sha in LA

the strong, silent type

Last evening I found myself in an Arts District Loft of close friends, Neon Boy and The Gentrifier, for a Holiday Party to welcome a new addition to their family.  No, they didn’t adopt a little Asian baby.  They adopted a large concrete & terracotta Angel.  An Angel which used to sit 12 stories above the corner of 6th and Flower in Downtown Los Angeles nearly 40 years ago until he lost his home to a wrecking ball.

 

That home was the Richfield Oil Company Headquarters.  A stunning 1929 Art Deco, black & gold terracotta, masterpiece of a building; the coloring of which symbolized the “black gold” or “oil” business of it’s owners.  In total, there were 40 Angels that lined the rooftop and it’s unknown how many have survived over the years.

This so called “Angel treasure” has, since his dismantling, sat in the front lawn of a home in Santa Ana until the owners decided to get rid of him.  They contacted my friend who is local Historian and Urban Anthropologist and one thing led to another and viola, the Angel is now the most awesome piece of loft art ever.

He’s a handsome devil.  The strong, silent type.

 

If you're interested, you can view more images here.

 

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did someone say pillow fight?

Did you know that today, Saturday April 4th, was International Pillow Fight Day?

Los Angeles participated in the event along with a host of other cities all over the world.  Our event happened at Pershing Square in Downtown and I was there to capture it on film.

As the rules go you are only allowed to hit people with pillows, anyone carrying a camera is off limits.  I stayed on the fringes of the fight and snapped a zillion pics.  Just uploaded the cream of the crop to flickr; go have a looksie.

In the meantime, here's my favorite shot from the day:

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fly like a pigeon?

 

Biking is the new hot topic these days it seems.  With gas prices still on the high side of things and the color green on everyone's mind from the financial crisis to saving the planet, it's only natural that some people are remembering their youth and taking up the two wheel mode of transportation...or at least considering it.

I used to bike all over my neighborhood when I was a kid.  Then one day, when I became an adult and moved to the car capital of the world, I stopped.  Yesterday (Sunday actually, I'm writing this late on Monday night) I relived my youth.  Biking en masse with about 20 other people (Pat from Eating L.A. included) and the Flying Pigeon crew on their weekly Sunday morning Get Sum Dim Sum Bike Ride.

People began gathering at 10am at the Flying Pigeon Bike Shop in Highland Park.  Those who either didn't have a bike or wanted to test out the Flying Pigeon were able to use a loaner.  I chose a loaner, a lovely Orange one in honor of my beloved Browns who had a bye this past week, which was in part why I was able to join in on the festivities.

Normally these Dim Sum rides are exactly what they specify, a ride from the bike shop to one of the various Dim Sum offerings in Chinatown, San Gabriel or Alhambra.  This week though they decided to change things up a bit, the destination was The San Antonio Winery...yet another reason this Bad Angeleno decided to participate.

Around 10:30am, after being "fitted" for my temporary new ride, we were off.  It was a gloriously overcast morning, just lovely for an easy bike ride which traveled along a maze of back streets and ended about a half hour later.

The San Antonio Winery sits on its original location, expanded just a bit since inception in 1917, and takes up an entire city block.  The enlarged structure houses a Tasting Room, Gift Shop, Restaurant, numerous Fermenting Rooms and a Bottling Plant.  They offer tours of the facility on what I would assume a regular basis throughout the day. 

The restaurant is set up buffet style with a twist.  Set out on tables are samples of the entrees which are available that day, you figure out what you want and tell the nice man behind the counter, you then grab desert and a drink, pay for your meal and when the entree is ready someone will bring it directly to your table.

On the ride back to the bike shop the sun decided to grace us with its presence...and heat.  Overall it wasn't too difficult of a ride, slightly uphill but not unbearable by any stretch of the imagination.  A small price to pay considering I think I coasted nearly the entire trip to the Winery.

The bikes come complete with a basket, headlight and lock and are extremely comfy for those of us with troublesome lower backs.  All for $299.  And if you happen to buy one of their bikes after the ride then the Flying Pigeon crew will buy your lunch.

Again, the Get Sum Dim Sum Bike Ride happens every Sunday at 10am and the route changes on a weekly basis.  Be sure to check their website for more info and to reserve a bike.

Go meet some new cool new people, buy a bike, get some dim sum and maybe if you're lucky...and then some!!!

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p.s. I didn't get any "and then some" but I did get some pics, you can view them here if you wish.

nice way to spend a lazy sunday evening...

As viewed from 5th and Los Angeles last Sunday evening:

That's not big pigeons on top of the Rosslyn Hotel sign, it's 3 chicks.  As in girls.  They climbed the sign and proceeded to pass the hooch between them.

The blond in the middle walked on the ledge of a 6 story building about a half hour prior.  Me thinks she was a gymnast many years ago.

Other views from the evening in my flickr set.

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p.s.  i just checked out Angel's flickr pics and found a great one of the the little birdies, I mean girlies, on the sign. 

R.I.P. Tofu Festival

Usually around this time of year I get giddy with excitement at the thought of attending the Tofu Festival which coincides with Nisei Week in Little Tokyo.  However it looks like the festival has run its course on the L.A. landscape.  The good people at the Little Tokyo Service Center have decided to call it quits after a stunning 12 year run.

I've attended the Tofu Festival for the past 4 years and always had a great time trying new and innovative dishes involving the loving little bean curd.  My least favorite part of the experience was walking around on hot asphalt and sweating profusely in the brutal August sun, but that never steered me, nor thousands of others, away.  However after last year's event, which had to find a new home due to construction in the parking lot they had previously held the festival, one could sense that the end was near.

To that end, I was going to share with everyone my beloved official recipe for Tofu Tostadas from the Church of Perfect Liberty but in looking for the recipe just now I realized that I lost it in the fire.  Very sad.  And a brief online search for it yielded nothing as well, so here it goes from memory and how I normally make them:

1 block of firm tofu
green pepper
yellow pepper
tomato
green onion
chopped cilantro
lime juice
minced fresh garlic
salt & pepper

Chop up veggies and put in a large bowl with the cilantro, lime juice, garlic and S&P.  Cube the tofu and add into the veggie mix.  Toss gently and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes for the flavors to absorb into the tofu.  Dish a heaping spoonful onto a hard tostada shell and enjoy!

Obviously you can alter this recipe to suit your tastes, so get creative and have some fun.

Me and my tofu bunny are now going to have a moment of silence for the Tofu Festival.

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Banquette's Sunday Supper

Banquette, a quaint little cafe located near the corner of 4th & Main in Downtown, recently began hosting a Sunday Supper which consists of an “informal family style 3 course meal” for $15 per person.  I had the pleasure of attending one of these dinners back on June 22^nd and LOVED it.  Seating is at 7pm and diners are paired up intuitively with tables ranging in size from 2 – 6 people.  I made a single reservation and they sat me with Bert Green (and 4 others) after finding out that I was a blogger and we were most likely friends.  It’s a great way to meet fellow like minded individuals who enjoy great food in a great city!!

 

I ate every single bite of our delicious meal which consisted of the menu below:

 

Beet, Cucumber & Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

Salmon with Fennel, Basil and Tomato

Summer String Beans with New Potatoes
Polenta Pound Cake with Berries

 

This Sunday they are having another Supper and I’d go again in a heartbeat if I didn’t already have Independent Shakespeare reservations for Henry IV at Barnsdall Park.

 

All the information you need, including the drink specials, is listed below.  You MUST RSVP if you are planning on attending as seating is very limited.  And if you can’t make it this week then keep an eye here as I will link future menus as they are offered.

 

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Hey Everyone,

This Sunday is on again for another Supper at Banquette.

And we have a special treat - our friend Luca Loffredo, former chef of
Prego in San Francisco and Cheebo here in LA is cooking!

We don't know how long we'll be doing these, so come, eat good food,
drink great wine and hang out with your neighbors on the Main St. Cote d'Azur!

Once again we invite you join us this Sunday, July 13
for an informal family style three course meal.

--------- Luca's Menu-----------

Frisee Salad with Potato, Olive and Tomato

Roasted Pork Loin in Lemon and Thyme

Caponata (Sicilian Eggplant Relish, so good with pork!)

Orzo Pasta with Summer Vegetables

Frozen Zabaglione with Marinated Balsamic Berries

-------------------------

$15 per person

We are offering this menu only

No meat substitutions - Pasta and Caponata are Vegetarian

Pitchers of sangria $12
Featured wine 10% off
Regular wine and beer available too!

Food served from 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Bar open till 10pm

Seating is limited.

RSVP at Banquette or call 213-626-2768 with your name and phone number
e-mail to [email protected]

Banquette Cafe
400 S. Main Street

Los Angeles, CA 90013
(at the corner of 4th and Main, next to Pete's)

 

more than a two-bit town

Tomorrow night is the 2nd Thursday of the month and what does that mean?  It's time for the Downtown ArtWalk!!!

As you can see, they have a brand spankin' new logo and if you clicked on the link you'll notice a revamped website too.  Go ahead, click that link above and troll around, I'll wait.

Now wasn't that fun!?!  Being there in person is even more fun and I highly suggest you check it out if you haven't yet.  But a fair warning if you do decide to go...Downtown is gonna be a busy place so plan your route carefully and be sure to read the street signs.  In addition to the flocks of people coming for the ArtWalk there will be those that shun the arts and prefer sports more, with game 4 of the NBA finals at the Staples Center.  And finally, the most brilliant move of all - FilmLA ok'ing a humongous TV shoot tomorrow evening that effectively cuts a wide swath through the ArtWalk boundaries.  So like I warned, be sure to look for and read any added No Parking signs if you decide to do the street parking thing, or better yet - go Metro!

One more thing, if you choose ArtWalk over BBall then do not miss the 3 shows by Winstead Adams Project.  I'm just sayin'...

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of neon and angel city in the city of angels

Last night I attended MONA's Opening Reception of their new show featuring Classic Soda Pop Signs and other neon related Kinetic Arts. Thanks to Tom Gilmore the museum has a temporary new home although they continue the search for a bigger venue as most of their permanent collection sits in storage.

As you enter the space the most prominent aspect, which also hearkens people off the street, is the newly restored Craby Joe's sign from the recently defunct skid row watering hole. Accompanying the sign is a mini-photo retrospective from the final evening of business taken by Eric Lynxwiler of the Neon Cruise fame.

[Yours truly can be seen in the photo of the photo above if you know where to look.]

This temporary home for MONA is a blessing in the fact that the previous location down Olympic near FIDM was slightly off the beaten path. Now, especially in the wake of the Craby Joe's aftermath, the museum is generating more attention than in the past and one can only hope that a permanent home will come forth from some divine source. Subway Terminal Building, I'm looking at you. Or any other space that possesses 50,000 SQ FT, a large loading dock and crazy high ceilings. That's kinda hard to come by in today's Downtown Real Estate game especially when developers are looking for retail and/or dining and not non-profit.

Someone recently bemoaned the fact that MONA was charging at the art walk however let's remember that museum just up Grand Avenue with a similar name, MOCA, has sponsorships and grants galore that help support them in opening their doors for free every Thursday. MONA doesn't have that capability right now, they need to charge so they can pay their bills. Or they need a sponsor. Again, any takers?

But I digress, the opening seemed to be a hit with a steady flow of people from 7-10pm stopping by to take a look and snap some photos.

Since Neon Boy was slated to stay for the entire party and The Gentrifier and I didn't have any reason to stay and watch him talk about neon, we moseyed over to Seven Grand for a cocktail. Near the corner of 4th and Broadway we noticed a film of some sort being projected on top of a parking structure and I wondered if it was Angel City as I've heard about this outdoor "drive-in" but never knew it's exact location. On our walk back to MONA we decided to investigate and indeed my suspicions were correct. Located on the top floor of a 2 story parking structure was a small massing of cars huddled together with people either enjoying the movie from inside their vehicle or on the makeshift "lawn" in front of a considerably large screen, with the projector located conveniently on the top of a '57 Chevy.

The entrance fee is $10 per person no matter what mode of transport you utilize to get there and as I said before they do have a large astro-turf area in front of the screen so if you don't have a car, its OK. If you do decide to drive they have an FM transmitter which will allow you to watch the movie the old fashioned way. I'm looking forward to checking it out on my own in the future, perhaps we will put together a "3BN goes to the movies" night or something.

After all the excitement was over and we dragged Neon Boy out of the party by his LED tie we ran into Bert Green and Co. having a beverage on the Banquette patio and converged with Wonton Winstead on the last leg of his nightly walk around the block.

And so it ended up being just another fun night with friends in Downtown enjoying all that it has to offer.

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from Downtown to Disneyland and everywhere in between

As previously reported, yesterday morning was the re-match of the City Race Urban Adventure Hunt between the Downtown Dwellers (my team) and Team Angelenic (Rich & Stephen). This time the focus was on Little Tokyo and I spent the week brushing up on my notes as a few years ago I served as a mentor for new LT docents with The Los Angeles Conservancy. However going into the competition I didn't feel like we were going to come away victorious, we were down one teammate as Eric had a speaking engagement in the afternoon, so that already put us at a slight disadvantage. Or perhaps not. We were well stacked with technology on our side (CJ), a logical thinker (Phil), little old me and Eric available via phone for anything random that completely stumped us.

As the results were being read we noticed that the overall team totals were much higher on this race versus the one we did back in October. Were people more knowledgeable about the area? Was it easier overall questions? We had answered all except for one and only got 3 of the numerous items that were available for extra credit. We were convinced that Team Angelenic beat us as they had answered all questions AND got more extra credit items than us. Then the shocker amongst all shockers....4th place goes to.....Team Angelenic. Wh-what? Perplexed yet excited at the same time I was. Then the announcement of the final 2 teams, separated by one point between them...wh-what? We won?!?! Holy shite! Regardless of the re-match we had a blast, these races are so much fun and I highly recommend them to anyone wanting to have a good time and learn some neat things about your city in the process.

Afterwards we all had lunch over at The Curry House and then I was off to go change and get down to Anaheim. (girl)Chris was in town for a Disneyland weekend trip and (boy)Chris and I drove down to meet her for the evening.

We entered the park at 7pm and in 5 hours we went on 8 rides. Not bad. The recap: Pirates, Haunted, food, Jungle Cruise, Star Tours, Matterhorn, Mr. Toad, Buzz Lightyear and last but not least Peter Pan! To say that my legs hurt in a major way today would not be an exaggeration. But it was worth it.

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twice as nice

VO announcer: Hey Shannon, you and your team, the Downtown Dwellers just won the City Race Urban Adventure again, what are you gonna do now?

Shannon: I'm going to Disneyland!

Recap of the day to come later, much later...off to Anaheim!!!

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