December 2007
35 posts
Happy Fucking New Year
Friends, readers, it’s been a hell of a year. I’ve been sad to say so long—but not goodbye—to some friends, but of course wish them the best of luck. And I’ve been lucky to make new friends, for whom I am eternally grateful.
As 2007 draws to a close, I wish you all the best in 2008—fine art, loud music, good food and drink, great friendship, hard partying. Let’s think of...
Chowhound: Basic Steak Technique →
For the uninitiated: Sear it, then finish in the oven.
Vanity Fair on 'The Golden Suicides' →
“When Theresa Duncan, 40, took her own life on July 10, followed a week later by her boyfriend, Jeremy Blake, 35, their friends were stunned and the press was fascinated: what had destroyed this glamorous couple, stars of New York’s multi-media art world, still madly in love after 12 years?”
Nancy Soles on the rise and fall of Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake. There’s some...
J. Gold on Mode →
Mode, you’ll recall, is the supposed-to-be-24-hour restaurant Downtown. The verdict: not quite there yet, but one of the only late-night options in the area. Via Eater.
Downtown's 'Taxi-dancing' Clubs →
Ever seen that place Club Galaxy on Olive? Its sign proclaims “100 Beautiful Girls.” Here’s the deal:
“Also known as taxi-dance clubs, the establishments charge men for every minute they dance with or talk to the female employees. The price patrons pay clicks upwards depending on time, like a taxi meter.”Applications for two new taxi clubs downtown have been filed...
Downtown's Punk Past →
“By 1984, Downtown regularly attracted nighttime visitors from all over the city. Punk and New Wave had given way to electronic dance music. Clubs melding fashion, music and performance sprung up.
Many were illegal. Promoters scouted out empty buildings and tapped power lines for one night only.”That’s usually how it goes with gentrification, innit?
Top 9 Humiliating Sports Moments →
Lol at the n00bs; via Benji.
Esquire's Drinks Database →
Get your drink on.
Angelenic Explores City West →
“In my opinion, City West is the most diverse, flavorful and quirky district of Downtown, yet probably the least explored.”
It is an interesting area, and Angelenic posts a nice photo set.
Freeway No Place for Pedestrians →
“To someone on foot, the freeway reveals its true self. It is alien, industrial, violent. Roaring engines, shifting transmissions and rolling rubber wrack the brain stem. The air is sweet with gasoline and oil. Eyes tear up processing the constant motion. Asphalt and dirt coat the tongue.” It’s very, very dangerous out there.
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Stupid LA Cab Law* →
“Though a pedestrian can technically hail a cab anywhere, taxi drivers are hit with steep fines if they pick up fares anywhere other than loading zones, taxi stands and parking areas.”Well that’s dumb. But there is hope.“Those behind the Hail-A-Taxi plan argue that the current situation is outdated and out of synch with the growth trends in Downtown Los Angeles, where...
What to do at Griffith Park →
Short version: the zoo, the observatory and the holiday light festival.
Bourdain's Holiday Special →
A very Bourdain X-mas? Sign me up.
Mix and Match (Or, The Anti-tuxedo) →
Nothing really new about dressing down a luxe jacket with jeans or a wearing a suit with sneakers, but I guess it bears repeating.
Franklin Ave Checks Out the Hype →
Mike and Maria on Intelligentsia and the Pasadena Whole Foods.
WatchOld but good: the first episode of Red vs. Blue.
NY-style Slices a Big Deal
This week J. Gold examines the new Santa Monica outpost of New York’s Joe’s Pizza. The arrival of Joe’s has made something of a splash already (Thrillist, The Rundown, Metromix), because as Gold points out:
“Los Angeles, far from a pizza desert, has long been a center of great pie. […] What we haven’t had was a great slice, no matter how hard places like Mulberry...
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Historic LA Restaurants →
Lots of favorites: Canter’s, Musso, Philippe and more.
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La Défence: Euro-Asian Lands in K-town →
French-trained Yuji Iwasa runs the kitchen. It’s also a karaoke bar. Via Eater.
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The Hotel Cecil's Dark Past →
“But back in 1991, the Cecil Hotel was just the type of Dante-esque place that would have drawn the charismatic, sinister Unterweger, a writer whose murder spree took him from Austria to Prague and Los Angeles at the same time that he reported on those crimes for the Austrian media.”Now smack in the middle of a rapidly gentrifying Downtown, the Cecil is currently undergoing a $7...
New Roman Cafe in SoRo →
Cafe Bella Roma opened back in August; according to the Times and my folks, it’s a great little neighborhood trattoria. I’m eager to try the carbonara and amatriciana.
Is Photography Dead? →
“Photography is finally escaping any dependence on what is in front of a lens, but it comes at the price of its special claim on a viewer’s attention as ‘evidence’ rooted in reality.”Food for thought; via CP.
Downtown News Roundup
Grand Ave. Project Site Ready for Work
AMP Lofts Coming to Arts District
Mode’s Kickoff Not So Hot
Mean Week: Gridskipper Wants to Burn Down Hipster...
As part of its Mean Week, GS has a post about LA Scenester Dives That Must be Destroyed. I’ll be the first to admit that these places can be annoying—the always unnecessary line at Cha Cha, everything about Cinespace—but I think this post is trying too hard. For example, you can’t hate Little Joy for being a shithole—that’s the whole point of the place. But I guess it’s all...
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The Oldest Bars in LA →
Shouts out the Kibitz Room! Frolic Room, Formosa and The Roost are all worth checking out as well.
Blogging News: LA to NY
LAT Hires Some Bloggers
Gawker Editors Resign Over New Pay Scale
Lonelysandwich Behind the Reins at Kottke
MIDI song composed on cell phone while waiting in...
Regarding Daft Punk's 'Alive 2007'*
On first listen, it’s everything it’s cracked up to be.
*Update: According to Wikipedia, ”The Alive 2007 set utilized Ableton Live software on high-end computers specifically customized for the show.” Interesting.
“The world’s badly made.”
– Roman Duris, L’Auberge Espagnole
