blogdowntown: Latest Content

The second edition of the Artists’ District Farmers’ Market is this Saturday, from 9am to 2pm. From an email: The market includes beautiful farm fresh produce, honey, organic produce, sprouts, flowers, orchids, Eliki olive oil, feta cheese, balsamic vinegars and Greek appetizers, salad dressings and dips, really great bread and sandwiches by Bread...

Everyday

The Things You See Wandering Downtown

By Eric Richardson — July 27, 2005

I was walking around tonight talking to a reporter about Downtown. We had been talking about the blog, and I had told her that the best way for me to find things is just to wander around and see what’s out there. We were walking up 5th toward Grand when we saw that Grand was blocked off with cones. I said that it must be a film shoot. Turns out actually...

Everyday

Downtown Way-sort-of-finding

By Eric Richardson — July 27, 2005
2 Comments

I’m a big fan of the Downtown Wayfinding signage that’s been going up lately, but in a case like this I think the focus should really have been on making sure the locations the sign is pointing to were understandable. MOCA and FIDM are understandable – that’s what the institutions go by – even if the acronyms aren’t that obvious...

Everyday

Beer Stops Cars

By Eric Richardson — July 26, 2005

Have I ever mentioned that old LA Times articles are absolutely great? Consider this piece from July 14th, 1905, titled “Beer Stops Cars.” “Big Bill,” driver for Maler & Zobelein, blockaded a procession of cars on Spring street yesterday afternoon because he was insulted and angry. He had driven his big brewery wagon too close to...

Everyday

Do Not Feed the Pigeons*

By Eric Richardson — July 26, 2005

I was looking something up just now in the Municipal Code and ran across Chapter 5, Article 3, Section 53.43, titled “PIGEONS – FEEDING – RESTRICTED AREA”. Basically it’s illegal to feed pigeons on any street or sidewalk or in any park inside boundaries set up in the section. Reasonable enough. But here are the boundaries: Beginning...

Everyday

Downtown Parking Rates Not Bad, Compared to Others

By Eric Richardson — July 26, 2005

I just saw a release on PRNewswire talking about the 2005 Colliers North American Parking Rates Survey. It gives the median price of monthly parking in Los Angeles as $185. That puts LA well behind such expensive cities as Pittsburgh, PA ($277); Hartford, CT ($196.10); and San Francisco ($350). The survey only includes garages, which I think significantly raised...

Everyday

Kathy Reges

By Eric Richardson — July 26, 2005
1 Comment

The LA Times yesterday reported that Kathy Reges, one of the founders of the Brewery Arts Complex, died last Thursday. Kathleen “Kathy” Reges, who helped her estranged husband, Richard Carlson, develop the Brewery in downtown Los Angeles as an art colony, has died. She was 49. Reges died Thursday at County-USC Medical Center of a heart attack...

Everyday

Hybrid View Shows Incorrect Placement

By Eric Richardson — July 25, 2005
3 Comments

The new Google Maps hybrid view is pretty cool. It made me notice, though, that Hope St. right by the library is misplaced. Take a look at the attached link and you’ll see that Google thinks the street goes around the bottom of Library Tower – right alongside 5th St – and then up the steps. MSN’s just launched Virtual Earth has the exact...

Everyday

Not What He Meant, But...

By Eric Richardson — July 22, 2005

I was just reading through the Downtown News’ Best of Downtown issue and had a bit of a start at this quote from ”Players, Pretenders, Aces and Jokers”: Most interesting response for who should leave the table: Victor Franco’s carefully reasoned, “Some of the homeless and housing ‘advocates’: I believe that some of...

Everyday

A Special Thursday Grand Performances

By Eric Richardson — July 21, 2005
4 Comments

eecue just emailed to let me know that next Thursday at Grand Performances the Shaolin Monks will be doing a demonstration that hadn’t previously been on the calendar. On Thursday, July 28 at 8:00 PM, we will present a special “add-on” to our season schedule. China’s incredible Henan Province Shaolin Monks will present a demonstration...