Los Angeles Thread #3: City of Stars Collision Center

so i've been realizing that all my favorite business names in l.a. are on santa monica boulevard.

there's the aforementioned city of stars collision center (which is going to be the name of my misunderstood glam-rock masterpiece). also:

-the point-point joint (pinoy restaurant)
-classy roses from ecuador (flowers)
-tiki theatre xymposium (ancient x-rated movie house)
-disco duck boogiein' cocktails (in a shitty strip mall on SMB and wilton; i have no idea if the place exists anymore but i see the sign all the time from the bus window)

I love your LA threads.

Cockroach infestation and harborage? Does that mean they tried to accommodate the roaches?

Last time I was at the Brite Spot, some girl at the next table over was leaning into the aisle and puking all over the floor! In the 5-10 minutes she was going at it, nobody at her table seemed to notice or mind. Neither did the staff.

that sounds about right.

i believe "harborage" means that they encourage the sort of conditions that roaches like to live in -- empty boxes and bags, cracks in the walls, humid spaces, etc.

i've eaten at the brite spot, but for late night drunken eats, the taco trucks and/or hot dog vendors in echo park are the way to go. of course, they have health code issues too, but drunks gotta soak up the booze somehow

Perhaps this is the key to understanding what "Harborcoat" is all about: Stipe couldn't go home and brave the roach-infested hallways of his poor musicians digs without donning this piece of protective outerware.

how's the taco truck on sunset/alvarado (the "tortillas hecho a mano" one)? i pass it all the time and it looks like a nice little operation.

not positive that's the one i'm talking about, i'm usually a little too spaced at 2 in the morning (fuck you lameass early closing)to notice details like that.....

my friend evan has pissed right next to the proprietor and executive chef of a taco truck on eagle rock blvd and watched the dude walk right back into the truck w/out even a gesture towards cleaning off his hands

i learned what "point-point joint" means! "point-point" is the translation of the tagalog "turo-turo," a style of restaurant where a server stands behind a steam table and you point-point to what you want-want.

Brite Spot has the worst service ever, but they're nice.

how's the taco truck on sunset/alvarado (the "tortillas hecho a mano" one)? i pass it all the time and it looks like a nice little operation.

There's a much better taco truck a couple blocks up Alvarado next to the Vons at Alvarado and Glendale Bl. I think it's only there in the evenings though.

The Brite Spot is hideous. Ate there once and swore it off permanently. For late night eats you're better off going up to Astro (vastly better once the new owners took over a couple years ago) at Glendale & Fletcher

i always forget about the Astro. and the Vons adjacent truck you mentioned is definitely one I have been to, but don't they move around a bit?(again, too drunk usually to notice the details)

the astro's not bad, although it's a little overpriced and i got food poisoning there once. cool architecture!

A sad day:

Hal Fishman dead.

Nowhere near as Kent Brockmanish as Jerry Dunphy and yet somehow he truly was of LA.

Oh man, and I love this bit from that story, about commenters sending good wishes to him online:

"came to la in early 60s and u had just started at ktla," wrote another e-mailer. "Wow. U have outlasted 3 of my wives"

aw, that's too bad. but his hairpieces will live on.

oh damn. RIP Hal

RIP Hal

PROFESSOR Fishman is like my father's favorite non-family person. RIP.

I loved how Hal would switch out hairpieces to make it look like his hair was growing.

Stan Chambers will outlive us all

"KTLA KNEEEEEEEEW..."

Damn, I've only been here just over a year, and I'm bummed out by that news.

I love how anytime there was a private plane crash anywhere, Hal would do an in depth feature on it. There's an interesting documentary on the Van Nuys airport that has a lot of Hal.

There's an interesting documentary on the Van Nuys airport that has a lot of Hal.

GREAT documentary. Info here: http://www.onesixright.com/

i gotta see that

Aw man. RIP Hal.

Hey, that dude was in Spiderman 3 playing a New York news anchor.

I don't watch Los Angeles news, so I was unfamiliar with him up to that point. But hey, he did get in a big blockbuster movie right before he died!

http://www.knowledgeplex.org/news/686821.html

The Japan argument is totally pointless in this context. Family units in Japan are so small because people in Japan are tiny. Not so the case with people in Los Angeles, for the most part.

I believe it would be fitting, then, to exclude ownership of such units unless the prospective buyers are at least 50% Asian, with tall Koreans and Chinese blacklisted.

And Samoans? Forget it!

I agree. We must discriminate by racial origin.

Look, it's true. There are probably some tall Japanese people, but for the most part they are, as a group, fairly small. I have a friend living in Japan right now, and she constantly tells me how small everyone is, and how much trouble her tall friends have even fitting in buildings. Certainly people need space for their stuff, but American people are, for the most part, larger than Japanese people, which would certainly indicate the need for larger living arrangements.

I also suppose it has something to do with the limited space on the island.

On the other hand I could conceive of having a small house, in square footage, that at the same time could be as tall as a regular house. I conceive of a future in which architecture will advance to that point at least, but for the time being, I believe that we must make a whole-hearted effort towards some kind of authoritarian segregation of different races.

dunno if it'll succeed in the status-obsessed SGV, but it's a great idea for downtown, where there are lots of students nearby (from usc, sci-arc, fidm, trade tech, etc). actually the studio i just moved into (in east hollywood, aka "renterville") is pretty small. i don't mind. some people don't need/want a big space. some people just want a crash pad.

The discrimination by racial origin thing was sarcasm, by the way.

Sigh. There's no way I'm going to be able to make my point without seeming like a racist bastard, which is totally not my intention.

No I was just playing along. But at the same time, I don't see any reason to believe that the houses could be built with higher ceilings. After all, if you go to South LA they are already splitting three bedroom houses into three or four separate (illegal) apartments were entire families live. And no one can afford a proper house anymore. So I see no reason why it can't work.

Maybe it's just that I need a big space. Hell, I would barely have enough room for my bed in a 250 square-foot room.

The higher ceilings isn't the thing. It's just that, to use an example from the animal kingdom, you need different sized cages for hamsters and rats, which aren't even that different in size. So, whereas smaller people can fit comparably in a smaller room, larger people are going to be less comfortable in the same size room.

nobody's asking you to move into a 250-square-foot room. no one is taking away your house!

What if you are extremely skinny but very tall?

what the fuck?

i am neither tall nor fat, but i am extremely dense. my apartment needs reinforced flooring and well-anchored appliances lest they fall into my orbit

Now that made me laugh out loud. Nicely done Sir / Ms. Beanery.

Elvis, how do you like driving your baby blue V12 T-bird? That looks like a saweet ride.

I love it! (though technically it's a V8 and not a 12)

Seconding the PCC swap meet. The Chung King Road art galleries are worth checking out too if there's a series of openings going on.

Also check: http://laartopenings.com/

Yeah we need to do a proper Ex-Detectives show FAP or something.

OK, this is tentative right now but we might be playing at some sort of gallery opening on Saturday Mar. 1. Details as they come in.

it will be my last night in LA -- we should def go out anyway

Oh heck yes -- that's also the day before my birthday. Let's do it!

hey everyone, my new killer, named after swayze, butt rock, 38 special meets jackal inspired band called DALTON debuts to la at the derby march 21 and at a punk rock house in van nuys march 22nd. this is epic. featuring members of scott seward favorites and comets on fire side project HOWLIN RAIN and alternative tentacles goth jerks BLACK ICE and humbolt death metal legends HIDEOUS and CHAKI.

I would like a recommendation of somewhere to go for a night or two that is within driving distance of Los Angeles. And isn't Valencia. I'm sort of looking for some serious peace and quiet after the madness of my scholarship review over the last three weeks. Also this would not be camping and hiking sort of peace and quiet, it's more sort of comfortable hotel room with writing desk and deck peace and quiet. I just don't feel like setting up a tent right now. Any ideas?

Joshua Tree, dude

out in the desert somewhere?

xpost haha

hmmm...I always imagined it as sort of depressing out there. Southern California needs more rivers and forests! =)

29 Palms Inn

It is amazing and totally undepressing

I guess I am just thinking about Gram Parsons.

Thanks!

http://www.webweavertech.com/ovidiu/images/joshua-tree/01-176-15.jpg

Also you could look at Channel Island

I guess I am just thinking about Gram Parsons.

http://www.joshuatreeinn.com/gram.html

maybe you should go to Ojai?

I did look at Channel Island but I think it's going to rain here this weekend.

I heard Ojai was kind of blah. But maybe not...

Wherever I go, i think I'm going to need someone to carry me there. I feel like death warmed over. I think I've got about three hours sleep a night for the last few weeks and I've only been eating breakfast.

Maybe what I really need is a spa break lol

http://www.sagewaterspa.com/

Big Bear?

yeah, ojai is ok for a night or two if the desert isn't your thing

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/041118/122812__sideways_l.jpg

http://kneadmassageboutique.com/default.aspx

Hi Adam!

I may be going here soon. My friend recommends it:
http://www.elcapitancanyon.com/

Or... You could come out with me. Teddy's, brunches, a house party or two.

Also this would not be camping and hiking sort of peace and quiet, it's more sort of comfortable hotel room with writing desk and deck peace and quiet. I just don't feel like setting up a tent right now. Any ideas?

http://catalina.com/

Off season over there is the best way to go!

Also, a several tentacle salute to Pismo Beach. You can roam around Guadalupe Dunes and look for remains of the sets from DeMille's The Ten Commandments.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-usfilm264338166jul10,0,3021682.story

I have heard of this El Capitan C@nyon

How much time does it take to hike into the dunes?

http://www.raggedpointinn.com/

The drive there and back alone will chill you the hell out.

Thanks, everyone!

I will come to Teddy's sometime soon, Spencer. I promise.

adam, you still going to liars tonight?

We should at least do brunch at Dusty's.

Hold that thought...

"adam, you still going to liars tonight?"

I didn't go!

liars were great! i bought a "drum fux" t-shirt.

and no age came across better than they did last time -- the music is still a little "young" for me though. [ /old fogey]

hey hey i was there, sorry i missed you. now i'm sick as a dog, yay

i thought i saw you! but i wasn't sure if it was you or someone who looked like you. the theater was dark and full of hipsters.

http://www.dispuuttau.nl/content/tautologica/plato_cave.gif

Now we see as through a cloud of hipsters darkly.

no age is some bullshit.

What a day.

Driving mix, continued:

8. MGMT - Kids*
9. Brad Paisley - Online
10. Gretchen Wilson - California Girls
11. Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor
12. The Feeling - Never Be Lonely

*good tune, but still not the "records by Colette" song (I begged Shovel from Indie 103.1 to tell me what he played and even he does not remember it)

remy, good luck :) Come back soon.

!!!!!

????? "Online"? Chick Chick Chick Chick Chick?

13. Teriyaki Boyz - Tokyo Drift

Los Angeles Thread #4: Victory Boulevard (We Love It!)

√. must shepardize.

Don't forget the negative history!

Caution!

New thread, people!