Wayback Machine

Found this cool photo on Wikipedia and thought I'd share. It's a shot of 4th and Main in 1923. Look at how crowded it is!

Any questions?

Music for your wheels

I see this guy on 6th Street almost every day. His taste in music runs to funk--no surprise there.

Quote from my mother

"There are a lot of people in this neighborhood who walk around talking to themselves."

Sweet

MB and I hung out at Syrup Desserts today. He had a root beer float made with a locally brewed (and amazingly tasty) root beer and I had a latte and a macaroon. It's a really comfortable space, especially the second floor lounge, and they have wifi. I'm always looking for new places to write and I think this is going to be great--out of the apartment so that I don't get distracted by Kidlo, but close enough for me to pop in and out when I need to. Also, because they have outdoor seating, they really fit in on a block that has a lot of outdoor seating already--LA Cafe, the Mexican joint (sorry, can't remember the name), California Pizza and even the grocery store all have their little bistro areas. I hope Syrup Desserts sticks around.

One New York import we don't need

Went to the new 7-11 on Broadway and preaching right next to the entrance was a group of Real Israelites. They believe that blacks are descended from the lost tribes of Israel and are the true Jews. They are also obnoxious aggressive assholes. They make a lot of noise, block the sidewalk, yell at people who take pictures. You get the idea. I used to see these people all the time in Times Square and it sucks that they're now in Downtown LA. Below is a sample of what they're like.

Grandma Downtown

So my mother is visiting for 10 days and it's been really cool to see her reaction to Downtown. She's a total New Yorker, has lived in the Bronx since her family moved there from Puerto Rico when she was five. And she loves Downtown LA. She keeps saying, "Wow, it's so lively down here! There's so much to do! It's really nice!" Art Walk was a huge success. Kidlo got his photo taken at a gallery, MB and my mom bought some gear at Kapsoul (which is owned by our former neighbor and had its grand opening yesterday), and I scored two fabulous prints photographed by two Marshall High School students for $30. Mom loved all of it, the crowds, the art, the music.

Mom had actually been kind of biased against Downtown because she'd seen a news story about Skid Row. She'd called me afterwards and was like, "I saw on TV that there's a shelter on 6th Street. Don't you live on 6th Street? Are you guys safe?" But she's been here three days and she's cruising around the neighborhood by herself, bought a sandwich at LA Cafe ("Damn, that was a good sandwich!"), has been hanging out with Kidlo at his preschool and just generally fitting right in. I've had a bit of a sense of Downtown LA not being quite ready for primetime, but at least one New Yorker thinks it's great right now.