ktown in 60 seconds
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Labels:
architecture,
Koreatown
0
comments
dayhopping on the Metro
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Labels:
Pasadena,
south pasadena,
writing
1 comments
On the heels of a Jewish holiday (Yom Kippur), myself and a few friends (Hannah, Kevin and Seth) made the semi-lengthy trek to Pasadena, (a journey inclusive of the relatively new Metro Gold Line) a charming, white collar satellite city located Northeast of Los Angeles proper.
In addition to visiting the Old Town Pasadena district, colloquially called Paseo, we visited its younger, quainter ,more welcoming sister: South Pasadena. The place itself is a throwback, a trip within a trip; well manicured wooden buildings, lush foliage and quiet, intimate storefronts studded with age-old coffee shops, ice cream parlors and cozy cafes characterize South Pasadena. The aforementioned give it somewhat unique status in the Los Angeles region, for it's ambiance is more akin to a small Western town, than that or a burgeoning metropolis (only San Dimas really comes close, then again my SGV travels have been rather limited)
Part 1: catching the "flagship' Metro Rapid bus along Wilshire to the Wiltern Metro station. That bus is a joke. If you move the wrong way, or get jostled en route, you risk falling down. Worse, the person next to you had a bad night, and might start a fight with you over trivialities.
OK, we finally get to there, unfazed at the normal commute which is stressful in its own right.
The Wiltern Theatre. Seriously, this is the only successful application of the merger of 2 street names that actually sounds decent (Wilshire and Western).
In addition to visiting the Old Town Pasadena district, colloquially called Paseo, we visited its younger, quainter ,more welcoming sister: South Pasadena. The place itself is a throwback, a trip within a trip; well manicured wooden buildings, lush foliage and quiet, intimate storefronts studded with age-old coffee shops, ice cream parlors and cozy cafes characterize South Pasadena. The aforementioned give it somewhat unique status in the Los Angeles region, for it's ambiance is more akin to a small Western town, than that or a burgeoning metropolis (only San Dimas really comes close, then again my SGV travels have been rather limited)
Part 1: catching the "flagship' Metro Rapid bus along Wilshire to the Wiltern Metro station. That bus is a joke. If you move the wrong way, or get jostled en route, you risk falling down. Worse, the person next to you had a bad night, and might start a fight with you over trivialities.
OK, we finally get to there, unfazed at the normal commute which is stressful in its own right.
The Wiltern Theatre. Seriously, this is the only successful application of the merger of 2 street names that actually sounds decent (Wilshire and Western).
To ensure a safe journey, I made sure everybody was decked out with day passes.
This lady sells kufis (hand knitted hats) at the Metro station. A very nice lady, she always compliments my dreadlocks, LOL.
My only photo of Union Station. It's more of a connecting hub than a photo place, eh..
Some of the local architecture, it's worth noting Old Town Pasadena has a rather vast (impressive, too.) selection of art deco buildings.
Castle Green
Now, onto the 2nd leg of our journey: South Pasadena, courtesy the new Breda LRVs (light rail vehicle).
puff
We later went to Buster's, which by all means, is the quintessential South Pasadena ice cream shop. Doling out grade A ice cream, pastries, coffee and other baked goods, this place should be a no brainer for anybody in the area.
.
The banana split I got (well, me and Kevin split it). Homemade ice cream of Vanilla, Strawberry and Chocolate varieties
Afterwards, we went to the Farmer's Market. I loved it! So bohemian! So natural! Not too mention the selection of food, goods, people, etc was hydra-headed to say the least.
The cornhusker
make me banana pancakes..
sausages
couplet
Seth
Joel the Hipster.
Hannah Banana
Our ride home! While plenty of negatives can be said about Metro (dire delays, "colorful" characters on board, you never fully know where you're going, etc), it sure is a great way to humanize the city.
Castle Green
Now, onto the 2nd leg of our journey: South Pasadena, courtesy the new Breda LRVs (light rail vehicle).
puff
We later went to Buster's, which by all means, is the quintessential South Pasadena ice cream shop. Doling out grade A ice cream, pastries, coffee and other baked goods, this place should be a no brainer for anybody in the area.
.
The banana split I got (well, me and Kevin split it). Homemade ice cream of Vanilla, Strawberry and Chocolate varieties
Afterwards, we went to the Farmer's Market. I loved it! So bohemian! So natural! Not too mention the selection of food, goods, people, etc was hydra-headed to say the least.
The cornhusker
make me banana pancakes..
sausages
couplet
Seth
Joel the Hipster.
Hannah Banana
Our ride home! While plenty of negatives can be said about Metro (dire delays, "colorful" characters on board, you never fully know where you're going, etc), it sure is a great way to humanize the city.
Ethiopian New Year's
Monday, September 15, 2008
Labels:
los angeles
1 comments
Yesterday was the parade commemorating Ethiopian New Year's in nearby Little Ethiopia.
In case you didn't know, the Little Ethiopia section of LA refers to a stretch of Fairfax Blvd between Olympic and Pico Blvds (a non-hipster gentrifying area nestled between Miracle Mile & Carthay Circle), and is seen as the cornerstone of the local Ethiopian population & the shops/boutiques that cater to them (think: yummy Ethiopian food places and Rastafarian-eccentric vendors hawking tri-colored beanies).
Despite the Little Ethiopia name bestowed on the area by the city, the area is typical of many ethnic hoods in LA that are polyglot in nature, such as Koreatown (3/4ths Hispanic) and Little Tokyo (mainly white hipsters)... many of it's inhabitants are young whites and a more established black population.
& Like many of it's Miracle Mile neighbors (Carthay, Wilshire Vista, etc), it is characterized by a large Spanish Revival housing stock.
Overall, Little Ethiopia is another cute, electic nabe with culture and vibrance on the cheap-and lots of pride to boot.
Despite a troubled history marked by intense warfare, famine and poverty, the Ethiopian flag flies high and fluid with pride here.
Jah Rastafari. Long before dreadlocks became a fashion staple in indie,intellectual and rasta circles, they were a mainstay of African men.
Homes
Circus
King of all kings, lions of all lions, international field marshal, genera, the almighty Haile Selassie
Religious paraphernalia. Having been one of 2 African nations to escape a livelihood of bondage, repression and bastardization thru colonization, Ethiopians have a damn good reason to be proud of their culture.
Selassie
Coming to America
girl
worldwide change
In case you didn't know, the Little Ethiopia section of LA refers to a stretch of Fairfax Blvd between Olympic and Pico Blvds (a non-hipster gentrifying area nestled between Miracle Mile & Carthay Circle), and is seen as the cornerstone of the local Ethiopian population & the shops/boutiques that cater to them (think: yummy Ethiopian food places and Rastafarian-eccentric vendors hawking tri-colored beanies).
Despite the Little Ethiopia name bestowed on the area by the city, the area is typical of many ethnic hoods in LA that are polyglot in nature, such as Koreatown (3/4ths Hispanic) and Little Tokyo (mainly white hipsters)... many of it's inhabitants are young whites and a more established black population.
& Like many of it's Miracle Mile neighbors (Carthay, Wilshire Vista, etc), it is characterized by a large Spanish Revival housing stock.
Overall, Little Ethiopia is another cute, electic nabe with culture and vibrance on the cheap-and lots of pride to boot.
Despite a troubled history marked by intense warfare, famine and poverty, the Ethiopian flag flies high and fluid with pride here.
Jah Rastafari. Long before dreadlocks became a fashion staple in indie,intellectual and rasta circles, they were a mainstay of African men.
Homes
Circus
King of all kings, lions of all lions, international field marshal, genera, the almighty Haile Selassie
Religious paraphernalia. Having been one of 2 African nations to escape a livelihood of bondage, repression and bastardization thru colonization, Ethiopians have a damn good reason to be proud of their culture.
Selassie
Coming to America
girl
worldwide change
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