blogdowntown: Everyday Living

Tonight: Three-Year Anniversary for Skid Row Walk

By Eric Richardson — July 02, 2008
1 Comment

This evening marks the third anniversary of the Central City East Association’s monthly Skid Row Neighborhood Walk. The theme of this evening’s walk centers around how much the neighborhood has changed in the time that the walk has been ongoing.

Clippers Draft Party Shows Nokia as a Large Living Room

By Eric Richardson — June 27, 2008

|Photo Gallery| On Thursday afternoon roughly 700 Clipper fans made their way over to LA Live, but their destination wasn’t the Staples Center. The Clippers held their 2008 Draft Party at the next door Nokia Theatre, and for a day the 7,100 seat venue turned into Downtown’s biggest living room.

Locals Night Shows the Power of Free Food

By Eric Richardson — June 26, 2008
1 Comment

Patina Group kicked off a summer series of “Locals Night” events on Thursday evening, inviting Downtowners to enjoy free appetizers and a special drink at Zucca Ristorante. The initial effort proved a success, with the crowd that turned up comfortably filling the patio space. There are five more nights left in the six week series, and it’s...

Times Mirror Square for Sale, But Who Would Want It?

By Eric Richardson — June 25, 2008
9 Comments

The news this morning is that new Tribune boss Sam Zell is putting out RFPs for the sale of Tribune Tower in Chicago and Times Mirror Square here. LA Observed has the full Zell memo. The real question, though, is just who might be interested in buying Times Mirror Square given its location and restrictions.

Even Grass and a Fountain Can Go Bad

By Eric Richardson — June 23, 2008
15 Comments

In our recent discussion of the new median at 9th and Main, several commenters suggested that the city should have stuck with a simple design of fountain and grass rather than the colorful, but controversial, one installed. In the lengthy and ongoing talk about Pershing Square, a few voices mentioned that private developers should build their own green spaces...

South Park Tie Broken With a Coin Flip

By Eric Richardson — June 20, 2008
1 Comment

|Photo Gallery| The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council held its elections last week and results were released yesterday, but it wasn’t until this afternoon that Mary Wentz prevailed in the race to be South Park’s Resident Director. After all the votes were counted, there was a tie between Wentz and Scott Bytof. Under DLANC election rules, that meant the two...

Buddy, 12

By Eric Richardson — June 20, 2008
13 Comments

Downtown lost one of the pioneers of its revitalization today. Buddy, Hal Bastian’s golden retriever, had to be put down this morning after suffering ongoing issues with his hind legs. Downtowners with dogs owe a lot to Buddy for how many new buildings are pet friendly. Hal and Buddy moved Downtown to work for Tom Gilmore when he was in the process of starting...

Heroes Mural Raises Question: Why Do Only Film Shoots Get Cool Alleys?

By Eric Richardson — June 19, 2008
2 Comments

The NBC show Heroes is shooting in the Historic Core on Saturday and Sunday, and part of the set preparation has involved painting a large, colorful mural of an exploding Earth on Frank Court, the alley between Spring and Broadway. It’s a big change for the typically non-descript alley, but one that will only last the weekend.

City Clerk Releases DLANC Election Results

By Eric Richardson — June 19, 2008
28 Comments

The City Clerk this afternoon released the results of last week’s Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC) election. Sixty candidates were running for 28 seats on the council’s Board of Directors, and a record number of people turned out to vote. Today’s official results don’t differ significantly from preliminary results released...

Downtown Joins Vows Heard Around the State

By Ed Fuentes — June 18, 2008
1 Comment

|Photo Gallery| When the wedding invitation arrives in the form of a press release, the vows declaring a commitment of love and partnership become a political statement. A similar scene was repeated around the state on Monday evening, as the first wave of legal same-sex marriages began at 5:01 pm. On a warm Tuesday morning, Downtown had its first ceremony with Shane Goldsmith...