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From our neighbors: Artisanal LA sustainabe living event

Artisanal LA is a weekend long event in downtown aimed at helping us all become more sustainable eaters and shoppers by purchasing from local vendors and crafters. Coming up soon (this weekend!), you can expect nearly 100 up-and-coming food and beverage “artisans” to grab your local, healthy and sustainable ingredients that you can’t, for the most part, yet get at retail stores or farmers’ markets. Every single product sold at Artisanal LA is made here in Southern California with local and sustainable goods.

In addition to buying your goodies and holiday gifts, you can also expect a variety of panels, demos and workshops throughout the weekend. Saturday’s events include workshops from cooking demos from local chefs to gardening how-tos from Woolly Pockets. There’s even paper craft activities for kids!

Sunday there are similar demos but you can add some alcohol to the mix – Chef Joseph Gillard from Napa Valley Grille is teaching a “Biodyamic Wine Pairings” demo and tasting, and The Beer Chicks will moderate a craft beer panel (and tasting) with neighboring Eagle Rock Brewery and Nibble Bit Tabby.

Click here for the full list of events for the weekend at Artisanal LA!

Tickets are $10 PRESALE, $15 cash at the door.

Artisanal LA
Saturday, October 23 and Sunday, October 24
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
The Cooper Design Space Penthouse located at 860 S. Los Angeles St, Los Angeles 90014

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Echo Park’s Missed Connections

Flickr photo via Stephanie Gonot

September 30
Cruisin’ on Sunset Blvd from Echo Park to Silverlake – w4m – 24
Hi!

October 4
You’re going back to New York – w4m
And I didn’t even get to thank you for that water gun. It made my day!

October 8
Joshua Tree Knot Tying Tim – w4m
Dear dream man named Tim. I am the girl you talked to at a bar in Joshua Tree, you live in Echo Park and I told you I’d run into you at Chango. You told me you just taught a class on knot tying, please come find me.

October 11
tall guy at smiths nite wearing all black/crass shirt – w4m
i feel like a total weirdo for posting on here but I’ve seen you all over town and have always wanted to say hi but for some reason never did. i swear i’m not a creep and am not looking for anything at all, you just seem awesome..thats all.

October 12
Vons in Echo Park, Tues, Oct 12 – m4w – 36
Hi. I wanted to thank you again for being so thoughtful while I was in line behind you at the Vons in Echo Park. First, you were very kind to move your groceries on the conveyor belt! Second, you were very thoughtful in worrying that you would hold me back while filling out the application for a Vons Card! Your kindness and smile left the best of impressions and I regret not being able to introduce myself (in fear of holding up the line behind me!). Would be nice to be able to thank you again and have an uninterrupted conversation.

October 15
I was walking by as you got into your car in front of 711 on Sunset – m4w – 26
I was walking by & you were getting into your car. We locked eyes as I was walking by. I kept walking cuz I wasn’t sure if you were just looking at me cuz my glasses are broken & are crooked. I turned the corner & wondered if I should’ve waited or said something to you.

Anyways, if by some divine intervention you see this email me & say “hello”!

h/t Craigslist

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Your Holiday Wish list: Crispy Dodgers Toast

Yep, it’s already getting close to the holidays and time to start thinking about Christmas shopping for your favorite Dodgers fans.

This $35, two-slice toaster from Pangea is on my holiday wishlist for sure – and when my family from Northern California (those darn Giants fans) come to town I will happily serve them breakfast toast or waffles, butter side up. I’m not worried our team isn’t in the playoffs, Dodger fans come all year ’round!

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Happy 4th Birthday to the Echo Park Farmers’ Market

This week marks the fourth anniversary of the Echo Park Farmers’ Market!

Going on right now – live Music by Dueto Internacional Martín y Martinez, cooking demos, and, as always, fresh seasonal and local produce.

At 5:00 pm get your free cake from The Farmer’s Kitchen!

Judging for the 4th Annual Seize the Sizzle Salsa Contest starts at 6:00 pm!

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Rewind Electronics grand opening party

Rewind The Recycled Electronics Store in Echo Park is having a Grand Opening party on Friday, October 15 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.

Everyone is invited to drop by for live entertainment, refreshments, music, door prizes, and discounted merchandise.

Rewind fixes your audio equipment such as stereos and instruments, and also sells vintage collectibles and equipment. For a free estimate, come by or call them at (213) 273-8904.

Rewind is located at 1041 N. Alvarado

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Cars of Echo Park: Outside of Montana Cans

Flickr photo by Albert Domasin

This beauty was photographed outside of Montana Cans during its store opening on September 24, 2010.

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Taking over the Streets: CicLAvia on Sunday

How many things have you noticed about your neighborhood or other parts of LA when you drove through them, versus what you’ve noticed while walking or biking by?

Now’s your chance to experience parts of Los Angeles like you never have before. Coming up soon on Sunday, October 10 is CicLAvia – a walking/biking event that is closing down some of our Los Angeles roads to give us the opportunity to see and experience the city without any cars.

This event has had huge success outside of the U.S. (it started in Bogotá, Colombia) as well as in San Francisco and Seattle, but this is a first for Los Angeles. The goal of this event isn’t just to close down roads, interrupt traffic, and have an excuse to bike ride – it’s about temporarily reclaiming public space in order for us to “walk, bike, socialize, celebrate, and learn about new cultures and neighborhoods.” It will be a great opportunity to shop some of our local stores, try some new restaurants, and get to share the space with more people. I am looking forward to the event and think it will be a one-of-a-kind experience in Los Angeles when it comes to reclaiming public space.

The event starts in the “bicycle district” on Heliotrope (eg. where the Bicycle Kitchen is) and ends in Hollenbeck Park in East LA.

There will be a few road closures in the Rampart area, and while CicLAvia is new to Los Angeles, Rampart Officers aren’t too concerned about the new event and things should run smoothly. However, in addition to the newbie factor, the difference between this event and the LA Marathon also includes some “breaks” in the route (see above map), and, to be honest, people forget to move their cars on road closure days so there might be a few unhappy people trekking to the impound.

Event-wise, there are group rides planned (including a NELA one from Mt. Washington area), art events, rest stops, food and even yoga throughout the route, so make sure you click here to view the full events map and timeline.

Click here to visit the CicLAvia website to learn more about the event and view route maps.

CicLAvia
October 10 from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Route Map | Events/Activities

This also brings to mind what I thought was some kind of old wive’s tale or something – a few years ago a big section of the Pasadena Freeway (that’s the 110 freeway for you newbs) was closed for cyclists and pedestrians for an event called ArroyoFest. You can read more of it from the LA Times blog by clicking here.

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Tonight: Art opening at the Echo Curio

The Echo Curio might be shut down for a little while, but tonight they are able to host an art opening for co-owner Justin McInteer. Check it out from 8:00 am – Midnight tonight, refreshments will be served.

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Trail closed in Elysian Park

A part of the trail in Elysian Park is closed down for the time being while crews work on a leaking six inch irrigation line. The trail to avoid is the fire road below Park Drive at Academy Road (entrance is also next to Elysian Park Drive); expect the road to remain closed through October 8.

Please call (213) 485-3287 with any questions.

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Zooming in on Echo Park: LA Times crime map

The LA Times recently added a new facet to the website’s mapping project – a detailed map of daily crime reports for cities and neighborhoods that allows “users to analyze crime statistics, search historic crime patterns and receive alerts when several crimes occur in an area over a short period of time.”

The LA Times maps use data from the LAPD and the Sherriff’s Department to create report for cities and neighborhoods. This map comes after the LA Times criticized the LAPD crime map database for having quite a few errors that led to serious misinterpretations of crime data. Some time since the publication of the LA Times crime map, the LAPD crime map page says the following:

The Los Angeles Police Department’s Crime Map page is currently undergoing technical renovations in preparation for a new crime mapping system which will include expanded crime data from adjacent agencies, and will accommodate our growing viewer data base. Until such time as the new crime mapping system is fully functional, you may view Part One crime data provided to the Los Angeles Times by the Los Angeles Police Department at http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/crime/. We apologize for any inconvenience during this process and thank you for your patience and understanding.

No word on whether or not (and when) the map will be functional again on the LAPD website, but for now you can click on the map image above to scroll through the crime data for Echo Park. It’s supposed to be updated daily, so keep an eye out on the map and see if you can tell if everything’s being reported.

Authors note: the Echo Park map does not include the greater Echo Park/Elysian Park and Historic Filipinotown areas that many residents consider to be Echo Park boundaries. To learn more about Echo Park boundaries, click here.

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October Library Events in Echo Park

Both the Echo Park and Edendale Libraries have some FREE special programs for kids, teens, and even some for adults all fall. Here are the October events for both libraries:

For Kids

  • Art Class for Kids: Kids will learn about art from an artist from LACMA and create something new each week. For hours please call 213-250-7808.
  • Twinkle Time: Twinkle Time is a bilingual pop family musical that teaches children valuable lessons to original catchy tunes. Join us for this free performance. Children of all ages are welcome. Wednesday, October 14 at 3:00 pm, Echo Park Library.
  • LACMA Family Art Class: Learn about art and artists, then create your own masterpiece! LACMA hosts this weekly art workshop for school age children. Program is bilingual in Spanish and English. Thursday, October 7 and 14 at 4:00 pm, Echo Park Library.
  • Popcorn Pals: Enjoy a children’s movie with other kids and a bag of popcorn. Ending time is approximate. Tuesday, October 19 at 3:30 pm, Edendale Branch.

Other great activities:

  • Bilingual Baby & Toddler Storytime at Echo Park Branch: Tuesdays at 12:30 pm
  • Infant & Toddler Storytime at Edendale: Nursery rhymes, songs, and finger plays, for children 1-3 and their special grown-ups.  Wednesdays at 10:00 am.
  • GAB: Books come alive for kids when they share the fun of reading with GAB library volunteers. Tuesdays at 4:00 pm, Echo Park Branch.

For Teens

  • Teen Council: Make your voice heard at the next Teen Council Meeting. Choose materials, plan programs, and design publicly. Tasty snacks provided. Thursday, October 7 at 5:00 pm, Edendale Branch.
  • Student Smart Seminar, Getting Into the College of Your Choice: Do you know what it takes to get into the most competitive universities? Do you know what your competition is like for the most selective schools in the country? This workshop will cover details about the application process, Early Decision/Early Action, and how test scores are only a part of the college selection application process. Saturday, October 16 at 2:00 pm.
  • Teen Book Club: Read the horror book of your choice and we’ll meet up to discuss our terrifying selections. Gruesome grub provided. Thursday, October 21 at 5:00 pm, Edendale Branch.
  • Fall Film Fest: Catch a freaky flick on the big screen. Ghoulish grub galore! Thursday, October 28 at 5:00 pm, Edendale Branch.
  • Student Smart, SAT Practice Test: Princeton Review will administer the full-length test. Saturday, October 30 at 10:00 am, Edendale Branch. Followup on Thursday, November 4 at 5:00 pm.
  • Dia de los Muertos Sugar Skulls Decorating: Create your own folk art by decorating a Mexican sugar skull to adorn your own ofrenda, or to add to the library’s Day of the Dead altar. Snacks will be served. Wednesday, October 20 at 4:00 pm, Echo Park Branch.

For more information, Edendale Teens has a website! There’s a book club, film screenings, and teens get library bucks when they sign up and write book reviews (which they can use to bid on prizes at the Carnival). Click here to visit the website. Teens can sign up at the Library or by visiting the LAPL Teen Web page.

For Adults

  • ILCSC Program: The Independent Living Center of Southern California will present a free informational program describing services available to the public. For information call 213-250-7808. Tuesday, October 19 at 2:00 pm, Echo Park Branch.
  • ELFS Monthly Meetings: Join the Edendale Library Friends Society and support the Edendale Branch Library. ELFS meets once a month on the second Tuesday at 7:00 pm. Click here for the website.
  • Game Day Saturday: Join us for fun and games in our community room on most Saturdays. We have many popular games; including chess, backgammon, scrabble, dominoes, and much more. This is a program for adults. Children must come with a parent or guardian. Call (213) 207-3000 for more information. Saturdays at 1:00 pm, Edendale Branch.
  • ELFS Used Book Sale: Join the Edendale Library Friends Society for their weekly used book sale. All sales support the library. Every Wednesday at 2:00 pm.
  • Life Story Writing: Turn your memories into vivid writing for inner exploration, to preserve family history or to prepare for publication. Try your hand at memoir writing and fiction. Warm, supportive atmosphere. No writing experience necessary. Saturday, October 9 at 10:00 am, Edendale Branch.
  • Introduction to Computers at Edendale: Tuesday, October 5 at 12:30 pm.
  • Introduction to the Internet at Edendale: Tuesday, October 12 at 12:30 pm.
  • Introduction to Email at Edendale: Tuesday, October 19 at 12:30 pm.
  • Online Job Searching & Resume Review at Echo Park: If you are a seasoned employee searching or a recent graduate looking for a job, this class will assist you in job searching, creating, and updating your resume. This class is by appointment. For information please call 213-250-7808.
  • Computer Classes to Go at Echo Park: Join us for Computer Comfort, Computer Classes for Improving your English, and Introduction to Beginning Web Design. Individual and group classes by appointment only. For information call Nadine Flores at 213-250-7808.

Edendale Library is located at 2011 West Sunset Blvd. Click here to visit the LAPL website.

Echo Park Library is located at 1410 West Temple Street. Click here to visit the LAPL website.

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Construction making progress at the new Mohawk Brasserie

Owner Tony Yanow posted this little sneak peak on Facebook today, with the caption: “It looks like a total construction zone, but there is a lot of stuff brewing at Mohawk. Stay tuned for updates.”

It does look like there’s a lot going on! From how things are now, it’s hard to imagine how everything will be put together, but based on the initial layout concepts Tony showed us at a recent Echo Park Improvement Association meeting, there will be restaurant seating near the front, and bar seating in the middle and in a garden area in the back. I’ve always wondered what it looked like in there – it’s nice to get a peek inside!

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Get ready for Echo Park’s Culture Collide Fest

Get your tickets for this week’s first annual Culture Collide Fest, where venues large and small in Echo Park, Silver Lake, and downtown will host a variety of music and food trucks over four days. Echo Park will be hosting the majority of the shows at the Echo, Echoplex, Taix Lounge, and even 826LA (Echo Curio was on that list, but it’s not looking like they’ll be open due to permitting issues).

Headliners include the Black Lips, Klaxons, Monotonix, Cass McCombs, The Besnard Lakes, and El Guincho.

We’ve got quite a few local shops and restaurants participating in the event, including:

  • The Downbeat Café: Wristband holders receive a Free Latte with Sandwich purchase
  • Chango Coffee: Wristband holders receive 1 free small drip coffee to enjoy in house or to go
  • The Fretted Frog: Wristband holders receive 10% off strings and accessories
  • Echo Curio: no longer able to participate
  • Origami: Wristband holders receive 10% off all records
  • Delilah Bakery: Mention the Culture Collide Special and receive a Free Cupcake with a purchase of $10 or more
  • Vacation Vinyl (Silver Lake): Wristband holders receive 10% off all vinyl
  • Blue Collar, For Working Dogs: Wristband holders and dog lovers receive 15% off everything (with the exception of canned food)
  • Masa of Echo Park: Wristband holders who dine at Masa will receive 10% off their meal (excluding beer + wine)
  • City Sip La : Wristband holders who dine at City Sip will receive 10% off (dining only)
  • Happy Tom’s – Restaurant: Wristband holders receive a 10% discount
  • Rodeo Mexican Grill: Wristband holders receive a 10% discount
  • Feeding Birds Boutique: 10% off purchases up to $99.99. Free “Feeding Birds Original Organic Crew Neck Print Tee” for purchases over $100.00 (while supplies last).

Culture Collide Fest goes on from Thursday, October 7 through Saturday, October 9 with a free Toyota Antics Block Party on Sunday the 10th.

Click here for the full schedule.

Click here to buy tickets – $20 for the whole fest.

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Fall 2010 Eastside Eco Tour

In association with the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council Green Committee, the second annual East Side Eco Tour will take place on Sunday, October 24 from 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm. The FREE event will take you through ten homes in the Los Angeles area, sort of in the eastside-ish area (there is one home in Highland Park, which is as east as it goes, the rest are Silver Lake/Los Feliz area).

Eastside or not, the tour looks amazing, is free, and functions just like an open house. The homes on the tour all feature some sort of eco theme, including an architect’s own Leed certified/grey water/beekeeping/composting home, the Green Beacon House, a 1920s craftsman home owned by a greywatercorps.com architect, workshops at Silver Lake Farms, and more!

Homeowners and architects will share the lessons that they have learned with those of us who want to reduce our home’s eco footprint.

See gray water systems, solar power, passive cooling, composting, organic vegetable garden, even a green wedding. Homes and people that are highly technical in their approach to footprint reduction and homes and folks who are down to earth and simplistic in their approach. It all works.

For more info, contact Tomas O’Grady at Tomasogrady@sbcglobal.net, 323 387 3866, or visit the Eastside Eco Tour website

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