Mt. Washington Depot - 1915

Some cool photos of the railway up to Mt. Washington way back in the early 1900's. The railway operated over a distance of 2,900 feet, pulled by a cable under wood planking and was created as a gimmick to stimulate land sale. At the top was a Mt. Washington Hotel where it housed the famous silent movie stars of the era. Sadly, in 1919 it was shut down for being not very safe, though there weren't any recorded injuries from the railway.

Of course, the pics are from the insanely cool collection of photographs from the Los Angeles Public Library .






In this pic, you can actually see Montecito Heights and a pre Deb's Park and also a couple of roads starting up.








Meetin' at the 'Pot.








Apparently you can go down the hill to the corner of 43rd and Marmion to still see the old depot! Got to go get a picture of that. Or does anyone have one?

Tom Waits "Depot Depot"
Del the Funky Homosapien "Why you want to get funky with me?"

LA Street Art.

Know your artist. Have you seen these around your parts of town? I have seen some down in Long Beach to the South Bay to Northeast LA to Silverlake. Amazing range these artists have. Some are copycats, most are real. Look around when you drive or skate or ride, you'll be amazed.

All images from streetsy.





bot













buffmonster













20mg and branded














obey, of course














seizer, gets the best spots














George McCrae "I Get Lifted"
Rolling Stones "Street Fighting Man"

Backyard Tour

The Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design and its annual summer "On the Map" series are coming to Montecito Heights! They pick 8 or so of the best of the best. This Thursday, at 7pm, you can tour a neighbors huge house that you thought you would never see inside of, well, for 15 bucks.

If you enjoy architecture and design, check it.

July 27
Tom Marble and Pae White
White Marble Residence
4027 Paige Street, Montecito Heights 90031

Some info on the deal... "On The Map is an annual tour of recently completed design projects that are presented on site by the architects. The events are open to the public. There is an admittance fee of $15 for non-members per event. The events are free for LA Forum members. Attendees can join the Forum the night of the event or on our website: www.laforum.org."

Master P "Time to Check My Crackhouse"
Talib Kweli "Ms. Hill"

Oil in dem hills!

Interesting to me that oil was discovered in Los Angeles back in the late 1800's. Around Dodger Stadium to be exact.

According to legend, Edward L. Doheny was in the downtown area of Los Angeles when he saw a cart whose wheels were coated in tar. When he asked the man where the substance had come from, he pointed to the northeast. He then examined the area and soon discovered the Los Angeles Field after drilling here, near present day Dodger Stadium.

Soon after, oil became a huge industry in Los Angeles and still provides to this day. Amazing photo of some unknown (to me) spot in LA.

Diamond D "Best Kept Secret"
Barry Brown "Rich Man, Poor Man"

Go Home Northest LA Kooks!

With this super hot weather, 70+ degree ocean temps, and a little South swell, everyone who has ever touched a surfboard goes to the beach. And that ain't a good thing.



They paddle for every wave. Drop in on other surfers. Flail around on the inside of the break. Generally create a nuisance and a danger for everyone else. This is the epitome of a kook.







Santa Cruz is trying to get rid of them. San Diego is trying to get rid of them. Los Angeles has surf blogs written by them. On and on.








But I am a Val now. Live on the East Side of things. A South Bay local no more. I felt off not knowing the tides. Not knowing if the wind was offshore. If the swell hit yet. I just another outisder now , but at least I am not a kook! Can't wait for the meaty waves of Winter, and the hibernation of the kooks, to return.

Lee Scratch Perry "City to Hot"
Run DMC "Hard Times"

Ansel

Ansel Adams, of course, is the famous "scenic" photographer of subjects like Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks. He would drag his huge and heavy camera up a hill for days until he found the right angle. He would then have to wait days, or weeks, for the perfect light and conditions. His photos are always in spectacular black and white.

Some dude found old Ansel Adams photos of our beautiful Los Angeles. Never seen any city photos from Adams before. Here is his flickr set:






Hill Street as seen from a hill above looking south. In the foreground are three elderly gentlemen sitting on a bench












View looking down the rails of Court Flight Cable Railway, with the New Broadway Hotel on the left, and beyond it across Broadway the Hall of Records.







Spoon "All the Pretty Girls Go to the City"
Merle Haggard "Big City"

Peace in the Middle East.

www.indianabeth.blogspot.com

Interesting blog from a friend's American cousin over in Beirut.



Photo is An der Küste in Beirut




"The numbers: (from the Lebanese side of the equation)

6 sleepless nights
5,000 Lebanese refugees, majority of children under 15
2 billion dollars of destruction to be added to a 36 billion public debt
198 civilians dead (and 20 on the Israeli side)
360 wounded

I think we all agree that Hezbollah is NOT allowed to control a part of Lebanon; is NOT allowed to hold arms; is NOT allowed to kidnap 2 soldiers (and hold a whole country hostage of its actions); is NOT allowed to bomb Israeli land; and is NOT acting on a Lebanese agenda (more likely an Iranian-Syrian one)

On the other hand, Israel is NOT allowed to bomb massively residential areas; is NOT allowed to hold a whole region [the](South) in complete isolation, cut from electricity, bread, water, medication; is NOT allowed to destroy civilian infrastructure (20 bridges, countless roads, a number of privately held factories; and even some positions of the Lebanese army); and is NOT allowed to use Phosphoric bombs to protect itself

So NO to war, to destruction, to blood and tears and pain
NO to civilians suffering on both sides,
NO to other peopleÂ’s war being fought, once more, on Lebanese land.

I just fear that once all foreigners currently in Lebanon return to their homeland, the international community already speaking mellowly- will once more forget about civilians suffering in the lands of the Middle East.

I fear that on day 6, no negotiation seems to be close to begin…

Shalom, Salam, Peace indeed"

Legion of Mary "Since I Lost My Baby"
Bob Marley "No More Trouble"

Dub up the Getty

Global Delights (Summer Sessions)
Saturday July 15, 2006
6 pm
Museum Courtyard, Getty Center


New York-based DJ Karsh Kale balances his Indian heritage with rock and roll, hip-hop, and atmospheric pop for a sound that Kale calls "rocktronic organica"—unapologetically Indian and thoroughly American. Janaka Selekta and Dhamaal Soundsystem's mix of breakbeats and live traditional South Asian instrumentation is sure to make the dancefloor bounce. Additional artists to be announced. Please note that due to unforseen circumstances, Bombay Dub Orchestra will no longer be performing as part of Summer Sessions.

King Tubby "King Dub"
Desmond Dekker "BIg Headed(Dub Mix)"

Live Wrong and Prosper II

Funeral procedings for the Southwest Museum are happening this Saturday, July 15th at the, where else, Southwest Museum Gold Line Station. 10am. The procession will climb the hill to the gates of the museum. There will be Aztec dancers, puppets, and at the very least great views!

Mayor Antonio Villaraigos has said, at a meeting of the Southwest Museum Coalition, that the Southwest Museum needs to stay in Mount Washington. But who knows. I would personally look forward to a new Gettyesque type of place only with the history of Los Angeles, particually Northeast Los Angeles. Cool shuttle service up a windy road, big art-inspired parks, etc.

The Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition "supported by the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council and other community groups, will mourn the demise of L.A.’s oldest museum, closed for long-term “repairs” by new owners, the Autry National Center, while its priceless collection is removed for eventual display in a new Griffith Park facility. Members of the community are urged to participate in this event (and in the Candlelight vigil to be held at 8:00 pm that evening at Sycamore Grove Park)."

Gene Autry "Blueberry Hill"
Cypress HIll "Boom biddy bye bye"

Live Wrong and Prosper

Baze and Buk

Bukowski knew the place to have fun. Our own Hollywood Park goes neglected sometimes. Yes it is no Santa Anita or Del Mar, but it still has some deep history. Plus, who cares, you can drink and smoke and gamble on ponies.

Every Friday, well unfortunately there is only one left (July 15th), they have cheesy bands playing after the races. You missed Berlin, Baha Men, Sugar Ray, but would have loved to seen DMC live. Catch the Romantics this Friday. But you really go to see one of the Bazes (Russell, Tyler or Michael) win the race. A not so secret bet: Baze.






I confused the mailman
there was an old couch on
the porch and many a morning
as he came by I'd be sitting
there with, say, two of them
we'd be sitting there with our
beer cans, smoking and
laughing
Bukowski, "Third Lung Review" 1992


John Lee Hooker "One Bourbon, One Shot, One Beer"
A Tribe Called Quest "Hot Sex on the Platter"

Margaret

This three story garage was demolished last fall. Lying deep down in the basement, were countless murals by different artists. Murals, tags, graffiti, pictures, self portraits, etc. were all down on the bottom two levels which unfortunately now lie in street art historical rubble.





Most famous were the ones done in 2000 by San Franciscans Barry McGee and Margaret Kilgallen. Over the course of a week, the two artists turned the garage into a gallery. Here are some snaps of their beautiful artwork.


















Kilgallen painted a great number of her edgy murals and ironic street art around San Francisco, but most have been sadly painted over. She prematurely died from breast cancer at the young age of 33.
















This is just another amazing unknown Los Angeles artist.



Rushmore soundtrack "Margaret Yang's Theme"
Jeru the Damaga "Flip the Mic"

Mighty LA River

Circa 1915. Notice Montecito Heights flat top on the left hand side.

Bill Monroe "It's Mighty Dark to Travel"
Yonder Mountain String Band "River"

Built to re-arrange

I'm hoping and I'm praying
That very soon things would re-arrange

Too much innocent blood have shed
Our heart cries out, our souls grieve

If man would start to meditate
We would all see what been buggin' us

They've been fooled by our fellow man
And taught the way to rob and kill

But remember one and all
No one is free till every man is free

Don't ask what your country can do for you
The question is what you can do for it




Built to Spill played 5 rockin' nights at the Troubadour over the last week. Insane. They played this classic Gladiators reggae cover that is as meaningful today as it was then. Perfect.

Gladiators "Re-arrange"
Built to Spill "Lie for a Lie"

Ironman

Councilwoman Kathy Dunbabin once again raised questions about the 26-year-old Fourth of July Ironman chugalug, in which about 150 people run on the beach, paddle in the ocean and return to a private front yard to down a six-pack of beer and try, with little success, not to vomit. "I think the Ironman needs to stop," Dunbabin said. "The police department has to put a lot of people there, and the department is held hostage until about 2 p.m. If they didn’t have to be there they could be down on the Strand shutting things down and keeping things together."

If you are bored with the typical bbq and fireworks on the 4th, hop on down to Hermosa Beach and participate. All you need is a surfboard and a six pack.


As you can see, an Ironman legend, Roaddog will wait until the end when all the beer and sweat and puke is on the ground and do a full on slide thru it all. Only in Hermosa. And then, usually, Pennywise plays and rips up the drunken pit that forms.



This is our former mayor, Ralph Burgie, that makes sure it happens every year. He is the mayor that fought for the beach to be topless-legal, always fought for the bars and drinking on the beach. Very smart guy, who as you can imagine, all of Hermosa's council hated.



And, finally, a nice letter to the paper from a local man:

Dear Easy Reader,
It was with pleasure that I picked up the copy of the new Easy Reader on my doorsteps.
I am not thankful for the photo on page 12 of the Ironman contestant vomiting on the back of a fellow contestant.
As a 14-year resident of Hermosa Beach I was well aware of this requirement in the Ironman contest. But I didn't really have the desire or need to see this photo in your normally fine publication.
Best wishes to the Easy Reader for a great year and I hope better judgement is used for next year's Baywatch 2000 coverage. Thank you.
Michael Rigdon
Hermosa Beach

Pennywise "Bro Hymn"
STD's "Next Big Thing"

Dead Ramones

Tonight at 7:45 for 10 bucks. At the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. A special screening of the classic 1979 Ramones movie, Rock n' Roll High School.

Come bring your favorite drink and food and watch the flick under (and over) the stars.