In its various editions since (the last one taking place in 2010), the Watts Happening Ride’s destinations have grown well beyond the iconic towers to include a variety of landmarks involving people, places and events in and around South Los Angeles.

The 2012 incarnation of the Watts Happening Ride will be departing from Silver Lake on Saturday, February 18 at 9 a.m., and will include the addition of a couple locations I’ve recently found. So if you’re not heading out of town for the long weekend and have a hankering to get your bike-riding discovery on, I hope you’ll join me.

For the latest info and any updates, the ride’s Facebook page is here.

When: February 18, gathering at 8:30 for a 9 a.m. departure
Start/Finish: Silver Lake’s Happy Foot/Sad Foot sign (northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard & Benton Way)
Distance: 32.95 miles (route map)
Pace: Casual
Terrain: Flat
Weather: In the event of rain that morning, the ride will be canceled and rescheduled to a later date.
Approximate Time: 5-6 hours
Optional Partial Ride: If doing the full route isn’t feasible, consider joining the ride at approximately 9:30 a.m. downtown on Spring Street (anywhere between 2nd & 9th streets) for the roughly 9-mile portion to the Watts Towers. The 103rd Street Blue Line station is near to the towers and can be an alternative to get you back into downtown.
Things You’ll Need (in no particular order): A functioning bicycle; $7 for the half-hour optional tour of Watts Towers; snacks and water for along the way; money for a late lunch at King Taco.

Hollyhock House was built for oil heiress and single mom Aline Barnsdall just after World War I. The setting was a stunning hilltop olive grove surrounded by 36 acres, with 360-degree views of a then very picturesque, perhaps even quaint, Los Angeles. Barnsdall designed her homestead as a multi-structure arts complex, complete with theaters for both live performances and films. Today, that spirit remains, as the property is now the Barnsdall Art Park, housing the Los Angeles Municipal Art gallery, theater, and art center where numerous art and music classes are held.

The front of the house

Pulling into the park off of Hollywood Blvd., you proceed up a windy road and are immediately transported back in time. Wright called the style of the Hollyhock House “California Romanza”. That’s a made-up term which apparently means “I’ll do whatever I want”. Some people refer to the style as “Mayan” due to the geometric shapes, especially the slant of the roof line. However, that’s a bit of a misrepresentation. For example, the details around the roof are not Mayan gods, but rather, modernized portrayals of the Hollyhock flower which Aline Barnsdall liked so much, and which gave the house its name.

Anyway, it works. The Hollyhock House must have been radically modern when built, just a few years after fru-fru Victorian homes were still being constructed and stuffed with chintz. Hollyhock is full of hard surfaces, skylights, and out-of-the-box concepts like the ultra-modern carved living room fireplace with its lily pond moat. Everywhere you look, whether on the walls, the ceilings, or the windows, there’s a fascinating and largely functional detail. For example, in the child’s play room, Wright pioneered his glass-on-glass window corners that create a nearly seamless transition between indoors and outdoors.

View of living room windows, with lily pond that flowed inside

Unfortunately, as with other Wright homes, proper function sometimes falls victim to form at the Hollyhock House. The design and materials trapped moisture and cold, and Hollyhock reportedly was too cool, dark, and drafty to be a truly comfortable home for Aline Barnsdall and her daughter. Indeed, it feels rather uninviting upon entry. The moisture also wreaked considerable damage on Hollyhock over the years, and a major three-year repair and renovation is now underway, with two more years to go. As a result, any tour taken during this time is abbreviated.

The play room, with it's glass-on-glass window corners

Still, touring the Hollyhock House is like walking into a three-dimensional painting by one of the masters. It’s a spectacular way to enter the mind of a genius, and to take a step back into the Los Angeles of nearly a century ago.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock flower design

Hollyhock's rooftops are accessible via stairways and foot bridges

A few weeks ago I did manage to brush my intimidation aside and pay a first-time visit to MOCA to see the cool exhibition of Weegee’s Hollywood period photographs, but — pardon the digression — then I wandered around the museum’s permanent exhibit and found this piece of crap stuck to the wall, which reinforced both my abject disdain for “contemporary art” and my urge to punish whoever curated it with an extended indian-burn session to the forearm of his or her choosing.

Detail from the 1938 Kirkman-Harriman map depicting Los Angeles County in 1860.

So instead of getting all wound up trying to eenie-meanie-miney-mo to which big box the next I’d go, instead I brought along my inner map geek and together we ventured yesterday to the first floor galleries of the Central Library downtown where I spent an extended segment of the afternoon marveling at the selection of kick-ass cartography displayed as part of  its “As The City Grew: Historical Maps of Los Angeles” exhibit.

The 34 maps arrayed go back to the mid-1800s and offer an awesome and up-close glimpse back into our city as it was and as it became. Unlike the aforementioned contemporary bullshit I encountered, some of the maps are true and intricate works of art, and I would highly recommend paying them a visit whether you just find yourself in the library’s vicinity or are in between far better-decided visits than mine to the myriad Pacific Standard Time venues.

WHERE: Los Angeles Public Library, Central Branch, 630 W. 5th St, 90071
WHEN: Through November 4, 2012
COST: Free

Do you remember the movie Airplane?

Remember the two gentlemen who spoke “Jive?” Remember the subtitles at the bottom that translated what they were saying? Remember whenever one of them would say a certain word, the subtitle always translated it as “Golly?”

Such fun.

It’s in this spirit I would like to remind you, one and all, that The Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ to Trifle With!

(And if you haven’t seen Airplane, get your golly together and watch the trifling thing.)

In Any Case, I’m giving away Tickets to see The Wu on Saturday, Jan 21st! Wanna Go?

Email your Full Legal Name as it appears on your Legal Driver’s Licence or State ID card to blacontests@gmail.com

Winners will be notified and will show said ID at the Will Call booth the night of the show to claim tickets. Protect your neck.

Wu-Tang Featuring All Original Members: RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa
Saturday January 21, 2012
Club Nokia
Los Angeles, California
Show time: 9:00pm
Door time: 8:00pm
Age: All Ages+

Step to the Wu.

A Red Flag Condition has been issued for Los Angeles City.
Red Flag Restricted Parking will be in effect from

From
Sunday, January 8, 2012 08:00 AM
to
Monday, January 9, 2012 08:00 AM
or
until further notice.

For details by neighborhood who is in restricted parking areas for red flag days check the LAFD Web HERE.

If you want to sign up for email notice of these check the LAFD Web HERE.

I was mortified at the number of unused Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce jars I had (6), jars of Hearts of Palms (5), cans of organic black beans (6) and containers of olives I had (can’t even count em).
Forget about tallying up the gross amounts and varieties of pasta, rice, and quinoa stacked in my cupboard. It’s as if I expected that the world was gonna end and I had to have a stockpile of food to hold me over until spring vegetables could grow.
So now, part of my New Year’s agenda is to make every meal use some of the canned, jarred, dried or packaged food I have lurking in my cupboards. I should be able to cook til April.
I googled Trader Joes Recipes and found some on their site, chow hound and several more. Any ideas welcomed!

I’m also planning a trip to a shelter to share some of this discovered bounty!
I guess getting out the old broom is good every once in a while cuz we all win!

“The Tournament of Roses is a tradition full of traditions, one of which is our “Never on Sunday” policy. In 1893, officials decided to move the parade to Monday, January 2 to avoid frightening horses tethered outside local churches and thus interfering with worship services. As a result of this reverent gesture, speculation abounds as to the rare instances of rainfall on New Year’s Day (only ten times in Rose Parade history), prompting some to ask the Tournament about its special pact with a “friend upstairs.” Also as a result of this tradition, other collegiate bowl organizations have instituted similar procedures.”

City of Burbank float 2009 by Jodi

I’m planning to check out the  Rose Parade this year, thanks to a friend who lives just off the route. Are you planning on going? If you’ve been in the past and have any tips, feel free to share in the comments.

Found this vintage mid-century motoring gem courtesy Ed Padgett on his Los Angeles Times Pressmens’ Blog.

Divine. Going to a Beats Antique concert is always an experience, kind of psychedelic, kinda dreamy…always fun.
If you want to get in on the action for FREE just give us your description of what describes their vibe onstage. Best four descriptions get free tickets for this Friday nights show on the 30th at the Club Nokia.
Do it now, cuz we have to make a decision and give these tickets away! Make sure when you sign in you leave us your email so we can contact you if you win (it’s not published!)

If you don’t win, you can buy tickets here.
Along with Beats Antique, Emancipator, Random Rab and Lynx are hitting the stage.
Beats Antique was formed by two rad musicians Tommy “Sidecar” Cappeland, David Satori and a hip-hop belly dancer named Zoe Jakes. Their performances defy description! But give it your best shot!

Shalom.