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From the Newsroom

The Great Debaters of Pershing Square

By Eric Richardson — 12:26 PM

Pershing Square Debaters LAPL Photo Collection

The L.A. Times' Steve Lopez yesterday dedicated his Then and Now column to the Long Beach Spit 'n' Argue Club, a group that for 75 years would gather to chew tobacco and debate just about anything.

Lopez includes a mention of Downtown's own debate scene, which for decades was the defining feature of a visit to Pershing Square. — Continued Inside...


Arts/Culture

Animated Basses to Benefit Grammy Music Education Programs

By Ed Fuentes — Yesterday, 01:46 PM
2 Comments

Animated Basses to Benefit Grammy Music Education Programs

|Photo Gallery| String basses with a New Orleans theme, an Enchanted Princess, Dumbo's Pink Elephants, a Cheshire Cat grin, and a Genie were introduced at the Grammy Museum on Thursday. The next time the instruments stand side-by-side will be in the summer when they are auctioned at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas to benefit the Grammy In The Schools music education programs of...


'Mobile Food Courts' Headed to Downtown

By Eric Richardson — Yesterday, 12:17 PM — 6 Comments

more than tacos Ed Fuentes

A trio of food trucks will act as guinea pigs for Downtown's first mobile food court this Thursday, making an eatery out of a loading dock at Alameda and Traction.

The lot could be the first of many for Downtown. Matt Geller, Vice President of SoCal Mobile Food Vendors Association and the man organizing Thursday's launch, is currently working with the Downtown Art Walk to secure private truck spaces on the outskirts of the popular monthly event. — Continued Inside...


Politics

Around the Halls: February 8 - 10, 2010

By Eric Richardson — Yesterday, 09:06 AM

Around the Halls: February 8 - 10, 2010

Today is Monday, February 8, and the city budget continues to be priority one at City Hall. 41 budget instructions go through Council on Tuesday, including recommendations on El Pueblo and the Convention Center. Expect to see more Council in the upcoming weeks: a motion is on the table to schedule Monday and Thursday sessions until the deficit is hammered out...


Arts/Culture

New Festival Brings Japanese and Korean Cultures Together

By Ed Fuentes — Friday
1 Comment

The potential loss of identity that comes with outside-owned development has long been a major issue for Little Tokyo, and the 2008 sale of the Little Tokyo Shopping Center to Korean investors was met with fear and concern. Lately, though, there has been a focused efforts to bring the two communities together. Tomorrow, rain or shine, the Little Tokyo Korea...


Big Wangs Preps for Sunday Kickoff

By Eric Richardson — Friday — 12 Comments

Big Wangs Eric Richardson

The former Tranquilty Base space at 8th and Grand starts its new life on Sunday as sports bar Big Wangs opens its doors for the Super Bowl. It's the third location for the eatery, which also operates in Hollywood and North Hollywood.

Downtown's different, though. "We think it's a more hip, discerning crowd," said partner PJ Brill this afternoon. While the menu and experience from the other two locations will carry over, Downtown will feature a traditional happy hour and a more offbeat selection of beers on tap. — Continued Inside...


Politics

What of the L.A. Mall?

By Eric Richardson — Friday
9 Comments

What of the L.A. Mall?

It's easy to forget about the Los Angeles Mall. The vaguely-named complex sits buried next to City Hall, housing fast food outlets, a handful of retailers and some service offices. Even the City seems to forget about it. Councilwoman Janice Hahn filed a motion in 2005 asking for a report on the current status of the facility and plans to renovate it, but the...


Development

New JW Marriott Hotel Staff Reports for Work

By Eric Richardson — Friday
1 Comment

New JW Marriott Hotel Staff Reports for Work

650 new employees of the JW Marriott at L.A. Live showed up for their first day of work on Friday, Just nine days before the opening of the 879-room hotel. They won't have much time to get settled. The hotel opens sold-out on February 15, hosting guests for concert industry event Pollstar Live.


Ask Downtown: What's Your Favorite Happy Hour?

By Eric Richardson — Friday — 18 Comments

Soi 7 @ Maison Eric Richardson

Ask Downtown is an occasional series in which we put a reader's Downtown question to you, the real Downtown experts. Help a reader out and share your knowledge.

Today's question comes from @ladygrl, who is planning to go out on Monday and wants to know where to go.

@blogdowntown meeting a friend for happy hour drinks on mon. best deals for friend rich and cash poor??

Downtown has sprouted lots of happy hours over the past few years. Which one would you suggest for @ladygrl? — Continued Inside...


Looking at Video in a New Light

By Eric Richardson — Thursday — 4 Comments

Laforet Eric Richardson

The average Downtowner has never heard of Vincent Laforet, but the shorts the photographer-turned-filmmaker has released over the past 16 months are required viewing for camera fans around the world.

The first, "Reverie," went online in September 2008. Shot using a prototype Canon 5D Mark II, the two-minute film was the first to show the potential of a digital SLR to produce professional, full HD video. It has received more than a million views since.

Those two minutes changed an already impressive career. — Continued Inside...