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An LA Times video of our awesome neck of the woods

The LA Times takes a close look at some of our favorite Los Angeles neighborhoods (including, of course, Echo Park!) in a video titled, “My LA: Four locals tell all about Echo Park, Griffith Park, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.”

Included in the video is Shannon Losorelli, store coordinator at 826LA’s Echo Park Time Travel Mart.

FYI, the video ends with a list of places mentioned in the video, including Masa. The restaurant’s website is listed incorrectly – make sure to go to masaofechopark.com if you’re interested…!

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Street closures in Echo Park for LA Marathon weekend

The 26th Annual LA Marathon takes place this weekend, on Sunday, March 20. An exciting tradition, but there will also be some road closures and parking restrictions along the routes. Make sure you pay attention to those overnight “no parking” sings along the route – including a lot of parking real estate in Echo Park and Angeleno Heights.

Runners are expected to exit Dodger Stadium (the start of the marathon) as early as 7:00 am, with Echo Park streets expected to reopen by 11:00 am.

New to the experience as an Echo Park resident? Skip breakfast at a local restaurant (although they’ll be open!) and stay in bed for a little while longer on Sunday morning before heading out for errands. It can get messy if you try to drive around the neighborhood with Sunset Blvd. closed!

Click here for the PDF of the full map.

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Celebrating St. Patty’s Day in Echo Park

AYC's Chef Mike D. Photo courtesy of AYC.

Allston Yacht Club

AYC is open at noon today, serving up house-cured corned beef to get you in the mood for St. Patty’s Day. Sandwiches are $7 throughout the day, $10 for dinner (includes corned beef and cabbage). Guinness is $5 all day!

Masa of Echo Park

Starting at 5:00 pm, Masa will have a Corned Beef Brisket with Colcannon special (cabbage and potatoes), and Rhonda is baking her family’s Irish Soda Bread.

Barragan’s

Green beer, apple martinis, and $5 Jameson shots. Happy hour goes from 3:30 to 7:00 pm, with a DJ from 6:00 pm – midnight.

City Sip

It might be a wine bar, but they also have beer!

Lot 1 Cafe

“Kewl Beanz” Opening Ceremony and St. Patrick’s Day Celebration starting at 7:00 pm

The Park

Murphy’s Irish Stout on special for $5, and since it’s Thursday all bottles of wine are half price.

We’ll update this posting throughout the day as we hear about more St. Patty’s Day festivities. Click here for the week in music article if you’re hankering to go out on the town for some live music.

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Tonight: Historical Society meeting, election, and tour!

Flickr photo via Mary-Austin & Scott

Tonight is the Echo Park Historical Society Quarterly Meeting, and if you’re into Echo Park history this is definitely the one to check out!

Favorite local author Charles Fleming (he wrote the Secret Stairways book I’ve been carrying everywhere with me) will be talking about his book at the stairways of Los Angeles. I’ve also heard there’ll be a short tour of the remnants of the Egyptian themed mural in what once was the bowling alley (see awesome historical photo above.

EPHS will also hold its annual Board of Directors election. Members in good standing (paid memberships) will cast ballots during the quarterly meeting. Candidates will have an opportunity to make a brief presentation before ballots are cast.

The historical society meeting takes place TONIGHT! from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm at the Rec Center Studio, located at 1161 Logan Street.

Visit the Echo Park Historical Society website for more info, or email ephs@HistoricEchoPark.org

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Tsunami relief fundraising at Dodger Stadium today

All day today, you can stop by Dodger Stadium to help raise money for the American Red Cross Japan earthquake and tsunami relief effots.

According to a press release, Dodger alumni Bobby Castillo, Kenny Landreaux, Rudy Law, Al Ferrara, Jimmy Campanis, Derrel Thomas and NBC LA on-air personalities will be on hand to take donations. Donors who give $20 or more will each receive two tickets to an upcoming Spring Training exhibition game at Dodger Stadium.

The event started at 5:00 this morning, and ends tonight at 7:00 pm at Dodger Stadium, in parking lot 1.

Monetary donations of cash and checks will be accepted. Checks should be made out to American Red Cross with “Japan Tsunami Fund” in the memo line.

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Echo Park charter school takes home Bravo award

Congratulations to Gabriella Charter School! The Echo Park school was recently awarded the 2011 Music Center Bravo Award!

“As Dance Coordinator Chippy Zuniga noted in accepting the award,” said the school in an email, “there are students at Gabriella Charter School who have never attended a day of school without a dance class.”

The Bravo Award was established to recognize teachers and schools for creativity, innovation and excellence in arts education. Winners receive a sculpture and cash awards.

Check out some Gabriella kids in action at a December 2010 flash mob in Downtown LA:

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Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Monday, March 14 through Sunday, March 20

Monday
Monday Night Residency: Spirit Vine, Dark Moon, Dante vs Zombies, Rumspringa, Origami DJs on the back patio @ Echo
Honeyhoney, The Wild Feathers, Milo Greene @ Bootleg Theater

Tuesday
Alpine Decline, Residual Echoes @ Echo
Iheartcomix, Media Contender, & La Record Present Check Yo Ponytail 2 With The Death Set, The Gas Lamp Killer, Ninjasonik, Zowie, Biker Daughter, Franki Chan @ Echoplex
Family Band, Papercranes, The Moor @ Bootleg Theater
Daniel Ahearn With Johny Goraj And Toby Burke @ The Fretted Frog

Wednesday
Echo and Echoplex SXSW Throwdown featuring: Creep, Hanni El Khatib, Superhumanoids, Other Lives and Special Guests @ Shangri-La
Dub Club with Prezident Brown, Quinto Sol @ Echoplex
Linda Draper, Old Toy Trains, Chief Nowhere, Dominic Campanella (Quarter After) @ Bootleg Theater
Echo Park Juke Joint with The Downtown Train @ Lot 1 Cafe

Thursday
Wye Oak, Callers @ Echo
Appleseed Cast, Muscle Worship @ Echoplex
“Kewl Beanz” Opening Ceremony and St. Patrick’s Day Celebration @ Lot 1 Cafe

Friday
Say Hi, Parson Redheads, Yellow Ostrich, Blair @ Echo
Passion of The Weiss Presents Rainbow Arabia, Spoek Mathambo, Matthewdavid @ Echoplex
Lava Band @ Bootleg Theater
Foot Foot @ Pehrspace
Bruises, Satellite Sky @ Taix Lounge
The Neighborhood, Haunted Tiger, Shoenberg Knife Fight Ensemble, Zaptra @ Lot 1 Cafe

Saturday
Los Angeles Aussie Bbq Showcase With Maniac, Andy Clockwise, Dan Brodie & The Grieving Widows, Grand Atlantic, The Level Spirits, The Boat People, Wagons, Dogs, Dash & Will, Novocaines, Hungry Kids Of Hungary, Sampology @ Echo
Men, Psychic Friend @ Echoplexsaturday 03.26.11: Funky Sole @ Echo
Funky Sole @ Echo
Wild Up, David Shane Smith @ Bootleg Theater
The Only Michael James @ Taix Lounge
Walk, Stellaluna, Rumble Rumble, & The Kris Special @ Lot 1 Cafe

Sunday
Ariedades @ Echoplex
Part Time Punks: Factory Records Night with live performance by Boy Division @ Echo

For more information on weekly musical events like club nights, see our community resource pages.Visit the venue website for more information on the cost and times of shows. This list may not represent all the musical events happening in Echo Park this week – feel free to add more events in the comment section. All events listed are subject to change at any time. New events announced for the week after this posting may not be included.

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Echo Park in the news

Twitpic by RosalineMae

You may have read that Echo Park’s famous goose Maria (made famous by an OK Go music video, then a Facebook page, then the brilliant snowball effect that comes with celebrity life in Los Angeles) was moved to the Los Angeles Zoo in preparation for the upcoming Echo Park Lake rehab project this summer. Well, as it turns out, Maria is actually a boy! The Zoo learned of the official gender while doing a checkup after the gander arrived. Dominic Ehrler told the LA Times, “He’s Mario now. But I’ll call him Maria if he doesn’t respond to Mario.”

In case you’re wondering, Dominic will be able to visit Mario/Maria.

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LA TACO @ STREET ART POP UP! from LA TACO on Vimeo.

Street Art Pop-Up Store opened last Friday, March 4 at 1461 1/2 W. Sunset Blvd. (formerly Warwick Vintage Store). The temporary art space will be featuring new artwork daily from a variety of artists, including Bigfoot, Robots Will Kill, Evil Design, Shepard Fairey, and more.

The temp shop is open daily from noon to 7:00 pm. Check out the video about from LA Taco.

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We found out on Tuesday this week that Writer Brando Skyhorse’s “The Madonnas of Echo Park” won the Hemingway/PEN Award for first fiction.

Congrats to Brando Skyhorse! And yes, the book is still on my New Years Resolutions to-do list, but I’ll be stopping by the library fairly soon to grab a copy.

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Want to rent out Garcetti’s former diggs in Elysian Heights?

You may have read on The Eastsider LA last week that our beloved City Councilman Eric Garcetti (and possible mayoral candidate) has relocated his diggs from Echo Park to nearby Silver Lake. After a little bit of fun online banter, he told me on Twitter, “I only moved 10 blocks away. I’m still in the neighborhood and Echo Park will always be home.”

So why the move? While it was unclear at the time of the move announcement, Mitch O’Farrell told Echo Park residents at last week’s Echo Park Improvement Association town hall meeting that the new diggs offered more space.

But he’s left behind this gorgeous eco-friendly, 1950’s home that was featured in a Dwell magazine spread in 2008. The three bedroom, two bath, 2,000 square foot home, renovated by Garcetti and his wife, is complete with solar paneling, a tankless water heater, toxic-free/recycled materials, and incredible views of Elysian Heights.

And you can rent out this incredible home – but for a price tag. At $4,500 per month, this is rock star status for Echo Park.

Click here for more information and all the home’s features.

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Recycling your defunct electronics right here in Echo Park

Over the weekend my fiance and I were furiously spring cleaning when we found “the pile” – 8 years of cells phones, old laptop computers, and a slew of broken plugs and batteries (some of which had the marks of our chew-happy kitty).

Not wanting to contribute any more than I already am to the growing landfills, I’d been hanging on to them hoping for another Los Angeles area e-waste collection date to pop up. Yet they are few and far between, and I was about to re-package them up for another few month stint in the closet when I did one last Google search… and success!

Not only did I luck out on a collection center, it’s right here in Echo Park. The yellow and black painted Thriftee Storage on Glendale Boulevard is an All Green Electronics Recycling drop-off location. Nevermind its inconvenient driveway (crossing Glendale even on the weekends is a pain, and getting out – forgot it!), it’s worth the trouble.

They accept “anything with a cord,” and have been doing it for only three or four months now. You can drop off the usual – old cell phones, power cords, electronics batteries, VCRs, televisions, computer monitors, etc. I was comfortable getting rid of the old laptops even with the hard drives in tact – they do destroy the hard drives.

Anyways, make sure you don’t contribute to landfill waste and the pollution of our soils and waterways by throwing away all these electronics – check it out for yourself!

Thriftee Storage is located at 1717 Glendale Boulevard. Just drop your things off at the office.

Go to the All Green Electronics Recycling website for more info on what you can recycle.

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Roundup: Restaurant and Business News in Echo Park

New stuff:

Yogala Echo Park is located next to Peter Shire's studio

Yogala Echo Park is scheduled to open this month (March) at 1840 Echo Park Avenue, right by Peter Shire’s studio. They’ve got a full schedule throughout the week with a lot of different types of Yoga classes, including Baby Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, morning Yoga, and even some Pilates classes. Prices start at $12 per class, with discounts if you purchase a series or class cards. Click here for their website.

Echo Park resident Jennifer Dunlay recently started a pet-care business for when you go out of town and want to keep your best buddies at home. Artemis Pet Service will visit, play with your kitties, walk your dog in Elysian Park, and even offers overnight stays. She is fully insured, will provide references, and is Red Cross Certified. Bonus: it looks like she’s affordable! While she is based in Echo Park, she also serves surrounding neighborhoods. Click here to learn more from her website.

Juan Frias, also an Echo Park resident, opened up SuperPop Graphics earlier this year under the Sunset Blvd. bridge at 1176 Glendale Blvd. As a fellow graphic designer, he designs business cards, banners, brochures, logos, vehicle and wall graphics; and any other graphic services. The store itself contains a small retail section that has clothing with designs by Juan Frias for sale, including vinyl stickers and t-shirts. He is also able to do custom made t-shirts for men, women, children, and even babies. The store is currently operated by appointments and walk-ins are welcome as well.

Ongoing/Weekly Specials

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Weekend Guide: Get motivated with the Entrepreneur Training Program

SIPA’s Entrepreneur Training Program (ETP) is open to all new and current small business owners who wish to learn more about business operations and practices. Jen Carpinteyro over at REWIND The Recycled Electronics Store told us they had participated in the program last year, and benefited from the program. She wrote: “Thanks to SIPA, REWIND The Recycled Electronics Store is no longer a dream…. Taking the ETP program gave us the motivation and confidence to open REWIND.”

The four-week session (four Saturdays) includes guest speakers, group work, discussion and hands-on activities. Session dates are:

March 5 from 9:00 am to noon (orientation)
March 12 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (session)
March 19 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (session)
March 26 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm (graduation)

Topics covered include: Steps to starting a business, business planning, marketing, employment regulations, banking and budgeting

The ETP takes place at the Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA), 3200 W. Temple Street

Cost: $80 materials fee

Spaces are limited: RSVP to Farzana Nayani at (213) 382-1819 ext. 107, email fnayani@esipa.org with questions

Website: www.esipa.org

Click here for the flyer.

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Weekend Guide: Bootleg Dance Fest kicks off Friday

Local performance space Bootleg Theater will be kicking off its first-ever Bootleg Dance Festival starting tomorrow, Friday March 4.

The weekend-long event features the work of seven choreographers from all over Los Angeles, covering a wide range of “styles, cultures, and approaches that represent contemporary dance in the world today.”

Artistic Director Alicia Adams told the LA Times in an article that they had wanted “people who are really trying to rediscover dance in new ways.” And, considering the lineup, it looks like they have that accomplished.

The LA Times article continues: “For instance, hip-hop choreographer Amy Campion — whose Antics Performance troupe is one of seven local groups commissioned by the Bootleg to premiere new work for the festival — is trying out new interactive video technology that relies upon infrared light. Her breakdance-inspired piece “Illuminated Manuscript’ will incorporate video projections that follow the dancers’ movements in real time, so ‘a dancer moving [his or her] hand across a screen might create a pixilated video shadow of that arm that leaves tracers behind it,’ Campion says.”

Interested? Single-evening tickets are only $18, but $40 will get you the full festival pass (a discount for all three nights!) and will support Bootleg Theater.

Here’s the weekend lineup:

Friday: Arianne Hoffmann, Keith Glassman, Carmela Hermann

Saturday: The Post Natyam Collective, Antics Performance

Sunday: Jamie Benson, Wife

Bootleg Theater is located at 2220 Beverly Boulevard

Click here for more information on the Bootleg Theater website, and to purchase tickets.

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Update on Echo Park’s newest school, CRES #14

Super activist and local resident extraordinaire Windy O’Malley sent us an update today on the new school, CRES #14, being built in Echo Park near the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Alvarado. Monday evening, the Echo Park Moms for Education group held a pizza party at Pizza Buona to help educate the community about the school, as well as the efforts by group to have a say in the school’s future. Here’s what she has to say:

Micki Curtis and Gabriella Waterman deliver petition to Nancy Gonzalaz, assistant to Yoli Flores. Photo by Windy O'Malley

Hello, I am happy to report that the Pizza Party for the community was a great success bringing together the very people that CRES #,4’s construction has effected and the the children that will attend the school. As parents, we are working tirelessly to reach out to our neighbors and friends in hope that together the LAUSD school board will finally listen to us.

We are happy to say more that 50 community members and children attended the event.

Also yesterday [Tuesday, March 1], the Echo Park Moms for Education attempted to hand deliver the 655 signatures we have gathered online and on the streets of our community in support of the Community Partners plan. We were unable to meet with any LAUSD Board Member, but handed the petitions to their assistants, who repeated expressed that the board members would meet with “no one regarding the plans as they didn’t have time to meet with everyone, and did not want to be bias regarding the decision.” We, The Echo Park Moms for Education, are not a part of either proposal, we only are concerned citizens who see that one proposal would be the best school for our community. We are disturbed that there is not a place for the Board Members to speak to the actual people and community this school is affecting.

We only want to be heard and consulted. This will be our school and we deserve a voice.

The school board is expected to make a decision on who will run the new school (Camino Nuevo Charter School or the Echo Park Community Partners Plan Design Team) on March 15.

You can read my latest article about CRES #14 here. The Eastsider LA has also been following the matter very closely, click here for today’s article.

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What’s up with the Sunset Blvd. paving project?

On the weekend of February 12, crews tore up and repaved a huge section of Sunset Blvd. (The Eastsider LA had the story here) from the East side of Echo Park to about Figueroa Street. The construction closed the main street entirely in Echo Park, and caused a lot of confusion for residents trying to get around town with little warning. To top it off, parking and street closures were in effect for that weekend’s Chinatown Firecracker run in the area.

Now we are 2 1/2 weeks after the repaving project, and the newly paved section of Sunset Blvd. remains without, well, road lines. The kind of lines that, you know, tell you what side of the road to drive on, and separates out the two – three lanes in each direction. Driving on Sunset Blvd. at night is a free-for-all, a little scary, and very confusing (and certainly not as fun as that Seinfeld episode where Kramer painted over the lines to make a wider road).

I contacted Richard Reyes, the Field Deputy for Council District 1, to get an answer about when we can expect the project to finish up. He assured me they were on it: “I’ve expressed adamantly the urgency to get these lines done. They are doing everything they can to get a plan to their crew as soon as possible.”

I know the city’s broke, but maybe a little more careful planning on the part of whatever city agency is involved could have helped?



UPDATE:
Reyes confirmed the street painting will be completed within 7-10 days.

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