blogdowntown: Everyday Living

It Happened One Night

By Eric Richardson — July 01, 2004

Again a very cool experience, and something that everyone in LA should get out to at some point.

I have to throw in one story about rural Minnesota vs. my life downtown. The night before the wedding everyone was invited to get pizza after the rehearsal. The wedding, and therefore the rehearsal, was in LeRoy, MN. The pizza place was in Spring Valley, a thriving metropolis of a couple thousand people about 15 miles away. My cousin and his wife live in New...

which is it Metro?

By Eric Richardson — June 23, 2004

I was just cleaning up my desk some and found a nice glossy bookmark-shaped “Metro Rail Bike Hours” card that Metro employees were handing out on Bike to Work day. When they handed me the card I didn’t even look at it, since I’d read their Metro Bikes page online and ridden with my bike plenty of times before. Running across it just now...

rail classics

By Eric Richardson — June 21, 2004

Pulling out of Union Station on the Gold Line you pass a small rail yard full of classic passenger cars. Today, however, the yard was empty. Curious, I did a little research. I’m pretty sure the Rail Excursions car is one I normally see there. Their special itineraries page lists a June 22-23 trip from LA to Seattle, so perhaps it’s off getting...

ahh... i love LA people

By Eric Richardson — June 20, 2004

Magilla and I just got back from the Ralphs over on the corner of 3rd and Vermont. It’s a little ways from downtown, but it’s pretty much the closest thing we’ve got. The trip back from there is cool because coming into downtown the eastbound lanes split off to become 4th street, which then proceeds both above and below the normal cross streets...

generation next

By Eric Richardson — June 20, 2004

This week’s Downtown News has a cool article on Caryn Coleman, who with husband Sean Bonner owns the gallery sixspace and runs art.blogging.la. The article’s part of Downtown News’ series “Generation Next.” The article should make Sean happy… To quote from a recent post of his: Since this is continually mistaken in articles...

weekend wrapup

By Eric Richardson — June 14, 2004

I didn’t really mean to take the weekend off… It was just one of those things that happens sometimes.

making the rounds of LA transit

By Eric Richardson — June 11, 2004

Yesterday I managed to travel every rail line in the Metro rail system in a single trip. I first needed to get to Pasadena City College, where I thought I would be taking a summer class, so I biked over to Union Station and hopped on the Gold Line. Sure it takes a little longer, but I had a book to read (I’ve been reading Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam...

doh... catch up time

By Eric Richardson — June 11, 2004

I’ve not been the best at keeping things up to date over the past few days. Can’t say that was intentional. Wednesday night Kathy and I walked the three blocks or so down to the Orpheum to see Sunrise. The Orpheum has undergone extensive restoration and renovation since it stopped being a first-run movie house several years ago, and it shows. Everything...

the pistons thought they had it

By Eric Richardson — June 09, 2004

Last night my roomate and I headed over to the Bonaventure Brewing Co to watch game 2. Those of you keeping score at home may remember that this was where Kathy and I watched game 4 of the San Antonio series. This time, though, it was an early game and happy hour pricing was in effect for the first hour. I got fish and chips, which were $5.95 and not the $4.95...