QUIZ – What Lies Beneath (Morrison Hotel)
I’m starting to think these quizzes are gettin’ too easy for you guys! Break on through to the other side… the answer is after the jump.
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Today’s little quiz is taking us Downtown. No hints this time… sooo can you tell us its name?
Just to remind you, here’s how this little game goes… we’ll show you a spot on a google map (see below). We’re thinking of something notable that once happened or existed a stone’s throw from the point on that map. Within 24 hours we’ll give you the full details… but as always, we’re going to give you a fair amount of time to guess what we’re referring to first. We encourage you not to cheat by googling the address and if you know the answer right away please try not to announce it too quickly and ruin the game for the people who don’t.
HELPING – Save Homeboy Industries
As explained in the video above, Homeboy Industries is struggling to survive during a tough economy which has left even the most stable of businesses hard hit.
If you would like to help Homeboy, vote online at the Chase Community Giving Facebook page to make them eligible for $250,000 in funding. If you’d rather get involved and donate directly, contact them through their web site or just go to the Homegirl Cafe for lunch and spend some dough!!!
Homeboy Industries provides comprehensive job training, job development, social and educational support services, all offered free of charge, to the most disenfranchised segment of our community, formerly gang affiliated youth, parolees, the under-educated and poor. Homeboy Industries is a beacon of hope and opportunity for those seeking to leave gang life, for whom the barriers and challenges are great, and for whom there is virtually no other avenue to have a second chance to enter the mainstream of society. (more…)
AY DIOS MIO! – The Lucha Lords
As previously mentioned, many aspects of Mexican culture are very close to my heart… so when Andrew from Lucha Lords invited us to watch underground Mexican Wrestling on Sunday I was all for it. I may be a girly girl in some ways, but I love that stuff.
CLICK ON EACH THUMBNAIL FOR A LARGER VIEW.
It was an evening of authentic entertainment featuring exactly what I was hoping for… a variety of (often pot-bellied) men in wacky spandex ensembles and masks playing out testosterone-fueled soap operas and combined displays of pain both very real and very faked. My favorite rivalry was between a large man dressed up like Tweety Bird and his archnemesis, a wrestler who looked like a reject from a community theater production of CATS. (Sadly, Tweety lost.) There are no hipster burlesque shows or fanciness to these events (or English, for that matter)… just Lucha Libre at its core, in a room filled with family members cheering on their favorites (sometimes with a bullhorn).
Hosted in a community hall behind a grungy cafe on 7th Street, Lucha Lords feels like the purest form of the spectacle… and it was easy to forget we were still in Los Angeles. It was 100% pure macho cheesy entertainment and one of the most fun things I’ve done in a while. Thanks Andrew! By the way, if you’re up for the adventure the Lucha Lords generally do their thing on Sundays from 7-10pm, but check the web site for full information.
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YAY – Angel’s Flight is Running!
The historic Angels Flight funicular will resume regular service today, more than nine years after being closed because of a fatal accident.
The California Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday approved the replaced cable system and a new automatic brake system for what has been dubbed “the shortest railway in the world.”
Demonstration rides were conducted Sunday on the hillside track connecting Hill Street near the Grand Central Market to California Plaza on Grand Avenue.
Angels Flight will operate from 6:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The fare is 25 cents. (more…)
SERIES – On Skid Row: Part Five, Afterword
PART 5 OF 5 (With follow-ups to come) – For full series, click here.
I’d like to thank everyone who’s made such a point to tell me that by watching this film series, their perceptions of homelessness in Los Angeles has really been altered. Over and over again I’ve heard: “Seeing the series made me want to help. I just don’t know how.” The films affected me the same way, which is why I chose to embed them.
I’m currently in contact with Sam Slovick and we’re trying to brainstorm ideas for how we can harness the collective power of our huge HiddenLA audience to make a difference and help get some of these parents and children off of our streets. Please keep an eye out, because as soon as we come up with a good gameplan for what would truly help the situation, we’ll be announcing it.
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Los Angeles’ homeless community isn’t exactly hidden, yet poverty is a particularly easy issue to ignore as we go about our busy days, driving through the city streets at high speeds worrying about our own problems. I hope you’ll stop and take a minute to watch these short films from 2008. Especially in this economy, there but by the grace of God go us all.
SERIES – On Skid Row: Part Four, God
PART 4 OF 5 – For full series, click here.
Los Angeles’ homeless community isn’t exactly hidden, yet poverty is a particularly easy issue to ignore as we go about our busy days, driving through the city streets at high speeds worrying about our own problems. I hope you’ll stop and take a minute to watch these short films from 2008. Especially in this economy, there but by the grace of God go us all.
Journalist Sam Slovick posted a comment for us after we featured part one on HiddenLA:
“Thanks for posting my skid row doc series. Sadly not a lot has changed since I made it. I’m about to shoot another as a companion piece to a story for the launch of the new SLAKE magazine. This one will consider home as an internal condition, as apposed to a geography through the lens of some decidedly disenfranchised people who have found themselves fallen deep between the cracks on skid row in L.A.”
DESCRIPTION: Part 4: Union Rescue Mission’s Orland Ward and Skid Row preacher Pastor Jeffery Thomas reveal the role of God on Skid Row. Alongside Skid Row’s hustlers, transients, and cops are a lesser known population of children, social servants and religious workers whose daily lives play out on LA’s most dangerous city blocks.
Note: We really love to hear what you have to say here. Just know that inappropriate, rude shout out comments will not be approved… you should post those on You Tube.
SERIES – On Skid Row: Part Three, Drugs
PART 3 OF 5 – For full series, click here.
Los Angeles’ homeless community isn’t exactly hidden, yet poverty is a particularly easy issue to ignore as we go about our busy days, driving through the city streets at high speeds worrying about our own problems. I hope you’ll stop and take a minute to watch these short films from 2008. Especially in this economy, there but by the grace of God go us all.
Journalist Sam Slovick posted a comment for us after we featured part one on HiddenLA:
“Thanks for posting my skid row doc series. Sadly not a lot has changed since I made it. I’m about to shoot another as a companion piece to a story for the launch of the new SLAKE magazine. This one will consider home as an internal condition, as apposed to a geography through the lens of some decidedly disenfranchised people who have found themselves fallen deep between the cracks on skid row in L.A.”
DESCRIPTION: Part 3: Two sides of the same coin: Super Dope cop, Commander Andrew Smith from Central Division lays down the law, plus former Skid Row crack dealers, gutter rappers Choc Nitty and Six Reasons from the infamous Snowman Cliq, come correct. Alongside Skid Row’s hustlers, transients, and cops are a lesser known population of children, social servants and religious workers whose daily lives play out on LA’s most dangerous city blocks.
SERIES – On Skid Row: Part Two, Kids
PART 2 OF 5 – For full series, click here.
Los Angeles’ homeless community isn’t exactly hidden, yet poverty is a particularly easy issue to ignore as we go about our busy days, driving through the city streets at high speeds worrying about our own problems. I hope you’ll stop and take a minute to watch these short films from 2008. Especially in this economy, there but by the grace of God go us all.
Journalist Sam Slovick posted a comment for us after we featured part one on HiddenLA:
“Thanks for posting my skid row doc series. Sadly not a lot has changed since I made it. I’m about to shoot another as a companion piece to a story for the launch of the new SLAKE magazine. This one will consider home as an internal condition, as apposed to a geography through the lens of some decidedly disenfranchised people who have found themselves fallen deep between the cracks on skid row in L.A.”
DESCRIPTION: Part 2: Teenaged Skid Row filmmaker Franklin Arburtha carries the mantle of disenfranchised youth on skid row. Alongside Skid Row’s hustlers, transients, and cops are a lesser known population of children, social servants and religious workers whose daily lives play out on LA’s most dangerous city blocks.
SERIES – On Skid Row: Part One, Introduction
Between December 2005 and March 2006, journalist Sam Slovick wrote a stunning and insightful series of LA Weekly cover stories that took readers “deep inside the everyday tragedies and triumphs found on Downtown Los Angeles’s Skid Row.” These stories were then turned into a documentary series by GOOD Magazine (a “collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward”) in 2008. I’ll be embedding this entire film as a series here.
Los Angeles’ homeless community isn’t exactly hidden, yet poverty is a particularly easy issue to ignore as we go about our busy days, driving through the city streets at high speeds worrying about our own problems. I hope you’ll stop and take a minute to watch these films. Especially in this economy, there but by the grace of God go us all.
DESCRIPTION: Part 1: The lay of the land on Skid Row in Los Angeles, the worst social disaster in America. Alongside Skid Row’s hustlers, transients, and cops are a lesser known population of children, social servants and religious workers whose daily lives play out on LA’s most dangerous city blocks.
VIDEO – Hidden Layers of the Million $ Theatre
Scroll down to view a video by Filmmaker Haeyong Moon that goes behind the scenes. Parts 2-3 after the jump.
The Chinese and Egyptian Theaters in Hollywood brought the showman more lasting fame, but The Million Dollar Theatre on South Broadway was failed prospector Sid Grauman‘s first movie house. Located next to the historic Grand Central Market (built in 1917 and still thriving) and across from the iconic Bradbury Building (built in 1893 and now housing internal LAPD offices), this incredible structure was first opened to the public in February 1918.
The wonderful video below goes behind the scenes to share some of the hidden beauty that still exists and few get to see. If you’d like to learn more about the downtown theatre district firsthand, the LA Conservancy offers a walking tour every Saturday at 10am. Tickets are $10. 
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SHOPPING – UniqueLA (TODAY!)
I meant to go to this on Saturday but I was so focused on decorating the tree that I totally forgot! Fortunately, it’s today too! YAY!
UNIQUE LOS ANGELES
WHAT: “The largest independent design show on the West Coast! Shop directly from over 300 designers and artists, support local design and our economy, and have a blast!”
WHERE: California Market Center, 110 East 9th Street, Downtown
WHEN: Last day is today, December 6, 11am – 6pm
PRICE: $10 – with partial proceeds going to one of my very favorite local non-profits: 826LA! Entry gets you an exclusive-to-the-show limited edition tote bag, a free drink ticket, unlimited re-entry for both days, and access to our great lineup of free workshops. (Children 12 and under are free)
“UNIQUE LOS ANGELES is an exciting two-day shopping event that showcases independent design talent at great prices – with an emphasis on “made in America” goods, 99% of products at the show are proudly made right here in the USA! On top of shopping the wide variety of offerings, the event boasts many exciting Extras & Amenities, including free workshops, a lounge area, and two cafes. Plan to spend the day with us! (more…)
COMING SOON: CRAZY GIDEON CONDOS!!!!!!
MOVE INTO ONE OR YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR HEAD!!!!
PREVIOUSLY: RIP Crazy Gideon’s – Gideon is Retiring after 35+ years
FLASHBACK – Bono Pisses Off the LAPD
*CLICK ON THE SQUARE IMAGE BELOW TO LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY*
Where: The roof top of the Republic Liquor Store, corner of 7th and Main, Downtown
When: 3pm Friday, March 27, 1987
What: A rumor spread throughout the city that the band U2 was about to shoot a live music video on a rooftop Downtown. Coincidentally, many 20-somethings suffered flu-like symptoms and left work early that day.
Details: U2′s Joshua Tree album was released on March 9th, 1987 to an immediate buzz. Irish director Meiert Avis was hired to rush a video for the third single and the chosen song, “Where The Streets Have No Name,” was to set be performed live to playback. For dramatic effect they chose to film on an unexpected and very public location – the roof of a Skid Row liquor store in the middle of a workday.
EVENT – Downtown LA Film Festival 8/12-22
*CHECK OUR DAILY EVENT LISTINGS FOR THIS & LOTS OF OTHER COOL STUFF!*
The Downtown Film Festival starts this week with a cool lineup to check out. Film highlights for the week include Spike Lee’s Passing Strange The Movie, LeVar Burton’s Reach For Me, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzie, In the Drink, My Suicide, and Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison.
On the 20th, the Festival will encourage you to get your Green on by presenting the 4th Annual SUSTAINABLE L.A. event. Oh, and as a special treat… because we all know you can’t get your fill of pre-freaky MJ, you can tag along with the cute and funky Jackson brothers during their first tour of Africa in 1974 via Jackson 5 in Africa on the closing night of the event. We never can say goodbye!
Personally, I’ll probably go just for the free double feature tribute to Paul Newman… cuz… sigh. I miss his blue eyes something fierce.
If you’d like to go to the festival but are low on funds, VOLUNTEER!!!
BIG SIGH – Saving Clifton’s. And L.A.
It feels like so many great things in Los Angeles are being killed by the economy. Paddle boats and lotus plants, film screenings, 80% of our parks, and now it looks like there’s a hint of trouble for historic, campground ambiance-filled purveyor of ambrosia salad for nearly 70 years, Clifton’s Cafeteria. Mind you, I still haven’t finished mourning Kelbo’s Coco Bowl… I just don’t think I can take much more.
This is such a scary time… in case you haven’t noticed, many wonderful things that surround us are being taken away like grains of sand – one by one – most never to return. Something needs to change about this trend, for anyone who actually believes closing parks and landmarks is for the good of a community isn’t thinking very hard about the reality. Many of the things that are disappearing have foundations that took multiple lifetimes to build… these things are our traditions and speaking for myself, the heart of our heritage. Without them, we become less. We lose identity… one grain of sand at a time.
By the time this run of closures is finished, there won’t be much to go outside for. Do we really want our children to never experience parks or art programs or a cafeteria filled with movie set decor modeled after the Santa Cruz Mountains circa 1935? Do we really want to be people who do nothing besides stare at iphones all day?
Not six months ago, The L.A. Times called Clifton’s “The place where L.A. finds itself.” If and when the kitschy goodness of Clifton’s disappears from our tangible landscape, we’re going to be even more lost than we are now. Moral of the story: take notice of the things around you Los Angeles. Appreciate them NOW. Don’t take them for granted, they’re too important. And while it’s still there, please go check out Clifton’s if you haven’t… or even if you have. The food may not be on anyone’s diet, but that’s part of the charm. And before you leave Clifton’s, take a minute to go up to Clifton’s diorama chapel (created for owner Clifford Clifton by artist Einar Petersen) and say a little prayer for its future. Actually, throw another one in for ours while you’re at it.
EVENTS – The Close Up 7/6-12
Note: Event listings are updated during the week as we see fit.
Now through 8/31/09 – Photography: The Billboard Show
7/9/09 – Downtown LA Artwalk
7/10-12/09 – Echo Park Community Festival
7/11/09 – Historic North Hollywood Walking Tour, 80′s Prom Party
7/12/09 – Bastille Day Los Angeles; Art and Poetry with Exene Cervenka
ONGOING THROUGH AUGUST 31st
What: THE BILLBOARD SHOW Selling the California Lifestyle – Photographic Landscapes of the 1950s & 1960s
Where: Take My Picture Gary Leonard 860 South Broadway, Downtown (213) 622-2256
When: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10am–2pm & 3–6pm; Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am–2pm; Saturdays 12–6pm; Sundays 12–3pm
Price: FREEEEE!
Details: “Ever since taking a photograph of the Dodgers as a little boy in 1959, Gary Leonard has documented the mercurial landscape of Los Angeles, from the political to the cultural and economic. A former employee of billboard advertising company Pacific Outdoor recently gave Leonard thousands of billboard slides, a hundred of which are now on view at Leonard’s gallery, Take My Picture (named after his column in various regional publications). Advertising everything from funeral services and early fax machines to civic defense and entertainment, the images provide a rare historical survey of mid-century American commercial design, proving that, much like one of his influences, Weegee, Gary Leonard has an excellent sense of timing.” (SOURCE)
L.A. Is A Nicer Place Than You Think – #1
OUR GORGEOUS VINTAGE TRAIN STATION STILL EXISTS. WHERE’S YOURS?
All it takes is a quick look around to see how many other vintage train stations across the nation have been taken down by the wrecking ball and replaced with boxy concrete structures or freeway ramps and yet our vintage train station remains beautiful, in daily use by citizens and historically intact for the most part. Union Station opened in May 1939, and is known as the “Last of the Great American Railway Stations.” Even if you’ve never been inside, you’ve still seen the beauty of it many times. So let’s just have a little cheer for the fact that we still *have* Union Station.
WEB – In SRO Land
Each spring, L.A.’s popular time-travel blog 1947project reinvents itself. For the first three years, it followed a chronological crime-a-day format by painstakingly scouring newspapers for incredible forgotten tales of crime and infamy from particular years (1947, 1927 and 1907 were all featured). Then the On Bunker Hill blog which followed was “a house-by-house survey of the great old downtown residential neighborhood that was demolished to create the high rise district that shares its name, but none of its charms.” The contributors – including authors, librarians, bloggers, psychologists, film scholars, art historians, artists and tour guides – dug deep into historic archives to uncover fascinating tales of more than a century of life on old Bunker Hill.
Well, the latest incarnation of Kim Cooper‘s baby has officially been born as of today, and it’s got a name: In SRO Land: lost lore of the Historic Core. The blog’s contributors are an eclectic mix of prominent social historians and journalists who will “explore the forgotten history of Downtown LA, up the grand entertainment boulevard of Broadway (where SRO means “Standing Room Only”) and down the mean streets of Main (where SRO stands for “Single Room Occupancy,” shorthand for a rented room with a sink in the corner, shared toilet down the hall). Between these two poles, straddling the financial center of Spring Street, modern Los Angeles was born.” Check it out!
