I finally got around to checking out this link http://kcet.org/explore-ca/departures/ that was the subject of a NY Times article (mentioned over at view from a loft) and I’d highly suggest anyone with a bit of computer time do the same. Ed and the NYT focus on the artistic merits (there’s some talk of cyber murals) but the website has elements that should make it enjoyable for the layperson just taking a stroll down some internet side street. With pictures, video, and audio, the flash based site does an excellent job of capturing the feel of walking thru the Eastside neighborhood of Boyle Heights.

It’s pretty fucking amazing, go check it out already!
http://kcet.org/explore-ca/departures/

Many of my neighbors make good use of their front lawns by growing needed vegetables rather than wasting water on decorative grass. But it was still surprising to see this large Chinese squash/melon (?) hanging over the sidewalk. Hope this doesn’t make it into the Fallen Fruit maps, someone’s gonna be pissed if this bit of work disappeared. Lincoln Heights has many productive front yards, they’re like the Edible Estates only without the art pretensions and manifestos!
Click ahead for another pic.
Read the rest of this entry →

Today’s LA Times has an interesting feature on the “housing turmoil” (aka the housing bubble) and how the downturn is playing out in the lives of some individuals that make their living in related occupations. In seven short stories they cover some of the ways people are feeling and coping with the pinch. Though the focus is mostly on those involved with the financial side of the issue (one of the commentators shows them no sympathy), they also cover some of the laborers experiencing rough times. A prediction that 200,00 housing related jobs could be lost hints at a very big pop.

Despite the looming housing hangover, the LA City Council just gave real estate developers another shiny gift by changing the zoning laws Downtown to allow for larger and denser developments. Even though politicians have been talking up the potential for new affordable housing, Steve Lopez points out the fact that developers are under no obligation to do so. Best solution for a well planned vision for the city of LA? Cross Your Fingers!

In related news, Downtown developer sued for violating labor laws.

In a previous post of veggie options, reader jk2001 pointed out a Mexican Vegetarian restaurant I should check out in the city of Huntington Park. I had made a personal vow never to return to HP, due to their idiotic approach to Mexican Futbol fans during the last World Cup, and based on my memorable experience of having been in the 94 “soccer riot” which consisted of police tear gassing and shooting rubber bullets at people just trying to celebrate a victory. Nothing quite makes you hate a place like seeing an old lady get knocked over by a bunch of baton wielding thugs operating under the guise of public safety. Still, I couldn’t resist checking out this suggestion, it’s not everyday you get word of a place doing vegetarian Mexican food. Bygones and all that, time to head out to the HP!
Read the rest of this entry →

Click here for larger pic

I’m not sure if this happens in other parts of LA, but in my neighborhood of Lincoln Heights you’ll sometimes see posted signs searching for missing kids, which I assume are mostly runaways. Usually the flyers are hand written and include a very sincere statement regarding the person in question, coupled with a plea for information. Maybe it’s just some kid going crazy for a short spell via the pressure of a few wild friends, or it could be the first steps into a committed campaign against the world of lawfulness. But I’ve known enough runaways to realize that it can also be a very thoughtful rebellion against an oppressive family environment, and although I have no idea about the boy in this flyer, I often hope that’s the case.

Whatever you’re up to, take care of yourself Kevin.

When it comes to a proper sit-down vegetarian restaurant, it seems you’re most likely to end up at one with an Asian twist, they just know how to do it right. Mexican and American style vegetarian cooking has a long way to go to catch up to the great veggie cuisine coming out of that far away continent. And it looks like Asian cooking is going to push ahead from the non-race just a bit more with this latest addition to the menu: Bean Sprouts Vegetarian Restaurant.
Read the rest of this entry →

This next installment of Eastside 101 takes us to the Boyle Heights corner of Olympic and Lorena and into the housing project known as Estrada Courts. Though there’s a sign on the corner of one of the buildings that warns it is not open to the public and you need to ask permission to enter, I don’t think anyone will notice a quick visit. At least that’s what I’m counting on. But it’s not the housing authority I’m worried about, it’s the local gang that will keep me looking over my shoulder. I’m going to squash my gut instincts as there is something about Estrada Courts I want to show you: the walls.

(Warning: lots of pictures)
Read the rest of this entry →

Has anyone else noticed the cult of Betty Boop? I mostly see it afflicting middle aged suburban Latina women, usually because I’m behind them on the freeway or sometimes in office environments. I bet some of you cubicle dwellers know of that one lady that collects all kinds of Betty Boop crap. Well if you want to start your own collection, here’s a special event just for you! I noticed in the Northeast Sun (a local free paper) community calendar that the 22nd Annual Betty Boop Festival will be taking place this weekend in Montebello (oh, that’s so perfect!) and it will include Betty Bingo, a “Special Guest Speaker”, Betty Swap Meet, and even a guest appraiser. And if you go to BettyBoop.com you can even see a nifty flyer for the event! This little cartoon character just makes me cringe but I’m intrigued to see that Betty Swap Meet, maybe I’ll work up the courage.
Event info and one more pic after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry →

Donuts and Chinese Food? Kinda common. Hair Styling and Income Taxes? Perfectly reasonable. Indian, Mexican, and Salvadorean food under one roof? That’s the first time I’ve heard of it! Next to the Monrovia Kirkorian Theater and (sort of inside it as well) there’s been a small Indian restaurant that never looked very busy (I once saw an employee sleeping/hiding on the seats of a corner table), which might have lead to this new change of ownership. I found it online and Ice Spice has a 12mb pdf menu that really does have info on the three seemingly disparate cuisines. Someone needs to review this place, someone better qualified for the task. I hope they make it as I’d like to see how Indo-Mex-Sal fusion develops. Al pastor samosas covered in curtido? Platano paneer mole? Tacos de loroco and dahl? You know you want it. Only in LA. Err, I mean, Monrovia.

If it doesn’t yet exist, someone needs to start up a website for all the different store-restaurant-service combinations out there, you know LA would feature heavily!

(BTW, the Kirkorian replaced their old but hilarious pre-feature self-promo with that annoying but catchy tune which included clips from Superman, Pretty Woman, and Ace Ventura for something new with clips from this century. BOOO! HISSS!)

Did you find yourself painfully sober last weekend? Were you overwhelmed with the seemingly endless options of places to go and things to do in LA? Are you so dreading a repeat of your boring weekend that you just want to curl up into fetal position underneath your blankets? Well have I got a day trip for you! A friend came across this LA Times article about a burgeoning scene of new breweries in Santa Barbara, and since everyone loves a beer trek, plans were hatched to check some of them out. A road trip filled with driving and beer, now that’s a mix sure to lead to lots of fun! Hop on in if you care to come along. Or just cry away in your bed, what do I care.
Read the rest of this entry →

Earlier today I read Lucinda’s post with the cool example of a friendly public humiliation done in another language. Then later in the day I came upon this fine specimen of car writing; the picture is kinda crappy but it reads “Fuck you Bitch Happy-B Day!” It doesn’t seem friendly at all with the whole fuck-you-bitch but then the happy-bday throws a loop, I guess the writer knows the driver and is just kidding. Very much English but certainly part of its own culture.

The virtual carcancha that cruises up and down the streets on the Eastside has developed a flat tire, so until the neighbor returns my can of fix-a-flat I present you with a D.I.Y. graphic suitable for stickering all over Echo Park, Silverlake, and the rest of the places on the other side of the river that are Not the Eastside. You may have already seen these small paper examples of direct action around town. This was designed by one of the persons involved with the Pocho Research Society which they describe as

“a collective of artists, activists and rasquache historians who reside in Los Angeles. Dedicated to the systematic investigation of space, memory and displacement, the PRS understands history as a battleground of the present, a location where hidden & forgotten selves hijack & disrupt the oppression of our moment.”

I’m not the only one that thinks the fight for historical memory is a worthy one. If you missed the report on KPCC yesterday about one of their latest actions, placing guerrilla historical plaques that commemorate gay and Latino bars displaced by gentrification, go here to read the transcript or here if you want to stream the audio, which is worth a listen.

Now you too can download the image, print it up on sticker paper, and join the ranks of those that fight against the Westside Cultural Empire. Onward Eastside Soldiers!

Click here for a slightly larger version.

Whether you want to make a big impression during your next “employee evaluation” or you just need to kill a few hours in Pasadena, I’ve got a quick tip that should do the job nicely. First, head to the location with this sign overhead.
Read the rest of this entry →

Unincorporated East Los Angeles is making another attempt at becoming a proper city by launching an economic feasibility study, which basically means they’re going to see if they can afford to move out from under the roof of the County. The drive even has a decent website so you know they’re serious. Whether it’s a smart idea or not will be hashed out in the coming months, assuming it gets beyond the initial stages. I’m not sure what to think yet but the idea of creating more positions of power, which inevitably leads to the abuse of, isn’t very exciting. But there are a few scenarios I can envision which might make it worthwhile. So here go a few suggestions that might convince me to throw in my pledge of support!
Read the rest of this entry →

Some time ago the fast food joint on Ave. 26 & Figueroa added this lovely touch to their parking lot decor; a chain link fence to keep people off the small patch of grass. What a bunch of jerks. This move is especially deplorable as this served as a small island of respite for the constant flow of bus riders that wait here to make a connection. If there was an award for the best example of anti-pedestrian, anti-bus rider, anti-human architecture, this fence would be a worthy nominee.

A few more miserable pics after the jump…
Read the rest of this entry →