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Assemblymember Gil Cedillo coming to Echo Park Tuesday

Assemblymember Gil Cedillo is coming to Echo Park for his 2011 End of Session Tour tomorrow – Tuesday, September 13, 2011 from 6:00-8:00 pm at El Centro del Pueblo (the first of many in the district he represents).

The community is invited to attend the session to hear from our representative about what’s been accomplished this year, and the goals for the upcoming legislative year. The 45th district he represents covers parts of Atwater Village, Hollywood, Echo Park, Silver Lake, Highland Park, Lincoln Heights, and El Sereno.

To RSVP, contact Fredy Ceja at (323)225-4545 or Fredy.Ceja@asm.ca.gov

El Centro del Pueblo is located at 1157 Lemoyne Street.

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Date a Dodgers fan: Singles night is back!

You’re single in Echo Park and a Dodgers fan – god forbid you end up dating a Giants fan!

As part of the Stadium’s “Group Theme Nights,” Singles Night takes place on Friday, September 16. Pittsburgh is in town, and it’s actually the last Friday Night Fireworks of the season.

The pre-game party (with music from a KLOS 95.5FM DJ) goes on from 5:15 pm – 7:10 pm in Lot B. The $25 ticket gets you a Infield Reserve seat, Dodgers cap and one drink, courtesy of Anheuser Busch.

Click here to buy tickets, and make sure to use the promo code SINGLES.

Call Dodgers Representative Charlie Brooks at 323-224-2630 email charlesb@ladodgers.com for more information.

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Today: Free Dodger Takeover Party at The Echo

Today’s free event at The Echo is inspired by frustrations with Frank McCourt’s handling of the Dodgers – so Origami Vinyl is organizing an “investor group to buy the Dodgers,” and is having a party to celebrate.

Today, at The Echo, enjoy a BBQ with free Dodger Dogs, veggie dogs, peanuts, and Cracker Jacks. They’ve also invented a drink called “The Vin Scully” for $5, Heinekens for $6.

Origami’s Dodger Takeover Party Presented By Pony Attack
Saturday, September 10th from 3:30 pm – 8 pm
The Echo, 1822 W. Sunset Blvd.

Set rimes:
4pm – The Black Apples
5pm – Summer Darling
6pm – Gestapo Khazi
7pm – Future Ghost

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My love letter to Echo Park

Flickr photo via Orrin

Inspired by a recent LAist post and the Foodlatio post, “One Man’s Love Letter to L.A.: If You Don’t Like It Here, ‘Get The Fuck Out'” I think we need to write a love letter to Echo Park to remind everyone (especially with the Echo Park Lake rehab project) why we love this ‘hood. We’ve had a couple of friends and roommates ditch out on LA after only a couple of months in Echo Park, and we think they missed out on a great thing. Here is our love letter, and feel free to share yours in the comments below.

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The newly revived Los Globos takes on a different crowd

Chromatics performs in the revived Los Globos. Photo by Taylor Kephart

Last Friday night, we made our way a little it outside of Echo Park to the soft opening of the revived Los Globos to see our friends Chromatics and Glass Candy take the stage, becoming quite possibly the first Indie group to perform at the traditionally Latino venue (just read the Yelp reviews, you’ll know what I’m talking about).

The booking by Echo Park Records and a fresh coat of paint on the outside indicated to us all that Los Globos had changed hands – in fact, the owners of El Cid just down the road purchased it just a couple of months ago (not Echo Park entrepreneur Mitchell Frank as we had thought).

But good news for fans of the venue before these changes: the ground floor remains the same, and will continue to host the Salsa and merengue nights Los Globos has traditionally had. But the ground floor was pretty empty (and smoke-filled), bringing up the question asked by LAist: Can hipsters and merengue fans co-exist?

Echo Park Records will continue to book bands as well as manage the venue. Be prepared with some cash at the cash-only bar (there’s an ATM if you forget), and $6 Coronas, $5 valet parking (don’t bother looking for street parking). They’ll continue to make changes to the building, and hopefully install a Las Vegas-sized air conditioner (man it was HOT in there). The grand opening is bound to be grand!

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A dilapidated Glendale Boulevard in Echo Park needs some TLC

Photo by Josh Post

The recent issue of EPIAn Ways (for which, for full disclosure, I am the editor) highlights a problem we’ve always noticed but didn’t think we could do anything about: The dilapidated state of a stretch of Glendale Boulevard in Echo Park.

Glendale Boulevard is a far cry from what it started out as – it was the site of our first film studio, where Red Cars once ran, and the main thoroughfare into Echo Park from neighborhoods and cities north of the ‘hood. Now it’s a freeway for commuters, peeling paint on buildings, chain-link fences, empty lots and “for rent” signs. Most probably don’t even notice great businesses on that part of Glendale Boulevard, such as the music space Bedrock Studios, and the soon-to-be home of Echo Country Outpost, let alone what Echo Park is like beyond the main street.

Thankfully, Echo Park resident Josh Post has not only taken notice, he’s doing something about it. In the EPIAn Ways article, he calls the area between Berkeley and Duane Street a “dead zone,” where “trash clutters sidewalks, graffiti adorns dilapidated/empty warehouses, overgrown empty lots sit litter-filled behind chain-linked fencing, and not one tree is planted along this four-block stretch. The area has become the antithesis of ‘urban renewal.'”

He started by getting together with the Echo Park Improvement Association about cleaning up Glendale Boulevard – the short term goal to clean up trash, remove graffiti, and improve sidewalks. The long term goal to get businesses along Glendale Boulevard to actively participate in keeping it clean, to plant trees and other decorative elements to revitalize the area. He even proposed having a silent movie theater to “pay homage to the corridor’s history” (we LOVE that idea!).

So what drove Josh to take action? “Echo Park is my home,” he said in an email. “I want the most visible part of this community to be more representative of the true beauty and character of the neighborhood. I quickly realized on my daily jogs down Glendale Boulevard that nothing is going to get done to improve this area unless we, as community members, take action.”

Bravo!

If you agree, spend some time with myself, the Echo Park Improvement Association, and other neighbors and activists in a truly grassroots effort to clean up Glendale Boulevard:

Echo Park Community Cleanup: Glendale Boulevard
Saturday, November 5, 2011
9:00 am – noon
Meet at 9:00 am at the Jack in the Box

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What will they find in Echo Park Lake?

Ever since we learned of the Echo Park Lake rehab project, we’ve been thinking: What in the heck are they going to find in the bottom of the lake?

The contractors will be keeping track of everything found in the lake, and hopefully at the next Odor Monitoring Group meeting we’ll learn what’s been found so far. And we’re optimistic they won’t find any (ahem) bodies… but certainly some illegal items made their way into the murky depths.

So now we are taking bets: How many shopping carts? Knives? Jewelry? Sunken boats? Tell us what you think!

In the meantime, here’s the latest from the EchoParkLake.org website:

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The changing landscape of Echo Park Lake

Click here for the full map (PDF)

In case you’ve missed it, there are not only covered fences up around Echo Park Lake, but it’s also looking a bit… lower now. That’s because the rehabilitation project has finally (and sadly) begun – phase one of the draining having started at the end of August, pumping about eight feet of water out of the lake and into the storm drains.

The temporary pools have been installed, and with all the muck in the lake water already it seems the wildlife is taking advantage. The fish and other water wildlife (turtles, etc.) will be relocated once the lake has been drained a few feet (supervised by a wildlife biologist), after which the lake will be completely drained and the Odor Monitoring Group will be called upon to monitor.

After a July 20, 2011 Echo Park Lake Rehab public meeting, a couple of improvements were made after residents spoke up:

  1. A portion of the sidewalk on the west side of the lake along Glendale Boulevard will be closed after residents complained the sidewalk was too narrow, and thus dangerous, for pedestrian use. They will install alternate route signs.
  2. Parking restrictions along Echo Park Avenue have been slightly relieved – instead of No Parking between 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, it’s 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. Residents more recently pointed out that the parking isn’t even being used by construction workers. According to one resident, who contacted the project managers, the parking will be used by construction workers since the Lady of the Lake statue was removed (apparently she was in the way of construction access).

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Echo Country Outpost taking up new diggs

Echo Country Outpost has been host to many types of events – ho-downs, BBQs, and musical acts reminiscent of the ol’ Echo Curio days (don’t tell the city of LA). Opened in November 2009 by Erica Forneret, Chris Hajek, and Brendan Missett, the small space on Echo Park Avenue has been a great neighborhood and family-friendly establishment for music and shopping (they carry the kinds of antiques and hand made items that make the store feel like home).

But now it seems that they may have outgrown the store, which occupied the same building as the former Echo Park Cycles (now frame store Hotel de Ville) – “for rent” signs decorate the commercial space hoping for new occupants. The Echo Country Outpost website says only: “The Outpost is real busy traveling the country and cooking up big plans for the future of Outposts in Los Angeles and around the world.”

Call it perfect timing, but production company 2HeadedHorse recently vacated their production space at 1770 Glendale Boulevard, just south of the 2 Freeway entrance, and it seems our friends at the Outpost have settled on some new diggs. Posting a sketch on their Facebook page, the Outpost looks to be expanding beyond what we thought the Glendale Boulevard storefront even had – there’s an inner court/patio, an atrium and gift shop, studios, lofts, a kitchen, even a bar!

We’ve reached out to the guys and gals at Echo Country Outpost for further details, but expect a lot of great Echo Parkian thinks to do up on the Glendale corridor.

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Go “pazzo” with some local Echo Park gelato

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer



“Pazzo” may mean crazy – but there’s nothing wrong with the culinary flavors of the new Echo Park gelato spot, Pazzo Gelato. This is the second store for the family-run business, which opened the first location in Silver Lake in 2006. The Echo Park location, which opened in July, is just a mile down Sunset, and fills an ice cream void for us locals (Kind Kreme also has great vegan ice cream options).

Though the Echo Park location offers fewer flavors than the Silver Lake location (18 here, 24 there), it still has mouth-watering flavors like Blood Orange Sorbet, Watermelon, and the unusual Butter Brown Sugar Bacon. Since the flavors are made fresh from local ingredients, they do change so make sure to check them out on Facebook to see what’s in the freezer.

For our first-ever visit, we ordered Almond Expresso Chip, and a Plum-Mango Sorbet combo (half of each). Two medium scoops cost us around $10 (plus I always tip!), which is about right for this type of treat – it sure ain’t your RiteAid ice cream!

In addition to free parking behind the Citibank building, there is also free wi-fi and plenty of seating, including a spacious patio area overlook Sunset Boulevard.

Next up, we’re looking forward to trying the food menu – gourmet coffee, bagels, bagel/breakfast sandwiches, and sweets. It’s also nice they are open at 7:30 am for the early morning commute! We are hoping to see an addition of paninis and other sandwich options to the menu as well.

Pazzo Gelato is located at 1910 West Sunset Boulevard.

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LAFD Motorcyclists head east, 9/11 memorial service Sunday

On August 25, the LAFD Fire Hogs departed from the Los Angeles World Trade Center Memorial in Elysian Park, joining other LA Firefighters on the road to the World Trade Center in New York to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The LAFD Fire Hogs are a group of “retired and active-duty firefighters.” They’ll be traveling by motorcycle the whole way.

Here in Los Angeles, the nearby Los Angeles World Trade Center Memorial will be the site of a memorial service “commemorating our collective loss and affirming our personal resolve.” September is also National Preparedness Month.

“This year will mark the 10-year anniversary of 9/11,” Erik Scott of the LAFD told Our Weekly, “and the Los Angeles Fire Department asks you to take time to remember those lost as well as time to make sure you are prepared for future emergencies.”

The memorial shown in the picture to the left is a 23 ton, 22 foot tall steel column that originally was part of the World Trade Center lobby, and believed to be the largest remnant on the West coast.

The free and public event is on Sunday, September 11, 2011 from 9:00 am – 10:00 am, with a reception immediately following.

The Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center is located at 1700 Stadium Way.

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An Echo Park artist’s submission to the LA vs. War show

Echo Park resident Mike Fisher is a seasoned vocalist in hardcore/metal bands, a graphic designer, and multimedia artist (he’s done skateboards, album covers, t-shirts, websites of course, commissioned artwork… the list goes on). Lately he’s been working on a piece for the upcoming LA Vs. War show in Downtown Los Angeles, and his piece certainly fits the theme.

The theme, of course being the state of the nation – and how we as individuals are processing – in a post-9/11 world. This weekend marks 10 years since that horrific day – and one curator John Carr will never forget. Which is why he and partner Estee Ochoa started LA Vs. War in 2008 (which around 6,000 people showed up for), an exhibit of live art demonstrations, workshops, fine art, street art, and more. The show asks the question of its artists: After 10 years of the Global War on Terror, where do we now stand as a nation? Is the world a safer place? Where does the Peace movement go from here?

For Mike Fisher, his piece for the show expresses his frustration with the politicians and those in power who got us to where we are today:

I decided to participate in the show because I truly believe we were lied to about starting these current wars. I’m not even an anti war guy. I just think these wars are criminal. Started by criminals. The painting is my 10 years of frustration with the fact they essentially have ruined our country. Everyone points fingers at each other but, it’s all the Bush family and their cronies that are directly to blame.

His piece is a combination of hand painting and multiple layers of silk screening. You can check out more of his artwork by visiting his website.

Mike is probably not the only Echo Park artist to submit a piece to the show (we have such a creative neighborhood!) – there is a mix of local artists along with out-of-towners, you can find a complete list on their Facebook event page.

The LA Vs. War exhibit (curated by Yo! Peace, Center for the Study of Political Graphics, Political Gridlock, and Ad Hoc Art) goes on from Friday, September 9 through the 11th from noon to midnight. The Vortex is located at 2341 E. Olympic Blvd. Entry is a $5 suggested donation.

Other cities should keep an eye out for this popular exhibit, they are hoping to expand the show to other cities under the “Vs. War” name.

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Weird weather watch in Echo Park

Today was a another gorgeous, breezy, cool day in Echo Park – a great break from the recent heat that keeps the kitchen activity at a minimum and the window AC on high. Tonight we got another rainbow (and even sightings of a double rainbow), and now as we are enjoying the after dinner glass of wine there is plenty of lightning and thunder flashing through the windows. Although this is my favorite kind of weather, it’s a little eerie that it’s not 85 degrees and clear skies – but the weather girls keep saying we are getting “monsoonal moisture” in the foothills, creating those big thunderheads we’ve been seeing a lot lately and now the lightning bolts.

It was about a year ago that it was literally 90 degrees outside at 9:00 pm (unusual for Los Angeles, not the central valley!), and we had an incredible storm producing some amazing shots all around Echo Park. Although we’ve been living here for more than a few years now, it’s always a pleasant surprise.

Makes for a beautiful sunset!

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FYF Fest pre-show with Glass Candy at Los Globos

We’re excited for a just-announced FYF Fest pre-show to take place just a night before the start of the hipster festival – on Friday, September 2 our friends Glass Candy and Chromatics will take the stage at Silver Lake night club Los Globos. DJs GODDOLLARS, Chris Cruse and Doctor Golden are also included on the bill.

Now, this brings a question to mind – why Los Globos? This is not a venue I see FYF Fest scoping out, in fact, just perusing the Yelp reviews (and knowing the venue’s reputation) this is a salsa and merengue venue, not exactly the indie type.

Perhaps this is the new work of entrepreneur and Echo Park resident Mitchell Frank (the Echo, Echoplex, El Prado, etc.) – whose split with partners at Spaceland opened up the search for a new venture in this part of LA. And although there are no official confirmations of new ownership yet, there is a rumor of new owners and some renovations made to the interior. We’ll have to check it out on Friday night at the show!

Tickets are $10 advance, $12 at the door. Click here to purchase ahead of time, and here for the event info.

Los Globos is located at 3040 W Sunset Blvd.

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North Central Animal Shelter’s new Facebook page

Even though Echo Park has our own wonderful animal services group (the Echo Park Animal Alliance), the nearest animal shelter is the North Central Shelter located on Lacy Street. And they can come in handy if you’ve found someone’s (or lost your) best buddy late at night.

We can now welcome the shelter into the 21st century – because they now have a Facebook page!

But here’s your fair warning – it will tug at your heartstrings. I mean, just look at those kitty photos!

Click here to visit and like the Facebook page.

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