The Militant's Ultimate (M) Gold Line Tour

Yes, Angelenos, the Militant is back.

He took a brief hiatus after getting over his post-Dodger-postseason Depression (PDPD) and had a bout with what may or may not have been the Swine Flu.

The Militant is okay, both emotionally and physically, and in fact did see someone dressed in a costume resembling that of the Militant at a gas station on Halloween Night (for you "Pics-Or-It-Didn't-Happen" types, sorry, the Militant Cam didn't work quickly enough, and certainly none of you would be amused by the picture of a back of someone's car).

Anyhoo, let's get right down to business. Sometimes the Militant gets lazy, sometimes he rants, sometimes he does a little event coverage, but sometimes he does a Mega-Post(tm) - such as last year's Pulitzer Prize-winning* post on the lost Sacatela Creek. A post full of text, images and a heck of a lot of Militant Research. Well, Angelenos, the Militant is about to give you the proverbial Mother Of All Mega-Posts.

This Mega-Post(tm) contains not one, not two, nor three, four or five, but - count 'em - six years of Militant research (Of course, there was no MA blog as we know it even three years ago, but you'll just have to trust the Militant on this one.

Okay, we're inflating the word count already...As you may or may not know, the (M) Gold Line will never be the same this Sunday, as the long-awaited expansion to the Eastside (the Real Eastside, to you hipster lowlifes out there) will open to the transit-riding public.

Well, your lives - and your knowledge of Los Angeles - will never be the same after this Mega-Post(tm). The Militant is about to take you on a tour of the Pasadena-to-Los Angeles (M) Gold Line...MILITANT STYLE!

Yes, it's not just about parades, football games, concerts or pub crawls. The Gold Line is a veritable, uh, gold mine of historical and trivial facts, most of which aren't visible to the casual obvserver. It's like a Transformer, yo...More than meets the eye!

So here it is...drum roll please...a post over two years in the making...

THE MILITANT'S (M) GOLD LINE TOUR!

Being that the Militant is central Los Angeles-centric, this tour will start from Union Station and end at Sierra Madre Villa station. Got it? Now tap your TAP cards (beep), and let's goooo!

Oh wait, you gotta go to the bathroom first? OK, OK, It's down the pedestrian tunnel, then make a left. HURRY!

...Okay, we're off!



View The Militant's (M) Gold Line Tour in a larger map

1. Private Rail Car Yard
Look to your left, as the train ascends up the elevated structure. There's a private rail car yard for privately-owned (non-Amtrak) passenger cars, whose owners pay Amtrak a fee for connecting to existing passenger trains.

This yard was originally built to house the business cars of the Southern Pacific, Union Pacific and Santa Fe railroads, during the heyday of passenger rail travel.

2. Homeboy Industries / Homegirl Cafe
Due directly right as the train curves, you can literally touch the building. It's the new headquarters of the nonprofit social enterprise Homeboy Industries. The Militant has already eaten at Homegirl Cafe. Great food, great service, great cause - MILITANT APPROVED!

3. Capitol Milling Company
This family-owned flour mill operated from 1831 to 1997, before moving its operation to a much larger facility in Colton. The mill supplied flour to clients such as Ralphs, Foix French Bakery and La Brea Bakery. In 1999, the family-owned operation was purchased by industry giant Con-Agra Co.

The historic building, built even before the railroads arrived in Los Angeles, still has a horse-tethering ring, back to the days when grain was hauled by horse carriage from farms in the San Fernando Valley.

4. Zanja Madre Relics
This recovered piece of Los Angeles history appears as a pipeline-like structure made of bricks and masonry. The Zanja Madre was the early water supply/irrigation system for the early pueblo of Los Angeles, which channeled water from the then-naturally running Porciuncula (Los Angeles) river into the town.

This relic was discovered by Metro construction crews in 2005 and placed on display here.

5. Swallow's Nests
Who says there's no wildlife in the City? Look towards the side of the Broadway Viaduct (along the middle of the photo on the left) and you'll see a row of swallow's nests - constructed in the same fashion as they are in mountainside cliffs - built into the concrete!

6. (M) Gold Line Yard & Shops
This yard, the former approach to the old Southern Pacific Cornfield Yard, (now Los Angeles Historic State Park), is where the Gold Line's fleet of Siemens and Breda light rail cars are stored, cleaned and maintained daily.

7. The Old Lincoln Heights Jail
Former LAPD Police Station and City Jailhouse from 1931 to 1966, holding up to 2800 prisoners at its peak. Still owned by the City, it was abandoned due to capacity and now serves as the home of the Los Angeles Youth Athletic Club, The Bilingual Foundation for the Arts theater company, and the Aztlan Foundation which provides workshops in Latino art and culture for the community.

8. Unidentified Flying Object!
Look to your left right before the train crosses the Pasadena Freeway! There's a flying saucer here at this Lincoln Heights scrapyard!

9. Bird Zoo
If you're heading towards Pasadena, look quickly to your right, just before you reach the Southwest Museum station and behind the fence, you'll see a bunch of caged birds and animals in the backyard of this apartment complex. Exotic animals seen here include a peacock, cockatoos and a goat.

10. Casa de Adobe
Building owned by the nearby Southwest Museum for temporary exhibits and cultural events, such as the annual Lummis Day Festival.

11. Figueroa Upper Walkway
You'll have to get off at the Southwest Museum station to see it. This second-set-of-sidewalk above the street-level sidewalk is a unique sight in Los Angeles, connecting various houses and apartments with the Casa de Adobe and the entrance to the (M) Gold Line Southwest Museum Station.

12. Old L.A. Certified Farmer's Market
Hop off the Gold Line at the Highland Park station every Tuesday from 3 to 8 p.m. for this weekly Farmer's Market in Highland Park. Check out the Militant's post!

13. Quetzalcoatl Chicano Heritage Mural
This mural, painted in 1995, depicts and celebrates Chicano history and heritage. Commissioned for $50,000 and partially financed by Rage Against The Machine singer Zak de la Rocha, this mural at Ave 61 and Figueroa has been a visible landmark and point of pride for the Highland Park community.

14. Arroyo Seco Viaduct
Your train travels on this bridge, along with most of the Gold Line's right-of-way, carried freight and passenger trains of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (now merged into the BNSF Railway) until 1994. The bridge was converted from single-track to double-track during the Gold Line's construction in the late 1990s.

15. Mission West Farmer's Market
Don't forget to hop off the Gold Line at the Mission Station on Thursday evenings to catch this SouthPas tradition. Check out the Militant's Post!

16. Oaklawn Pedestrian Bridge
This decorative concrete arch bridge was built in 1910 for the neighborhood's bougie residents to cross over the Santa Fe Railway tracks. More info here.

17. Potential Bikeway?
Wouldn't this be a neato location for a future bikeway? A Militant can dream...C'mon Metro, let's make it happen!

18. Art Center South Campus
The South Campus of the Art Center College of Design opened in 2004. The building was originally an aircraft testing facility built during World War II. The Militant visited this place at the end of a Pasadena Ride-Arc ride last year.

19. The First Trader Joe's
This is the oldest and longest-operating Trader Joe's supermarket in the entire chain. So for all of you with friends in Seattle or Boston or NYC who just rave about "their TJ's," show them the OG TJs and make them RECOGNIZE!

20. Historic Santa Fe Pasadena Depot
This building at the Gold Line Del Mar station says "Pasadena" on it for a reason: it was the original Pasadena railroad depot operated by the Santa Fe Railway from 1925 to 1971, and by Amtrak form 1971 to 1994, when the passenger line was rerouted and the line abandoned to make was for what was then known as the "Pasadena Blue Line." The Santa Fe "cross" logo motifs can still be found all over the station building.

The station is now adaptively reused as a restaurant as part of the Del Mar Station mixed-use development.

21. Del Mar Station Bike Parking Facility
Check it - this station has bike parking! No, not just some lame aluminum "sinewave" racks placed in some obscure, forgotten corner, but an actual room where bikes can be parked and locked!

22. Manny Ramirez's Condo(?)
Not confirmed, but according to operative reports, Dodgers Outfielder Manny Ramirez owns a condo in this mixed-use development. The Militant doesn't know which unit, nor has he had the opportunity to party like a rockstar there.

23. Colorado Blvd Subway
The original Santa Fe Railway tracks crossed Colorado, but Metro built an underpass for the light rail line for some reason. Something to do with a parade every January...

24. Ruins of the Original Pasadena Public Library
This "Memorial Park" in Pasadena is no cemetery, but it does contain the remains of the original central Public Library building, located here from 1890 to 1927, and demolished in 1954. The current Public Library opened in 1927. The city of Pasadena retained the columns in memory of the original library building, dedicated in 1955.

25. Former Pacific Electric Right-Of-Way
This landscaped median, typical of many in Southern California, once carried interurban streetcars of the Pacific Electric Railway from 1904 to 1950 in a line that originated from 6th and Main streets in Downtown Los Angeles.

26. Eaton Wash
This flood control channel captures snow runoff from the San Gabriel Mountains about a mile high above, and runs through Eaton Canyon.

27. Pasadena Sandwich Co.
Some of the biggest sammiches you've ever seen are sold at this hole-in-the-wall shop on Sierra Madre Villa Ave, just steps away from the Gold Line station.

28. Site of Hastings Ranch
This large suburban retail development was once the location of Charles Cook Hastings' 1,100-acre Mesa Alta Rancho from 1882 to 1942, boasting a vineyard and later exotic plant and animal life. After the death of Hastings' son the land was sold to become tract housing, retail and a drive-in theater during the post-war development boom.

So there you have it, 28 points of interest from the window of your Gold Line train or a short walk away. Come Sunday, the Militant will no doubt have to update this list (Google Maps needs to put some more recent images, ahem, ahem). But for those of you who do the Gold Line every day to and from work, you'll never look at your commute the same way again.

Just Getting Warmed Up!

Yes, the Militant knows, nothing but Dodgers right now. But bear with him. These are some exciting times.

It's been five days since the last Dodger game and us True Blue fans can't seem to get enough. But the Militant, thanks to an operative's tip, was able to go to the Stadium (now with NLCS logo painted on the field) and eavesdrop on the Dodgers' warm-up session on a precipitous Wednesday afternoon, in the misty drizzle (fo' shizzle), as the tarps were rolled away and the Boys In Blue come out to get ready to play. So here's your Dodger fill just before the big game today. The Militant may or may not be there (Wait, who is he kidding? Of course he will be there)! GO BLUE!

NEXT!

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Saturday, clinching the NLDS victory with a sweep and are advancing to the National League Championship Series.

W00t!!!!!!!!!!!

They play the winner of the (currently snowed-out) Phillies-Rockies NLDS round next Thursday. So who's it gonna be, Dodger fans? Philly or Colorado?

The Militant wants the Dodgers to take on the defending World Champs Philly in the NLCS. Why? Aside from avenging last year's playoffs, if they can beat 'em, they can win the World Series. Whutchu think?

An Evening of Walk-Offs and Art Walks

Who says "Nobody Walks In L.A.?" Who says Los Angeles is not an exciting place? Not the Militant!



Part I: Walk-Off FTW.

The Militant probably doesn't have to tell you that the Los Angeles Dodgers won game 2 of the NLDS, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Thursday with a come-from-behind, walk-off hit in the bottom of the 9th. But he will.

First off, the 3:07 p.m. game time was a concern for the Militant. Not personally, but the fact that many people couldn't come to the game due to school or work schedules (and even a few operatives trying to sell their tickets). He feared a relatively empty Stadium shown on national television would be more diss fodder for all the Los Angeles out there. This was clearly a conspiracy created by the East Coast hegemony. And with the Atlanta-based TBS cable network broadcasting the game, the Militant rests his case.

Alas, only 51,000 showed up, with the outfield reserve bookends of The Stadium clearly empty.

But fear not, as dullsville, Dodgertown definitely was not.

The night simply oozed Los Angeles all over: The locally-raised rock guitarist Slash (born Saul Hudson, no relation to Orlando) performed the National Anthem and "God Bless America" on his (Kirk) Gibson Les Paul axe. Then came Mission Hills native, comedian George Lopez (donning a Fernando Valenzuela jersey), pitching both the ceremonial first ball as well as his new TV show on (surprise!) TBS. Finishing off the game was the dramatic walk-off RBI by the Santa Monica-born, Arcadia-raised Mark Loretta. RE-PRE-MUDDAFUGGING-SENT!

This Is My Town, indeed.

And after the score had been settled, the 51,000 fans that did come for the weekday afternoon game didn't want to leave. Whoops and hollers were heard all over the stadium for over an hour. Fans chanted, "SWEEP! SWEEP! SWEEP!" and perfect strangers donned in blue enthusiastically exchanged high-fives on their way out. They don\t call this "Blue Heaven On Earth" for nothing.

The parking lot also became a party zone, with horns honking in celebration, rather than agitation. The sound of cheers, chants, screams and whistles turned the parking lot into a party zone. Dodgertown was alive!


Part II: Art Walk OMG!

The Militant didn't feel the night was over just yet, so he set out towards Downtown Los Angeles to sample the second-Thursday-of-the-month Art Walk. Obviously not a totally new thing, having been a DTLA tradition for the past five years, it was still a new thing for the Militant.

Surely the hipster thing was a deterrent for the Militant all this time, and possibly just plain apathy, but after he got over the apparent hipsterness of most of the crowd, it really became a pretty cool event.

Certainly for the first-time Militant, walking into the Art Walk would lead one to say, "This is a hipster thing, let's GTFO of here." But after sticking around a while, the crowds are really a little more diverse than at first glance. The art aspect wasn't as much a huge deal for the Militant as was the urban scene, with upwards of 10,000 people roaming around the Gallery Row district at night, creating an undeniable energy not too unlike the one at the earlier sporting event. Galleries, restaurants, bars, cafes and some shops were open, with much of the action going on from 7 p.m. to midnight.

The local squadron of teh tr3ndy food tucks represented, such as Nom Nom, Don Chow Tacos, Skewers On Wheels, India Jones, Coolhaus Ice Cream and more (BTW, the Kogi BBQ truck was too cool for Artwalk, and had other plans tonight). A few trucks were on Spring Street, between 4th and 5th streets, with another set a block east on Main. In fact, no other local event brings so many of them to one place.

The interesting parking lot arts/crafts/food outdoor bazaar on Main near 5th brought back memories of Hong Kong's Night Market, something that Los Angeles really needs.

There's also music performances on the street, which is mostly of the lo-fi, sub-par style the hipsters just love and the Militant really doesn't care for, but that's a small price to pay for such buzzing nocturnal street energy. It's the kind of event you'd want Westsiders, suburbanites and those originally from those so-called "real" cities to come check out.

The Art Walk is definitely something to see, if even just to sample the street vibe. Besides, it'd make an awesome locale for a flash mob (But you didn't hear that from the Militant...). The next one is slated for November 12. The Militant may or may not be there!

Win.

The Militant Angeleno has a good feeling about this.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won 5-2 over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, thwarting the latter's supposedly prognosticated sweep.

Dodgers lead the NLCS 1-0.

Though Los Angeles native Randy Wolf (Canoga Park represent) didn't fully pull through as expected, decision or not, the Dodgers got the W, just as they usually have when he starts. At least the decision went to another son of the Southland, Jeff Weaver (Northridge and Simi Valley represent). The offense was on it, thanks to Matt "The Bison" Kemp's 2-run bomb to center field. Raffy Furcal going 3-for-4 wasn't that bad either. Even this guy showed up to watch the game.

After the game, Dodger fans were on a Blue high, while Skipper Joe Torre was spotted at Canter's after the game for some late-night victory noshing. And Randy Newman even earned double royalty points tonight as the other beloved Los Angeles team won their first pre-season match in the OC.

Today was a good day.

¡Bienvenido Gustavo! The Dude Abides At The Bowl

The Militant wanted to be two places at once on Saturday night - at The Stadium, watching the Dodgers clinch the 2009 NL West Title, and at the Hollywood Bowl, watching the debut of new Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel (heretofore referred to on the MA's blog as "The Dude").

The Militant, Dodger Fan he is, opted for the latter, because the ticket was free, thanks to one of his operatives. Actually all the tickets were free, thanks to a generous sponsorship by Target Stores (which the Militant may or may not be a fan of...) And besides, the Militant already has tickets to next week's NLDS playoff games!

The Militant took transit to the Bowl, of course, riding on the (M) Red Line to the Hollywood/Highland station and taking the Bowl Shuttle (free with his (M) Rail ticket!) from the west end of the complex. Miraculously, he got there in less than 10 minutes (previous Bowl shuttles took nearly 45 minutes due to traffic, no kidding).

After performances by Andrae Crouch, Flea with the Silverlake [sic] Conservatory Ensemble, Herbie Hancock with the LACHSA Jazz Band and a latin/blues set with Taj Mahal, Los Lobos' David Hidalgo and Los Cezontles and Alfredo Rodriguez, it was time to see The Dude.

The Bowl's video screens showed a short video montage (Even The Dude had a montage) of Los Angeles locals in Los Angeles locales wishing The Dude a warm welcome (The highlight was Pink's, which now offers the Dudamel Dog).

His first appearance was not conducting the Phil, but the YOLA Expo Center Youth Orchestra, playing Beethoven's "Ode To Joy." Fitting, since The 28-year old Dude grew up having participated in a similar youth orchestra in his native Venezuela and is a staunch advocate of music education for los niños. A lively contingent of Venezuelans, some of them dressed in the red-yellow-blue tricolor of their country's flag, gushed pride at seeing their very own El Tipo walk onstage.

Later, The Dude walked out in a white tux, conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, accompanied by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, plus members of various multiethnic choirs around town, to perform Beethoven's entire 9th Symphony. The Bowl's four (non-HD, wassup wit dat?) screens projected not only closer shots of The Dude and the musicians, but the translated "Ode To Joy" lyrics from old German to English y Español for the crowd to understand.

The Dude was energetic and animated, true to all the hype, even conducting with his eyebrows and a single pinky finger. At the conclusion, The Dude made a bilingual speech on how grateful he was with his new gig. The Phil concluded with an encore, and the Bowl's trademark acoustic shell also became a pyrotechnics machine.

It's gonna be a long-ass while before you'll hear The Dude announcing his retirement, so you can count on The Dude being an influential cultural figure in this City for decades to come. The Militant welcomes The Dude to Los Angeles!

Missed the show? Watch the streaming webcast!

MORE PICS!

This is your Hollywood Bowl bike parking...

Bowl crowd

The Bowl makes a funny face.

The Dude (is it just the Militant, or does he look a bit like this dude?)

Uncommon Encino

The Militant drove through the Valley, taking the long way back to the compound (as in the surface streets as opposed to the freeway, because that's how the Militant rolls sometimes) and happened upon this shining gateway over Ventura Blvd (pictured left).

It reads: "ENCINO COMMONS - The Valley's Miracle Mile."

O RLY? First off, the Militant couldn't help but chuckle that this part of Los Angeles has taken upon itself to make a comparison to...another part of Los Angeles. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but an illuminated archway over one of the biggest thoroughfares in the area should herald something more grandiose - more original, perhaps? Heck, you might as well go all the way with the hyperbole.

Second, aside from having a landscaped median, there's ironically very little in common with A.W. Ross' (no, not that Ross, but this one) retail thoroughfare over the hill. There's no art museum, no iconic art deco architecture, in fact no art anything (okay, fine, so there's a Color Me Mine down the street). There's no print or broadcast entertainment media companies (though this family in the neighborhood makes the tabloids often), nor are there any sticky prehistoric fossils to be found (and no, this guy doesn't count). Miracle Mile, the Militant's ass!

Further Militant research revealed that this sign was no fluke - it was the work of a local Business Improvement District, which, the Real Miracle Mile doesn't even have (do they even need one if miracles happen there?).

Now, this isn't a gratuitous knock against the 818. The Militant actually digs certain parts of the SFV, and would rather live there than, say Orange County or the Inland Empire (ugh). It's just that the boosters of "The Valley's Miracle Mile" ought to do a little research before making silly comparisons.

The businesses of Encino Commons have every right to beautify and promote their retail district, of course, so here's some alternate slogans they can use:

ENCINO COMMONS - The Valley's Encino Commons

ENCINO COMMONS - You're Not In Sherman Oaks Yet

ENCINO COMMONS - This is a Really Neat Sign

ENCINO COMMONS - If You're Reading This, You Should Be Watching The Road

If you happen to stumble upon "The Valley's Little Tokyo" or "The Valley's Highland Park" or "The Valley's Venice," please let the Militant know!

The Militant's Refuge By The Sea

Many years ago, in the early 1990s, The Militant (though not yet realizing he was the Militant, but the same person nonetheless) went through a string of transitions. He had just gotten his driver's license, now freely exploring the same streets of which he studied the Thomas Guide for, yet at the same time he had just broken up with his girlfriend at the time.

The breakup was initiated by her, so the Militant spent many an emo night in despair and introspection. He recalls one fine night driving out to Marina Del Rey to some place by a breakwater, just to shed a tear, concealed under the veil of the night sky.

It's been years since that time and many things have changed in the Militant's life, but the exact location of his emotional refuge had been forgotten over the years.

On Saturday night, while being in the area, he decided to find this place from his past.

He had to play it by ear, by process of elimination. It wasn't near Playa Del Rey, as he hadn't yet discovered that part of town until he started his summer bike rides there a few years later. It wasn't Burton Chace Park, which was in the Marina, but quite a ways in from the sea.

The only place left was the little peninsula where southern Venice Beach meets the northern shore of the Marina Del Rey inlet.

So he continued driving through Admiralty Way and Via Marina, crossing all of the streets named after islands in Asia and the Pacific that served as key theaters of battle during World War II: Palawan, Panay, Marquesas, Tahiti, Bora Bora.

Then came a lighted, empty parking lot at the end of Via Marina, sporting a waterfront walking path that led to the sea.

Eureka. He found it.

One problem, though - parking there is verboten between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

It was 11 p.m. And lo and behold, as if on cue, there was the white Parking Enforcement car, making its vigilant rounds (Which also told the Militant he was in the City of Los Angeles (Venice) and no longer in MDR (unincorporated Los Angeles County land)).

How unfortunate, since the warm night air, coupled with the unmistakable aroma of the sea, was so inviting.

There are many beautiful sights in and around this City, that are especially beautiful after dark, at least in the Militant's eyes -- parks, beaches, mountain roads -- all of which are are officially made unwelcome by ordinance after 10 p.m. The Militant is aware these restrictions were meant to discourage any criminal element from spoiling these places, but must we always live our lives with them in mind? Are there no public places which we can enjoy in a more tranquil, nocturnal state? How sad and unfortunate.

But nothing's gonna stop this Militant. So he drove around for a legit parking space. He eventually found one just a block away, on a sidestreet called Via Donte. No preferential parking restrictions? The Militant is set.

Just a few steps away was the serene southern end of the Venice Grand Canal, also known at this location as the Marina Lagoon. Pitch black, save for house lights and bright illumination emanating in the distance, the Militant heard the calm waters of this lagoon, intermittently troubled by fish or birds somewhere there in the dark. A temporary feeling of envy overcame the Militant
as he wished - for a fleeting moment - that his compound could be located right here (actually not a bad place at all for amphibious combat training...).

He then crossed the street and walked the long jetty leading to the sea, with people engaging in nocturnal fishing activities in the rocks below.
It was an awe-inspiring sight, with the lights of civilization glowing behind and lateral to him (the lights of the Santa Monica Pier and the Hyperion Water Treatment Plant could easily be seen to the north and south, respectively), while at the same time the curious darkness of the ocean horizon lay before him.

Aside from the visual paradox, it was a beautifully chaotic clash of aural stimuli: The calming white-noise ocean waves from Venice Beach to the right, the even calmer ripple of the Marina inlet to the left, the incessant beeping of the maritime navigational beacon at the end of the jetty ahead, the roar of airliners taking off from LAX from the south and rap music blasting out of the Marina party boat.

Though relatively desolate, the Militant was not alone out there - a mix of strolling couples, people fishing by the beacon (almost invisible under the veil of night save for their glow-in-the-dark bait and the sound of overlapping conversations in Spanish). There was also a group of youths who pulled up on bicycles, and a musician quietly plucking on his guitar, likely also inspired by the locale, who recorded his newfound compositions into his Blackberry.

The Militant took it all in, enjoying this place, the boundary between darkness and light, between calm and noise. It was the perfect place to reflect on life. It was almost as if he was called to return here tonight.

Which also brought up another paradox: Might this public space be as peacefully inviting if those parking restrictions weren't in place and hundreds of people were here at the very same moment? Certainly this would be a very different place, and not as personal and secluded to the dozens who came here on Saturday night (Of course the upscale property owners of southern Venice beach would cry foul if it were any other way).

But reality being what it is, this space remains personal to the Militant, who will no doubt return to this special places of refuge and solitude, whether feeling the highs of awe, or the lows of heartbreak. It's a secret he shares with you. So what do you consider your place of refuge?

KCET Reveals 'Infinitely More' About The Militant

It's not every day that the Militant gets to toot his own horn (or even blog, yes, guilty, guilty...) but a few weeks ago Yoli Martinez from KCET's website dared to do what has never been done before:

Interview the Militant.

It's not like the Militant is off-limits for interviews; you can ask him anything you'd like - it's just that he may or may not give you the exact answer you're looking for.

But there it is, as part of their "Better Know A SoCal Blogger" series (which has previously interviewed folks like Loteria Chicana and Green LA Girl) on their new KCET local site (Blatant cross-promotion, no?).

Oh yeah, in case you're wondering, the interview was conducted via the anonymous guise of electronic mail, which means that any attempt to pester Ms. Martinez (or any other KCET staff member) on any information as to the Militant's phenotypical appearance or true identity will get you nowhere! So don't bother, fool!

Honestly, the Militant doesn't know where this newfound spike in notoriety might lead. Perhaps the Militant needs an agent, or an entourage of his own. Well he kinda sorta already does. Or not. Success may or may not spoil him - we shall see!

But the Militant is insanely humbled at the fact that the online home of The Huell has taken an interest in the Militant and allowed him this rare opportunity to share a little bit more about himself to the online world. Militant Thanks, Yoli, Gary and KCET!

And for those of you who clicked on over from the KCET.org interview wondering, "WTF?" the Militant invites you to catch up on the Militant Archives, to read up on his previous posts. Most notably, posts dispelling various Los Angeles myths/stereotypes and writing the be-all, end-all statement on the stupid "Eastside/Westside" boundary debate. You can also follow the Militant on Twitter. Enjoy and, if you are doing so already... Stay Militant!

The Real Dodgertown: Russell Martin

Moving along on the Militant's "The Real Dodgertown" series, this week he highlights Dodger catcher Russell Martin:
Our Afro-Franco-Canadian behind-the-plate-kinda guy was born in suburban Toronto and raised in Paris, France and suburban Montreal, having attended the same high school as some dude named Gagné (no, not that one).

Often pointed out for his resemblance to Turtle from the HBO series Entourage, Martin was instantly promoted to the big leagues after then-catcher Dioner Navarro suffered an owie early in the 2006 season. Since then, Martin became a two-time All-Star (2007, 2008) and also earned Golden Glove and Silver Slugger accolades in 2007.

This season, his uniform bears the name "J. MARTIN" which led fans to scratch their heads and either wonder "WTF?" or assume he changed his first name to "Jussell" or is trying to do some J. Crew kinda thang. But he was only trying to give props to the surname of his mother, Suzanne Jeanson (pronounced "Johnson" or "Jenson," depending on how you parlez-vous français).

The Militant traveled to Los Feliz (which is incorrectly referred to as "The Eastside") to snap the photo of "Russell Ave.," which was taken at its intersection with Vermont Avenue. Nearby is the infamous late-night chow stop House of Pies, which serves up Canadian maple syrup in its pancakes and waffles.

The "Martin St." sign was taken in El Sereno (which is actually in The Eastside), where it crosses Budau Ave. - a name which is French in origin.