flexcar

04/05/06 - Next I drove over to Grand Central Market to get some produce. After dropping off everything at my house and returning the car, the whole trip was 1 hour and 30 minutes, which works out to $15. Check out Flexcar at www.flexcar.com

L.A.services - Flexcar

04/05/06 - I drove over to Silver Lake to the vet's so I could get the 20 pound bag of cat food my "kids" adore.

L.A.services - Flexcar

04/05/06 Flexcar is a car rental service that rents by the hour. Cars are at many locations downtwon, Mid-Wilshire and Westwood. Today I used it for the first time. Most cars are Honda Hybrids, but here was the Honda Odyssey waiting for me at Union Station.

L.A.moment - Financial District

04/03/06 California Plaza