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Explore old secrets at the “Haunts of Angelino Heights” scavenger hunt

The Irey House, built in 1887, now on Carroll Avenue

Too old for trick or treating? Gone are the days of booze-filled costume parties? Well even if those don’t exactly apply to you, here’s another way to celebrate the spooky Halloween holiday this month: The 3rd Annual Haunts of Angelino heights!

Taking place on Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23, the event is a “haunted” scavenger hunt in the old neighborhood filled with century-old Victorian homes. There’s a lot of history in the neighborhood besides the old houses – after all, the “Thriller” music video was filmed there, along with the “Charmed” television show.

Hosted by Out of the Box Events and the Los Angeles Conservancy, the event promises to explore the “spirits, secrets and legends of one of the oldest neighborhoods in LA.” Perhaps you’ll capture something spooky, so bring a camera! Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the LA Conservancy. Tickets are $30.

3rd Annual Haunts of Angelino Heights
October 22 and 23, 2011
4:00 – 6:30 pm
Click here for tickets

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Time to get fit: Echo Park Avenue gets new Pilates studio

Echo Park has recently become quite the beer destination, but who knows – maybe it’ll turn into the Yoga/Pilates/arts destination!

13-year Echo Park resident Tannis Kobrinsky saw the “for rent” sign next to the Yogala Echo Park space (in Peter Shire’s building) and, as she told us in August when construction started, “I knew this was the time and place. I’m extremely excited to be able to make this happen this year!” She wanted a place for Pilates classes as well as a dedicated art space, so that when you think about the studio, you think of it as a “wellness and cultural Salon.” Thus was born Pilates & Arts!

Tannis gets major kudos for her long-time residency in Echo Park, for opening the new studio, and for her major Pilates bod which you can check out on her website, HealtHabitravels.com (she’s inspiring me to get in shape!). While a grand opening party is planned for November (with a joint block party on November 13), this weekend she’ll be hosting a soft opening with a free “meet the machine” event so that any Pilates newbies won’t feel intimated trying out those machines like Pilates reformers, springboards, wunda-chair, and other exercise props with equally funny names.

You can expect traditional Pilates classes on the apparatus only in private, partner and group sessions, while Tannis will continue teaching Pilates mat classes at Yogala next door. Additionally, there will be a dedicated art wall in the studio along with intimate art gallery opens, art-related workshops and events during the studio after-hours.

You can sign up for the free “meet the machine” event on Saturday and Sunday, October 15 and 16, by calling (323) 913-9460 or email info@pilatesandarts.com. Classes will be held every hour between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, and are limited to six people per hour.

Tannis wants to keep us budget-conscious folks in mind – Meet the Machine workshops will be held after the opening at $30 for three sessions. October is also a great month to sign up with Pilates & Arts – she is currently offering a discount on cash or check payments this month – 3 private session for $150, 3 partner sessions for $90, and 3 group sessions for $75 (must have prior experience practicing Pilates on the apparatus).

Pilates & Arts
1844 Echo Park Avenue

Reserve a spot: 323-913-9460 and info@pilatesandarts.com

Website

Hours:
Monday – Friday: 7:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Rates run $30 a person for a group class of 3-4 people max (or a series of 10 for $270), $40 per person for a partner class (or a series of 10 for $350), and $65 for a private class (or a series of 10 for $600)

Check the Facebook page for detailed hours on classes, and costs.

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Crawl along Sunset Blvd. for cold beer and Echo Park music – it’s Beer Week!

LA Beer Week (or “weeks” really) is like Christmas to me, the most important holiday of the year – but we don’t mesh with the whole drinking and driving thing, so we prefer to hang local and support the ‘hood!

So strap on those beer drinking/dancing boots for the Echo Park Musical Beer Crawl Tuesday, October 11, 2011. More than a handful of Echo Park businesses and venues are participating, including Backside, City Sip, El Prado, Grill ‘Em All Truck, Lot 1 Cafe, Masa, Mohawk Bend, Origami Vinyl, Sunset Beer Co., Taix 321 Lounge, The Echo/Echoplex, and Two Boots. Yeah!

Each place is offerings special discounts or rare keg tappings, be sure to check out what each place is doing by clicking here.

How do you take advantage of these discounts and special gatherings around Echo Park? “Passports” are now available for you to print out and flash at the participating venues. Click here to get your own! (Oh, yes, and it’s free!)

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Echo Park rules: LA Weekly’s Best of LA list

We all know it: Echo Park is the raddest. But it’s nice to get a little acknowledgment – LA Weekly’s Best of LA 2011 is out, and once again, we’ve got quite a few locations in our ‘hood to celebrate.

Keep reading what Echo Park businesses and locations made the Best of LA cut:

Spitfire Girl: Best Ironic Baubles for a Best Friend

Located along our stretch of Echo Park known as antique row, Spitfire Girl gets kudos for being a “more authentic version of Urban Outfitters’ indie accessories department.” From horses and owl-themed products to art books, jewelry, and woodcut wall art, LA Weekly recommends a stop as “you should have no trouble finding a unique gift for any lover of irony or beauty.” We have to admit we’ve never been to Spitfire Girl… we will definitely go now!

LA Weekly link
2203 Sunset Blvd. • (213) 989-1977 • spitfiregirl.com

Rewind Audio: Best Electronics That Don’t Fit in a Pocket

Audio geeks rejoice: “This is not the insanely priced stuff sought by audiophiles but great, quotidian, mainstream electronics…” says The LA Weekly.

Even better? “Their pristine little Echo Park shop attracts a steady stream of people in their 20s seeking a retro look and electronic equipment that’s fun to touch, as well as a 40s-and-up clientele who miss the richer sounds often lost to digital.

LA Weekly link
1041 N. Alvarado St. • (213) 273-8904 • rewindaudio.com

Read more

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Echo Park pet adoption spotlight: Lucy is a “cuddle bug”

Our featured pet today comes from the Echo Park Animal Alliance. This love-able Chihuahua is currently being fostered, but needs a permanent home!

Nicknamed Lucy, she is an 8-month-old, 6 lb. pup with reddish hair. Foster mom describes her as “a total cuddle bug with a very sweet personality. She is very happy and loves hanging out, going on walks or just cuddling.”

Email info@echoparkanimalalliance.org for more information on adopting Lucy or any of the other animals that need a permanent happy home.

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Tidbits from around Echo Park

Photo by Martin Cox via The Eastsider LA

Rain fills just-emptied Echo Park Lake

The Eastsider LA published a photo by Martin Cox taken yesterday after a downpoor of rain filled up quite a bit of the just-drained Echo Park Lake. As the clouds separated, Cox captured a beautiful and dramatic photo of the lake with all that rain collected.

City hearing held on Fix Coffee’s beer & wine application

Yesterday (Wednesday) morning was the hearing for Fix Coffee’s application for a beer and wine license. While no official recommendations by the zoning administrator have been made (it’s expected in the coming weeks), Eric Garcetti of CD13 opposes the permit, as indicated in a statement issued by spokeswoman Julie Wong and published today on The Eastsider LA:

“After listening to community members on both sides and giving the issue careful consideration, Council President Garcetti decided to oppose the permit because he feels it is not quite right for the location at this time.”

Read more about the controversial application by Fix Coffee.

Echo Park Artist in the NY Times

The NY Times visited artist Lecia Dole-Recio in her Echo Park studio recently. Dole-Recio uses cardboard and paint to create collages of geometric shapes and strong colors. She has a show through October 15 at Richard Telles Fine Artin LA and an exhibit in December at the Secession in Vienna. Click here to read the full story.

High five! Flickr photo via falafelicious

Did a Dodger invent the high five?

Writer Jon Mooallem investigates the origin of the high-five, an investigation which led him to Dodgers outfielder Glenn Burke in 1977. After a home run by fellow Dodger Dusty Baker, Burke “thrust his hand enthusiastically over his head to greet his friend at the plate. Baker, not knowing what to do, smacked it. ‘His hand was up in the air, and he was arching way back,’ says Baker, 62, who’s now managing the Cincinnati Reds. ‘So I reached up and hit his hand. It seemed like the thing to do.'”

Of course the origins of such a thing are highly debated – read the article on TheWeek.com and decide for yourself!

Culture Collide Festival kicked off

The annual Filter Magazine’s Culture Collide Fest kicked off yesterday, and end Sunday with the Toyota Antics block party at Reservoir and Sunset. Click here to get more info about the Festival.

 

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Culture Collide Fest starts Wednesday in Echo Park

The annual Filter Magazine’s Culture Collide Festival descends on Echo Park this week, with dozens of performances at The Echo, Echoplex, Taix, 826LA, Origami Vinyl, Echo Park Independent Co-Op, Echo Park Methodist Church, and Reform Academy. The four-day fest brings artists from over 24 countries, along with live music there will be food, film screenings, and happy hours!

Along with musical performances, the International Happy Hour includes drink specials at Taix from 4-6:00 pm on Thursday and Firday, and 6-8:00 pm on Saturday, October 8. Click here to RSVP. The full schedule and lineup is also now available, click here.

Lineup includes artists like Ximena Sarinana from Mexico (who happens to have a new song titled “Echo Park”), along with headlines CSS, Clap Your Hands Say Yea, Avi Buffalo, and more. Echo Park always has some music events going on over the weekend, so if you don’t want to pay the $20 for the whole fest keep your eye out on the many music venues in the neighborhood for shows.

And finally like in past years, the festival ends with a free Toyota Antics block party event in Echo Park on Sunday, October 9. The party takes place at Reservoir and Sunset Boulvard, and often includes live music and family-friendly activities (we’ve seen bouncy castles before).

See you around!

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Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Monday, October 3 through Sunday, October 9, 2011

The annual Culture Collide fest is upon us, but the schedule hasn’t been posted quite yet. In the meantime, there are plenty of musical events all over Echo Park for the next few days:

Monday
Screening Of “Fix”: The Ministry Movie @ Echoplex
Monday Night Residency: Swahili Blonde, Crooked Cowboy & The Freshwater Indians, Raw Geronimo, Dreamtapes @ Echo
Little Red Lung, Mind The Gap, Jim Hanft, Irontom @ Bootleg Theater/Bar
Stephanie Rearick, Eric Potter Ambient Guitar Project, Daniel Ahearn @ Lot 1 Cafe

Tuesday
Peter Bjorn & John, Big Search @ Echo
89.9 KCRW Presents: Jolie Holland, Mr. French, Locksley, Italian Japanese @ Bootleg Theater/Bar
Emperor X @ Origami Vinyl
Sketch Monster, Hank, Odd Modern @ Lot 1 Cafe

Wednesday
Dub Club @ Echoplex
Live Jazz Every Wednesday Night at 7:00 Pm @ Downbeat Café

Thursday
Filter Magazine’s Culture Collide Festival Featuring: Liam Finn, Rainbow Arabia, Guineafowl, Handshakes, DJ Larry (Underground) @ Echo
Liam Gerner, The Americans, Patrick Park, Maxim Ludwig @ Bootleg Theater/Bar
Roll The Tanks @ Origami Vinyl
6 Foot Peter, The Mo Odds, Blac Jesus & The Experimentalists, Empty Echoes @ Lot 1 Cafe

Friday
Yacht, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, The Morning After Girls, The Gift, Hands @ Echoplex
Cymbals Eat Guitars, Hooray For Earth, La Sera @ Echo
Mucca Pazza, Timur And The Dime Museum, AK and Her Kalasnikovs @ Bootleg Theater/Bar
Hooray for Earth @ Origami Vinyl
Stars At Night, Blood Buddies, Black Leg @ Lot 1 Cafe

Saturday
Css, Young Liars, The Yellow Dogs, Deskartes A Kant, De Staat, DJ Jason Bentley @ Echoplex
Funky Sole @ Echo
Chamberlin, Olin And The Moon, A B & The Sea, The Oregonian Film Screening @ Bootleg Theater/Bar
The Go Round @ Origami Vinyl
Pick Up Sticks, Radars To The Sky, George Glass, Dona Nicha @ Lot 1 Cafe

Sunday
Chad Vangaalen @ Culture Collide Festival
Part Time Punks With Big Troubles (Slumberland Records), Young Prisms, Kids On a Crime Spree @ Echo
Eagle Rock Gospel Singers, Sarah Winters, Doran Danoff Release Show, The Oregonian Film Screening @ Bootleg Theater/Bar

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.

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In case you missed it: Empty Echo Park Lake from above

Photo by Steven Nereo, published on The Eastsider LA

With all the photos of the Echo Park Lake rehabilitation project seen all over twitter, local blogs, and news sites, this is a first!

The Eastsider LA published a photo last week by Steven Noreo, who took the shot from a helicopter high up in the air. You can see some of the lime placed by construction workers to mask the smell of rotting fish (those that didn’t make it) and sediment.

Our photos aren’t as cool as this one, but we do have a Flickr set that we’re adding to as the project progresses.

We are already anxious to have the lake back

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Ballard’s to host Martin Cox opening exhibit tomorrow

The photography of Echo Park resident Martin Cox will be celebrated at an Echo Park framing shop on Sunset Boulevard tomorrow, October 1, 2011. The art opening, titled Summer Navigation: Passage though the pastoral (an 18th century English machine in the modern era), will display some of Martin’s latest work and runs through November 5.

Enjoy some English tea and cookies (Martin is, after all, English), along with “cheese and crackers gromit.”

If you’re not familiar with this local photographer – well you’re missing out on some of the loveliest images of Echo Park and Echo Park Lake out there (I have a postcard on my fridge!). Martin also currently has an exhibit nearby at a Silver Lake/Echo Park gallery displaying his images of Echo Park and Los Angeles through November 2.

Summer Navigation: Passage though the pastoral
Aaron Ballard’s Framing & Gallery
1568 W. Sunset Boulevard
Saturday, October 1, 2011 from 8:00 pm – 10:30 pm
Exhibit runs through November 5, 2011

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Practice SAT tests at the Echo Park Branch Library

Flickr photo via Nickels_Photography

Echo Park Branch Library is hosting full-length PSAT practice tests for students (recommended for 8th and 10th graders) – the first of which is tomorrow, Saturday, October 1, 2011. Students wishing to get practice for the inevitable SATs, as well as qualify for a National Merit Scholarship, must pre-register and bring their own calculators. Students will receive results the following week.

PSAT Practice Test
Echo Park Library, 1410 W. Temple Street
Saturday, October 1, 2011: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Saturday, November 12, 2011: 10:00 am – 2:30 pm

Register with Wendy McPherson at 213.250.7808 or wmcpher@lapl.org

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We have a new look!

Echo Park Now has a new look!

The website well over two years old now – that’s right, TWO years (the concept… much older). It’s been a labor of love, and we just needed to update our look and the programming a little bit.

As with all changes, there may be a few bugs – so do let us know if you catch any glitches that may happen with the updates.

More importantly… it looks pretty darn good, right? A very big thank you to our buddy and programming guru Sean of Atwater Village design studio Zbra Designs (also my day job) for all his efforts getting this off the ground.

And we’ll take this opportunity to remind any newcomers that this is a volunteer website run by residents who are deeply in love with and committed to the community of Echo Park. We don’t publish ads (not yet anyways…) nor are we sponsored by any of the businesses or organizations we write about. If we are affiliated with any events or organizations, we’ll let you know!

See you out there!

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Tugging at heartstrings: These kitties need a home

Echo Parkian Amanda found a mother and her kittens in her yard a month ago, and since the only no-kill shelter only takes cats over one-year old, she is searching for a home for them.

“I think the black and white one is a male since he is bigger than the other one; he is very curious and really adorable. The other one is a multicolored kitty who seems like she would be happiest living her life on someones lap. It’s only a matter of time before they start breeding, so the clock is ticking!… They are cute to an insane degree and I wish I could keep them, but I have an elderly cat who despises all non-human creatures.

Please email EchoParkKitties@gmail.com if interested.

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Tonight at AYC: Infused drinks with a kick for 5 bucks

I have to admit, I’m a little bit of a tequila snob – so forget the Gold Room’s tequila shot + taco special (no offense, I’m also a semi-vegetarian but refrain your judgment….). It’s all about AYC.

Tuesday night was the first night of Allston Yacht Club’s newly established nights of TNT – otherwise known as tequila night Tuesdays/Thursdays. $5 gets you a Jalapeno Margarita, a shot and sangria, or a daily special on Tuesdays. Thursdays are $5 for their “ball of infusion” – which is better than it sounds (their infused drinks during the holidays are just an example of why this is good stuff).

Today’s “ball of infusion” featured drinks? Fig Bourbon in their “Yacht Club Old Fashioned,” Peach-Steeped Dark Rum in the “AYC Dark and Stormy,” and finally Blueberries, Ginger, Dragon Chili and Polish Vodka in a Collins, unless otherwise requested.

We also really like AYC for the Wicked Wednesdays – all menu items are $5. Not to mention, it’s a low-key restaurant with plenty of seating at the bar – my favorite view!

See you there!

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A sunset performance about Sunset Boulevard at Mi Alma

Flickr photo via Andy Sternberg

On Saturday, October 1, 2011, Echo Park’s own nursery slash lighting store will be the host of 24 Hours on Sunset, an evening of short plays written by the talented Sharon Yablon and music by Thomas Chan. The scenes and monologues performed are about those eccentric characters that populate the long stretch of Sunset Boulevard from east LA all the way to the beach.

But don’t worry, the play doesn’t last 24 hours – “They don’t state what time it is, but the language, setting and tone is suggestive of a certain time of day or night.  The show is somewhat of a ‘day in the life’ of Sunset Blvd., and the variety of people who populate it,” Yablon told the LA Writers Examiner.

The performances feature Adrian A. Cruz, Jacqueline Wright, Eugene Butler, and Michael Bonnabel. It will start on the street outside of Mi Alma, then move into the space where each short play is set in a different spot (so there will be walking and standing).

Along with the play itself, tamales and sangria are complimentary – but donations are accepted!

Please RSVP by emailing Sharon at syablon22@gmail.com

24 Hours on Sunset
Saturday, October 1, 2011
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Mi Alma Gardens at 1901 Echo Park Ave.

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