I’m back from my 3-month France-Italy-Congo-Germany hiatus. And in great spirits. Rested up and in love with life again, ready to rekindle my adventures in Los Angeles.
I’ve decided to focus on my personal blog, so I’ll merge the two, and include things to do in LA on that one, and will no longer be posting here.
Posted in About the Blog
I’m moving back to Congo, which explains the lack of updating of this site. I’ll be here from now on…
Posted in Uncategorized
This is the 13th Annual Documentary series at the Arclight, and it is from July 31 to August 20.
Here are the documentaries features showcased this year:
Dirt! The Movie
Garbage Dreams
Hunting Down Memory
Kimjongilia
Living In Emergency: Stories Of Doctors Without Borders
Racing Dreams
Rock Prophecies
Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie
The Sari Soldiers
Severe Clear
Smile ‘Til It Hurts: The Up With People Story
Split Estate
Soundtrack For A Revolution
Sunrise/Sunset: Dalai Lama XIV
Sweet Crude, Tapped
Yes Madam, Sir
They will also be showing 10 documentary short films including:
Far From Gone
Ingelore
Point of Entry
Salt
The Solitary Life of Cranes
Women Rebels
Here is the fine print from Docuweek’s page:
Each film runs twice daily at the ArcLight Hollywood and the IFC Center. Tickets for individual films at the ArcLight Hollywood are $12 for general admission, $9 for ArcLight/IDA members, as well as seniors and students. Tickets for individual films at the IFC Center are $12.50 for general admission, $9.50 for IDA members and $8.50 for seniors and children. Tickets can be purchased at the respective box offices, or at www.documentary.org/docuweeks09. A complete schedule and additional information about each film can be found on the International Documentary Association’s website at www.documentary.org or call 213-534-3600 x7447 for ticket information.
…and we’re back!
This is a definite “LA MUST”: the Hollywood cemetery summer movies in the Cinespia series.
This Saturday, August 1, is the absolute classic must-see movie: Some Like it Hot!
It’s a hilarious comedy, Marilyn Monroe’s best movie, with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon fleeing for their life dressed as a female jazz band. It’s a 1959 Billy Wilder cult classic, and if you haven’t seen it, you have to mosey on down, this is where it’s at, you can get details on how to park and directions here, and here is the information about the screening:
Posted in LA life, Movies, Outdoor Activities
I have to return to Congo this summer, unexpectedly and will have to put the LA blog on hiatus. I’m leaving in about two weeks and will be gone until the end of July, spending the last few weeks of my trip in France.
This means you won’t see anything new here until August, but I’ll be updating my personal blog very regularly, so that all of you can experience my home and see what Congo looks like, and travel around France with me.
I’m excited to share that adventure with you.
See you in August!
Posted in About the Blog
Luigi Ortega’s is a fun restaurant, right next to Pasadena City College, and off the Hill exit on the 210.
It has the laid back casual atmosphere of a college bar, but with a crazy California Mexican flavor, and some weeeeeeird items on the menu (like crocodile meat). Great sandwiches and pies, and a really fun decor. The crowd is a mixture of PCC students and Pasadena regulars and sports fans who come for happy hour.
They also have a red button you are not supposed to press, under any circumstances.
Do not press the red button.
Just don’t.
You’ve been warned.
Posted in Restaurants
The Gamble House by Greene & Greene in Pasadena is one of my favorite sights in LA. Don’t miss the 360 degree virtual tour on the web site, it’s pretty great.
The Gamble House is one of the most outstanding examples of the American Arts and Crafts style. There are many houses in Pasadena that are Craftsman houses, and I posted an article about Bungalow Heaven last month, but the Gamble House is the best example, it’s open for public tours, and it’s entirely decorated in Art Deco style inside. All the original architecture is still intact, whereas a lot of the Greene and Greene houses still around have been gutted and the walls painted white.
This is what the inside of Craftsman bungalows used to look like:
The Gamble House tours are a feast for the eyes and you’ll learn so much. The docents are very knowledgeable.
Location and info:
4 Westmoreland Place
Pasadena CA 91103
tel. (626) 793-3334
Hours (they’re very limited, read carefully):
Admission prices:
Posted in History, Museums, Sightseeing and Tours
The Silent Movie Theater is one of Hollywood’s most beloved and exceptional landmarks.
From the website:
Built in 1942 by John and Dorothy Hampton, The Silent Movie Theatre ran for decades as the only fully functioning silent movie theatre in the country. It has been fully restored to its original, vintage 1940s art deco design, along with a brand new screen and sound system, to help a new generation enjoy the pleasures of cinema in a beautiful theatre.
Here are some of the showings for May and June.
Silent Wednesdays:
5/20: It’s the Old Army Game (Louise Brooks series)
5/27: Beggars of Life (Louise Brooks series)
6/3: Laurel and Hardy shorts (Silent Clowns)
6/10: Michael Winslow: Man of 1,000 noises (Silent Clowns series)
6/17: Mack Sennett shorts (Silent Clowns)
6/23: Our Gang shorts (Silent Clowns)
Address and phone number:
611 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 655-2510
The exhibit is called Sight Unseen and is hosted at UC Riverside. This is the type of photography that is pushing the limits of the genre now.
The show has its own dedicated page here, and I urge you to read the description of the exhibit in the about page.It’s extremely moving.
You can hear an interview with the curator, Douglas McCulloh on offramp with Steven Cuevas here.
“I photograph what I imagine, you could say I’m a bit like Don Quixote. The originals are inside my head.” -” Evgen Bavcar (photographer featured in Sight Unseen exhibit)
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHOW:
Tuesday – Saturday
12 – 5pm
FIRST THURSDAY
12-9pm (6-9pm FREE)
FIRST SUNDAY (February, March, April, May, October, November, December)
12 – 5pm (FREE)
CLOSED
Sunday, Monday, New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
ADMISSION
General Admission: $3
Seniors (60+), Students with I.D., Children under 12 and Members: Free
MAP is here
Posted in Art Exhibits
I went to a Chivas game last night at the Home Depot center in Carson, and everything about it was great. Traffic was nonexistent, parking was easy, the stadium was clean, the food was good, the atmosphere was FUN, lots of kids and families, and fun halftime games.
Tickets start at $15, this is the Chivas site. Go! It’s a great time. 
Here is a longer video!
Posted in LA life, Regular Events, Socializing & Meeting People
Grand Central Market has been around since 1917, it reminds me of the covered markets of back East, and it’s on 4th and Broadway in historic downtown, in the theater district. If you see the big mural I posted below, you’ll know that the market is right next to it, on the same side of the street.
I ate the best torta there today, and had a great lunch with a portrait photographer I met when I just plopped down at his table.
One and all: go to Grand Central Market. Fresh wonderful fruits and veggies, authentic generous and cheap Mexican and Chinese food. It’s the most LA thing you’ll do this week.
Enjoy the pics.
Posted in LA life, Neighborhoods
In my neglected series, LA street art, here’s a mural in Historic downtown, in the theater district:
Posted in LA street art
Playing hooky from classes today, the original idea was to go shooting for the photo assignments.
This is the itinerary we ran around LA:
View Larger Map
1. Coffee at Zephyr, then planning a rogue trip to the pet store to get healthy turtle food. For secret project. Unplanned events: V. loses first jar of turtle food in the store, and discovers there is such a thing as DOG YOGURT. The world is officially on the brink of the end of days. This is not a good sign.
Leaf in the mini-pond at Zephyr cafe:
The sign of Armageddon: dog yogurt!
2. Illegally feeding the smartest turtles in the world from the Caltech pond, but then pretending nothing happened when friendly guard comes along. At least we weren’t feeding them hamburgers, though they probably would have preferred it.
Score this picture:
3. Other fantastic Caltech pictures. Good place to chill, and have no money fun. Or buy contraband turtle food for $4 and try not to get caught. Very statisfying.
Caltech grasshopper:
Aztec design on Administration building:
Eucalyptus tree outside same building:
Lily pond detail:
4. Head to Taylor Yards and the flowing LA River as options for photoshoot. Unfortunately, it would look too flat on Black and White, so we headed to Freestyle Camera, the mecca of photographers, and got some fun camera toys.
Picture of LA River at Taylor Yards from last weekend when we had the river cleanup:
5. Had lunch at Roscoe’s house of chicken and waffles, the food was so good.
Not to make anyone hungry, here is an abstract picture of the decor:
6. On to Heritage Square, a fantastic part of LA. The houses are the oldest in California and were transported here. It’s still not clear whether or not we can visit, but you can get information here. These are the few shots I got, which I love.
Old rusted car:
Urban river looking south on the other side of the 110 towards Downtown:
7. Head to the South Pasadena Farmer’s market on Mission street, have icee, watch man blow bubbles, feel like you’re four again, and meet a GREAT family from the home continent. Life is beautiful.
8. Head home, pick up old friend, eat at In’n'Out, revel in warm California evening, head to Laemmle and watch Tyson for the second time. Die happy.
Marquee at the Laemmle:
This Saturday, May 9, 2009 from 9:00 AM to noon is the 20th anniversary of the LA River cleanup project by FoLAR (Friends of the LA River) and thousands of people are meeting at sites all along the river to clean it up. They clean up about 30 tons of trash every year. You can go to the site to get more information, but here are some of the main cleanup sites:
A little history on the LA River:
c. 800B.C.
Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe settles along the Los Angeles River
1769
Portola Expedition finds a “good sized, full flowing River,” lined with lush greenery. [The river used to meander through wetlands and marshes and be home to grizzlies, and full of fish]
1934-38
Floods take 85 lives and cause $23 million in property damage.
1938-1959
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers builds a concrete channel for the River and major tributaries, and storm drains channel rainfall into the River. [This basically kills the rich ecosystem and turns the huge river into the world's largest storm drain]
2007
City of L.A. adopts the L.A. River Revitalization Master Plan which designs a 32-mile greenway from Canoga Park through downtown L.A. to Vernon.
The exhibit is on until August, at the Skirball Cultural Center.
From the website:
ADMISSION:
Included with Museum admission (tickets at the door): $10 General; $7 Seniors and Full-Time Students; $5 Children 2–12; Free to Members and Children under 2; Free to all on Thursdays
Through never-before exhibited art and objects culled from private and institutional collections, ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950 explores the genesis of cultural icons such as Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, and Wonder Woman. In the midst of the economic and political turmoil of the 1930s and 1940s, comic books offered America champions who shaped the values of an entire generation. ZAP! POW! BAM! examines the creative processes and influences that drove young Jewish artists to express their talents through the storylines and art of comic books. The exhibition features rare vintage artwork and books, 1940s Hollywood movie serials, and colorful interactive displays including a drawing studio, a newsstand, a vintage Batmobile ride, and stations that allow children to dress up as Superheroes or transform themselves via a quick costume change in a telephone booth. Guest curator Jerry Robinson brings a long history as a comic book industry insider to the exhibition. Working with Batman co-creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Robinson named Robin, Batman’s young protégé. Robinson also co-created The Joker, Batman’s nemesis and one of the first Super-Villains.
Posted in Art Exhibits, Museums
The Garden is a documentary about the 14-acre garden in South Central, the only one of its kind and size in the US. The website describes it this way:
The fourteen-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South Central Los Angeles is the largest of its kind in the United States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers have since created a miracle in one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food. Feeding their families. Creating a community.
But now, bulldozers are poised to level their 14-acre oasis.
I saw the trailer last week before Tyson (not to miss) and knew I had to see this. The passion, violence, growth out of destruction, immigrant-community flavor of this story is what I can relate to living in this city.
There are special screenings around LA, you can find out more here. For the time being it’s at the Laemmle in Pasadena. Link and theater info below.
Laemmle Playhouse 7
673 East Colorado Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 844-6500
Posted in Movies
I’m going to a Block Party in LA tomorrow at 5:30 PM to see 5-year-olds dressed up as robots.
TOO FREAKING CUTE!!!!!
I can’t wait. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures.
The event is going to be on the Virgil and Burns block near LACC as long as it doesn’t rain, and starts around 5:30 PM. The block is going to be closed off from circulation.
The party is organized by the Baha’i volunteers who run the neighborhood’s children’s classes, focusing on virtues and the arts. I’m not sure what else is in the program, but I think it’s going to be a hoot. I can’t wait. My friend made the costumes.
Robots + kids. The only thing that could make this better would be to work in some ninjas and a few puppies. A girl can dream.
Posted in Cultural event, LA life, Neighborhoods
on 4/29/09:
“Oh my God. That guy was so stunning, he just took my breath away.”
Posted in Overheard in LA
Thanks to A. I have a weekend scoop for all those of you who want to support student artists in the area.
The yearly Open Market event at One Colorado (also known as Miller Alley) in Old Town Pasadena is happening this Sunday, May 3.
Here are the details from the website above:
Art + Design Open Market
Sunday, May 3, 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Now in its seventh year and featuring more than 100 artists, the Art & Design Open Market is an unparalleled gathering of talented Art Center College of Design and Pasadena City College students, alumni, faculty and staff. The Art & Design Open Market is free and open to the public.
Open Market is a rare opportunity to purchase exceptional contemporary art, sculpture, prints and photography by emerging artists. All work is original, one-of-a-kind and created by the artists themselves. The largest of its kind, this market is one of the few in the country to offer free space to event participants with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the artist.
Come and support student artists, buy great art, do something original, potentially free if you decide not to buy anything, and enjoy Old Town. I’ll see you there, I’m definitely check this out.
One Colorado is a pedestrian block marked by Union and Colorado to the North and South, and Delacey and Fair Oaks to the East and West. Park at the structure south of Colorado on Delacey (90 minutes free). Exit Old Town pasadena on the 134 or Fair Oaks on the 210.
