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Arts/Culture

Central Ave Jazz Kickoff Recognizes Little Tokyo's Place in History

By Ed Fuentes — 08:56 AM

This weekend, jazz aficionados pay homage to the days when Central Avenue was a mandatory stop on the national jazz circuit. From 1900 to 1950, the Dunbar Hotel housed A-list musicians playing local spots like Club Alabam, the DownBeat, Ivie’s Chicken Shack, the Last Word, and the Memo Club. Only the more zealous historian will know Little Tokyo's place in jazz...

Etc

Five Blogs Added to the Downtown Sidebar

By Eric Richardson — Yesterday, 04:48 PM

I have to admit to being woefully neglectful of the "3BN Blogs" section of this site's sidebar. In an effort to make up for lost time, I today added five blogs that Downtowners should make sure to check out.

Arts/Culture

Downtown Film Festival Announces August Lineup

By Eric Richardson — Yesterday, 12:04 PM
2 Comments

The Downtown Film Festival, coming to Broadway and the Arts District in August, has announced its programming lineup. The festival claims to feature more than 200 films over its five days. It opens at the Orpheum on August 13th with IFC’s “In Search of a Midnight Kiss,” by director Alex Holdridge. It closes with the documentary "Flow," from director Irena...

Movement

New Plan Just a New Part of L.A.'s Interesting Taxi History

By Eric Richardson — Yesterday, 11:17 AM
2 Comments

On July 16th, City Council approved the Hail-a-Taxi pilot program for Downtown and Hollywood. The program is intended to help make taxis a more integral part of the city's overall transportation picture. In most cities that's just the way things are, but L.A.'s relationship with the taxi isn't quite typical.

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Shading from the Sun

By Eric Richardson — Monday
2 Comments

On Sunday afternoon I was bicycling past the Caltrans building when I heard an odd sound. Looking up, I saw a row of aluminum scrim panels that had been open start to close one by one. Though I was familiar with the building's design, I believe it's the first time I'd actually seen the panels in action.

Everyday

Falafel Express Brings Kosher to the Old Bank District

By Ed Fuentes — Monday
4 Comments

Falafel Express opened just over a month ago, but the simple and well executed cafe already seems to have found its place Downtown. During the July Downtown Art Walk, the restaurant planned to extend its hours and find enough customers to stay open until the event's official 9pm end time. Turns out the cafe was filled with gallery goers until 11:30pm. Not...

Everyday

Around the Halls: July 21 - 23

By Ed Fuentes and Eric Richardson — Monday
1 Comment

It's Monday, July 21st, and it's another busy week around the halls of city government. Whether loan agreements, event contracts and levies, this week's items seem to revolve around money.

Everyday

"Vista Hermosa" is a Beautiful View in any Language

By Ed Fuentes — Sunday
3 Comments

On Saturday morning, the upper and lower eco-friendly fields of Vista Hermosa Natural Park were brightened by the colors of soccer uniforms, as young players darted in and around trails, rocks and grass. Some lingered at the edge of a cliff to stare at the dark green synthetic turf of the soccer field, while others obeyed coaches' orders to sit and listen to...

Arts/Culture

GP Scenes: The Real Tuesday Weld, Lal Meri

By Eric Richardson — Saturday

Friday night saw The Real Tuesday Weld and Lal Meri on the watercourt for Grand Performances, in a show that KCRW's Chris Douridas told you to come out and enjoy. A comfortably full crowd was on hand to enjoy a night of music, with fans of both bands mixing with those who simply stopped in to check out the scene.

Movement

Hope Street Sidewalk Closure Gets a Guard

By Eric Richardson — Friday
5 Comments

The sidewalk on a stretch of Hope street next to Ralphs remains shut to pedestrians, five weeks after it was first closed. After prompting, the developer is working with city departments on a solution that would reopen the walkway while construction proceeds.