Sunday, December 28, 2008

Full Boxes




These pictures were taken in late August. The lighting was beautfiul gray and the hillside dark green. Love how the eight boxes look so fake.

This also marked the week when all the houses were finally rented out. That only took about 3 years. Nice job!!

MC Eight "The Brew Took Me Under"
Miles Davis "Full Nelson"

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Transportation


Found this bike that just couldn't go on anymore down under the Ave 52 bridge. Looks like it was used and used until it finally died.


The bike culture here out in Northeast LA is rad. Seeing more and more people on all types of bikes around Highland Park to Lincoln Heights to the Cornfield.

A couple of local goodies you may or may not know about:

Bike Oven (3706 Fig) Cool little store owned by a couple brothers I believe. Stop by almost any night and they'll talk shop with you, show you how to fix your bike and basically just stoke you out on bikes.

Flying Pigeon bikes (5711 Fig) They have these Dim Sum rides almost every weekend where they go to a different Dim Sum spot. If you don't have a bike, show up anyway and they'll let you borrow one. Watch out though, you might buy a Pigeon after riding one, they are great bikes. Last ride of the year is this weekend, from their site (http://flyingpigeon-la.com/blog/):

"We meet on Sunday, December 21, 2008 at 5711 North Figueroa, Los Angeles, 90042 at 10AM for a quick cup of warm green tea, an air pressure check, before riding at 10:30AM."

Cycleway Coffee (5526 Monterey Road) Inside, there are many cool old photos of the elevated bike path that used to connect Pasadena to Downtown, nine miles of biking freeway. How nice would that be if it was still around! The only bad/weird thing about this coffee house is that there are no bike racks outside of it. A coffee house based on biking with no bike racks outside?! Weird.

Anyway, there are tons of clubs to join around town catering to whatever kind of biker you are. Or just hope on your bike and get out and get some fresh air!!!


Pink Floyd "Bike"
Pigeon John "Growin' Old"

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Perfection




Is there any better place in LA than the hills of Montecito Heights? Old dirt roads. 360 views of LA and beyond. Out of this world sunsets. Downtown skyscraper views. Dodger Stadium firework nights. Seeing snow on the mountains this morning. And a lot of empty open space.

Frank Sinatra "All the Way Home"
Stevie Wonder "Sunset"

Friday, December 12, 2008

Not Fun.

Sad times. There are SO many houses for sale on the drive up Montecito Drive. Many have been for sale so long that they are now desperately turning to leasing them out to just at least fill them. Up around the 900 block of Montecito Dr. there are three houses in a row for sale/for lease. And that is a couple doors up from the 3 big new
boxes they have almost finished building. And those new boxes are a couple doors up from 3 more for sale houses. Oh my.




Fall is over. Winter is starting. Empty houses. People forced out on the streets. This dude couldn’t take it anymore and just collapsed over the fence.

Bob Marley “Long Long Winter”
Grateful Dead “Cold, Rain & Snow”

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

No more

war.


Ave 43 and 110N


Montecito Dr. and Griffin Ave.

Montecito Dr. and Sinova (Perfectly bent)


Echo Park Ave and Delta St.


Even way down on Redondo and Bangor




Love these altered traffic signs around our beautiful hill. And sprouting up around town. Congrats and thank you to whoever you are!

The Submarines "Peace and Hate"
Erykah Badu "The Healer"