Tag Archive for: echo park news

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New pizza joint coming to Echo Park

Pizza lovers rejoice! We’ve got a new pizza place joining the ranks of new Echo Park restaurants – this time, however, on the other side of Sunset Boulevard.

Taking over an empty storefront in the same mini-mall as Beauty Box, Sunset Beer, and the computer repair shop, the new restaurant promises to fill in a pizza gap for those of us on the other side of the neighborhood.

We’re taking precautions announcing the people and the name behind the new place for now – the last we heard they were in the process of ending their lease at the current location, so we’ll refrain for the time being (we certainly don’t want to get anyone in trouble!). But let’s just say the menu will delight both hipsters and non-hipsters alike – vegan options, and even a pupusa-style pizza that we’ve heard is amazing.

And what great timing – how awesome would it be to grab a couple of slices to enjoy next door at Sunset Beer with a seasonal microbrew?

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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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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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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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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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Echo Country Outpost saying goodbye to the Avenue

The Echo Park Avenue storefront that housed Echo Country Outpost for two years donned newly hung For Rent signs earlier this month when the folksy store slash gathering space decided to move up to Glendale Boulevard. Owners Erica Forneret and Chris Hajek (newly married!) along with Brendan Missett are very excited to expand their shenanigans to the former and HUGE 2HeadedHorse productions at 1770 Glendale Boulevard, although sad to leave their little corner at Echo Park Avenue.

So in celebration of the move, and a goodbye to their former diggs, the Outpost is having a little shindig. “Love, warmth, beauty, playfulness, bright colors, wooden smells, whiskey drinks and downhome art & music will all be magnified at the new Outpost…,” said the event invite. “Starting at 9pm on the 29th y’all should come over, listen to some good music, spend some time with this version of the Outpost and set a good course for what’s to come.”

See ya there, and good luck to the Outpost on the move!

Echo Country Outpost moving party
Thursday, September 29 at 9:00 pm
1930 Echo Park Ave

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Must love beer: Echo Park’s Sunset Beer Co. opens doors Saturday

Logo by Evan Spiredellis of JibJab Media

Last night we were thrilled to be a guest at the pre-opening party for Echo Park’s newest addition to the neighborhood beer craze – Sunset Beer Company. It’s been about a year of transformation and lots of anticipation in the 2,000 square foot space, a former ladies gym on the 1400 block of Sunset Boulevard.

Behind the labor of love: John Nugent and wife Jennifer Morgan of Colorado Wine Company, along with partners Jenna Miller-Von Ah and Drew Von Ah (also investors in Eagle Rock Brewery). Joining them is beer- and wine-lover Alex Macy as the manager – he’s who you’ll normally see around the shop running the day-to-days.

The shop itself, from what we can remember of last night’s festivities, is warm and minimalist. Treated concrete floors, candles, eclectic art hanging on the walls, and dark leather arm chairs give it a library meets beer meets romance atmosphere. It’s certainly not a liquor store or your average beer store, and the tasting area offers plenty of time to lounge, sip, people watch, and chat with your new friends seated nearby. Designer Rick Crane will take credit for the design of the store, as well as nearby Colorado Wine Company. In the Sunset Beer Company press release, they wanted “an environment for beer that doesn’t feel stuffy but also takes the idea of beer and beer appreciation seriously.” We think they accomplished that!

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Keep Echo Park clean: CA Coastal Cleanup Day tomorrow

Join thousands of volunteers at over 60 cleanup sites in Southern California beaches, rivers and parks for Heal the Bay’s 2011 Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday (tomorrow!).

Trash weigh-in at Echo Park Lake, photo via Heal the Bay

In past years, Echo Park Lake has been a major concentration for these cleanups – in 2009, 120 volunteers cleaned up 1,000 pounds of trash and over 6,000 cigarette butts around Echo Park Lake alone. Keeping inland cities and neighborhoods clean are important for our beautiful coastline – a lot of our trash ends up in the ocean from inland creeks and waterbeds.

Echo Park Lake is currently gated up and being cleaned/rehabilitated under the Los Angeles clean water bond, Prop O. But that doesn’t mean Echo Park streets don’t need help, so there are actually two locations in the neighborhood for you to volunteer:

Location 1: Vista Hermosa Natural Park

100 N. Toluca Street

Location 2: GEPENC Office & Community Center

1572 West Sunset Boulevard

Like past years, the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council (GEPENC) is spearheading Saturday’s cleanup effort, along with help from Office of Senator Kevin De Leon, Assembly Member Gil Cedillo, First District Supervisor Gloria Molina, Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, Council Member Ed Reyes and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

Lunch will be provided to participants courtesy of the neighborhood council. There will also be bulky item pickup in the area.

Signing up is easy! Just go to the Heal the Bay website. Click here to download the Echo Park cleanup PDF flyer to pass along to your neighbors and friends!

Echo Park CA Coastal Clean Up Day Event
Saturday, September 17th
9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Don’t live in Echo Park but want to participate? Inland neighborhoods like Silver Lake and Culver City, along with a slew of beaches will be cleanup site. Click here for the full list and map from Heal the Bay.
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Hearing date set for Fix’s beer and wine application

Flickr photo via Stuart Fingerhut

Fix Coffee owner Marc Gallucci hopes to turn his thriving Echo Park coffee shop, Fix Coffee, into a place for a little nightlife as well – he applied this year for a Conditional Use Permit for the sale of beer and wine inside the cafe as well as outside on the 450 square foot patio. The application is up for review at City Hall early next month.

The notice provides the hours during which he will serve alcohol, which is limits sales from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm weekdays, and 10:00 am – 10:00 pm on weekends. This might be helpful for direct neighbors, who have raised concerns that the quiet streets of that residential area will be interrupted with loud bar noises. Add additional stress on already limited parking, and the elementary school directly across the street, there are reasonable concerns. But not all residents are opposed, as we mentioned in a previous article about the issue on Echo Park Now. In a previous article publish by The Eastsider LA, resident Susan Borden is quoted as saying:

This is the first step in turning our neighborhood from a residential one into a commercial one.  When he moved in three years ago Marc Galucci (FIX owner) could see that this is a residential not a commercial neighborhood.  He wants to change it.  All along Echo Park Avenue businesses will try to get alcohol licenses and bring the club-goers up from Sunset.  Some people will enjoy that—they are [usually] the ones who are not adjacent to the businesses and don’t have to deal with the noise and trash. Most of us like the non-commercial nature of our canyon.

Like it or not, the hearing is set for Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 10:30 am at City Hall. Click here for the public notice PDF. If you support or don’t support the application and would like your opinion on public record, contact Christine Saponara at Christine.Saponara@lAcity.org and reference case number ZA-2011-2029(CUB).

Additionally, the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council is also expected to take a vote on whether or not to support the application by Fix at tonight’s Planning, Public Works, Parks and Land Use Committee meeting. In addition to Fix, GEPENC is discussing and/or taking action on conditional use permit applications from other Echo Park restaurants, including Xoia, a proposed 7-11 store on Glendale Blvd, as well as the new Echo Park Blvd. restaurant Red Hill. Click here for the PDF agenda for tonight’s meeting.

If you’re intersted in attending the Neighborhood Council meeting tonight, it takes place at 6:30 pm at the St. Paul Cathedral Center, located at 840 N. Echo Park Avenue.

 

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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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Fire hydrant busts on Glendale Blvd in Echo Park

Photo by Malcolm Miller

A fire hydrant seems to have been displaced this late afternoon/early evening, apparently thanks to a semi-truck. Traffic on Glendale Boulevard in the north direction is usually a pain in the rear (all those downtown workers heading home), and this is really making things worse. Traffic is red, red, red from 1st street near downtown all the way up to the problem area at Allesandro and Glendale Boulevard.

Makes you want to take your car through just for the free wash? How about a little bathing suit action (it’s 89 degrees in our house!)?

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DUI Checkpoint in Echo Park Saturday

If you plan on going out and having too much of a fun time this weekend, make sure you have a designated driver. Not just because there are TONS of DUI checkpoints planned for the Los Angeles area in the next couple of weeks, but because it’s a responsible thing to do. Either way, officers will be located at Sunset Boulevard and Sutherland in Echo Park on Saturday, August 20 from 8:00 pm to 2:00 am to keep intoxicated drivers off the road.

The crackdown is dubbed the “Avoid the 100” – meaning, avoid the 100 local police agencies involved in the checkpoints. They’ll be deploying DUI Driver’s License Checkpoints, Multi Agency DUI Task Force operations and local Roving DUI patrols during the 18 day Summer/Labor Day campaign. They won’t just be in Echo Park on Saturday, and many other checkpoints are planned throughout Los Angeles tonight through September 4.

But what do you care – you live in Echo Park and just walk to the nearest bar instead of driving… right?

While they’ll be checking for driver’s licenses, in March this year the LAPD changed the rules regarding impounding cars of unlicensed drivers – a rule that immigrants rights advocates have said unlawfully targeted undocumented immigrants. According to an article in the LA Times:

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said that police would be required to try to contact the registered owner of a vehicle stopped at a checkpoint. If the owner is licensed and can arrive in a reasonable amount of time, the car will not be impounded. If the owner is unlicensed, but a licensed driver is in the car, that person may be permitted to take it.

The article continues: The Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley found that of all the cars impounded during a three month period in 2009, 55% were impounded for unlicensed drivers, versus 14% impounded for an actual DUI and criminal warrants.

Be safe!

h/t LA Now

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Mohawk Bend opened last night to rave reviews, but…

We had been at the pre-opening festivities for families and friends (oh yes, and press!) for Mohawk Bend, the newly renovated movie theater-turned 230 seat restaurant in Echo Park. But we still really, really wanted to check it out again as it functioned as a truly open restaurant, so we dropped in last night for the grand opening of Mohawk Bend!

It was definitely exciting – all the blogs and news blogs and websites that write about Los Angeles food, news, and pretty much everything covered this opening. We’ve definitely been keeping close tabs since the Spacecraft walls were up, shielding us all from the amazing renovations going on inside. So of course we’ll go and check it out on opening night!

But I’m realizing now that I might be a little too old to show up at a grand opening of a HUGE Los Angeles project at 9:00 pm, without any dinner in my tummy. Hence the reason for the “but” in my headline – this wasn’t a doom-and-gloom moment for me and my future obsession with Mohawk Bend’s beers and cuisine whatsoever. But after putting our names on the list, and waiting 10 minutes at the bar for a beer, and realizing I had probably another 10 minutes to go before placing my order, I realized I could just not compete will all the opening day traffic.

And that’s not a bad thing – it was a huge success and I can’t even imagine how crazy it was for the kitchen and the front of the house staff to work that many people, to make them happy and put on a good first impression. I just happened to be a little more hungry than I realized (okay, we went to Masa and had a delicious caesar salad, my fave, and got to talk with Manny, a favorite Masa employee) – but this will just be a lesson to me and any other hungry and hungrily impatient future Mohawk Bend-goers out there: Perhaps go a little bit early? Leave the 9:00 pm crowd to the younger ducklings… or at least scope out a seat!

So now it’s day two of Mohawk Bend and here’s the new news that you should take note of before going (apart from going early…):

Reservations made prior to this announcement are being honored, but because last night was so crazzzy they are no longer accepting new reservations. Instead, as the Mohawk Bend Facebook page announced earlier today:

Last night’s opening was so very encouraging! We so are glad to be in the neighborhood, and want to be able to accomodate walk-ins each and every night. As a result, we have decided to put a hold on reservations for the time being. This does not meet we are booked; just that much of our seating is reserved for walk-ins. Hope to see you soon, and thanks for your patience!

The new Mohawk Bend website no longer says “coming soon,” thanks to Echo Park graphic designer Heather Perlato who designed the site. Launched just today, the new website has the full menu for both booze and food, so check it out!

All that said, we’ll be the old people at the end of the bar, on a weekday, once we punch out from work…

Need to catch up? Read about Mohawk Bend throughout the months.

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Mohawk Bend to open in Echo Park soon, “very soon”

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

You may have noticed yesterday (hopefully you didn’t drive all the way from the West side) that despite reports from various news sources, Mohawk Bend did not open its doors yesterday. But last week we did get a sneak peak at the space, the food, and the ever so delicious booze at a pre-opening party for press and friends.

Owner Tony Yanow has had great success with Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank – with an extensive and really great beer list paired with an equally delicious vegan and non-vegan bar fare. He’s clearly doing something right, because Mohawk Bend is impressive. Plus it really helps that he’s a really nice guy, has an equally awesome family, and has done a great job with the former Ramona Theater after over 20 years of collecting dust.

Spacecraft Group designed the interior of the building (the exterior is protected by historical guidelines), telling the crowd at the pre-opening party that they were inspired by a ’70s bar vibe, hence the vintage neon bar signs decorating the second story of the large main room. Polished concrete floors, exposed brick (the formal dining room is all original), a two-story glass wall, and lacquered panels of wood are features of the recreated space.

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New website launched for the Echo Park Lake rehab project

The Department of Public Works just announced the launch of a new website, www.echoparklake.org, specifically for the upcoming Echo Park Lake rehabilitation project, scheduled to start later this summer. There’s a photo gallery (before and after shots), updated news, and contact information as well as resource links. The website purpose will hopefully serve the community by updating everyone on the project before, during and after. According to the website:

The City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works project team is committed to keeping the community updated on the latest information about the Echo Park Lake Rehabilitation project. We encourage you to bookmark this page, and tell your neighbors about it! It’s the easiest way to know what’s going on with the City’s plans to improve and beautify the lake. You can also submit your questions about the lake improvements to the project team at bpw.pao@lacity.org. We will do our best to respond to you as soon as possible.

The week after the Lotus Festival (July 9-10, 2011), the 18-24 month construction will begin. There wasn’t a whole lot of specific information being circulated about the final project details, but we knew a few Echo Park residents/Echo Park Improvement Association members (Echo Park Now is also a member) had been meeting with the Bureau of Engineering project managers and CD13 reps to hammer out those final details. The EPIA’s June-July 2011 newsletter, EPIAn Ways, actually just published a nice, comprehensive article about the rehabilitation project. Here’s an excerpt from that article with details about the project:

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