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Avanine-Commuter
Oct 10, 2009, 1:57 AM
Oh, so you DO take things literally. Surprise surprise.

No one is denying anything. But apparently pop culture is the only culture there is in the world of edluva.

I know what high-minded is. Don't take me for a simpleton. but I would think it's more correct to say that NY is the trash chute where L.A. dumps all of it's pop culture for sale. Correct?

edluva
Oct 10, 2009, 2:11 AM
wow, you made no sense. are you trying to win this "debate" being as inscrutable as possible?

what is your version of the truth? don't just try to sound tongue in cheek for the sake of mere appearance

KEVINcredible1226
Oct 10, 2009, 3:28 AM
I love that pic of LA. It's so heavily populated, although today, broadway is still dense with foot traffic.

Avanine-Commuter
Oct 10, 2009, 4:50 AM
wow, you made no sense. are you trying to win this "debate" being as inscrutable as possible?

what is your version of the truth? don't just try to sound tongue in cheek for the sake of mere appearance

Jesus, so I have to spell out everything? I should say you shouldn't try to sound so enlightened for the sake of mere appearance.

As I said before, you always equate pop culture as the only culture L.A. ever creates. Out of the many posts I've seen of you dragging L.A.'s name through the mud, criticism of L.A. usually ends up pointing at "pop culture trash".

Then you equate L.A. as N.Y.'s trash chute morally and culturally, as if. Culturally, both L.A. and N.Y. are extremely distinct. DO NOT assume you can throw a blanket statement and get away with it.


Quoted, "I would think it's more correct to say that NY is the trash chute where L.A. dumps all of it's pop culture for sale." That is not "tongue-in-cheek" at all. As straight forward as I would think it should be.

AndrewK
Oct 10, 2009, 6:14 PM
guess i tried to make my foray into this thread at the wrong time...

WonderlandPark
Oct 11, 2009, 5:21 AM
guess i tried to make my foray into this thread at the wrong time...

:haha: welcome to the L.A. thread, with all of the usual characters adding "color" to the scene.

But it keeps things interesting at least.

pesto
Oct 12, 2009, 4:06 PM
Andrew: please stay; there are all kinds of discussions here from the highly specific to the general to the inscrutable and you can pick and choose.

Avinine has a really interesting point: LA may produce the pop culture but it is in response to world-wide demand and is almost entirely funded by NY money (with Japanese, Arab, Hispanic tossed in). And it's unclear how much culture is generated in NYC, as opposed to its funding and dissemination (publishers, agents, PR, lawyers). It's like saying that most football is in LA and NY because most of the NFL agents and PR firms are there.

In any event, city stereotypes are just that and break-down rather quickly.

JDRCRASH
Oct 13, 2009, 2:24 PM
ruffy - noone implied angelenos are literally more horny than new yorkers. it's called "metaphor" (are we really this shallow?) i'm not defending kunstlercast, because the discussion had some ignorant generalizations if its own. but however imperfectly it does it, it does touch upon many fundamental truths about la (and consumerism at large) that cannot be denied.

Just curious, but by "LA", what do you mean? The City? The County? The whole Region, perhaps, which would include Laguna, Newport, Thousand Oaks, etc?

LAMetroGuy
Oct 19, 2009, 10:34 PM
Cities don't generate anything, people do... let's not forget that. :tup:

pesto
Oct 19, 2009, 10:50 PM
100 percent correct. You always have to watch out for loose language like "blue collar workers believe that..." or "southerners like...". Groups don't believe anything; groups don't want anything; groups don't vote. Only individuals can do that. Groups are a convenient way of making summaries, but they are not reality.

DowntownCharlieBrown
Nov 2, 2009, 7:41 AM
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2009/10/hollywood_and_gower_project.php

Renderings for Hollywood and Gower Project Finally Surface
Monday, October 26, 2009, by Dakota

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2510/4067080271_a75893c887_o.jpg

Gaze upon developer Hanover Company's much-talked about, but never seen Hollywood Boulevard project, a 20-story, 176-unit rental building proposed for Hollywood and Gower. The completed draft environmental impact report hit the City's web site on Friday. But like the nearby Columbia Square project, the state of the financial markets means that ground-breaking for the building (designed by GMP Architects) isn't exactly imminent. "It's in the proposed but uncertain phase," says Ryan Hamilton, project manager at Hanover Co. Meanwhile, looking over the renderings, the one thing that surprised us was seeing all the intended supergraphics that'd go up on the building. Given that the project isn't entitled, wouldn't those be illegal given the ban on new signs? Not so, according Hamilton, who says the building falls within the Hollywood Supplemental Use District. And it's his belief the ban will eventually be lifted. "My understanding was that the intent of the sign ban was that it would be in place until the city could work out the solution to a citywide sign ordinance," says Hamilton. He adds that once the new ordinance is written, Hanover will begin signage entitlement work, but it's too early given that the stage of the project. Per the city attorney's office, all new off-site signs are currently banned (though there are exemptions), but who knows what the City Council will eventually do? We don't. Meanwhile, 7,200 square of retail are also planned, as is both subterranean and above ground parking.

JDRCRASH
Nov 2, 2009, 5:53 PM
Something about the sign seems a little tacky...

SD_Phil
Nov 2, 2009, 7:16 PM
so does something about the design frankly

pesto
Nov 2, 2009, 8:10 PM
It does seem to be a bit of a yawner. But I think as we head into East Hollywood, there is going to be less money spent on architecture fees, materials and amenities.

colemonkee
Nov 2, 2009, 8:42 PM
Eh, Hanover's never been accused of putting together amazing designs. That being said, this one's not offensive, it's just not good. Especially given how prominent it will be from points east in Hollywood, or on the Hollywood freeway.

StethJeff
Nov 3, 2009, 5:34 AM
I don't think its a bad design. I guess I'm alone on this one.

SD_Phil
Nov 3, 2009, 5:53 AM
^not bad just crazy boring

LosAngelesBeauty
Nov 3, 2009, 5:54 AM
What matters more is that there will be "more life" (albeit not that much) on the street than just the design of the tower. Personally, I don't think it's bad at all. It really doesn't matter to the street life (just look at Tokyo or Taipei).

dktshb
Nov 3, 2009, 5:57 AM
It is not an eyesore but it is nothing too interesting either. It is nice to see the vertical buildings moving east though towards the 101. I would like to see this built.

pesto
Nov 3, 2009, 5:32 PM
As you come through the Cahuenga Pass on 101 you get a view of a number of Hollywood buildings in older styles that are quite eye-catching (although admitedly in a bit of disrepair). It would be nice to add something that keeps up the architectural interest, which this does only slightly.

Maybe the sign gives it a little deco-ish style. If it's visible from the freeway, you would think that they would want to put the name on top.

Is it possible that that area will have a dozen of these between Vine and Western? What a triumph for transit and redevelopment.

pesto
Nov 3, 2009, 8:20 PM
Musing some more about development: If Purple/Pink Lines are in place, East Holywood is 15 minutes or less from NoHo, Hollywood, DT, Ktown, Beverly Center, WeHo, BH and just a bit longer to CC and Westwood. Could be a great affordable urban living area with access to work, entertainment and shopping.

High rises on Hollywood and Sunset and 3-8 on the side streets?

LosAngelesBeauty
Nov 6, 2009, 8:30 AM
I had a chance to stop by Century City today and snapped this shot of the Century, which looks pretty much done by now. :)

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/1880/img00145200911051559.jpg

pesto
Nov 6, 2009, 5:09 PM
So in theory this view will be mostly blocked by the 2 towers replacing the Century Plaza (which is the curved structure barely seen toward the left). And the Bloomingdale's tower will be out of frame to the left with the Purple Line station in it? (in maybe 5-8 years if Mayor V gets his way).

Westfield logos are getting a little old; time for some revamping. A little more glass, metal and glitz might be nice instead of the concrete. The wooden benches and general look are a bit dated. I guess that's why they're talking about major renovations. Maybe make the whole place look like Pink Taco and RockSugar.

Quixote
Nov 6, 2009, 10:37 PM
^ Save the Century Plaza!

betawest
Nov 7, 2009, 7:47 AM
^ Save the Century Plaza!

Yes!! The Century Plaza is mad Mod and too important to let go. Cram them two shiny dullards somewhere else!:notacrook:

sopas ej
Nov 7, 2009, 8:13 AM
I haven't driven through Century City at night in quite a while. Is the Century Plaza Hotel still lit up on the outside with those awful yellow lights in the balconies? I hope so, it added to the whole hideousness of it all.

Remember the dorky beefeater costumes they used to make the doormen wear? Or do they still wear them?

LosAngelesBeauty
Nov 7, 2009, 10:23 AM
^ I saw Ryan Phillipe there before! (Second time total, once while waiting in line at Heathrow before take off) So it makes the hotel good in my book :) LOL

pesto
Nov 7, 2009, 4:30 PM
All right, I’ll play bad guy. The CP is a low-rise, car-oriented, pedestrian-non-oriented, building. It is too young to be historic and just not that good architecturally. You can see versions of it in many resort areas of the world.

It will be replaced by high-rise residences (which is what CC is missing) with outside retail and direct, attractive pedestrian connections to the mall.

The mall itself will be redone to add street retail (SM Blvd, Ave. of the Stars) and make it more pedestrian friendly. A subway station will be put on the ground floor of a high-rise containing Bloomingdale’s and more residential housing. And this is all being done with zero financial commitment of any sort from the city. How can you beat this deal?

And, besides, I never saw Ryan Philippe there.

LosAngelesBeauty
Nov 7, 2009, 10:24 PM
^ You're right pesto, get rid of that thing and replace it with the two towers

Quixote
Nov 8, 2009, 1:54 AM
Anything built in Century City will be auto-oriented.

sopas ej
Nov 8, 2009, 2:25 AM
Anything built in Century City will be auto-oriented.

Well yeah, Century City itself is auto-oriented. Avenue of the Stars is as wide as a freeway and there's no on-street parking allowed anywhere in CC. There are high-rise residential towers in CC towards the Pico Blvd. end, but you never see people walking in Century City. It's very sterile and almost eerie, especially at night; to me it always had the look out of a science-fiction movie where somehow a bomb killed all the people and made them disappear but left the buildings and landscaping intact.

I doubt it'll become pedestrian-oriented anytime soon, and if it does, it'll only be along the Santa Monica Blvd. end because of the retail. Santa Monica Blvd., itself along that stretch is also as wide as a freeway with the same speeding traffic.

Kingofthehill
Nov 8, 2009, 6:43 AM
I'll never understand the people in LA who are staunch advocates of tearing down what little skyscrapers we have -- even if they are 'ugly' -- in favor of another one, when there are literally tons of adjacent lots...as if a block or 2 over is going to make a big difference; since most of the traffic to these new towers will be automobile (i.e don't have to worry about the building being too far from mass transit), an additional minute or 2 isn't going to spell the end of the world. All those underutilized/empty parcels and they want to go after the one with a fully-functioning, *historic* building...no wonder why this city has no history left!

And the touted successors for the CP building....2 more impersonal glass towers? yawn.

pesto
Nov 8, 2009, 5:11 PM
I agree that CC will never be pedestrian friendly like DT or other real urban areas. But bringing in residences next to offices and shopping, density, a subway and on-street retail are all good things in any neighborhood, right?

I expect that CC will have a boom in pedestrian traffic after this, precisely in the areas of the subway, mall and Century Plaza. I expect that the CC subway stop will be one of the most heavily used in LA.

The CP is not exactly a historic high-rise. It’s 15 stories or so and only 40 years old. It will be replaced by two 40 plus story buildings with greenery and connections to the mall and subway. Similarly, I do not mourn the Wilshire Grand or the Beverly Hilton (if and when they get "renovated"). Nice, but not that nice; historical, but not that historical.

dktshb
Nov 10, 2009, 12:30 AM
Fitting for Hollywood and I am glad to see another yet another theatre on Hollywood Blvd being redeveloped:

Supperclub Launches Spring 2010 in Vogue Theatre

Tuesday, October 6, 2009, by Kat Odell
With worldwide outposts in Amsterdam, London, Singapore, Istanbul, and San Francisco, the Supperclub is headed for LA, slated to open March 2010 in the Vogue Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. Concrete Architectural Associates are heading the 15,000 square foot spacial remodel that will meld the current vintage feel of the theatre with the oddities that encompass other Supperclub locations (red and white rooms, dominatrixes, opera singers, midgets on bicycles, etc.). The end result will be a multi-purpose venue featuring an ultra-modern amphitheater as the main dining room with a bar/lounge/club. [EaterWire]·Supperclub Bringing "Midget on Bicycles" To Vogue Theatre [~ELA~]

pesto
Nov 10, 2009, 1:27 AM
Ah, a little bit of Amsterdam or Berlin right here in LA.

I have no problem with transvestites, bicycling midgets, dominatrices and perverted cabaret as long as its done in good taste.

pesto
Nov 17, 2009, 10:40 PM
Hollywood: if you go back 20-30 years it was war surplus, low-grade wig shops, head shops (the "medical" marijuana stores of the time). Back then, pretty much only the drug store at Hollywood/Highland was selling tourist stuff. There were no tourists.

But there was CC Brown's, where the hot fudge sundae was supposedly invented.

Bootstrap Bill
Nov 19, 2009, 4:51 AM
:previous: Interesting but really sad article.

Not so anymore. Sounds like you need to check out Hollywood again.

Sounds like a good idea.

Back in the mid 90's, my mother lived a couple blocks from Hollywood and Vine on Dix Street. She rented an apartment owned by the Mike Diamond plumbing company. Great building, the area looked nice, but the neighbors were another story. She bought a patio set. It didn't last a week until someone stole it. The gangs, drugs and huge homeless population was too much for her. She moved back to Orange County after only living there two years.

I visited her numerous times during that period and spent a lot of time exploring. Even though parts of Hollywood looked trashy, I icould see that it had great potential.

JDRCRASH
Nov 19, 2009, 3:48 PM
Say what you want about Hollywood & Highland; it has invigorated the area with development and IMO, it's beautiful.

Easy
Nov 22, 2009, 4:47 AM
Back then, pretty much only the drug store at Hollywood/Highland was selling tourist stuff. There were no tourists.


False. Where did you hear this? I was a tourist in Hollywood in 1989 and while there still were lots of runaway kids, drugs, and prostitution there were also tourists. Especially in front of the Chinese theater. There were tour buses like there are now, although not as many. There were also star maps, postcards, t-shirts, and other touristy stuff at many different shops.

pesto
Nov 22, 2009, 7:43 AM
Easy: Can't speak for 1989, but in 1980-83 I worked on Hollywood and walked from La Brea to near Whitley and back daily. There were still the remains of the great book district (second only to London is number of book stores) but dying; there were war surplus, wig-shops; head-shops; two magic shops and low-grade t-shirt shops, which might have carried a few postcards; Frederick's still had their HQ store but it was almost empty.

Zero tourists is an exaggeration, but it was so close that it might as well have been. Mann's Chinese courtyard was empty Monday to Friday, all day. I know, because we rented out the empty auditorium for occasional meetings. The t-shirt stores changed owners and their line of merchandise regularly. They were aimed at military, bikers and hard drug users (not tourists) who were coming down to get booze, dope and hookers (hookers on Sunset, drugs just off Hollywood and on Yucca). Typical t-shirt: a skull and the motto "Kill 'em all; let God sort 'em out" or "187th Airborne: Death From the Sky".

As long as you got me started: On Yucca, drug dealers and their clients were essentially the only people. Mostly hash, acid and other hallucinogens. I suppose they had coke and other stuff if you asked. Shooting up in the doorways of the beautiful old buildings. It was really quite sad, young painfully thin girls with that dead, heroin look.

Women in our office would refuse to walk alone, so security escorted them down Hollywood Blvd. in the middle of the day. Panhandlers and derelicts; guys on violent trips, attacking light-posts, screaming and cursing. Car radios were routinely stolen out of the guarded parking lot; we covered windows with cardboard on the inside so at night the druggies wouldn't know who was inside and gather by the doors waiting. Mace was universal among the women (always carry in your hand, not in your purse).

dktshb
Nov 22, 2009, 9:09 PM
When I first moved to Hollywood in 1997 in was pretty bad shape then too although things were starting to change for the better. Unfortunately change came at a snails pace for many years. Hollywood really started booming in the last couple of years right when I get up and leave.

KEVINcredible1226
Nov 23, 2009, 3:39 AM
I love Hollywood and Highland! Its so nice when lit up at night. They should do projects like Hollywood and Highland in LA Live, maybe adding a mall. LA Central was suppose to do a 100,000 SQ FT mall right? But the project is dead now.

Can anyone post any new Koreatown Projects PLEASE?
Im so interested with KoreaTown. In the Wilshire Area, it is just so Urban, Specially the Wilshire and Western Area, it is just great. There are also so much foot traffic in K-Town.

Thanks

LosAngelesBeauty
Nov 23, 2009, 7:18 AM
Easy: Can't speak for 1989, but in 1980-83 I worked on Hollywood and walked from La Brea to near Whitley and back daily. There were still the remains of the great book district (second only to London is number of book stores) but dying; there were war surplus, wig-shops; head-shops; two magic shops and low-grade t-shirt shops, which might have carried a few postcards; Frederick's still had their HQ store but it was almost empty.

Zero tourists is an exaggeration, but it was so close that it might as well have been. Mann's Chinese courtyard was empty Monday to Friday, all day. I know, because we rented out the empty auditorium for occasional meetings. The t-shirt stores changed owners and their line of merchandise regularly. They were aimed at military, bikers and hard drug users (not tourists) who were coming down to get booze, dope and hookers (hookers on Sunset, drugs just off Hollywood and on Yucca). Typical t-shirt: a skull and the motto "Kill 'em all; let God sort 'em out" or "187th Airborne: Death From the Sky".

As long as you got me started: On Yucca, drug dealers and their clients were essentially the only people. Mostly hash, acid and other hallucinogens. I suppose they had coke and other stuff if you asked. Shooting up in the doorways of the beautiful old buildings. It was really quite sad, young painfully thin girls with that dead, heroin look.

Women in our office would refuse to walk alone, so security escorted them down Hollywood Blvd. in the middle of the day. Panhandlers and derelicts; guys on violent trips, attacking light-posts, screaming and cursing. Car radios were routinely stolen out of the guarded parking lot; we covered windows with cardboard on the inside so at night the druggies wouldn't know who was inside and gather by the doors waiting. Mace was universal among the women (always carry in your hand, not in your purse).

Wow! Thank you for posting your experience of Hollywood back in the early 80s. It really makes me appreciate the Hollywood of today with a new W Hotel, Space 15-Twenty, Madame Tussauds, Zara, and a future FLAGSHIP store of West Elm furniture store at the corner of Hollywood/Orange. :)

sopas ej
Nov 23, 2009, 7:52 AM
I remember the Hollywood of the 1980s. When I turned 16 and got my drivers license in 1986, that's when I would be driving to Hollywood/WeHo often. Back then it was all about Melrose, which had a fun scene, and lots of Japanese tourists as I recall. I would frequent La Luz de Jesus and Drake's, hehe, and I remember Boy London and Retail Slut. Hollywood Blvd. was seedy but fun, I thought. I guess I was lucky, my car never got broken into. I remember going to Grauman's Chinese (back then Mann's Chinese) Theatre and seeing "The Lost Boys" and "The Witches of Eastwicke" with my best friend. I do remember CC Brown's, it was a totally old school ice cream PARLOR, with the embossed tin ceilings and the old school wooden booths, it was fun. I would also hang out at Hollywood Memorial Park (now called Hollywood Forever Cemetery) because I love celebrity grave sites. When I was 19 I had read a biography on Rudolph Valentino and I became obsessed with visiting his old haunts, and I even saw the Lady in Black who would visit his grave. Of course she wasn't the original Lady in Black, but it was still cool nonetheless to bump into her randomly while going to Rudolph Valentino's grave. Ahh, memories.

dachacon
Nov 23, 2009, 11:38 AM
I'll never understand the people in LA who are staunch advocates of tearing down what little skyscrapers we have -- even if they are 'ugly' -- in favor of another one, when there are literally tons of adjacent lots...as if a block or 2 over is going to make a big difference; since most of the traffic to these new towers will be automobile (i.e don't have to worry about the building being too far from mass transit), an additional minute or 2 isn't going to spell the end of the world. All those underutilized/empty parcels and they want to go after the one with a fully-functioning, *historic* building...no wonder why this city has no history left!

And the touted successors for the CP building....2 more impersonal glass towers? yawn.

the only way that i can explain it. is LA is the between point of two very different cultural neighbors. one being San Francisco, who deems every building historical and preserves everything it sees, and Las Vegas. Vegas is all about the new glitz and glam. try finding a building older than 10 years old that is still relevant and not having a demolition date in the near future.
most of the people moving out, and in general traveling go through LA so we get both extremes of preserving for preserving's sake, and desires to build new glitzy modern buildings to show off. as a result we have a sort of middle ground where if a building has outlived its useful life then its destroyed, unless it has some very important historical status.

pesto
Nov 23, 2009, 4:58 PM
The funny thing is, back then it was no worse than Greenwich Village, 42nd St., much of Berkeley and south of Market in SF. The great age of the hippie leftovers turning to druggies and ruling the streets.

At the time you just lived with it, but 25 years older, I don't think I would work in a place like than now. For sure, you left the area immediately after work.

Santa Monica Blvd. was gay and straight porn mixed in with an almost small town mix of dry-cleaners, flower shops and the usual stuff. Melrose was starting to develop a used-clothes district, which has since become legendary.

Sunset was surprisingly similar to what it was 5 years ago before the building boom hit. A lot of hookers, however; Cahuenga to La Brea had several per block except right after sweeps. Frequent violence at the motels along there.

BTW, sopas, that's very cool about Valentino and the Lady in Black.

dktshb
Nov 24, 2009, 12:35 AM
Wow! Thank you for posting your experience of Hollywood back in the early 80s. It really makes me appreciate the Hollywood of today with a new W Hotel, Space 15-Twenty, Madame Tussauds, Zara, and a future FLAGSHIP store of West Elm furniture store at the corner of Hollywood/Orange. :) Really? West Elm furniture store at the corner of Hollywood/Orange! :dancingbacon:dancingtaco

I know the CIM group owns that building and I was hoping it would be worked on soon. I suppose a furniture store would work there... perhaps the tourists will order stuff and have it shipped home.

edluva
Nov 24, 2009, 3:43 AM
west elm sucks. they have one at victoria gardens. but thats just my opinion.

dktshb
Nov 24, 2009, 3:15 PM
I personally never stepped foot in one of them or even heard of them. I am just happy because CIM usually does a great job sprucing up old structures, and furniture stores generally look appealing at street level with their display windows.

sopas ej
Nov 24, 2009, 5:28 PM
:previous:

I've never set foot in their store either, but I've walked past the one in Santa Monica. It's a few doors down from that awfully overrated Border Grille restaurant.

Yeah, I guess furniture stores can be made to look appealing. But a lamp store, those always look tacky to me.

pesto
Nov 24, 2009, 5:45 PM
A furniture store surprises me. It just won't be Hollywood Blvd. if Z Gallerie, Restoration Hardware and Williams-Sonoma move in. I would have thought that some Melrose-style retail would be more likely.

dktshb
Nov 24, 2009, 9:51 PM
A furniture store surprises me. It just won't be Hollywood Blvd. if Z Gallerie, Restoration Hardware and Williams-Sonoma move in. I would have thought that some Melrose-style retail would be more likely. Yep this furniture store sounds more suited for Berverly Blvd, but I still welcome it to Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood Blvd is getting a good mix of Restaurant/Bar and clothing type retail so it would be nice to see a furniture store or two along the Blvd as well, although I would hoped for something a little more organic than all these chain type retailers.

LosAngelesBeauty
Nov 25, 2009, 8:40 PM
I'm not sure when West Elm will start construction since the economy sucks right now. These were plans for Hollywood/Orange that go back at least a year. Things do change. It's always possible that West Elm could have pulled out.

The building that CIM owns at Hollywood/Orange was supposed to be expanded by adding another 10 floors IIRC. CIM was planning on building a hotel there. I think it's way too far back to find a rendering of it.

I would have preferred that particular space to become more restaurants and maybe a few smaller retailers to complement the fashion row across the street (Zara, H&M, American Apparel).

I would have also preferred that West Elm, along with other retailers, would choose downtown LA to build their flagship stores. Preferably replacing all those nasty jewelry stores in the Jewelry District. I always thought the Jewerly District was just begging to become the new shopping district for Downtown LA.

Kingofthehill
Dec 4, 2009, 9:29 PM
Infill in Ktown:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2505/4158115825_d97a9d73c1_b.jpg

milquetoast
Dec 6, 2009, 12:46 PM
I'll bet the neighbors'll appreciates that!

dktshb
Dec 10, 2009, 3:28 AM
Rolling Stone to launch restaurant chain in L.A.
By Roger Vincent
December 4, 2009

Entire article here:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-rolling-stone4-2009dec04,0,4958990.story?track=rss

The magazine steps into a tough industry next summer with a two-tiered location at Hollywood & Highland Center.

Rolling Stone is about to take a leap into the entertainment industry, starting with a large-scale restaurant and nightclub in Hollywood.

Owners of the venerable magazine hope to leverage its status as a preeminent chronicler of the rock music world and pop culture into a new business built on food and drinks. The first Rolling Stone outpost is set to open next summer at Hollywood & Highland Center.

"We've been looking for the ideal opportunity to expand the Rolling Stone brand," co-founder and Editor Jann S. Wenner said.

StethJeff
Dec 10, 2009, 5:40 AM
Rolling Stone to launch restaurant chain in L.A.
By Roger Vincent
December 4, 2009

Entire article here:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-rolling-stone4-2009dec04,0,4958990.story?track=rss

Should be a fun place to grab some nachos and beers.

pesto
Dec 10, 2009, 5:06 PM
StethJeff: I think you'll have to go across the mall to the Hard Rock. Rolling Stone promises to be upscale and clubby, so I'm guessing seared ahi, filet mignon sliders and $10 beers you have never heard of.

StethJeff
Dec 11, 2009, 9:10 PM
that sounds so cheesy! who wants to say "we're going clubbing at rolling stone tonight!"

BrandonJXN
Dec 11, 2009, 11:07 PM
that sounds so cheesy! who wants to say "we're going clubbing at rolling stone tonight!"

It does sound a bit frat boyish. Although at least it isn't as bad as some of the names given to really hip and 'moderne' restaurants like 'Zen' or 'Bliss' or 'Nuance' or anything of that sort. I like those kind of places but they seem really pretentious.

In downtown Tucson (of all places), there are 2 clubs that are trying their HARDEST to be like Los Angeles: Zen Rock, and Centro. :yuck:

I just go across the street to The Grill if I want beer and breakfast at 3 in the morning.

colemonkee
Dec 12, 2009, 12:01 AM
Ha! Is there really a restaurant named "Nuance"? That would be the ultimate irony.

BrandonJXN
Dec 12, 2009, 12:13 AM
^ There was a 'lounge' in La Encantada (a BEAUTIFUL shopping mall on the north side of Tucson near the foothills that overlooks the city) called Nuance. No one went there so it closed down. Now it's some upscale eatery.

But it catered to those high class whores (and by whores I mean college girls) who despite them not being able to get into UCLA, dress as though they're from Los Angeles. Lots of those running around at the U of A. Tucson is alright but I'm back in Cali for a month and trust me there is nothing like SoCal.

colemonkee
Dec 12, 2009, 12:48 AM
I would like to be introduced to some of these high class whores. ;)

tommaso
Dec 12, 2009, 6:23 AM
I would like to be introduced to some of these high class whores. ;)

Just ask Tiger, he'll show you show you how to get a hole in one!

colemonkee
Dec 12, 2009, 6:39 PM
Zing! Didn't take long for the Tiger jokes to permeate the forum. Ha!

But back on topic, I saw construction crews laying track down on the Expo line between Vermont and Normandy yesterday. I drive this route every day on the way to work, so I see the progress on a day-to-day basis, which gives me a very slow-moving perspective. So it was exciting to see some real, visible, tangible progress.

And toward the end of Phase 1, the columns for the overpass at National just south of Washington in Culver City are going in, and they are absolutely massive. As are the traffic jams as they narrow National into one twisty lane in each direction.

tommaso
Dec 13, 2009, 11:40 AM
Uploaded on December 2, 2007
by dugm2

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2105/2082572216_b5aa9ef438_o.jpg

Can somebody post a current picture of this same view? This photo was posted 2 years ago and this area has changed since. Thank you.:)

colemonkee
Dec 15, 2009, 3:38 PM
So I was at the Beverly Center last night, and they've fenced off the surface lot across the street at San Vicente and Gracie Allen Drive in the Cedars-Sinai complex. There's lot's of heavy equipment in there, and about 6 months ago there was a facade mock-up on the same site. I did a cursory search on Cedars-Sinai's web site and couldn't find anything. Anyone know what's going down - or up - there?

pesto
Dec 15, 2009, 5:34 PM
I remember from some thread that Cedars had permission to put up one or two buildings, including a tower. I assume it either goes on that spot or this is the staging area.

dktshb
Dec 16, 2009, 10:58 PM
I think the soon to open W is coming along nicely. Although I am not entirely impressed with the architecture I like the look from Hollywood Blvd at street level and the appearance of the subway entrance:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_6988.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_6989.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_6993.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_6996.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_6997.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_6999.jpg

The Jefferson:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_6909.jpg

Jefferson along with development across the street makes for nice canyon on McCadden:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_7039.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_7036.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_6913.jpg


Sunset and Vine:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_7002.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_7003.jpg

LosAngelesBeauty
Dec 17, 2009, 12:01 AM
Thank you for the update! The Vine side of the W Hotel or 1600 N Vine is also really nice. I actually really like the modern architecture of the mixed-use complex. Esp. the use of LED pillars on the Vine St. side probably a mandate from the city to include some form of art installation? I don't think they've been turned on yet, but I am eager to see what they will look like when they are turned on!

BrandonJXN
Dec 17, 2009, 1:00 AM
The W looks a LOT better than what I thought it would.

colemonkee
Dec 17, 2009, 1:06 AM
^ The street level view is quite nice. Once you look up, it loses its merits very quickly. I do agree with LAB on the Vine facade treatment looking better than the Hollywood side. It's not award-winning by any stretch of the imagination, but it turned out better than I thought it would.

LosAngelesBeauty
Dec 17, 2009, 9:00 PM
The former luggage store that caused a lot of controversy before construction started is now fully incorporated into the Vine St. side of the project. It actually looks really good! They rehabbed it and I was wondering if the new facade of the luggage store is what the small building store front used to really look like. Because isn't it a historic building?

Anyway, I was thinking back when it was decided that it would be included in the project that it would turn out hideous, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

From my understanding, the owner of the luggage shop CASHED OUT and the space is now going to be leased out to someone else?

dktshb
Dec 17, 2009, 9:59 PM
I should have gotten a picture of it but I can't believe it is just a facade that sits in front of the hotel. That said, it does blend in nicely with the complex. I would assume that they brought it back to its original appearance when it was first built. I think that whole controversy delayed the project 2 or 3 years too. :rolleyes:

tommaso
Dec 18, 2009, 6:36 AM
Uploaded on December 11, 2009
by impalergeneral

Capitol Records

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4177415931_5248854c80_b.jpg

Are there any development plans for the plot to the left?

tommaso
Dec 18, 2009, 6:43 AM
Uploaded on December 11, 2009
by impalergeneral

This way to the subway, not the W

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2767/4177415441_4f0b5e6449_b.jpg

For those who may visit the new W Hotel at Hollywood and Vine. This is not the entrance to the lobby. It is, however, where you go to get to the Red Line

The Big W

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4177414929_4657190eb9_b.jpg

It's not open yet, but it's already the most famous billboard in town

Hollywood and Highland Xmas tree

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2762/4177411991_24f53d9df0_b.jpg

This is the center of the holiday at Hollywood and Highland

Look out, Citywalk

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2610/4178172450_868dc976af_b.jpg

It may be six months before it's ready to serve food, but the new Hard Rock Cafe is all set for customers at Hollywood and Highland, where people used to buy records

tommaso
Dec 18, 2009, 7:11 AM
W Hotel on Hollywood Blvd

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradgarnerphotography/4096889904/

tommaso
Dec 18, 2009, 7:40 AM
Uploaded on November 20, 2009
by rwoan

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2508/4121715382_14499f6070_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2562/4121714636_c1e5a4f05d_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2799/4120940901_71800aa78a_b.jpg

LosAngelesBeauty
Dec 18, 2009, 11:49 AM
Hollywood is lookin' so good now! I love it! Keep doing what it's been doing. Now we need BLVD6200 to break ground...

pesto
Dec 18, 2009, 5:06 PM
Hurray for Hollywood!, etc, etc! Hopefully just the start.

But I'm greedy: ban all billboards unless they are neon or digital (or submit the issue of billboards to district by district votes).

mdiederi
Dec 19, 2009, 3:48 PM
What are these things on the side of the new wing at LACMA?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/lacma1.jpg

A couple more shots of the building.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/lacma2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/lacma3.jpg

Kind of looks like a department store :shrug:

202_Cyclist
Dec 19, 2009, 4:06 PM
pesto--

But I'm greedy: ban all billboards unless they are neon or digital (or submit the issue of billboards to district by district votes).

These are exactly the billboards that are most distracting and most dangerous to drivers. I haven't given the issue of billboards any particular thought but the absurdity of them is amazing. With all of the attention, rightly, on distracted driving, billboards are anomaly. We don't want people to eat their cheeseburger and talk on their blackberry while driving on the 405. Billboards should be no different. The explicit purpose of them is to get the attention of drivers and passengers and to advert their view from the road ahead to the advertisement. This is an issue that is looked at with greater priority now that the risks of distracted driving are becoming so clear.

pesto
Dec 20, 2009, 2:25 AM
Safety is a legitimate concern but I don't think we want Moscow or Warsaw, circa 1980: mile after mile of plain cement buildings with no ads or store identifications. I don't think you are arguing for getting rid of Times Sq. or Picadilly, etc.? Or maybe you are. Freeways are probably a bigger concern due to the higher speeds and potential sudden changes of speed.

In any event, I am only arguing on aesthetic grounds: neon and digital signs can add to the aesthetics of an area (especially at night, obviously). Billboards don't (at least not any aesthetics that I care for).

colemonkee
Dec 30, 2009, 12:28 AM
So I had lunch at Craft in Century City today (excellent food, if not a tad overpriced), and there was serious excavation happening in the lot across the street on the corner of Century Park West and Constellation. I know there were a pair of 40-ish story condo towers proposed for that site a few years ago, but I assumed that they had gone by the wayside. The excavation going on is across the majority of the site and rather deep - 2-3 stories at least. Anyone know what's going on there?

mdiederi
Dec 30, 2009, 7:39 AM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Crane.jpg

KarLarRec1
Dec 30, 2009, 8:11 AM
cole: Don't get too excited. My office looks directly down onto the big dirt hole across from Craft. Nothing new has been going on since the fall of 2007 when I moved into that office. It's a big hole with no activity.

LosAngelesBeauty
Dec 30, 2009, 8:40 AM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/Crane.jpg


That looks like an old picture of the William Morris Talent Agency in Beverly Hills...

colemonkee
Dec 30, 2009, 3:41 PM
cole: Don't get too excited. My office looks directly down onto the big dirt hole across from Craft. Nothing new has been going on since the fall of 2007 when I moved into that office. It's a big hole with no activity.
There was a bulldozer moving earth and I spotted at least 4 construction pickups and several construction workers milling about at around 2:00 p.m. yesterday.

colemonkee
Dec 30, 2009, 3:43 PM
That looks like an old picture of the William Morris Talent Agency in Beverly Hills...
Is that what's going up on the corner of Wilshire and Robertson?

mdiederi
Dec 30, 2009, 5:21 PM
Right location, wrong building. Don't know the name of the building, but it will be a four-story office building. The site always looked stalled when I moved here in June. But there are steel workers there now.

Steve2726
Dec 30, 2009, 5:46 PM
What are these things on the side of the new wing at LACMA?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/lacma1.jpg


Those are the air handlers for the HVAC. They will eventually be painted bright red, to match the stairs going up the side of BCAM.

colemonkee
Jan 5, 2010, 11:17 PM
Another verbal (Kint) update as my camera is still out of commission. The first station canopies along the Expo Line have started popping up at Exposition and Western. I'll wait to reserve final judgement until they are complete, but my initial reaction is that they are uninspired to be generous. The Yellow Line station canopies in Little Tokyo are much better, IMO.

JDRCRASH
Jan 6, 2010, 2:53 AM
You mean Gold Line. :)

sopas ej
Jan 6, 2010, 3:23 AM
Another verbal (Kint) update as my camera is still out of commission.

Hehe is that a Keyser Söze reference? ;)

colemonkee
Jan 6, 2010, 3:46 AM
^ Indeed it is, sopas. You're right on top of my random pop culture references.

Good lookin' out, JDR, you are correct. I meant the Gold Line, not the Yellow Line. Which, if you see in the snow, you should not eat.

BrandonJXN
Jan 6, 2010, 8:27 PM
From Curbed:

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2009.09.hanoversbig.jpg

Hammer, hammer: Another possible new building for Wilshire Boulevard. The Larchmont Chronicle reports that the Land Use Committee of the Mid City West Community Council OK'd plans for developer Hanover's 21-story residential and mixed-use tower on Wilshire Blvd, sending it to a neighborhood council for a vote on Jan. 12th. The final EIR is expected to be released later this month.

Btw..this will rise on Wilshire and Cresent Heights. One block east of Fairfax.

LosAngelesBeauty
Jan 6, 2010, 8:56 PM
^ That's great! Preparing for the demand that will exist for dense housing once the Fairfax subway station is completed.

Also, I found this on Loopnet:

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/2106/1030nalvarado.jpg

It's located at 1030 N Alvarado near the Taix French restaurant.

pesto
Jan 6, 2010, 10:33 PM
Great news on the Crescent Hts. building. It has a bit of a "snapped together from little pieces" look, and the colors remind me of the old Glendale Federal building in Glendale, but I won't complain. It's high-rise and at transit.

The Alvarado building looks like a real beauty; a bit of a European look. WeHo and lots of other neighborhoods could profit from this kind of look.

LosAngelesSportsFan
Jan 6, 2010, 11:00 PM
^ That's great! Preparing for the demand that will exist for dense housing once the Fairfax subway station is completed.

Also, I found this on Loopnet:

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/2106/1030nalvarado.jpg

It's located at 1030 N Alvarado near the Taix French restaurant.

Now that is the kind of infill we need in LA on commercial streets!

Infernal_Elf
Jan 6, 2010, 11:56 PM
thanks for all the cool project and proposals Downtown Charlie Brown really cool.

intresting to se both highrise development and lower buildings in the future plans for Los Angeles