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Echo Park’s vegetarian heaven, Elf Cafe, offering future discounts

As we reported last June, Elf Cafe is expanding its footprint and applying for a beer/wine license. Just recently, the nearly six-year-old vegetarian restaurant broke ground and is well on its way to getting that license!

Thankfully, the restaurant will not have to close down for any of the renovations as it takes over the next door space formerly known as Branche Boutique, so you can still get your amazing vegetarian food. For those fans of Elf Cafe, or those who are general fans of cool locals who have cool businesses, you can support the restaurant’s new endeavors with a limited time deal. Almost like a Groupon or Gift Certificate, Elf Futures allows you to purchase a gift certificate that is worth twice as much when you spend it. So, for instance, $50 gift certificate will actually gets you $100 worth of food and drinks… in the future. Get it?

Elf Futures will only be available through October 31, 2012, and redeemable from January 1, 2013 through January 1, 2014. They can be purchased at the restaurant during business hours.

Elf Café is located at 2135 W Sunset Blvd and is open Wednesday through Sunday, 6-11:00 pm.

 

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The Warehouse re-opening Saturday with a “high end vintage” focus

The Warehouse LA is re-opening after a few weeks of renovations of the Echo Park vintage store. The redesign focuses on “one-of-a-kind Estate Vintage, a high-end collection available for Stylist pulls and rentals, and an improved community Art Gallery and Event Space.”

And why not celebrate with a little party? The Warehouse is introducing its new changes to the public on on Saturday, September 29 at 7:00 pm with a DJ and refreshments.

Eleven97 is on of the new spaces located within The Warehouse, showcasing new and emerging artists based in Los Angeles. The first exhibition features artist Joshua Mark Logan, which  will be his first solo exhibition of this new body of work, Bald Eagles.

The LOFT is a collection of estate vintage with designers like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Valentino, and Lanvin. It’s by appointment only available to stylist rentals and the public. Call The Warehouse LA at 213-361-0021 for appointments.

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Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Monday, September 24 through Sunday, September 30, 2012

Monday
IHC Presents: Ladyhawke with American Royalty, DJ Vice Cooler, American Royalty, DJ Vice Cooler @ The Echoplex
Lavender Diamond, Diva @ The Echo
MOM LA: Beat Junkies Edition with DJ Rhettmatic, residents D-JR, Gordo, Expo @ The Short Stop
D.I.T. fundraiser with Gothic Tropic, Emperor X, Dream Panther, Spaceships @ Pehrspace
Kitten, Mystery Skulls, Sanglorians, Rumspringa @ Bootleg Bar
Open mic night @ Tribal Cafe

Tuesday
Musical Beer Crawl in Echo Park
Hola Indio with Dani Shivers, Tropical Popsicle, Ganas, Tropical Popsicle Ganas (Mas Exitos) @ The Echoplex
Ferraby Lionheart, Drug Cabin, Fire Chief Charlie @ Bootleg Bar
Open mic night @ Tribal Cafe
Dum Dum Girls @ Origami Vinyl
Fever Party @ Los Globos

Wednesday
IHC Presents: Django Django, Vinyl Williams, HOTT MT, @ The Echo
Dub Club @ The Echoplex
Metal Hour @ The Short Stop
Taken By Trees, Big Search @ Bootleg Bar
Jazz night ever Wednesday @ Echo Lake Coffee Co (formerly Downbeat Cafe)
Open mic night @ Tribal Cafe
Harlan record release party @ The Satellite
Indian School @ Origami Vinyl

Thursday
PopShop West 004 with Kisses, Savoir Adore, Blondfire, Savoir Adore, Blondfire @ The Echo
Fallen Riviera, Rene Breton, Kid Cadaver @ Bootleg Bar
Oak Street Blues, Joe Jane, Aaron White Band @ Lot 1 Cafe
Mad for Sadness, Mouse Kills Tiger @ Taix Lounge
IHC Presents: Dum Dum Girls release show with Dunes, Tremellow, and Tamaryn @ Los Globos
The Lonesome Heroes, The Far West, Ben Reddell Band @ Echo Country Outpost

Friday
Jet Jam Presents: Star Slinger, Jim-E Stack, Silky Johnson and Special Guests Jim-E Stack, Silky Johnson, Teams @ The Echo
Seth Petterson and the Undertow, Babies on Acid, Tall Tales and the Silver Lining @ Pehrspace
Firewater, Wedding and Funeral Band @ Bootleg Bar
Vicki Hill, Jeff Turmes @ Taix Lounge
Band Jam Night @ Tribal Cafe
IHC Presents: Sepalcure, Clark, Djemba Djemba, and Say Uhns @ Los Globos
Tim Maia Listening Party @ Origami Vinyl

Saturday
Wonder-Full, LA7 @ The Echoplex
Funky Sole @ The Echo
Alt-J, Wildcat! Wildcat!, Cayucas @ Bootleg Bar
Live music @ Tribal Cafe
Little Owl @ Origami Vinyl

Sunday
Grand Ole Echo with Dave Gleason, Rich Mahan, Greg Felden, Dave Gleason, Rich Mahan, Greg Felden @ The Echo
Downwards Records Nite with Tropic Of Cancer, DVA Damas, Collin Gorman Wieland, Flaamingos, Guest DJ Juan Mendez (aka Silent Servant) @ The Echo
Skamania Presents Ska Clash featuring Stranger Cole meets Eric Monty Morris @ Los Globos
Priscilla Ahn (Solo), The Parlour Suite, Communist Daughter @ Bootleg Bar
Slutever @ Origami Vinyl

Visit the venue websites for more information on the cost and times of shows. Feel free to add more events in the comment section. All events listed are subject to change at any time, and new events announced for the week after this posting may not be included. Visit our Weekly Events page for more neighborhood events, shows and specials.

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Great views of space shuttle Endeavor from Echo Park

We get a little verklempt with this story because it brings up memories of my own childhood dreams of being an astronaut (or a ballerina, but that’s another story). But whether or not you shared the same ideas as a kid, it was an awesome site to see the space shuttle Endeavor fly across the sky over our little Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood today.

We snapped a couple of photos on the ol’ cell phone from Atwater Village, but residents with some handier equipment and higher up views got some even better ones. Enjoy!

Flickr photo via Laura Birek (iwriteplays)

Instagram photo via pocketofgreen (taken with Nikon D40 and zoom lens)

Facebook photo via Los Angeles Dodgers

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Frogtown Artwalk returns on Saturday

If you’re taking a break from LA Beer Week (although it wouldn’t be entirely without beer, we did enjoy some delicious Eagle Rock Brewery beer last year), head over to Elysian Valley – that little strip of homes and art warehouses just north of Echo Park along the Los Angeles River – for the annual Frogtown Artwalk.

This is the seventh year the community-run event will go on, taking place on Saturday, September 22 from 4:00 – 9:00 pm. It’s a self-guided tour along Blake Avenue, where more than 30 artists, craftsmen, artisans and architects all open their studio doors to the public to view art installations and to just chat about what they do. This year there will also be mobile galleries featuring artists from other parts of Los Angeles.

I See Hawks in LA will perform at RAC DesignBuild at 3006 N. Coolidge Avenue from 6:30-8:00 pm. RAC will also host a Children’s Juried Art Show.

A Hoola Hoop Contest will be held at TAS Architect at 2041 Blake Avenue starting at 5:30 pm, ending with prizes for adults and kids.

Kid’s Sidewalk Chalk Drawing will be held at the  Blake Avenue Lofts at 1839 Blake Avenue from 4:00–9:00 pm.

Local landscape painter Mary-Austin Klein will also be showing her work at the art walk, as well as other return artists like Allen Anderson of Grain Surfboards showing hollow hand-made wooden surfboards.

For your rumbling tummy, bring some cash along and check out the many local vendors and food trucks, including Elysian Valley’s own Tacos by Kevin (delicious burritos!!).

There’s a lot going on, so be sure to check back here or visit the event website on September 22 for the event map with all the details. View photos from last year’s artwalk on Atwater Village Now’s Facebook page.

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Beer Gelato? Echo Park’s Musical Beer Crawl on Tuesday

One benefit of celebrating LA Beer Week 2012 is doing it in your own neighborhood! (No one has to be a DD when you get to walk there.) This year’s annual Echo Park Musical Beer Crawl takes place on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 all along Sunset Boulevard and beyond.

The event combines some tasty craft beers with some ear-tickling music around Echo Park. All you have to do is get a “passport” (think of it like your Musical Crawl coupon) to take advantage of some great discounts and give-aways. Also, you have to be 21, and it’s recommended that you carry some cash for those cash-only venues, as well as for the Hot Dog Lady the meat-eaters will likely visit at the end of the night.

El Prado will have special brews on tap, while Pazzo Gelato is serving up “beer-infused frozen treats” like Golden Road’s Hudson Rye Imperial Porter, Hefeweizen and Wolf Among Weeds. Other participating venues include Backside, iam8bit, Lot 1, Mohawk Bend, Masa, Taix Sunset Beer, Two Boots, and more. There are also (gasp!) non-Echo Park venues like Golden Road, Eagle Rock Brewery, Gobi Mongolian BBQ and Los Globos. Click here for the full list of venues and events.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter as we explore Echo Park’s beer and music events on Tuesday night!

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So you just want wine? The new City Sip has it

City Sip, located near Fire Station 20 on Sunset Boulevard, has been closed for a few days for a little makeover/renovation. Reopening on Friday, September 21, the casual dinner sport promises a reinvention as a wine bar and lounge, and serving a new food menu by Chef Gloria Felix alongside plenty of beer and wine. There will also be an emphasis on happy hour and, of course, lounging and socializing.

In an email, City Sip says, “We cherish our neighborhood & our place in it. We are proud to offer our community a fresh and creative perspective on nightlife in Los Angeles.”

In the video advertising the new City Sip below, owner Nicole Daddio is fed up with the monotonous tone of a wine teacher, thankfully interrupted by a customer saying “We just want wine.” Hear, hear!

Join City Sip Wine Bar & Lounge on Friday, September 21 from 6:00 – 11:00 pm for the grand re-opening. City Sip is located at 2150 Sunset Boulevard.

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Parenthood returns to filming in Echo Park

Today the hit NBC show Parenthood is back to filming around Echo Park, even though the show actually takes place in the San Francisco area.

This morning filming trucks and vehicles took up the entire street along the Logan Elementary School to film episode #407. The school kids probably got a few glimpses of the filming in action while playing at recess – something they are probably used to in Echo Park! Filming on Logan Street is supposed to go until 6:00 pm today.

Parenthood will also be filming at 1455 W Sunset Blvd. until 10:00 pm, but get your flaming margaritas somewhere else tonight – El Compadre will be closed for the filming.

Last February, the show filmed in front of The Echo and inside Origami Vinyl, adding in a few more hills and homes to the background for that “San Francisco” feel (see below).

The episode filmed earlier this year that was aired in February; shows the front of The Echo with some additional graphics added to the background. Screenshot via Hulu (click to view larger image).

Be sure to follow us on Twitter for filming alerts around Echo Park and Elysian Park.

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Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Monday, September 17 through Sunday, September 23, 2012

Monday
XBXRX, Ratchet Set, Whqles, Batwings @ Pehrspace
Gabriel Hart and the Fourth Wall, Brass Tax, Assembly Of Mazes @ The Echoplex
Lavender Diamond, Tom Brosseau, Power Mallets, ThirdEye Memories @ The Echo
Kitten, Body Parts, Incan Abraham, LA Font @ Bootleg Bar
Open mic night @ Tribal Cafe
Motown Mondays @ The Short Stop

Tuesday
The Burning Of Rome @ Origami Vinyl
Breton, Michna, atthewdavid, Mwahaha @ The Echo
Dawns, J Wong, Japanther, Dirt Bird, Dignitary Loss, Spirit Vine@ Bootleg Bar
Open mic night @ Tribal Cafe

Wednesday
Moonface, Foxygen @ The Echo
Dub Club @ The Echoplex
Autolux, Teebs @ Bootleg Theater
Open mic night @ Tribal Cafe
HipHop Philosophy Radio with DJ A.C. The Program Director @ Mohawk Bend
ALT! (electrotheque) @ Los Globos

Thursday
Part Time, Sam Flax @ The Echo
Jeremiah Jae, Jonwayne @ The Echoplex
Chickfactor 2012: For the Love of Pop! Los Angeles! with Lilys, Stevie Jackson (from Belle & Sebastian), The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group, Kim Baxter @ Bootleg Theater
Pinups Issue 16 Launch. The Melt LA v.11 with Kuedo (Planet Mu), Napolian, and Residents @ Los Globos
Cubits, Super River, Time & Temperature, The Pristines @ Lot 1 Cafe
Open mic night @ Tribal Cafe

Friday
Bristol and the Palins, Jack Salley and the Prospectors, Matthew Lee @ Pehrspace
Six Organs Of Admittance, Matt Kivel (Princeton), Colossal Yes @ The Echo
Funky Sole @ The Echo
The Bright Light Social Hour, Wake Up Lucid, Infantree @ Bootleg Theater
99 cent ride + After Party @ Los Globos
Hunter and the Wolf, Jake Johnston Group, Coastline Apparition, Ancient Animals, Andrew Reed @ Lot 1 Cafe
Pop Punk Show @ Tribal Cafe
Far Away Radio presents Woofly, Suzanne Kraft @ The Short Stop
Double Naught Spy Car, Flourescin @ Taix Lounge

Saturday
Monolators 10th Anniversary Show, Cassette Release w. Geoff Geis and Kissing Cousins @ Pehrspace
Mike Watt + the missingmen, Chotto Ghetto, Stab City, Opus Dai, Raushi @ Bootleg Bar
Skamania presents Ken Boothe @ Los Globos
Ukulady’s PartyShowFun, The Pocket Rockets, Love Hate Relationship, The Vespertines, Night Fruit @ Lot 1 Cafe
Art vs. Music @ Tribal Cafe

Sunday
Grand Ole Echo, Dave Serby, Noconas, Brett Detar @ The Echo
Reptar, Rubblebucket @ The Echoplex
Micachu and the Shapes
Moon Pearl, Sara Lov @ Bootleg Bar
Domingos Latinos @ Los Globos
Open mic night @ Tribal Cafe
Love Train @ Los Globos
French Toast Comedy @ Taix Lounge

Visit the venue websites for more information on the cost and times of shows. Feel free to add more events in the comment section. All events listed are subject to change at any time, and new events announced for the week after this posting may not be included. Visit our Weekly Events page for more neighborhood events, shows and specials.

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7-Eleven sign goes up on Glendale Boulevard location

Despite community opposition to the new 7-Eleven store in a strip mall at Glendale Boulevard and Berkeley Avenue in Echo Park, the store has gone full steam ahead. It’s been under construction for a couple of months now, but the sign went up in the past couple of days. Strangely, we haven’t yet been able to track down any license granted to the location by the California Alcohol Beverage Control, a permit that the store will really need to sell beer and wine off-site. And a 7-Eleven without beer and wine sales wouldn’t be a very attractive opportunity for the brand.

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Ticket give-away! Eternal Summers and DZ Deathrays at Bootleg Theater

We’ve got a super indie ticket giveaway courtesy of our friends at IHEARTCOMIX Presents for Bootleg Theater’s show on Friday, September 14.

DZ Deathrays comes all the way from Australia with the groups “party slash thrash” sound. Psychadelic pop band Bleeding Rainbows, mellowed out Drug Cabin, and super chill two-piece pop band Eternal Summers round out the lineup.

Bring your date, a friend, or your mom – the first music fan to email us at info@echoparknow.com with their full name will receive two free tickets to the show! Deadline is Friday at 3 pm, so get crackin’!  Congrats to Royce for winning the tickets! Have fun you crazy kids.

Click here for show times and more info.

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Señor Fish expanding its footprint and liquor license

Tonight, the Greater Elysian Echo Park Neighborhood Council (GEPENC) will discuss an application by Echo Park restaurant Señor Fish to add liquor to its existing beer and wine license, as well as to expand its seating to the adjacent building, formerly the tortilleria.

Señor Fish may have opened last May, but it would be difficult to tell if you were just walking by. Though a new sign has been installed on the corner of the roof, the restaurant chain has yet to repair the graffiti-riddled windows. General Manager Jesse Pimentel said in July, in an email, that the windows were to be replaced within a couple of weeks, saying, “The windows will be replaced first. We are also going to put some stools along the counter by the TV and also beautify the interior.”

In an article by The Eastsider LA from late August, the windows were again addressed and the new windows were only a “couple of weeks” away from being repaired:

Ramirez [the restaurant owner] said he has held off  replacing the windows for fear they would get scratched as soon as they get replaced. He said vandals can still scratch or cut their way through the plastic film that has been applied to many windows to protect them against scratches.  Currently, his family is working on a wood screen that would protect the windows at night but roll down and out of the way during the day time and create a wainscoating at the base of the building. If that does not prove practical,  the store will install some other type of metal screen or folding doors. What ever option is selected, expect new windows in a couple of weeks, he said.

Pimentel also mentioned the response to the restaurant opening had been great, but they may not get the community support for a full liquor license and restaurant expansion if the windows aren’t repaired.

The neighborhood council meeting is tonight, Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 7:00 pm. The Community Center where the meeting will be held is located at 1572 Sunset Boulevard behind the Bank of America.

The meeting agenda also includes discusion of five single family small lot dwellings at 1516 Echo Park Avenue.

 

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What not to do during an LA car chase

We may be used to the car chases being aired on Los Angeles TV networks, but when they come through your own neighborhood things get a little real. It was especially scary that the suspect was not only considered armed and dangerous – he was possibly a murder suspect, and definitely had an AK-47. When that happens:

DON’T

throw things at the suspect’s car during a low-speed chase through your neighborhood. The suspect may have an AK-47. CBS Los Angeles reported that people were seen throwing items at the suspect’s car in Los Feliz – don’t do it!

DO

watch from your home or work, away from windows, because who knows what will happen and where.

DON’T

jump out in front of the suspect’s car as it drives through your neighborhood, especially if the media is report the suspect is heavily armed. The driver was suspected of murder, which means they probably will run you over.

DO

watch from your home or work, away from windows.

And while we’re at it, if you;re a murder suspect, are heavily armed, and get caught talking or texting on your cell phone during a normal traffic stops, just pull over. We don’t mean to make light of it – it is a serious situation. Just don’t try to intervene, let the police do their thing, and hopefully, thankfully like this time, there was no loss of life or serious injuries to passer-byes.

 

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It’s a bumpy ride on this Elysian Park trail

Occasionally we do get our computer-addicted brains off the couch and outdoors (where it’s hopefully not as hot as our air condition-less home), and stretch those legs on the adjacent Elysian Park trails. Along the paved roadway of Elysian Park Drive (the lower road after crossing Morton) are the crudely formed piles of dirt – perhaps having been left behind by Park Maintenance.

By the looks of the tracks over these tightly compacted mounds, it’s like a playground for people on foot, dogs of all sizes, and a few bicycles. Although technically mountain biking isn’t allowed in Elysian Park’s walking trails, we keep thinking it would be like playing a game of Excitebike (80s children, you know what I’m talkin’ about?). Except in this game, you’re probably face-planting and not having as much fun.

Still, wouldn’t it be a blast taking a little BMX at full speed over some hills? It’s not considered mountain biking, right?

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Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Monday, September 10 through Sunday, September 16, 2012

Monday
Social Studies @ Origami Vinyl
Big Sir, Softness, ESP, Blackbush, Softness, ESP, Blackbush @ The Echoplex
Lavender Diamond, Bart Davenport, Bouquet, Daymoon @ The Echo
Kitten, Nova Albion, Hindu Pirates, Y Luv, Baron Von Luxxury @ Bootleg Bar
Motown Mondays: Mom LA x Root Down, Stax vs Motown, featuring Root Down Soundsystem @ The Short Stop
Shayne’s Open Mic Night @ Tribal Cafe

Tuesday
Trust, DZ Deathrays, Beat Club @ The Echo
The Cigarette Bums, Criminal Hygiene, The Virginia Reed @ Bootleg Bar
BUZZBANDS.LA’s SecondTuesday with Alaska Reid, Michael Davis (of Michael Davis With Lions), The Sweet Hurt @ Lot 1 Cafe
The Iron Giant Open Mic @ Tribal Cafe

Wednesday
Complex Mag Happy Hour with Sapporo, DJ Sofie (Stones Throw) @ The Echo
The Abyssinians, Mexico68 @ The Echoplex
She Keeps Bees, In The Valley Below, Sadie & the Blue-Eyed Devils @ Bootleg Bar
ALT!, George Sarah and String Ensemble @ Los Globos

Thursday
Azalia Snail, N O W @ Origami Vinyl
Los Straitjackets featuring Daddy-O Grande, Big Sandy and His Fly-rite Boys @ The Echoplex
Pokey Lafarge and The South City Three, The Two Man Gentlemen Band, The Driftwood Singers @ The Echo
KROQ Presents: Robert Francis, Vinnie Ferra @ Bootleg Bar
Shine So Hard, War Drum, Alih Jey, Loch and Key @ Lot 1 Cafe
L.A. is Burning… Vogue!, Poly-Phase @ Los Globos
Brian Rodriguez Open Mic Night @ Tribal Cafe

Friday
People’s Temple @ Origami Vinyl
Chelsea Wolfe, CRYPTS, Gothic Tropic @ The Echo
IHEARTCOMIX presents: Eternal Summers, DZ Deathrays, Bleeding Rainbows, Special Guest @ Bootleg Theater
Mystery of Iniquity plus friends @ Tribal Cafe
Sinjin Hawke, Clicks & Whistles, Fuzz, Keltronix @ Los Globos

Saturday
Sock Puppet Sitcom Theater – Roseanne (1988) @ The Echo
Funky Sole @ The Echo
Bootie LA DJ Tripp vs. Faroff Video Battle @ The Echoplex
The Seshen, Gavin Turek, Def Sound, J Mitchell Melodious Sound @ Bootleg Bar
Joe Jane @ Tribal Cafe
De La Vina @ The Fretted Frog

Sunday
Mac Demarco (Captured Tracks), Ringo Deathstarr, Catwalk (Captured Tracks), Ringo Deathstarr, Catwalk @ The Echo
Casey Neill, Molly Bryant & John Spiker @ Bootleg Bar
Wesley Randolph’s bday Brunch: Tapioca & The Flea, Josh Boyd, special guest @ Lot 1 Cafe
Open mic night @ Tribal Cafe

Visit the venue websites for more information on the cost and times of shows. Feel free to add more events in the comment section. All events listed are subject to change at any time, and new events announced for the week after this posting may not be included. Visit our Weekly Events page for more neighborhood events, shows and specials.

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