The 5 Line: A Taste Of History In Eagle Rock

The Militant has long held the belief that Los Angeles' beauty is best discovered from a bike (rather than from a car). But five years later, he might have to change his belief.

No, this isn't his belated April Fool's post, but rather his Militant belief is more refined now...because there's even some things you'll miss from a bike.

The Militant was spending a nice Spring day walking down Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock on Monday, when he happened on an empty storefront near Caspar Avenue, next door to Corner Pizzeria.

The windows, covered up from inside, bore a poster of a proposed restaurant/bar's floor plan, accompanied by photos of old Los Angeles Railway Yellow Cars(!)

Naturally, The Militant took a closer look (Cautiously now, as it may or may not be a trap set forth by his enemies...)

Alas, some explanatory text in the window display revealed it all: The yet-to-be-opened restaurant is called 5 Line, a reference to the Yellow Car trolley route that ran all the way from Hawthorne to nearby Townsend Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock -- the longest line in the entire Los Angeles Railway system, which ran on narrow-gauge track and in more urbanized areas than its larger cousin, the Red Cars of the Pacific Electric.

The restaurant, the window display paragraph boasts, plans to pay homage to the Yellow Car line in its theme: "The interior design of the restaurant will derive influence from the streetcar system and contain historic images of the site with the 5 Line cars."

The nearby corner of Eagle Rock (then called "Central Avenue") and Colorado boulevards had a circular station area known as "The Merry-Go-Round" which was a local hangout spot in the neighborhood (and you all thought this public space thing was a new concept in this City...). The tracks ran in the median of Eagle Rock Boulevard, which is why it's so dang wide.

The Militant doesn't know about you, but he simply can not wait until this place opens...He doesn't even care if the food tastes like crap, he just wants to experience the place! Imagine taking the trouble to theme your restaurant with a slice of local history! Only someone with militantly Angeleno leanings would want to do that (The Militant will disclose that he is neither the owner nor has any stake in this establishment, so no looking in public records to find out his identity).

One nitpick though: The artist's rendering of the facade seems to clad the eatery with the green-and- white livery of the old '50s-'60s era Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority and not the classic yellow-and-green of the Los Angeles Railway, which the, you know, Yellow cars were best remembered as. But...dangit, The Militant can't wait for the future to experience history. Hurry up, Eagle Rock! The Militant is waiting to dine at the 5 Line!

A Stadium Issue That's Impossible To Dodge

The biggest Dodger story of the week aside from Kemp, Kershaw and Ethier's All-Star appearance in the 5-1 NL win was news (or speculation) that the Dodgers may or may not move to a new stadium in Downtown Los Angeles. After Tweeting about the 30-year injustice of the Dodgers not hosting an All-Star game, The Militant joked that we'll have one -- at the proposed Farmer's Field. But in reality, that might not be that far off after all.

Whether the proposed NFL stadium will yield a fruitful Autumn harvest of a football franchise in Los Angeles remains to be seen. But the proposed site or adjacent land may very well be the Dodgers' third Los Angeles home.

Naturally and understandably, True Blue fans will balk at the idea, citing nostalgia, sentimentality and that killer view of the San Gabriels. But this warants serious discussion. We may or may not like this idea, but it may very well be an inevitability.

Dodger fans have long complained about the lack of dedicated mass transit options to The Stadium, the lack of nearby pre- and post- game hangouts, fans not showing up until the 4th inning, exponentially increasing costs of stadium parking, fans leaving after the 7th inning to beat traffic and the infamous hour-long queue out of the parking lot after the end of the game for those of us who do stay until the end of the game (i.e. The REAL Dodger fans).

And add to that Dodger Despot Frank McCourt's proposed scheme to retain ownership of The Stadium and parking lot in the event he does sell the actual franchise.

A new Downtown stadium may very well get rid of those problems forever.

There are other benefits as well: A mega-sports corridor along Figueroa from MLK to Olympic may very well be the kicker in Los Angeles being awarded a third Summer Games. The classic "L.A. is too spread out" whine of the transplant may very well lose more of its meaning. It would also strengthen the desire for non-Metro Rail served communities and areas to get linked up to the system.

The Militant will be the first to tell you that it's hard to picture The Dodgers play any place else. The same mound where Koufax fastballed was the same one Valenzuela K'ed from and is the same one that Kershaw throws today. Four of the Dodgers' five titles in Los Angeles (which, the Militant should point out, is still fivefold more than the one title the hated Frisco Giants loooove to boast about) were fought and won on Chavez Ravine's turf. The Militant can go on, and so could you.

But Los Angeles sports fans have done it before. Laker fans once thought a move from their longtime home court at The (Fabulous Great Western) Forum was inconcievable, but the past 12 seasons have shown us that Figueroa Street is just as FTW as Prairie Avenue, and aside from a couple exhibition games For Old Time's Sake, the Purple & Gold faithful have never looked back.

The Dodgers, who only have two years' seniority over the Lakers in this City, can do the same. The game, the team spirit, the history and tradition of any sports franchise is larger than any building it happens to play in.

The Brooklyn Dodgers moved five times during their first life out east. That never stopped the fans there from suporting their team, did it?  And speaking of which, the team got its name from its fans dodging trolleys near its then-home venue of Eastern Park, which was located in between two streetcar lines.

With the (M) Blue (how appropo) and Expo Lines all running along nearby Flower Street, not to mention an additional streetcar system proposed for DTLA, our Los Angeles Trolley Dodgers can finally live up to their name again (which is more than the Lakers can do, unless it's flash flood season).

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!? (No, really, are you ready?)

The Militant is about to head off to a big Super Bowl™ party at an unspecified location! But not far from that location is what may or may not be the site of a future Super Bowl™, or even more, the home of what may or may not be Los Angeles' next NFL team.

Farmers Field was the other big football story this week, but its strategically-timed announcement no doubt got Angelenos talking. Certainly it's stolen the proverbial thunder from Ed Roski's so-called "Los Angeles" Football Stadium project, slated to add to freeway traffic and suburban sprawl in that great town of much culture and excitement, the City of Industry (Are you ready to root for "The Los Angeles _______ Of The City Of Industry?" The Militant didn't think so).

On Friday, the Militant jumped into his time-travel machine and stood on the turf of Farmers Field!

Okay, he didn't, but he did stand on a replica field set up at LA Live to promote the proposal, complete with large renderings and a Farmers Insurance bus and a live Hot 92.3 FM broadcasting van. The display will be up until Sunday, so check it out if you're in Downtown.

Now truth be told, the Militant isn't much of a football fan, with the exception of cheering on his unspecified local Pac-10 Pac-12 team (GO [withheld]NS!), but part of that is the Militant's bitterness towards the NFL for snubbing The City of Angels for over a decade and a half, especially their ghettophobic insistence of not wanting to consider any proposal for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

But Farmers Field has a lot of people talking, especially how it will be for our re-emerging Downtown. Sure there are concerns about parking and whatnot, but the stadium will be directly served by two (M) light rail lines and perhaps something more. Even with that, people will still bitch, whine and yap about parking and traffic, but you know what, what's what you expect from a vibrant Downtown.

The Militant doesn't really care for naming rights either, but hey, do you really think of office products when you hear the name "Staples Center?" Does it want to make you go out and buy printer ink cartridges, Post-It notes or that little foam "Easy" stress button? Actually, unlike the office products store or that big-box home improvement retailler, Farmers Insurance is a native Los Angeles company, established here in 1928 to insure the vehicles of those in the then-booming agricultural industry of Southern California. Maybe we can take this further - maybe they can re-locate the South Central Farm nearby? Maybe on non-game days they can host a big-ass FARMERS market at the stadium. The Militant isn't even the only one who's thought of that.

Of course, the big stick in the mud is the $350 million AEG's Tim Leiwicke is asking the cash-strapped City of Los Angeles to fork over in bond money to construct the stadium. We've been down that road before. But if people are truly serious, in this City of famous-ass people and the second largest sports and media market in the USA, private investors will come out of the woodwork (Quick, call Hugh Hefner!) Surely that bond figure could stand to drop like Brett Favre's future NFL career plans. But regardless if Farmers Field will happen, or another plan later will work, NFL deserves to be played in Downtown Los Angeles. The Dodgers, Lakers, Kings, Clippers and USC Trojans all play within a 5-mile long corridor (and with a possible soccer stadium replacing the Sports Arena to add to the mix, maybe the Los Angeles Galaxy can get their kicks Downtown (The Not-Los Angeles Chivas USA can stay down in Carson for all the Militant cares). In this City, long accused of being "Sooooooo Spread Out," a concentrated sports and entertainment corridor is something that will finally pwn those who utter that cliched statement.

As for the Super Bowl™, the Militant is cheering for the team whose name ends with "ERS!" GO ERS!

Actually he doesn't really care about who wins. He just wants to eat!

Super Bowl™ is a registered trademark and only the NFL and approved sponsors of the Super Bowl™ are able to use it. The Militant isn't one but he still thinks the name Super Bowl™ should be fair use because it's freaking stupid how other commercials and other media outlets have to substitute Super Bowl™ with "The Big Game" or the like. Come on now. But this disclaimer is in place as a way for the Militant to declare, "Please don't sure the Militant!" He doesn't have that much money anyway. And if he did, he'd invest in Farmers Field or buy the Dodgers or something. Peace out.

More Commuter Amenities Coming To Union Station!

For all you commuters riding into and out of Union Station every morning, here's some exciting news: According to operative reports obtained on Friday, additional food amenities will be coming to the transportation terminal in late June.

Peet's Coffee and Tea, Wetzel's Pretzels and Subway
(the latter further confirms the Militant's observation that one can order a footlong within a 2-block radius of a (M) Red Line station) will be joining Union Bagel, Traxx Restaurant and Bar and Relay Newsstand to serve commuters at the 71-year old train depot.

Come August, the Japanese-owned Famima!! (can't forget the double exclamation marks) convenience store will arrive, to be located next to the Amtrak ticketing office. To make room for it, the Amtrak ticket machines have been relocated next to the Metrolink ticket kiosks, and the Hertz and Budget car rental desks have been moved to a different location near the Amtrak ticket booth.

These new additions won't quite make Los Angeles Union Station into its counterpart in the Nation's Capital, but it brings new life into a station that was once a bustling transportation hub in the 1940s-50s, which was revived some 20 years ago (after a near-vacant period in the 1970s-80s) with the arrival of the (M) Red Line and Metrolink commuter rail.

Even though these are chain establishments, the Militant nonetheless welcomes these additions to Union Station, which despite its rail renaissance is still a sorely underused facility. It would certainly prep the terminal for its inevitable role in the long-anticipated California High Speed Rail network. The Militant would love to see, at least in the near future, a weekly farmer's market in the station property's open space and the re-opening of the former Harvey House restaurant space on the southern end of the station - maybe a new location for the local Du-par's coffee shop chain?

Next Stop: Belmont Station

After Curbed LA recently mentioned the new Red Car mural in the old Pacific Electric tunnel behind the recently-opened Belmont Station apartments (house music on the website?!?! wtf?!? what do they think it is, a Pinkberry?) on 2nd and Beverly, the Militant instantly informed one of his operatives about it. As you may or may not recall, the Militant and the operative, who currently lives in an unspecified state that neighbors California, surveyed the site nearly a year ago. This weekend, the operative returned to town and made arrangements to meet the Militant at the site.

So at approximately 19:30 hours on Saturday evening, the Militant caught up with the visiting operative and guided him to the site. So there it was, sitting behind the metal fence.

"Can we get inside?" asked the curious out-of-state operative.

"Not likely, this is private property now."

A blue-shirted security guard paced back and forth along Toluca Street, and the Militant, already expecting a bucketful of 'tude, was ready to give up and leave. But the operative was persistent.

"Can we get inside?" he asked.

"Other side," said the security guard.

Hmm. Maybe the Militant gives up too easily. A tenant entered the Toluca Street gate with his car, but seemed to wait an abnormally long time for the gate to swing open. When it finally did, it swung in a way that almost damaged his car had he not reversed quickly.

"You live here?" the Militant asked.

"Yeah, just moved in," said the tenant.

"Guess they're still working out the bugs here," the Militant explained.

The Militant, pushing his bike, and the operative followed the car into the parking garage on foot. The operative approached the nearest door facing the tunnel which revealed a stairwell. One flight down led to access to a walkway in the back, yet not full access to the tunnel.

We snapped pictures of the "backyard," and reminisced the time when we, along with a group of other militant history buffs, may or may not have gone on a trek into the Pacific Electric tunnel. It was at that point a dude in a suit popped out and asked what we were doing here. The Militant expected the bucketful of 'tude again, and was already making plans for his departure of the facility. But the operative got in an honest conversation with him, and the Militant mentioned that we weren't trying to tag the property, and the Belmont Station staffer was actually real cool to us. Though the operative kept asking if we could go down straight to the tunnel entrance, the staffer said it wasn't possible "at this moment" since the dog park area is still a construction site and alluded to the inevitable liability issues. No prob.

We enlightened him more on the history, of whih he was somewhat knowledgeable of, and he did ask the Militant about the other end of the tunnel, by which the Militant informed him that, coincidentally, the other side also became adaptively reused as housing. The apartment staffer also said that the (slightly larger than) life-sized mural of the Pacific Electric trolley on the tunnel face is still being worked on by the artist. Incidentally the number of the trolley car reads "51." The PE never numbered their cars in double-digits, but the "51" was a reference to the nearby Toluca traction power substation (pictured right), which had the #51 designation.
The substation, as the Militant pointed out on Curbed's comment wall, had nothing to do with passengers but everything to do with converting electric power to the streetcars' overhead electrical system.

The staffer led the Militant and the operative to the lobby (pictured left), where a neato display of PE historical photo goodness, organized by a local railroad historical society, was on the first and second floor walls. They're open to the public, so anyone visiting the Belmont Station lobby is free to peruse them. The photos show both sides of the tunnel during their construction in the early-mid 1920s, as well as other historical glimpses of the trolley cars.

The Militant showed the visiting operative the still brand-new Vista Hermosa Park across the street, where he was totally enamored with the killer Downtown skyline view and the little cascading stream. Afterward, he loaded his bike onto the operative's truck and the Militant proceeded to show him some of the developments in Downtown, before they grabbed a bite to eat at Downtown's Wood Spoon Brazilian restaurant on 9th and Main (review coming up in the Militant's Mess Hall soon...whoa, the Militant hasn't touched that thing in months!).

Of Pigeons and Pedestrians

The Militant was riding his bike along The Boulevard on Saturday afternoon when he turned around, looked and exclaimed:

"OMG! PIGEON ISLAND!!!1"

Of course, if this were an average city blog entry, it would just be left at that, a mere curiosity meant to entertain, and perhaps to implicitly get people to comment, with the response by Anonymous #4 revealing what the real deal is.

But naw, the Militant likes to get to the bottom of the story, so here it is.

The "pigeon island" on the triangle-like median bordered by Hollywood Blvd and Vermont and Prospect avenues (surprise, surprise, it was a well-patronized Red Car stop back in the day) located on the mutual cusps of Los Feliz and East Hollywood is a long-neglected public space currently being renovated as part of a streetscape project of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, dubbed the Barnsdall Park Transit Oriented District.

After breaking ground this past Spring, the project (finished rendering pictured left) is designed to not only offer an enhanced public space for pedestrians in the area, but to improve existing bus and taxi amenities there, establish a local information center for nearby sights and attractions and visually tie the space to nearby Barnsdall Art Park, which, for those of you who don't know, lurks up on the hill...behind the Rite Aid.

The $800,000 project is expected to be complete by early 2009. Until then, those pigeons seem to be having a dandy of a time hanging out there.

Rated Expo - Gettin' Laid (Tracks, That Is)!

The Militant found himself traveling along Exposition Blvd on Saturday and pleasantly found what used to be the long-abandoned stretch of Pacific Electric track along the boulevard's median to be replaced by a shallow trench guarded by k-rail barriers and fencing, all, of course, for the much-anticipated (M) Exposition Light Rail Line. But...hello, what's this? Though the project is still in its early phases of construction, behold, we have crews working on the very first stretch of track ever laid on the Exposition light rail line (pictured above)! The photo was taken at the intersection of Exposition and Denker Ave., right between Western and Normandie. Talk about progress!

Of course, not everyone is pleased. In fact, this would downright piss them off (maybe that's why this section was the first to have track?). But, too little, too late, the Militant says. Such issues should have been hammered out years ago.

The Militant's Fi(r)st Annivasary - "Life Is Still Pretty Good in Hollywood"

One of the Militant's first blog adventures happened exactly a year ago today when he blogged about attending a meeting on the proposed Hollywood Freeway Central Park, visiting a popular Huell-approved juice joint on the Boulevard and simply taking in the day (and not long afterward, some curious blog readers posted these things called "Comments" on the Militant Angeleno's then-nascent blog, thus making the Militant realize, "Hey, people actually read this thing...Awe-some").

Well you don't know how far you've gone unless you look back on how far you've been, or something like that, so the Militant will revisit his little Hollywood adventure. Or, mind you, the Blockbuster Hollywood Sequel (Hey, The Militant can have fun with cheeky showbiz media cliches, too).

Earlier this month there were a pair of meetings on the proposed freeway cap park to wrap up community feedback on the project, which the Militant is glad to report is progressing nicely. The duplicate meetings, done on a Saturday morning and a Wednesday night, respectively, were held to accommodate people's schedules. Large-sized concept illustrations (pictured above) and descriptions of the park's design (all recommended and subject to change, of course) were shown to the community -- of which a neighbor of one of the Militant's operatives - mind you, this neighbor is a white male homeowner in his late 50s - said, "Judging by the faces in the room, this doesn't look like it's representative of the community." Hey, his words, not the Militant's!

Anyhu, the design included elements like art features (sculptures and murals), an amphitheater, multipurpose sports fields, a water feature, a viewing place for the Hollywood sign, a restaurant in the park, a dog space and an emphasis on greening the residential streets directly adjacent to the park.

Transportation was important, and some community members voiced their support and the need for an uninterrupted bike path, a DASH-type line and overall pedestrian-friendliness, including access to the Hollywood/Western (M) station - the closest to the park.

Even some Hollywood Hills-billies wanted a piece of dat park action, requesting that some of the park be extended north of its intended Bronson Ave. limit. Not so fast there podner -- the freeway no longer runs below ground level at this point!

The 34-acre park is expected to cost more or less around $1 billion, which is still cheaper than acquiring the equivalent amount of existing land at today's property values, and is expected to be 80% funded by federal moolah, and the remaining 20% by state funds, which includes a possible public-private partnership. And speaking of which, with the Speaker of the House being a Californian and the Speaker of the California State Assembly an Angelena, now's the time to work it (gurl)!

With a projected (optimistic) timeline of around 10 years , two down, eight or so to go...

All The Hollywood Juice

Wow, a sub-headline. The Militant hadn't used one of those in a long-ass time. Anyway, a year ago, the Militant paid a visit to the Juice(s) Fountain (pictured right, and BTW, WTF is up with that "C" in the window?), which he had stumbled upon for the first time since they moved from their old location on Vine Street. Unfortunately, on this recent return visit, as he was ready to come in, a fellow pedestrian said to her walking partners, "Sorry, were closed?"

The Militant went into worried shock mode, up until he read the sign on the door showing the closing time as 5 p.m., which was about an hour and a half ago at this point. Fear not, for he shall soon return to that blended fruit juicy goodness.

Though speaking of fruits...or at least wannabe fruits, or more specifically, fruit-topped chemically-composited fro-yo with a name making a reference to a type of treegrown fruit, which has subsequently spawned thousands of imitators referencing that very same fruit, is coming to the Boulevard. Yes folks...

...Pinkberry is coming to the Boulevard (Full disclosure, though the Militant was admittedly a fan last year, he has since Seen The Light in the form of Red Mango. It's all about the creamy, certified active yogurt-cultured Red Mango, baby). Too little, too late. Insert disappointed, jaded sigh here. Of course, they knew full well that they were trumped by another competitor looong ago as staking a claim to the World's Most Famous Street.

The Militant headed to the general area of his compound, not on two wheels this time, but on 48. But first he had to reach his subway train through a rather busy, scaffolding-inundated environment in the form of the gargantuan Hollywood Dubya Hotel, now very much under construction.

Ah, Hollywood. Pardon our dust. The Militant will retrace his Walk Of Fame steps yet again, for his second anniversary.

Straight Into Compton

Pssst...Downtown/Hollywood condo prices too ridiculously expensive for you? Looking for a new-construction, 2 bedroom, 2/12 bath townhome...for under $300K?

It can all be yours...in Compton.

The big hubub in The Hub City is not only its new wave of community revitalization, but its new housing boom and affordable existing properties.

An operative of the Militant, who is a longtime resident, even says that the formerly- predominantly white suburb might be regaining a lost demographic.

"I see them driving around town all the time," said the operative. "So whenever I'm watering my lawn, I look at them and go, [wagging his index finger, half-jokingly] 'Nah-uh!'"

The operative said its primarily the large lot sizes -- one can buy a huge residential property for under $400K -- as well as Compton's relatively centralized location between Downtown and the harbor.

But the civic leaders of this 120-year-old municipality are banking on new retail and residential development, such as Olson Homes' Willow Walk townhouse development, located right next door to the Martin Luther King Jr. Transit Center and directly across the street from the Compton (M) Blue Line station in the city's civic center (pictured right)

So the Militant, armed with his TAP card and Militant Cam, rode the Blue Line down to the city of Venus and Serena Williams and N.W.A. (speaking of that video, since when did the LAPD have jurisdiction in the city of Compton?) on Saturday to see the place for itself and perhaps gather some additional perspective from the Comptonians.

After stepping off the train, he found a relatively quiet, laid-back, yet rugged place as his fellow passengers dispersed into various directions: walking due east to the transit center, due southeast to the shopping center, due north to the residential areas or staying put to wait for a connecting bus along the east side of Willowbrook, which, right at the train station's bus plaza, ironically appears dry, dusty and with dead landscape vegetation.

It was certainly a late-afternoon streetscene that was slightly different than what he's accustomed to: the relative lack of SUVs and luxury cars passing on the street, for one. But in his observations of the locals, Comptonians appear to be good users of public space who like to talk.
He saw people chatting by the Blue Line tracks, people on opposite sides of a street conversing at a loud volume, and people hanging out on a bench in the vacant civic center plaza area - an area which includes the Compton Post Office, its city hall, the towering courthouse and the angled spires of the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial.

As the Militant snapped a picture, pityingly, of the Compton public library, with a banner reading, "LIBRARY CLOSED," he heard the voice of one of one of the two dudes hanging out nearby yell over to him:

"You're taking pictures? You must work for the po-lice!" said the male in his early 20s, holding a skateboard.

"Now why would the police want to take a picture of the library?" The Militant replied.

"I thought you might be with the police or something," said the young man.

"The Militant is just a writer, that's all...So what happened to the library?" said the Militant, assuming some shameful city budget crisis that would deny such a resource to Comptonians.

"It's gonna open in July," said the young man. "It's having a...what's the word?"

The Militant proceeded to fire off various words pertaining to budget crises, but right after the reopening registered in his head, he suggested, "Renovation?"

"Yeah, that's it," said the young man. "It's being renovated."

The Militant was somewhat relieved to hear about this, which meant that this "New Compton" thing was serious business.

"Aite, thanks man," said the Militant.

"Yo, you take care, dawg!" said the young man.

Further down Compton Blvd., the Militant spotted the supermarket, the Wells Fargo, the Circuit City and other retail chain establishments that were all built in anticipation of the rapid transit line built 18 summers ago, but he had to hop back on the Blue Line to continue his Militant mission, while still yearning to absorb more of the Hub City history and vibe.

Fortunately, on the station's platform was a series of murals and related art pieces (pictured right) that depicts the town's history from Spanish conquistadores to late 19th-century white pioneers to African American families to Latino youths. Personal perspectives of local residents reminiscing the mom and pop stores of yesteryear to an image of rapper Ice Cube holding a microphone to an honest account of Black and Latino racial tensions -- written over 10 years ago -- decorate the platform.

Though not nearly the hell-on-earth warzone many imagine it as, Compton still lacks the aesthetic beauty many seek in a desired livable environment. Yet underlying it all is an unyielding faith and pride that its civic leaders and longtime residents alike share that drives this potential urban renaissance.

'Brand' New: The Militant Takes On The Americana

The Militant's curiosity can't stands no more, he just had to get on the bike on Monday afternoon to check out the brand spankin' new The Americana at Brand in Glendale, a.k.a. Carusoville II.

First off, the Militant rode the 11-mile round trip trek and decided to count every riding cyclist he saw. When he got back to the vicinity of his compound, his tally was 25 bicyclists -- averaging about 2.27 bicyclists per mile. The Militant plans to do this for every solo bike trip he takes to demonstrate how many more people are biking these days.

As the Militant passed the blinking pedestrian crosswalks and car dealerships on Brand Blvd, there it was, developer Rick J. Caruso's $400-million Grove twin, and the mofo's even got a street named after him.

First off, the Militant was eager to find bike parking. He heard about some law that developers are required to put x-amount of bike parking in their new projects -- but that's only a City of Los Angeles requirement. We're in Glendale (a.k.a The Jewel City, a.k.a Big Armenia) now. Though where is the bike parking at the Grove? Oh yeah, it's in Farmer's Market.

Having found no easily visible bike parking, as he ventured towards the west end of the property, he found two bikes chained to the railing. Grrrrreat. So the Militant had no choice but to follow suit.

The Militant took a walk amidst the dancing waters pools (pictured left), which apparently does "water shows set to music" every half-hour. At one point, the water jets did a number to Barry White's "You're The First, The Last, My Everything" in true orgasmic fashion, the Militant kids you not.

Yes, the water pool, the grassy "park" and the Pacific Theatres multiplex had the Militant wondering where was The Apple Store, but of course it was across the street, at the venerable Glendale Galleria.

The Galleria folks probably initially thought their newer, flashier, outdoor neighbor would cut into their bees-knees, but the throngs of people traversing the Central Ave. crosswalk demonstrated otherwise. If anything, it probably even helped business, and in fact, on this day, the Militant found absolutely nothing of use to purchase at Carusoville II and instead bought something at the Galleria. Because he's old school like that.

The one cool thing about the Americana was the little (battery-powered) electric trolley (technically, though it's still on rails, it's not a trolley, since a "trolley" refers to the mechanism that picks up power from an overhead line, of which there is none here). Funny, as it rides on the west side of Brand Blvd -- the same thoroughfare which carried the Pacific Electric Red Cars. Incidentally these trams are too of a reddish color.

The one-way ride lasts about eight minutes, and you can get your own ride here:





In all, the Militant wasn't that wowed with The Americana. It looked a lot bigger on TV when the local news stations covered its opening. In short, the Militant came to the following conclusions:

The Americana At Brand is teh r0x0r cuz...

- If you live too far from the Grove, it's a reasonable substitute.

- The dancing-waters pool is now the largest body of water in the Glendale area.

- If you're the kind of guy who's into looking at hot MILFs, then this is definitely the place to be.

- The "trolley" is slightly less Disneylandish.

- The mixed-use nature of the place is an interesting touch to Glendale.

- Between it, the nearby Galleria and the nearby Exchange, the city of Glendale can claim to have pretty much every chain store in existence.

The Americana At Brand is teh sux0r cuz...

- It's a total faux public space.

- Aside from possibly the movie theatres, and the initial novelty of it all, there's no real reason to go there.

- It's got a Pinkberry and not a Red Mango.

- The lack of retail frontage on Central Ave. makes it into a dead zone.

- NO BIKE PARKING!

- The mixed-use nature...who the @#$% can afford to live there?

- There's no Farmer's Market next door.

- It's got a Caruso Avenue.

- Between it, the nearby Galleria and the nearby Exchange, the city of Glendale can claim to have pretty much every chain store in existence.

More shots and wise-ass captions:

Wassup with the chandelier?

The Americana's idea of bike parking. Yay.

Meanwhile, across the street, at least the Galleria knows what bike parking is (even though it's a wheelbender).

Poppy-field, I Know About Poppy-field

Ah, another nice sunny Winter's day in the metropolis. On Sunday the Militant's top-secret duties took him to Inglewood, where he decided to forgo a freeway trip along the 101, 110 and 105 freeways in favor of a direct route down the Wilton/Arlington/Van Ness corridor, passing through familiar areas like Hollywood, Koreatown, Jefferson Park, West Adams and into rarely-seen neighborhoods like Chesterfield Square and Angeles Mesa. To the sheltered Angeleno, anything below the 10 is instantly dismissed as "The 'Hood" but at least along Van Ness Avenue, the 'Hood looked quite good - quiet residential streets with well-kept front lawns, some of them nicely tree-lined, and some corners bearing some sort of designed open space. The familiar aerial landmarks of towering palm trees and descending airplanes are there, but these streets look quite quaint. This area was, after all, originally developed as a suburb.

But what a time to be passing through Inglewood -- the city turned 100 years old last week and will be putting on some Centennial events later on this year. The onetime-City of Champions is in some sort of transition, having lost the Lakers, Kings and soon those horsies on the Prairie, it is searching for a new purpose, a new stimulus, and in the process trying to shake off its "ghetto" perception.

Its downtown area, though, doesn't look quite as nice as some of its residential neighborhoods. Generally barren, it's suffering from some sort of identity crisis as it attempts to bear a "Main Street" feel in some sections -- complete with the requisite diagonal parking arrangement and widened, landscaped sidewalk along a commercial area -- but other parts appear quite lifeless.

But there was at least one thing in Inglewood's downtown that appeared pleasing to the Militant's eye -- an empty lot, of all places, right at the corner of La Brea and Florence avenues, where a field of California Golden Poppies grow in striking abundance (pictured above). How strange, yet how beautiful, it looks.

Of course, all them pretty flowers won't last for long. The lot is slated for development by CB Richard Ellis to build a shopping complex (pictured left). The Inglewood city folks seem to be banking on building a hub in the area, as planes fly low over Century Blvd and a mostly-abandoned railroad track lies on the other side of Florence (which is part of the proposed Metro Crenshaw/Prairie Transit Corridor currently under study). Maybe that's where the next hundred years of the hometown of Vicki Lawrence and Mack 10 lies.

Downtown On The Last Day Of The Year

There's a long-standing tradition in Downtown Los Angeles that on December 31, office workers would dump the pages of their daily desk calendars onto the streets, a ritual symbolizing an "out-with-the old" cleansing of sorts (though an even bigger cleansing job for the Downtown BID cleanup crews).

The Militant wanted to capture this phenomena, so he hopped on the subway today to check out all the action, albeit with that voice inside of him reminding the Militant that in this age of PCs, laptops, Treos and Blackberries, people hardly use daily desk calendars anymore (that same voice is also the one that usually speaks when statements on this blog are enclosed in parenthesis).

As the Militant emerged from the 7th St/Metro Center station, he figured that voice was correct after all. The streets of Downtown were pretty much clean. But he wanted to take a longer walk to find more. Obviously in the Financial District, none of the highrises there have any windows that can be opened, so perhaps near the mid-rise structures can these discarded calendar pages be found. So from Flower Street, he rounded the corner from the Central Library and headed east on 5th, past the Pershing Square ice rink.

Children waiting to get on the ice at Pershing Square are fascinated by the Zamboni.

Now of course everyone knows that the old early-20th century Downtown office buildings are all loft apartments now, and the people who live there would obviously have more sense than to dump stuff onto the street (Especially since they pay mucho dinero to live there in the first place).

But still, the Militant, always wanting to make lemonade out of lemons, wanted to see some more of the ongoing adaptive reuse going on in DTLA. After all, it's been a long while since he's walked the streets of this part of Downtown.

He did get to see the sparking new Rite Aid on 5th and Broadway, which seemed rather out of place there, but hey, that's progress for ya. He continued on to Spring and took a right. The seemingly renovated sky-lit ground-level shops of the Spring St. Arcade Building (no, not that kind of arcade) was something the Militant had seemingly overlooked all these years. At least this time around, he did stop periodically and look at all those early 20th century 13-stories-and under wrought-iron buildings and appreciated their individual character.

He went further south on Spring then back west on 7th, passing by the new-fangled urban 7-Eleven that opened recently. He then found his way on to Olive St, and decided to pass by the much-celebrated Downtown Ralphs for good measure as the sky turned orange for the last sunset of 2007.

But hey, what's this? The Militant finally sees them! Discarded desk calendar pages! The Militant's trusty digital cam immediately went into action (Pictured above).

He realized though that all of these calendar pages were all found in the same location - around the vicinity of Macy's Plaza - and judging by their sheer volume (or lack thereof, rather), it's quite likely that they came from the same person's desk. And to make things even stranger, some of the calendar pages had a 2008 date on them(!). Oh well, beggars can't be choosers. Guess that just goes to show, if you keep looking, you'll eventually find what you've been searching for.

That, and at least one person out there decided to keep up with a dying tradition on the streets of Downtown Los Angeles.

Of Life, Love and Property in Culver City Adjacent

The Militant found himself entirely - save for an hour and a half in an unspecified area not so far away - in and around Culver City, for various purposes (thus cutting down unnecessary trips and saving gas)

Starting at noon he took one of his operatives, who was in the market for a condo, on an informal asset-mapping of the community she was considering moving to by taking a three-and-a-half-mile walk around. The Militant, notorious for being a multitasker, saw not only an opportunity to get to see (and write about) a community, but discovered an excuse to spend most of the day with her, as he has been pursuing her amorously (with various unspecified mixed signals) for an unspecified amount of time...which is actually quite a while, come to think of it.

The operative, which will be henceforth referred to as "A" (which may or may not be her first, middle or last initial, though the Militant is also comfortable knowing that she does not know he is the Militant, though there is a minute chance she might stumble on this here blog while doing more research on her potential community, but the Militant will take his chances lest he ends up professing his love to her through this here blog - regardless of the outcome, he would get quite a kick out of it, come to think of it), currently lives in a 562-area suburb, but was looking for a considerably more dynamic area and a closer commute to her Downtown job.

She told the Militant that the potential condo was located in Palms, but after Mapquesting it (So websites have become verbs now?) discovered that it wasn't really in Palms, but Palms-adjacent, specifically in the South Robertson neighborhood. He pointed her to the South Robertson Neighborhoods Council website for some community resources and while taking a glance on both sides of the cellphone signal, she read about the neighborhood's efforts to stop a strip club from opening near Venice and Robertson. As a potential property owner, she didn't think that was cool, and it added to her concerns about the neighborhood.

They convened at the condo just off of National on a beautiful, relatively warm late Fall Sunday afternoon and walked to nearby Hamilton High School where a parking lot full of cars got their attention and curiosity led them to a possible event on the campus, but alas it was simply just a weekend practice session for the school's basketball team in the gym.

They walked around the campus to Robertson, where she constantly commented how the nature of the streets dramatically changed from idyllic, quiet, tree-lined blocks to blighted areas
with graffiti tags, bulky items and badly-cracked pavement all within a small distance of one another.

They continued down Robertson, past the pair of gas stations on the street and crossed under the 10 Freeway to the other side, where by chance they found themselves across the street from ground zero in terms of neighborhood controversy - Skin Gentlemen's Club. The building surpisingly didn't look very assuming and we actually were more baffled by the lack of parking spaces it apparently had.

The two crossed Venice Blvd, where a pair of bicyclists rode westward. They passed an unspecified store (no, really, there was no signage, save for the words, "WHERE ONLY INTELLIGENT PEOPLE SHOP") which consisted of a shack which apparently sold miniature motor bikes in front and various trinkets inside.

Walking down Exposition and now entering the City called Culver, with its green street signs, they saw a run-down, debris-strewn empty lot, bordered with yellow "police" tape, which would, in three years, become the western terminus of the (M) Exposition Light Rail Line. Even a banner for the former business - Jungle Tropical Plants - bore the establishment's newly-relocated address on Sawtelle Ave. The Militant reminded her that come 2010, she can simply hop on a train to her job in Downtown, and if she plans to sell her condo in the future, its access to a Metro station would be a huge selling point, in addition to its added value.

A series of boarded-up, graffiti-tagged buildings down on Washington Blvd which made up a former used car sales lot caught A's eye, as she wondered why this particular part appeared so run-down. The Militant explained the area was ripe for redevelopment and that the Metro station's presence would likely transform the area into something else entirely.

A few entrepreneurs seemed ready to ride that redevelopment tiger already, as just a few blocks west, we randomly stumbled on a curiously-chic looking space - the kind usually found in ethnic neighborhoods as a gentrohipster establishment - yet in this relatively barren quasi-industrial zone of Culver City, everything was fair game. So stood Royal/T, a mixed shop/art/cafe space (the latter wasn't exactly ready yet as the establishment was only a week or so old) built on the former corporate office space of Burke Williams Spas, which bore a contemporary Japanese theme in the form of manga book displays and wall-sized images of gaudily-dressed Fresh Fruit/Harajuku types. The gallery spaces (pictured left) bore an exhibition called Just Love Me, which, according to Royal/T's literature, "explores the complexity of cuteness."

Speaking of cute, the quaint, colonialist facade of The Culver Studios stood just a short distance away, as well as the six-sided Culver Hotel (pictured right), where skateboarding teens rolled and jumped in the nearby plaza. Here in Downtown Culver City was were the urban experience was once had and is now found again in the form of entertainment, shops, bars and restaurants. A and the Militant took a break here on a sidewalk table to enjoy an unspecified dessert. She definitely likes this aspect of the neighborhood, though living on this side of the 10 Freeway was prohibitively more expensive for her.

We walked around Downtown Culver, right by the former Pacific Electric Red Car powerhouse known as Ivy Substation, home of The Actor's Gang. She also showed the Militant another potential condo property on a decidedly more quiet, tree-lined, naturally traffic-calmed street in Los Angeles city limits (where it's actually Palms) much closer to Venice, but the Militant warned her that it would have to come at a price. But if she were able to get a good deal on it, she should definitely consider that over the original property.

We headed back and though she got to know the neighborhood a lot more, she was still undecided, though did come to the impression that the strip club thing didn't seem like such a big deal anymore, but rather pedestrian access to Downtown Culver City, which was limited by a relatively unsightly freeway underpass.

She did tell the Militant that if she does live there, she would definitely get more involved in the community, which made the Militant smile for many reasons. Perhaps he can even help train her to be an actual Militant Angelena...sigh...

The rest of the afternoon was still spent in the area, where one of A's own operatives (she's quite Militant, or rather dedicated, in her own way in other unspecified volunteer activities) joined up at an unspecified sit-down restaurant further west towards Sepulveda. And later that evening, after A had to leave (and the Militant felt a little heartbroken), he joined up with a bunch of other operatives later that night indulging in food, drink, karaoke and more drinks at an establishment of that nature situated in a part of Palms that looked awfully familiar to the Militant.

Red, red wine....stay close to me...

Separated At Birth: Wilshire Vermont Station Apartments

The Militant just couldn't resist after taking his Vermont Bypass Bicycle Corridor ride on Wednesday night, but at the risk of treading on the turf of a certain local Jedi blogger, the Militant did notice the striking resemblance between the Wilshire Vermont Station Apartments
(pictured above, top) and a Jawa Sandcrawler (pictured above, bottom) from the Star Wars universe. Readers will recognize the Wilshire Vermont Station building as the site of Franklin Avenue Mike's favorite creepy digit mural (Damnit, that's two FA references in one day? Ugh, they owe the Militant big time).

Unfortunately, one cannot purchase droids at the Wilshire Vermont Station development, but women's shoes, and soon other things, can be bought there.

Waiting For The Angels...

It has been six years, nine months and three days since the fateful February day in 2001 where the gear system of the Angels Flight funicular railway failed and killed one person while injuring seven.

But while the adjacent pocket park is being renovated, renovation and reconstruction of the Flight itself has yet to happen.

The update remains the same from Angels Flight Railway Foundation president John Welborne: "Angels Flight will reopen in __(insert arbitrary month here, which inevitably passes by)__, once we have our funding." The response, aside from that arbitrary month that inevitably comes and goes, had been uttered by Welborne so many times, it's made scratched records jealous. Welborne's constantly-revised advertisement in the pages of the Los Angeles Downtown News boasting the constantly-revised re-opening date is worth a chuckle in tiself.

The issue has been complicated by a seemingly possessive power-struggle between Welborne and the MTA, which had offered to assume the renovation costs and operation of the funicular. But Welborne, who was informally "knighted" by Mayor Tom Bradley to lead the Flight's pre-1996 rebuilding effort during his suggestion to the mayor at the City's 1981 Bicentennial festivities (hence Welborne's insistent entitlement to the railway), simply would not let "his" baby go without a fight.

The only renovation and repair that was actually completed was that of the railcars themselves, Sinai and Olivet, which are now being stored at the (M) Red Line Yard and Shops along Santa Fe Street in the Arts District (pictured above), waiting for their wings (okay, in their case, wheels) to be re-fitted on.

Since Downtown has gone on without the Flight for nearly seven years, should this all be an issue before all those big-ass Grand Avenue developments come to fruition? The flight had already missed out on its own centennial in December 2001. Or should Angelenos wait for another century (with constantly-updated arbitrary opening dates which inevitably come and go) before all this happens again?

Enough of this childish possessiveness, says the Militant. Welborne's initial resurrection of the Flight after nearly three decades was commendable, but it's time to let go and give in for the greater good of the City.

MILITANT UPDATE: Is the Militant psychic or what? The Los Angeles Downtown News has just reported that the Angels Flight Railway Foundation has already raised 88% of the $3.3 million required to reopen, with the latest arbitrary changeable date set to "December 31, 2007," pending the raising of the remaining 12% of the funds.

The Militant will believe it when he finally sees a crane lowering Sinai and Olivet onto the tracks.

Angels Flight (in exile) photo by Tim Quinn.

That New Theatre Smell

Last Saturday, the Militant had a chance to step right up to the new-fangled event venue, the Nokia Theatre (Is it pronounced, "Noh-kya" or "No-KEE-uh?" and on that note, is "Theatre" pronounced "Thee-ATE-her" or "Thee-tur?"). It's a stunningly beautiful building, which blends in well architecturally with its next door neighbor, STAPLES Center (also an AEG creation).

It's a truly unique venue, with stunning visual aesthetics, but is it really that unique? Turns out there are other Nokia Theatres out there, including one in that other major US city, so this one is specifically called, "Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live." But it's the largest one in size and capacity (7,100), larger than the Dallas (6,300) and NYC (2,100) versions. Speaking of naming rights, if certain artists ban camera phones at their concerts, what if the concertgoer has a Nokia model?

The sheer size and expanse of the theatre as well as the abuilding L.A. Live complex seemingly turned Chick Hearn Court from The Street Formerly Known As 11th to a true court, which tempts one to jaywalk between Staples and Nokia, though a row of "Use Crosswalk" signs on either side of the Court discourage shortcutting and forces people to head all the way over to Figueroa. The only downside to the new configuration is that in the event of another Lakers championship, where would the large victory celebration take place? Of course, with the way the team is going right now, that probably won't be an issue for a long time.

Though the Militant has yet to go inside, one of the Militant's siblings got to check it out on Day Two of Nokia's debut season, watching the Video Games Live concert on October 19. When the sibling was asked on their impressions of Nokia, the sibling simply shrugged and said, "It was cool."

But by far the biggest visual impact of Nokia is the building's chameleonic ability to change into all them pretty colors. The visual landmark of Nokia's plaza is the set of six pylons that emanate sound and vision into the immediate area. But wait a minute here...a vertical structure...changing colors...bright visuals...an audio system that projects sound towards all directions...hmmm...now where exactly has the Militant seen something like that before?

Angels and the Santa Anas

The Militant had to leave the camo at home on Saturday as he attended the wedding of an operative at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Downtown. Of course, though he wasn't dressed as a Militant, the Militant was able to arrive at the wedding Militant-style, as he rode the (M) Red Line to the Civic Center station and simply walked across the street (leaving the car at home also had a practical reason, as you'll find out below).

The Militant had mixed feelings about this wedding, as he wasn't exactly 100% supportive of the primary intent of the union, but what's done is done, and all the Militant could do was wish the operative and his new bride well.

No, the Cathedral wasn't filled to its 3,000+ capacity, only the first section of pews had people in it, with much room to spare, plus a small "spillover" crowd scattered in the next section. During the ceremony, a group of tourgoers in the back looked on with much curiosity.

It had been a while since the Militant had stepped into the characteristically 21st-century Cathedral, and for some reason he never fails to find inspiration in the tan-toned tapestries that hang along both sides of the Cathedral's nave, appropriately designed by artist John Nava. The tapestries depict members of the Catholic Church's Hall of Fame from every race and walk of life walking along average people, likewise from every race and walk of life (pictured above).

After the ceremony came the requisite photography sessions in the courtyard garden between the Cathedral building and the campanile, with the muffled white-noise roar of 101 Freeway traffic blaring from just over the wall. The construction crane and launchpad-like girders of the under-construction school currently known as Central LA New High Schoool #9 loomed over the Cathedral plaza's walls, a telling sign that the presence of redevelopment is inescapable in Downtown.

The Militant carpooled with another set of operatives to an undisclosed location in the San Fernando Valley where the reception took place. The roaring Santa Ana Winds nearly beat us into submission as we navigated through the parking lot into the reception hall. Of course, whern there is a wedding reception, two magic words pique the Militant's interest:

Open Bar.

Needless to say, the Militant didn't seem to remember much throughout the rest of the night, other than that it included a lot of hollering, dancing and doing rather stupid things while the room appeared to be spinning. He did remember looking out of the window into a panoramic view of the Valley, on a night designated as "Lights Out LA." Of course, even if every household complied by turning off all unnecessary lights for an hour, the visual impact could not be seen as most lights seen from a distance were streetlights.

As the Militant imbibed himself into a drunken stupor, he couldn't help but wonder when or how or if his big day will come when he ties the knot with his own Militant Angelena, wherever she is. The Militant has to admit, being a Militant can get rather solitary at times. Okay, maybe she doesn't have to be a Militant Angelena herself (Come to think of it, the Militant seems to think that kind of marriage would would be filled with constant arguments as to who would be more Militant than the other), he'll settle for a regular Angelena, who would be at least supportive of the Militant's lifestyle. Until then, he'll just have to leave you with a quote from the great Los Angeles band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Sing with the Militant now:

Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in, the City of Angels
Lonely as I am, together we cry...

(About to Be) Born In East L.A.

Last March, the Militant took a bicycle ride from his compound all the way to The Real Eastside and back one afternoon. After he told a decidedly non-militant friend (as in, "does not qualify as an operative") bout his trek, the friend asked the Militant, "Weren't you afraid?"

The Militant replied, "Afraid of what?"

The decidedly non-militant friend answered, "All those gangsters in East L.A."

And he was actually serious.

The Militant followed up with a long-ass explanation about fear, perception and stereotypes. That and the fact that the Militant has biked through many a "rough" area and has never been shot at or "bikejacked," if ever such a term existed. Plus, who would really want to shoot at a Militant (The Militant, of course, asks this rhetorically)?

The Militant had to run an errand today in Monterey Park, and when he looked at the little MapQuest image, he exclaimed,"Score!" and soon proceeded to his ELAA (East Los Angeles Adjacent) destination.

Yes, the Militant didn't just go to The Real Eastside, he went to the actual East Los Angeles.

His first stop after his errand was the end of the (M) Gold Line Eastside Extension (pictured above), which terminates at the corner of Atlantic and Pomona, just a few blocks south of East Los Angeles College. Come 2009 , Angelenos will discover The Real Eastside, as well as East Los Angeles proper, and discover that their perceptions of some sort of ghetto hellhole were waaaaay off the mark.

The Militant didn't even have to wait until '09. He saw it here today. The place was clean, sidewalks not only low in litter content, but in prime condition (Actually, in terms of cleanliness, East Los Angeles proper looks much nicer than Boyle Heights (which is within Los Angeles city limits), so perhaps being part of unincorporated County land has its advantages?). A Kaiser Permanente clinic stood right next to the station construction site, with a possibly prophetic banner ad on the wall with the Spanish version of the HMO's slogan, "Viva Bien" (Live Well) - pictured left. Hole-In-The Wall restaurants like Maria's Corner and El Loco #1 lay in wait nearby for the throngs of people who will arrive in light rail cars in two years' time who have never been there before.

But there was so much more to see here than mere restaurants and health care institutions.

Heading west along the light rail construction route, the Militant hit the next station site - the East L.A. Civic Center, which sports a library, courthouse, other government buildings and the crown jewel: A beautiful city park centered around a picturesque lake (pictured right) - the southern annex of Belvedere Park. He would have loved to have shown his decidedly non-militant friend this place, which looks more at home in some hoity-toity suburb than in Eastlos, but here it is, right in the center of East Los Angeles, with parents lounging, children playing and the occasional food vendor cart making their rounds on a warm, sunny Southern California autumn Sunday afternoon. The park is also home to the East Los Angeles Farmer's Market, which is run here on Saturday mornings.

(The Militant was not aware that duck molestation
was such a serious issue in East Los Angeles)

Interestingly, the 60 freeway runs just yards from the park, but the depressed elevation of the freeway and a soundwall keep this beautiful treasure out of the view of freeway traffic -- the only way to see it is from the street (and soon, from a train). Fortunately, for the people enjoying the park, the freeway is out of sight, out of mind, thanks to the soundwall, with only the muted roar of traffic coasting by being any sort of reminder the freeway is nearby.

As the Militant ventured westward, he took a little detour, past the 24-hour King Taco location on 3rd and Ford, where a future station called Maravilla (which means "marvelous" or "wonderful") is being built. You can read all about that little detour in the next blog entry.

The Militant followed the right-of-way into Los Angeles City limits, where the only danger he faced was almost running over a stray dog walking on the street (the dog being more in danger than the Militant of course), as families crossed the street from their cars, parked in makeshift parking spaces carved out of the light rail construction zone in between the zone road stripes and the k-rail barriers that concealed the new tracks embedded in the street. The Militant followed the tracks north on Indiana and west on 1st St., where the rail route buried itself in a tunnel next to Evergreen Cemetery, where thousands of Angelenos - from all literally walks of life - have been buried since 1877 - with room for more.

The tracks emerge again from subterranea just a few blocks west of Boyle Heights' Mariachi Plaza, where a few musicians were gathering, just to hang out, but no one was playing in the plaza's gazebo at the time (Readers, help the Militant out - what day and what time are the Mariachi performances there?).

The Gold Line Eastside Extension is more than just "a rail line serving a economically-disadvantaged, transit-dependent community;" it's a link to a relatively undiscovered and sorely underrated area of Southern California that has probably been more of a victim of outsider's fears and perceptions than actual crime itself. The Real Eastside isn't just homogenously Mexican or Chicano in flavor either; the Militant's Real Eastside Adventure passed by a Serbian Cemetery, Japanese Buddhist and Tenrikyo temples (Boyle Heights still sports vestiges of a strong Japanese American community), Chinese restaurants and markets and at least two Hawaiian BBQ joints.

Amazing the things people miss when their only world is home, work and the freeways. And even more when their urban life is ruled by fear, stereotypes and perception.

But there's no need to wait until '09 to see The Real Eastside "happen." - It's there now, and it's already been happening.