826LA kids’ letters to the First Family

826LA has published a book of kids’ letters written to Michelle Obama (a followup to last year’s book to President Obama, Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country). I Live Real Close to Where You Used to Live is a collection of letters written by kids across America to not just Michelle Obama, but also to her daughters Malia and Sasha and even their dog.

Letters include those from our own Echo Park kids who participated in the 826LA workshops earlier this fall, and tells the first family some pretty awesome kid-like things:

“You’re a better dancer than your husband.” (Tatiana Morales, age 10, Los Angeles)

And our personal favorite:

“I think your husband should legalize immigration. Please put a statue of me in Echo Park. Thank you. J.K. No, really. I want a tuxedo on the statue.” (Andres Ortega, age 11, Los Angeles)

You can now purchase the book for a mere $12 online, or at Echo Park’s own Time Travel Mart.

Of course, all proceeds benefit 826LA!

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Holiday lights in Echo Park

Echo Park decorations. Flickr photo via Alex de Cordoba

At the Atwater Village Tree Lighting ceremony last week, I got to thinking, why doesn’t Echo Park have one? While we do have a wonderful holiday parade (coming up this weekend!), I think we can certainly add a little more… extreme flashing colored lights to the mix.

Echo Park residents: send us a photo of your house decorations, your neighbor’s decorations, or your favorite one you’ve seen so far. Since Echo Park does such a great job with these holiday decorations, we want to highlight these efforts that make it feel so much more like the holidays (because 72 degree weather isn’t exactly Christmas-like).

Send your photos to:

info@echoparknow.com

In JPG format (up to 3MB in size)

Tell me your name and the address or street the photo is from (the address will not be published, we just want to make sure it’s in Echo Park)

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Hollywood dispute could affect the Echo Park Farmers’ Market

John Sweredoski helps customers at the Echo Park Farmers' Market

I wrote briefly about this yesterday on our sister blog, Atwater Village Now, in my article titled “Local Farmers Markets May Be Affected by Hollywood Dispute.” In the article, I write about a dispute between Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA), which runs many LA area Farmers’ Markets, and a company leasing its parking lot to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market on Sundays.

SEE-LA is concerned the loss of the parking lot will “displace” 150 vendors and will total a loss of about $130,000. This loss could affect other farmers’ markets under SEE-LA, the fear of shut-down of markets including Watts, Crenshaw, South Central, Echo Park, East Hollywood and Atwater Village.

The SEE-LA website recently posted more information about the dispute and how you can help. Please visit the website or read the information below:

We need your assistance to keep the Hollywood Farmers’ Market at its current location, where it has been for nearly 20 years. We will update this web page with new information about this breaking issue and the latest instructions for how you can help.

Under pressure from an adjacent business owner, City authorities have decided to revoke the legal authority to close Ivar Avenue on Sunday mornings which SEE-LA, the nonprofit operator of the Hollywood Farmers Market, has used for the past 19 years to serve up to 10,000 people every Sunday.

If the City follows through, most of the Sunday market vendors on Ivar Avenue between Selma Ave. and Sunset Blvd. – about 1/2 of the farmers – could be denied space to operate, or may be shifted to a new, not-yet-determined location less convenient or less safe than their current placement.

This action also jeopardizes the viability of SEE-LA, itself, and the 7 other farmers’ markets, major nutrition education program and Farmer-to-School program it operates throughout the City of Los Angeles.

Sign a New Petition if Necessary
Thank you to everyone who signed the petition and who helped publicize it. We gathered over 3,400 signatures in one day! The first round of petitions have been handed in, although we may do another round if necessary. We will let everyone know if there is another signing.

Spread the Word
Let other people know that the Hollywood Farmers’ Market needs their help. Encourage other people to sign up for our email announcements and stay tuned.

Keep Up-To-Date
Sign up for our email list, if you haven’t already. And check back here for new announcements and updates on what is happening.

Thank you for your support!

UPDATE:

LAist reports that interested parties met on Monday to resolve the issue of street closures and property access for the Hollywood Farmers’ Market. While it first seemed that the LA Film School would allow to continue access through January 9 in order to allow the city time to conduct studies on a new layout of the market, as it turned out the school will not allow continued access (we’re still unclear as to why exactly). Continue reading about this issue on LAist.

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Echo Park reacts to LA Times’ hipster hysteria (hipsteria?)

The LA Times published an article last Friday about how Echo Park is now a “hipster destination,” and it seems to have caused a bit of a knee-jerk reaction amongst Echo Parkians and Angelinos. It must be a case of hipsteria?

For one thing, the article, titled “Echo Park evolves into hipster destination,” implies this is a new thing and that we’ve lost its Latino roots to this mainstream subculture. “Once a largely working-class Latino neighborhood,” the author writes, “Echo Park is now home to one of L.A.’s most densely packed night-life corridors, with more than 15 popular bars, clubs and restaurants drawing crowds each weekend and often on weeknights too.”

Instead of being a new thing, this actually has been happening for quite some time now, and is also really just another cycle in Echo Park’s evolution (okay, I’m actually starting to hate that word). Call it gentrification – another scary word – but this is a discussion that has been going on in Echo Park and other older Los Angeles communities for a long, long time.

Twitter mentions exploded after the article was published, this is just a sampling

One commenter on the LA Times article writes: “Actually, the headline should read, ‘Echo Park DEVOLVES into hipster destination’. I can’t say I’m enthusiastic about hipsters OR racists. Isn’t there a way to spiff up a neighborhood without invoking either one?”

The word “hipster” causes a knee-jerk reaction in itself, especially for long-time residents who have seen Echo Park “evolve.” The skinny jeans, worn out vintage boots, rollie fingers, American Apparel sweater, iPod-wearing, super trendy, possibly with a trust fund kind of hipster. The subculture has definitely been attracted to Echo Park, where artists and activists have for a long time been a part of the community. But are is the hipster presence really that bad?

And on another note, why give the so-called hipsters all the credit for improving the community? One commenter on the LA Times article writes (sarcastically, we hope), “So next time you see me walking down echo park ave… you remember that it was us hipsters that made this neighborhood decent enough to walk with your children at night.”

Well, considering I don’t see “you” at the community meetings with the neighborhood council, Echo Park Improvement Association discussions, Echo Park trash cleanups, CCAC graffiti removals, working with the LAPD, or actively involved in the community in general, I won’t give all the hipsters all the credit for making Echo Park safer for businesses. But I also won’t necessarily shame the hipster style or lifestyle for that matter, I just think that credit should be given where’s it’s due, and not to a temporary subculture that happens to be “in” right now.

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Video: “I think my neighborhood is gentrified”

We received a great email from a fellow Echo Parkian and songwriter who put together a reaction (in her words, “hastily”) to an LA Times “hipster” article, which we also wrote about yesterday and about the gentrification of Echo Park in general. We were absolutely tickled by her song and thought we’d share the fun with you all:

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La Espiga Bakery tagged… again

We noticed a worker painting over the remnants of overnight tagging on the front and sides of the La Espiga Bakery, located on the corner of Glendale Boulevard and Scott Avenue. We’ve seen it get tagged up before, but they really did a number on the bakery this time around.

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Menu Monday: French cooking at Cookbook

Cookbook
1549 Echo Park Avenue
Open daily from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Website

We’ll be spending the next few weeks with French cookbooks. First off:

AROUND MY FRENCH TABLE by Dorrie Greenspan
from December 6-12, 2010

Savory cheese & chive bread
Garbure (bean, cabbage & duck soup)
Carrot-ginger soup
Cube shaved Brussels sprouts salad
Quinoa, fruit & nut salad
Spiced, butter-glazed carrots
French lentils with sherry-mustard vinaigrette
Chicken b’stilla
Moroccan spiced lamb meatballs
Wagyu beef with horseradish aioli & caramelized onions on baguette
Braised leeks, sheep’s milk cheese & romesco on focaccia
Egg salad on brioche

and

PERSIMMON PUDDING!!

Gifts for the holidays at Cookbook:
Organic bay laurel wreaths
Chamba black clay cookware
New Hampshire Bowl & Board walnut salad bowls
Fog Linen Work tea towels & napkins
Letter cut-outs by Jason Bacasa
June Taylor jams
Be the Bee raw lavender honey
Mast Brothers chocolate
Black cherry panetone
Cookbooks
Gift certificates
and more!

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Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Monday, December 6 through Sunday, December 12

Monday
Monday Night Residency: Iamsound presents with IO Echo, Haim, White Arrows, Special Guests @ Echo
Sean Carnage Presents: A Cristopher Cichocki Curation (details TBA) @ Pehrspace

Tuesday
Kitten, Red Cortez, The Sea of Cortez @ Echo
Iheartcomix, Media Contender and LA Record present Check Yo Ponytail 2, with Big Freedia, Pipes, Hawnay Troof, Rusty Lazer, Franki Chan @ Echoplex
Gangi, The Delta Mirror, White Sea (Feat. Morgan Kibby of M83), Tape Deck Mountain @ Bootleg Theater

Wednesday
Mt St. Helens Vietnam Band, The Globes @ Echo
Dub Club @ Echoplex
Topher Mohr (of Mayer Hawthorne), Harlan @ Bootleg Theater
John Lennon Night (acoustic covers of John Lennon Songs by local bands and songwriters) @ The Fretted Frog
Live Jazz every Wednesday Night at 7:00 pm @ Downbeat Cafe

Thursday
KCRW presents: Henry Rollins – Rare Cuts and Conversation @ Echoplex
Hanni El Khatib, Vanaprasta, Rumspringa, Hot Panda @ Echo
The Janks, The Shivers @ Bootleg Theater
Amy Blaschke and Anthony Snape @ The Fretted Frog

Friday
Echo and Club Underground present: Mndr, Tearist, Bodega Girls @ Echo
Footlong Development and Keistar Productions present: Flavors – 1990s Party – Best of Hip Hop & RNB with DJ Spinna, J.Rocc, DJ Daz @ Echoplex
Daniel Hart, Flesh, The Racist Crayon, Hi Ho Silver Oh, Kitchen Hips @ Pehrspace
Mike Doughty (Soul Coughing) @ Bootleg Theater

Saturday
Christmas Sweater Festival 2010 with The Deadly Syndrome, Polls, The Pity Party, Signals, Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits @ Echoplex
Funky Sole @ Echo
Art Opening, featuring artist Elissa Genello @ Pehrspace
The Fuxedos, Elephant Parallax @ Bootleg Theater
Paul Inman’s Delivery @ Taix Lounge
Infantree @ Origami Vinyl

Sunday
Echo and Mucho Wednesdays present: BotellIta De Jerez – Film Premiere and Concert @ Echoplex
Part Time Punks presents: Smith/Morrissey Nite @ 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.

Monday Night Residency – Iamsound Presents With Io Echo, Haim, White Arrows, Special Guests @ Echo
Sean Carnage Presents: A Cristopher Cichocki Curation (Details Tba) @ Pehrspace
Tuesday
Kitten, Red Cortez, The Sea Of Cortez @ Echo
Iheartcomix, Media Contender, & La Record Present Check Yo Ponytail 2 With Big Freedia, Pipes, Hawnay Troof, Rusty Lazer, Franki Chan @ Echoplex
Gangi, The Delta Mirror, White Sea (Feat. Morgan Kibby Of M83), Tape Deck Mountain @ Bootleg Theater
Wednesday
Mt St. Helens Vietnam BaNd, The Globes @ Echo
Dub Club @ Echoplex
Topher Mohr (Of Mayer Hawthorne), Harlan @ Bootleg Theater
John Lennon Night @ The Fretted Frog
Thursday
Kcrw Presents – “Henry Rollins – Rare Cuts And Conversation” @ Echoplex
Hanni El Khatib, Vanaprasta, Rumspringa, Hot Panda @ Echo
The Janks, The Shivers @ Bootleg Theater
Friday
Echo & Club Underground Present Mndr, Tearist, Bodega Girls @ Echo
Footlong Development & Keistar Productions Present Flavors – 1990′S Party- Best Of Hip Hop & Rnb With Dj Spinna, J.Rocc, Dj Daz @ Echoplex
Daniel Hart, Flesh, The Racist Crayon, Hi Ho Silver Oh, Kitchen Hips @ Pehrspace
Mike Doughty (Soul Coughing) @ Bootleg Theater
Saturday
Christmas Sweater Festival 2010 With The Deadly Syndrome, Polls, The Pity Party, Signals, Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits @ Echoplex
Funky Sole @ Echo
Art Opening, Featuring Artist Elissa Genello @ Pehrspace
The Fuxedos, Elephant Parallax @ Bootleg Theater
Paul Inman’s Delivery @ Taix Lounge
Infantree @ Origami Vinyl
Sunday
Echo & Mucho Wednesdays Present BotellIta De Jerez – Film Premiere And Concert @ Echoplexpart Time Punks Presents Smith/Morrissey Nite @ Echo
Part Time Punks Presents Smith/Morrissey Nite @ Echo

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Filming today on Sunset Blvd.

image

Filming tonight continues on Sunset Blvd. near the Glendale Blvd. bridge, rumors on twitter say it’s an Avril Lavigne video.

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Flashback Friday: Building the 110 Freeway through Elysian Park

The photos below show the construction of what is now the southbound 110 freeway lanes through Elysian Park in the early 1940s – the lanes were opened in 1943. It took me a while to exactly picture the freeway here now, and with Dodger Stadium things look a lot different than they did back then. The 1930s era Figueroa Street tunnels are still there, then with no graffiti.

LAPL photo #00075980

Photo caption reads: “Rushing the work to relieve the bottleneck of the Figueroa tunnels for traffic on the Arroyo Seco freeway that runs between Los Angeles and Pasadena, crews are shown building the new parallel road through Elysian Park. In one section a whole mountain is being moved to fill in dirt for the new relief road for the heavy traffic.” Photo dated March 7, 1941.

Larga Avenue at Silver Lake Blvd.

LAPL photo #00075981

Photo caption reads: “Construction of the $2,437,000 Arroyo Seco freeway through Elysian Park, a section of which is shown above, today entered the national defense picture. Frank W. Clark, state director of public works, has asked federal authorities for priorities on steel and cement to complete the project on the grounds that it is of strategic value in the national defense program around this city.” Photo dated August 11, maybe 1941.

Notice the beautiful Solano Avenue Elementary School to the left of the freeway (and no Dodger Stadium yet!). The scaffolding could possible be for a Red Car?

FYI, the interchange that connects the 110 freeway and the 101 in downtown is the country’s first “stack interchange” in the world, opened in 1953.

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Echo Park’s own cupcake master on upcoming Food Network show

Echo Park baker extraordinaire Celeste Alleyne will be facing off in the Food Network’s new season of Cupcake Wars, where four bakers compete for the grand prize of $10,000. She is the baker behind local cupcake company Soul Cups, and has adapted long-time family recipes for her decadent cupcake flavors.

“To learn how this cupcake battle is fought, you must watch the show. I’m sworn to secrecy and can’t share any details,” said Celeste in a press release. “But I can promise you that this is one war you won’t want to miss.  I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. And I give it my all—a one, two, punch, knock you out in three—a fight to make the best and most creative cupcakes that my customers always crave!”

The show airs on Tuesday, February 22 2011.

We almost met her a few months ago at a Soul Cups tasting at Say Cheese Café (thanks to the flu, we haven’t had the pleasure yet). She will make another appearance for the Annual Soul Cups Cupcakes Holiday sale (think Peppermint Stick, The Great Pumpkin Spice and Lemon Snowdrops) at the Silver Lake café on Sunday, December 12 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Congrats, Celeste!

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Saturday: Chinatown Express Grand Reopening

It’s been quite some time now since a fire broke out in September of 2009 in the mini mall (specifically Regency Cleaners) at Echo Park Avenue and Montana. The long-time Chinese food restaurant, Chinatown Express, has finally reopened its doors, and on Saturday will hold its grand opening.

I’ve heard both good and bad things about the food there, but, heck, it beats driving to Panda Express in Atwater Village (…that horrifying parking lot near Costco).

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Happening today: Raven and Lilly + Ballard’s Sale and Party

Some more local Holiday shopping opportunities for you – check out fair trade goods by Raven and Lilly, and get some great deals while you nibble on cupcakes and holiday treats.

Check out the other neighborhood spots offering deals today:

  • Stories Books & Cafe: Free cookie with beverage purchase
  • Echo Park Independent Co-op: 15% discount on select items
  • 826 LA: 25% off time travel posters

Ballard’s Artwork Framing & Gallery is located at 1568 W. Sunset Blvd.

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Today’s Groupon Deal: Warehouse Shoe Sale

Today’s Groupon deal gets you $15 for $30 of shoes and other store goodies at Warehouse Shoe Sale (WSS) locations for its 25th anniversary. This is a chain store but we happen to have one right here in Echo Park!

Click here to view the Groupon details – you have until midnight tonight to purchase the deal!

WSS is located at 1389 W. Sunset Blvd.

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Echo Park Craft Fair this weekend

Shop this weekend at the semi-annual Echo Park Craft Fair, organized by leather shoe crafter Beatrice Valenzuela. There will be jewelry, organic beauty products, belts, handbags, and other locally made goodies. Pick up your holiday gifts and even some homemade granola to snack on!

Echo Park Craft Fair
Saturday, December 4
1719 Sargent Place

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