New Grand Theft Auto video game features Echo Park Lake

If you’re a fan of video games (and you’re lucky enough to have time to play them these days), the release of Grand Theft Auto 5 has been on your radar. It came on ours with the release of some screenshots from the video game, which included a nice serene shot of the boat house and Echo Park Lake – pre-construction, that is.

It’s not clear whether or not Echo Park Lake is part of the gaming map, or if this is just a screenshot from part of a scene. The angle in the above picture does look a little strange, so it seems they’ve taken some liberties with the layout and the overall look (cherry blossom trees?). The exclusion of the little marsh islands and the fountain (at least in this shot) also make us doubt this is Echo Park Lake, but so far it seems like it is indeed our little lake!

We’ll have to wait a little longer to find out for sure – GTA 5 has no official release date, but there’s speculation it will be some time around the end of this year.

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Mishka to move out of Echo Park Avenue storefront

Mishka announced on its blog this week that it’s packing up its Echo Park store and moving to another, so far undisclosed, Los Angeles location.

The store opened up along the same strip as El Batey and Chango on Echo Park Avenue in February 2012. They plan to close the shop’s doors for good by the end of the summer. For now, go in and grab your Mishka goodies for 50% off.

We imagine it won’t take long to fill the storefront – what kind of store do you think will take over?

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Woody Guthrie tribute in Echo Park Saturday

The Trailer Trash Project (a Pasadena Arts Council’s EMERGE Fiscal Sponsorship Program) is celebrating the 100th birthday of folk artist Woody Guthrie. And because he was a resident of Echo Park, what better way to have a celebration in the neighborhood!

The celebration is an all-day event tomorrow, Saturday, July 14, 2011, with art, music, and other family-friendly activities. The schedule is as follows:

Children’s Concert and Storytelling + Sign Making + History Breakfast
Blues musicians S.S. Jones plays Lead Belly songs for children. Woody Guthrie greatly admired Lead Belly and valued his friendship. Other musicians will play some of Woody’s many children’s songs as well as some of their own compositions. Dancers help out with movement.

El Centro Del Pueblo
10:00 am – 12:00 noon

Afternoon Picnic + Street Art + Writing Session + Song Writing
El Centro Del Pueblo
12:30 pm – 4:00 pm

Concert / Art Activities
El Centro Del Pueblo
12:30 pm – 5:03 pm

Second Line Parade
El Centro Del Pueblo
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm

An Evening of Music, Dancing & Activism / Skid Row Fundraiser:
The Echo
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
$10 suggested donation

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“High-Concept Coffee Bar” could land in Echo Park

Echo Park is on the radar for a new “high-concept coffee bar,” reports Eater LA. Behind the concept: Intelligentsia’s former VP of Strategy Kyle Glanville, and current lead trainer for the Intelligentsia Venice location.

The two told Eater LA that they “have a strong preference for the Eastside, in an underserved locale such as Echo Park.”

While the coffee bar doesn’t have a permanent location yet or even a name, it will focus on using NO disposables – including napkins, cups, coffee filters, etc. We certainly like that! And we really don’t mind the whole coffee trend Intelligentsia represents in the area – as a coffee snob myself (but a realistic and budget-conscious one), that coffee is really, really, really good and is a nice treat every once in a while.

For now, the duo will be soon opening a pop-up shop for a few months, but no indication of where as of yet.

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The 4th of July aftermath

The streets of Echo Park early this morning were quiet and calm – a drastic difference from last night’s 4th of July festivities. Just a few bits of the fireworks littered the street pictured here, along with some charred relics burned into the pavement.

We fared better than a vacant house on Fargo, which caught fire from the roof and may have been caused by a firework.

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Echo Park shows off its fireworks for the 4th

Having lived in the same place in Echo Park for just a few years now, we’ve seen the ups and downs of the 4th of July celebrations in the neighborhood. Echo Park Lake used to be the fireworks war zone, with roman candles, bottle rockets, spinners, even home-made bombs in this synchronized madness that’s hard to imagine now. And if you couldn’t tell from the loud booms and screeches and car alarms, this year has proven that the streets all over the neighborhood are just as crazy.

First up, chilling out with some beach chairs and our cameras at an Elysian Park road for views of the Dodger Stadium annual 4th of July fireworks. It’s one of few places in Echo Park where long-time families/neighbors and even hipsters come together to clap and cheer for the show.

A short walk around the corner and the best street fireworks are being set off every other minute. It’s easy to enjoy because, hey, they’re legal in some US state right?

It’s past 11 pm and things have quieted down, and the cats can relax a little bit. Hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July!

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Falafel night returns to Echo Park

Last February, the Hot Knives guys (the ones behind the super awesome Salad Daze cookbook) sold over 100 falafels in just three hours – and it was clear Los Angeles needed more falafels.

Tonight, the late-night falafel popup returns to Elf Café in Echo Park to serve the buzzed and hungry. In case you missed it last year, Hot Knives describes their falafels as the following:

Our falafel balls are crackly crunchity on the outside but moist inside thanks to a fresh handmade batter of chickpeas and chickpea flour studded with fresh parsley, mint and cilantro.

The warm pita and falafel comes with hot sauce, garlic-tahini, homemade smokey hummus, and a tapenade of green olives, turnips and pickles. One sandwich, no options, no seating, totally vegan.

So be sure to head over on the early side, sales start at 9:30 pm and go until 1:00 am – or until sold out. Bring cash, falafels are $5 a pop.

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Definitely no Lotus Festival in the parking lots this year

Despite confirmations in April that the Lotus Festival was going on even without Echo Park Lake as a backdrop, the final word is there’s definitely no Lotus Festival for 2012.

Planned for July 14-15, the festival was supposed to be a scaled-back version with vendors and stages set in the nearby parking lot. The festival organizers recently confirmed this with the office of Council District 13, which released the following information:

We have been in contact with the lead agency that has historically, organized, coordinated and fundraised for the annual Lotus Festival year after year for 15+ years.  The group, the Lotus Festival Inc., informed us that due to the lake being closed this year for rehab/renovation work, they are not planning on putting together a Lotus Festival for this year but they do plan on being back in full force for next year.

Through this communication, we have ascertained that there will be no Lotus Festival this year as the lead organization that has been in charge of it, is saving it’s time, energy and fundraising efforts for when the lake is back.

With the grand opening of the Lake still looking like Spring 2013, we expect there to be a Lotus Festival next summer. And while there won’t be lotus blossoms for some time (which will replanted in the lake), there will be, at least, a lake, and hopefully dragon boat races and fireworks again.

For those of you looking for more information on vending and performing at the next Lotus Festival, please know Echo Park Now is not an organizer, nor are we affiliated with the festival. Please stop emailing us about it and click here for contact info!

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Vegan Pizza and Craft Beer crawls in Echo Park this week

Mark your calendars! Two crawls in Echo Park this week will take you on a tour of craft beer and vegan pizza along Sunset Boulevard.

The first is the Echo Park Pub Crawl with Golden Road Brewing  on Wednesday, June 27. Starting at Sunset Beer Company at 7:30 pm, the crawl is led by Golden Road Brewing beer lovers and brewers, taking you through Echo Park’s craft beer establishments to sample Golden Road’s own brews.

The tour will finish up at Mohawk Bend, with the promise of dancing. Click here for the Facebook event page and for more info, or here for the map.

Also don’t miss out on the first ever Echo Park Vegan Pizza Crawl on Saturday, June 30. The brainchild of vegan blogger Quarry Girl and sponsored by Chicago Vegan Foods, the all-day event is a self-guided tour of Echo Park’s fine restaurants that offer delicious vegan pizza (and other tasty stuff!). Even if you’re not a vegan, I suggest you give it a try. And don’t forget to pair it was some delicious, local craft beers provided by each of the participating restaurants.

Here’s the low-down from the event Facebook page:

  • Mohawk Bend: New signature specialty pizzas along with some surprises TBD
  • Two Boots: 15% off vegan slices
  • Masa: 25% off all vegan deep dish pizzas (dine-in only)
  • LA Pizza Co: Two vegan slices for $4
  • Sunset Beer Co. (who shares a patio with LA Pizza Co) will be offering $1 off draught beers for pizza crawlers who have a receipt from one of the participating establishments!
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Old wagon wheel found entombed in Echo Park Lake

Image via the LA Times

Of the official list of things found at the bottom of Echo Park Lake during the rehabilitation project (which we published last November), some of the stranger items included a payphone and a parking enforcement boot, along with a couple of guns and knives. But during the past few months of the Lake rehabilitation project, construction workers have been digging up the bottom of the mucky lake bed, and moving enough dirt that they’ve unearthed something from Echo Park’s history.

From the Sunday LA Times, a fascinating story on the uncovering of a rusty 1880s-era wagon wheel by a construction worker digging with a backhoe last May. Now, Echo Park Lake was established as a park in the 1890s, but the lake had been there for some time and served as a reservoir for the surrounding farms and ranches. In the LA Times story, experts determined – after some speculation about its authenticity, and if it was from a farm wagon or a stagecoach wagon – that it was indeed a farm wagon wheel.

It may not be the most ground-breaking thing to find buried in the lake, but it is incredibly fascinating. It’s a glimpse into the history of Echo Park, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and what it was like before the roads were paved, before the neighborhood was built, and before we were a city.

It would be great to have all of the items pulled from the lake bed up for display!

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iam8bit hosting charity night with Robot Chicken

On Saturday night only, Echo Park gallery iam8bit will be hosting a charity art show with Adult Swim TV show Robot Chicken.

The event will benefit Steven, the brother of Robot Chicken crew member Lindsey Gilbert, who fell ill from a rare and deadly bacteria. All proceeds from this show will go to aid Steven’s medical expenses and rehabilitation.

“Robot Chicken and Friends Presents: An Art Show for Steven” is an exhibit of artwork from Robot Chicken artists and various artists from Los Angeles and beyond. Up for auction are custom, one-of-a-kind puppets sculpted to the likeness of the highest bidder.

The event takes place tomorrow night, Saturday, June 23, 2012 from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Admission is free, beverages will be provided. Click here to RSVP.

iam8bit, located at 2147 W. Sunset Boulevard

h/t Echo Park Online

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Elf Café expanding, plans to serve beer and wine

Five years ago, Elf Café opened its doors to Echo Park vegetarians and vegans seeking gourmet Mediterranean themed cuisine. Until a couple of years ago the small, 700 square foot restaurant on Sunset Boulevard barely had a kitchen; they were using hot plates and convection ovens to churn out plates just a few nights a week, but still managing to convince even the heartiest of meat-eaters that vegetarian food can be good – like, really good.

Owner and chef Scott Zwiezen has been planning for over two years now to expand and “evolve” the restaurant into the adjacent space, plans which are now finally in motion. In the summer of 2012, the hot plates were replaced by a real kitchen that currently serves 20 seats. The expansion will add 448 square feet to the restaurant, including an additional bathroom, office and storage space, and eight more seats for the restaurant.

On top of taking over the empty “Branche Boutique” space next door, Elf Café has applied for a beer and wine license. Aware of the concentration of alcohol licenses in the area, Zwiezen has been doing outreach in the immediate radius since January. They told the Neighborhood Issues Committee of the Echo Park Improvement Association last night that the majority of the input has been favorable.

They’ve also got some neighborhood interest in new free cooking classes starting July 17, which will focus on introducing vegetarian cooking to Spanish-language speakers on Tuesday nights when the restaurant is closed.

And it’s a good time for the restaurant to start expanding its services – food critic Jonathan Gold lists Elf Café as one of his favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, recently recommending the restaurant for vegans and vegetarians in an online chat for the LA Times.

Currently, Elf is open just Wednesday through Sunday from 5:00 pm to about 1:00 am, but they will expand those hours under the beer and wine license. They are currently asking for 7:00 am – 2:00 am so that they have some flexibility should they want to start offering brunch and lunch service (which neighbor Mohawk Bend also offers). It’s unclear whether or not the expansion will now require them to provide a certain number of parking spaces.

A public hearing on the beer and wine license is expected to be in August this year, construction will start that same month but the restaurant should only be closed for a few days.

Elf Café is located at 2135 W Sunset Blvd.

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Green Works “art installation” under 2 Freeway Terminus in Echo Park

Underneath the 2 Freeway overpass at the Echo Park/Silver Lake borders, and along my daily commute to Atwater Village for work, is some almost unnoticeable “graffiti” along with a noticeable Green Works brand logo. Called “The Reverse Graffiti Gallery,” the installation is exactly that – instead of painting on the walls, artist Mr. Kiji used water and a power washer, essentially washing off the pollution and leaving behind the artist’s designs to prove “that cleaning can be beautiful, natural and inspirational.”

While I’m not a fan of these corporate ad campaign (Green Works is owned by Clorox in some ironic way), it was unexpected and got me Googling when I got to work…. Watch the video of how they did it after the jump.
Read more

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Echo Park United Against Hate Crimes organizing town hall

The stabbing of two long-time Echo Park residents on May 24 have sparked not just community-wide concern over safety, but also condemnation after the LAPD announced it was considering the crime a hate crime.

On Tuesday, June 26, the Echo Park United Against Hate Crimes have organized a town hall meeting featuring community groups, elected leaders, and LAPD representatives to address the hate crime issue.

The town hall is co-hosted by El Centro Del Pueblo, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721, Assemblymember Gilbert Cedillo, Los Angeles Councilmember Eric Garcetti. Captain Murphy of the LAPD Northeast Division will also be providing a special report.

The LAPD are categorizing the incident as a hate crime, and, as the town hall flyer states, “we are calling on the Echo Park community to declare that a hate crime against any one member of our community is a hate crime against the entire community.”

Echo Park United Against Hate Crimes Town Hall Meeting
Tuesday, June 26 from 6-7:30 pm
El Centro Del Pueblo, located at 1157 Lemoyne St.

Please RSVP to conradoterrazas@roadrunner.com or 213.200.6161

Dinner and childcare will be provided.

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2nd Annual Echo Park Stories fundraiser tomorrow

From The Echo Park Stories Festival:

Friends of Elysian Heights Elementary invites friends and neighbors of the school, residents of Echo Park, and anyone else who has an entertaining story to tell, to participate in what promises to be a fun community event.

Storytellers, writers, poets and performers to share their stories of life in Echo Park and Los Angeles to help raise money for the after school enrichment program at Elysian Heights Elementary.

The festival will take place on Saturday, June 16 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the school, located at 1562 Baxter Street.

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