Sayeth Moby’s website:

Destroyed introduces us to a side of touring that is often unexposed; secluded time spent in artificial spaces like hotel rooms and backstage waiting areas. The combined album and photo book provides an intimate look at Moby’s world and his creative process as an artist, both the music and photos were created in the same period and draw inspiration from the strange and sublime world of touring.

So … Linda McCartney meets Lost In Translation? Could be very interesting.

View of Culver City & environs from the infamous steps of the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook

If, like me, you desire a small-town feel from our giant metro area every now and then, Culver City‘s Fiesta La Ballona, which takes place August 26-28, may be just the ticket. The Fiesta, which occupies Veteran’s Park at the intersection of Culver Blvd. and Overland Ave., is part cultural heritage festival and part small-town carnival.

On the cultural heritage side, the Fiesta dates back to 1951, and celebrates “the region’s early settlers”, including Native American Indians and the Spanish “First Families” (no colonialism arguments here, please). The event has been reinvented several times, and is now billed as “a celebration of the past, present and future of Culver City”.

This celebration includes games, carnival rides, live music, various presentations, and even a beer garden (not recommended immediately preceding said carnival rides).

As the events schedule indicates, the Fiestivities begin at 4:30 pm on Friday August 26, and run through 9 p.m. on Sunday the 28th. Admission is free, with separate cost for rides, beer, and, most likely, wacky food that you only eat at places like this.

You Should Like This

Before The Event That Never Was, I wrote about the need for a rail line along the 405 corridor. I exchanged a few emails with Bart Reed of the Transit Coalition, who shared some insight as to how to get such an important piece of the transit puzzle off the ground (or rather, under.) He said they have been in talks with Los Angeles Council Districts 6 and 11, and that they would begin promoting through social media sites.

The Valley-Westside Rail project is now up on Facebook. You should like it.

I asked Bart how people could get more involved. He said that we need to start by garnering support from neighborhood councils. So, that’s where I began, with a few emails of my own:

This past weekend, the closure of the 405 and the media attention it received resulted in a ripple effect on the entire freeway system. Drivers got lucky. Businesses did not. This further illustrates the need for viable transportation alternatives. Specifically, a more comprehensive regional rail network.

As a contributing author for Blogging.LA, I wanted to get your input on a newly envisioned Metro rail line from the Valley to the Westside, by way of the 405 corridor.

Current proposals by the Transit Coalition would have the first phase of the North-South line connect the Expo and Purple lines on the Westside to the Orange Line, Van Nuys Metrolink/Amtrak, and Sylmar Metrolink/HSR in the Valley. Phase 2 would connect with LAX and onto Long Beach.

What is your council’s position on such a line? What would your constituents stand to gain/lose from it?

I think we can agree that comprehensive transit system is vital to the future of our city. I would like any feedback you could give, as we begin an open, honest dialogue on how to better connect our communities.

Judy Price of the Valley Glen Neighborhood Association was the first to respond:

Personally, I think we must start working toward a transit solution in Los Angeles. I was an early proponent for the Orange Line, although many in Valley Glen fought it. It is a poor substitute for rail or subway but is better than nothing and has been a great success. Thank you for the nudge on this important issue.

Then there was the response from Tony Braswell of Neighborhood Council Valley Village:

We have repeatedly gone on record in favor of more public transportation options to link SFV to the rest of the city.  I  believe our Board will  look favorably on this “newly envisioned Metro rail line”, and will share it with our City Services Committee at their next meeting.  Anything that links SFV to the west side and eventually to LAX would benefit our stakeholders.

Maybe things do start with a Facebook page. Or an email. Have you written your neighborhood council lately? Find yours by entering your address here at EmpowerLA.org.

Not only is this MINI parked in the handicap spot closest to the entrance of B&B Hardware in Culver City with no visible handicap parking tag, it also has the license plate “FIT2FIT”. Irony alert, or just coincidence?

Air Force One returns to LAX Thursday afternoon.

As I’ve previously mentioned, it’s pretty exciting when Air Force One is at LAX. It is, after all, probably the most recognizable 747 in the country, if not the world. In addition to being exciting to see, it can also be a tremendous pain in the ass. If Air Force One is here, that means the President is, too. And that likely means especially bad traffic on L.A.’s streets.

If you’re a fan of plane spotting, I’m here to give you the hot tip. Pick your spot on the lawn next to In-N-Out on Sepulveda on Thursday afternoon. If all goes according to schedule, Air Force One will cross directly in front of you as it comes in to land at 2:45pm. I always recommend getting there at least 30-60 minutes early, as this flight sometimes runs ahead of schedule.

If you’re not a fan of plane spotting (or heavy traffic,) I’m here to give you the hot tip. Stay the hell away from West L.A. on Thursday afternoon! President Obama arrives in mid-afternoon and will be heading to Sony Studios in Culver City to appear at a fundraiser for his reelection campaign. The Secret Service has worked closely with LAPD and LADOT to mitigate the traffic caused by the presidential motorcade, but seriously, how much can they do? Traffic in that area is typically bad anyway. Add the President to the mix, and things could get ugly.

President Obama will spend the night in southern California, then depart on Friday morning. Scheduled departure is 8:55am, if you plane spotters would like to see AFO in flight again. Remember to set up at the opposite end of the airport, as departing flights head out over the ocean.

I’m looking to move, likely somewhere that’s a 20-minute drive from Santa Monica, but I’ve lived in “Los Angeles” since 1982 and know that just a block or two in any direction can mean the difference between Just Fine and Oh No You Di-Int.

So, Peeps, anyone care to give a little info? Mar Vista? Culver City? Museum Row?

Elsewhere?

Looking for the Try Heres as well as the Stay The Hell Away Froms.

Need 2 bedrooms and secure parking.

Eager to hear ~

I exited the park, continued West on Jefferson a short distance, then saw the entrance to the Culver City Park.  I’m familiar with this place, know the parking is free there, and decided to catch a few glimpses of the L.A. area from the top.  So I parked at the bottom near the dog park, and followed one of the walking trails to the top.

Culver City Park "Bone Yard", with oil derricks in background

In addition to some excellent views of Culver City, as well as points West and North, Culver City Park has some first-class baseball fields at the top, with grandstands, foul poles, and appropriately old-timey facilities. A handful of oil derricks operate nearby, giving a hint as to one former (and still, to some degree, current) use of this land.

Culver City Park baseball field

Making my way past the baseball fields for the first time, I saw a stone wall, walking path, and a gateway that read “Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook.” Aha, I just saved myself 6 bucks, and now so can you.

Entrance to Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook from Culver City Park

A few more steps, and the scene opened up on the more wild Overlook.  I saw a perfectly positioned picnic table, and beautiful windswept grasses.  It looked like something out of the Great Plains, or an Andrew Wyeth painting. Now I saw why our own Will Campbell enjoyed this place some time ago. To my right was plenty more uphill. I opted for the dirt trail that winds its way up next to the roadway.  A couple of parts of the trail are a bit steep, and were slippery for my skateboard shoes. Something a bit more off-road for the feet is recommended.

The Dakotas meet L.A.

The higher you climb, the better the breezes and the views get.  And those views are the best thing about the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook.  They encompass a panorama from Playa Del Ray to the West, to the Santa Monica Bay and Mountains, the Mid-Wilshire Corridor, Century City, Downtown, and the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains to the East.  It’s a snapshot of much of the Los Angeles Basin, and an instant education about the tension between nature and man-made development.

Hollywood sign

At the top of the Overlook was a nice surprise: a visitor’s center seemingly inspired by Eero Saarinen‘s Dulles Airport, or perhaps California’s own Googie style architecture.  Outside are some gardens and walkways, with signs pointing out the various flora.  Inside is an educational nature exhibit.  In one window is a large graphic comprised of the words “Balance”, “Conflict”, and “Growth”.

View of downtown with San Gabriel Mountains in background

According to its website, the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook is part of California’s State Parks network, rises 511 feet, and covers 58 acres.  The Overlook contains “restored native habitat,” and is a “once drilled and exploited land which has now become a symbol of restoration, conservation and hope. ” It is thus similar in concept to the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, which can be seen across La Cienega Blvd.

Instead of the winding trail, you can opt for the steep steps rising from Jefferson Blvd.

Near the top is a plaque that reads: “What would L.A. be without concrete?” Taking a look at your surroundings at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, you get a pretty good idea.

Outdoor space for groups at visitor's center

Can natural and man-made L.A. coexist?

Hikers coming up the roadway

Tomorrow is opening night for A-Frame, a collaborative effort between Roy Choi (the chef who brought you Kogi and Chego) and David Reiss (the restaurateur who brought you The Brig and worked with Chef Choi to bring Kogi to his Alibi Room).  A-Frame is a hop, skip, and jump down from Waterloo & City in Culver City, if that helps.  If your “frame” of reference (ha ha) is more along the lines of Bob Villa, Tim “The Toolman” Taylor, and/or Martha Stewart, it might be more helpful if I say that the name defines its structure: a giant A-frame.  If This Old House wasn’t your idea of Saturday morning public channel fun, but going to 24 hour diners in the middle night was, you not only had a better high school experience than I did, but also would immediately recognize the restaurant as a converted IHOP.  Once inside, though, images of all-you-can-eat pancakes dissipate, and you’ll instead spot This Old House‘s blueprints all over it.  As the Los Angeles Times wrote last week, the walls are sanded, bare, naked.  We’re going back to the basics, people, starting with the foundation.

While Roy Choi isn’t A-Frame’s official chef (Jonas Curameng, sous chef at Kogi and Chego, is), he had a heavy hand in creating and curating the menu.  The current trend in dining continues to be science non-fiction in the kitchen: liquid nitrogen once used to freeze and safely store alien-human hybrid embryos in The X-Files is now used to fashion cocktails.  Chef Choi eschews all that; instead of HAL 2000 boxed in a sanitized hospital-white spaceship, he went a few hours/ice ages back to the apes, nature, and fire.  He’s aiming to bring you back to that primordial place, when we ate with our hands and tore with our teeth.  Almost everything on his menu is designed to be eaten this way, messily, with lots of napkins and, when you’ve run out of napkins, your shirt.  This is what food under fire used to taste like, remember?

None of the dishes I tasted were finalized when I tried them, so I’m a little hesitant about giving too many details.  That said, even in their semifinal stages, they were delicious.  Unlike the the predominantly Korean flavors of Kogi and Chego, the dishes here explicitly pull flavors from all over Asia: in addition to Korea, you’ll taste Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, the Philippines.  And, because this is all brought to you by the team who thought to put kimchi in a burrito, Mexico represents.  Take those flavors, im-/emigrate them into a building with architecture popularized by an American, and you have A-Frame’s version of Los Angeles, California, USA.  Eat your heart out, Tea Party.

Tomorrow, when you go, start with the fresh kettle popcorn sprinkled liberally with furikake, a Japanese condiment comprised of dry fish and seawood.  Seriously, you can eat this all day.  If you don’t believe me, believe one of the kings of molecular gastronomy, Michael Voltaggio:

Besides the kettle popcorn, get the fried chicken.  Mashing the Peking duck process with the beer can one, the chicken is brined, rotisserie’d, then fried.  Overall, it’s a 24+ hour process that results in juicy meat and a crackling, uber-crispy skin.  Alongside the chicken is their version of the 1,000 year old egg, so you have the poultry version of Dave Bowman in 2001 in that you’re literally going from beginning to end.  The chicken is served with two sauces, one red, one green.  My favorite is the green, a smooth salsa verde.  As it happens, the salsa verde is the Jane Lynch of the menu: it makes frequent appearances in the background, all of them memorable.  Try the salsa with the cocktail shrimp (seasoned and tossed haphazardly in a bowl instead of dancing daintily around a martini glass).  Others: lamb shanks that are beautifully charred and are meaty without being gamey; sweet crab cakes that are to be tucked inside lettuce leaves; and a tofu salad deemed amazing, even amongst the most ardent of meat eaters.

Even the desserts can be eaten with your hands.  I know you will be stuffed to the gills, but try at least one of pastry chef’s Beth Kellerhals’s creations.  If only one, the churros dipped in chocolate are the best thing sitting on the scale between Salina’s Churro Truck and Lucques‘s Churros y Chocolate.  Apparently, there also will be an apple pie with cheddar ice cream.  I’ll tweet all about it when I try it tomorrow.

Everything is served family-style, so get whomever you consider family together so you can try as many things as possible.  Oh, eating together at a communal table.  And sharing food and stories.  Remember when we used to that?

A-Frame is at 12565 Washington Blvd in Culver City. Starting tomorrow, the kitchen’s regular hours will be 5pm – midnight.  The fully stocked bar will be open until 2am, every day of the week.

one of Gronk's many amazing images for What Books Press

Wednesday night I had the good fortune to hear several What Books Press/Glass Table Collective writers read at the Wanted: Writers! series at the Rumor Mill. I’ve been meaning to send a shout out about the Rumor Mill for a while after meeting Joe Staats, the master of ceremonies in line to get books signed at the Central Library. This was the third time I’ve been to a Wanted: Writers! reading at the Rumor Mill and each time I leave entertained and feeling part of a community of writers and readers.

Last Wednesday’s reading was particularly special since Katherine Haake, Chuck Rosenthal, and Karen Kervorkian are all part of a collective of “poets and fiction writers, essayists, political activists, a painter, a film-maker [who] . . .  have come together to create, promote, and celebrate new books of literary writing and astounding art.”  The work read Wednesday ranged from tales of space aliens, poems constructed from the landscapes of New Mexico and Texas, and a romp of  a story featuring no less a protagonist than Robert Altman Sr.’s chicken (I would say cock, but that might give the wrong idea–it wasn’t *that* kind of reading). Gronk does all of the cover art for the press and has his own book, A Giant Claw.

For $70 you can subscribe for a year to What Books Press and receive new releases signed by the authors. You can expect to hear more from me about WBP and Wanted: Writers! in the future.

There is a sweet gem in that arm called Culver West-Alexander Park and if you are in the neighborhood and looking for a great spot to spend an afternoon, you will love this one.

I remember this park from the very early 90′s as I used to work in the Marina. The big field seen here used to have a baseball diamond and one year I spent many an early morning practicing softball with our company team. (Go Hurlers!) Even without a baseball diamond, you can NOT get bored at this park. I dare you!

There are basketball and tennis courts, BBQ pits and picnic tables, tons of jungle gyms and swings and even a community center. If you are a Westsider, check this spot out, bring the kids and grandparents and a big picnic. You never know what you’ll see here.

How to get there (click on the image to go to the Google Map):

You want sports? We got sports!  One tennis and two paddle tennis courts (this is where my honey and I play a lot.)

Here’s a close up of the mural at the end of the tennis court. It’s like being inside Wii Tennis!

In case you were wondering:

And also:

This happy mural greets  you when you park on Moore street. Handball courts (three) are here on the backside of the tennis court.

Wider shot of Basketball and handball courts with informal running path in front.

Close on the Mural at the Basketball court:

Plenty of stuff for the kids to clamber over and around:

And when it’s time to eat, there are plenty of shady spots to spread out and grill up some yummy picnic food.

There is plenty of parking on Moore Street and also in a small lot near the jungle gym/tennis court side of the park.

Alas, Fido will need to stay on the designated path. But it’s a sweet path!

And if you need to just chill in a grassy, shady spot, there is plenty of that too.

Read more about Richard Alexander, after whom the park was named. (Click picture for bigger version.)

Stop by some time! It’s a gorgeous little park and it’s all yours.